Cheap Ways to Art Journal Part 3

Art Journal page from my Kid's Made Modern watercolor paper journal (see Part 1), craft paints, simple ephemera

And here we go, Part 3, where we're going to get into things like Gesso, Watercolors, and Water-Soluable products (like Portfolio's, Gelato's, etc).

1. Gesso

   Gesso was one of those products that continually frustrated me, because it seemed no matter where I went, it was expensive.  I was even going to attempt to make my own with talc and white paint at one point (er, don't do this), because that's pretty much what it is - chalk, titanium white pigment (or black/gray/brown, depending on the brand and color) and acrylic binder.  I didn't use any for a few years, because I wasn't gonna pay $15 for 8 ounces of chalky paint.  But oy, I broke down, waited for a sale, and tried Golden's Gesso.  And it's lovely, and feels lovely to the touch, and only covers previous layers slightly, so there's this mystery peeking out from behind it.  But, alas, it's too much to keep up that habit.
   
   Then I found Martha Stewart's Gesso (sold at Michael's with her paint line, in the craft paint aisle), for $7 for 6 ounces.  So, with a 40% off coupon, that's about $4.  And it's wonderful stuff.  It's slightly thicker than Golden's gesso, so you can lay it on thick and then texturize it (write in it, stamp into it, create designs in it).  It comes in a pourable squeeze bottle, too, which I find a plus.  It's got this wonderful, fine tooth to it.  It's the closest I've come to Golden's Gesso, at a price that doesn't make me gulp.
   
   I will just say this about Liquitex BASICS Gesso - I love all of Liquitex's products I've tried, except this one.  This gesso is not just toothy - it's actually gritty, bumpy even.  So, if you try to glue down anything on top of it, the grit will prevent the piece from adhering completely.  It's the kind of gesso that needs to be sanded down between layers.  This goes for their Clear Gesso, too - same texture.  For some people, this isn't a deal-breaker, but for me, it is.  If I want a clear gesso, I'll just stick to Matte Medium - it's clear and has tooth to it - problem solved.  (Tip from the pro, Less Herger of Comfortable Shoes Studios - The professional gesso of the Liquitex line is smooth as silk.  What I'm talking about is their BASICS line).

2. Watercolors

   Lots of people in the mixed-media world use watercolors, both tube and pan varieties, in their art journals.  I've seen people mix watercolors with acrylic/craft paints, with delightful results.  I've also seen art journals that are all pen-and-ink work, with watercolors for color.  I use watercolors on the faces of the girls I draw, because it lets the graphite shading I've worked on shine through.  But, for the most part, I consider watercolor paints to be an add-on with my pages, not the "main event" (like my craft paints), so my research on this is pretty slim.
   
   In this arena, I will just say this - buy what you can afford.  What you're paying for is quality/amount of pigment (just like with artist quality acrylic paint vs. craft paint).  I would say if you're just starting out, and really want to try out watercolors, but are on a budget, then head to Michael's, and get the $5 Artist Loft set.  They're actually a little opaque, closer to a gouache-type paint, but the set has fun colors, and you'll get to see if watercolors are something you really want to work with.  If they captivate you, then consider saving up for a good, artist-quality set of watercolor (either pan or tubes).

3. Water-Soluable Oil Pastels/Gelatos/Watercolor Crayons/Twist Stix

   I've grouped these together, because you can achieve similar looks with all four of these products, with only slight differences in what they each do.  I just don't want you to feel like, if you watch a technique video using Gelato's, that you need to run out and buy those, when you're sitting on a set of Portfolio Water-Soluable Oil Pastels at home.  Or if you see that really pretty set of NeoColor II Watercolor Crayons, to pine away for them, when you can work the same magic with a set of Crayola Twists Slick Stix.
   
   What each of these products will do is lay down a thick, slick, smooth layer of color, that can also then be activated with water, for all kinds of fun effects.  They range from oily to waxy in their finishes, but many techniques between them overlap.  Here is how I break them down:

• Portfolio Water-Soluable Oil Pastels:  Oil-based, they have a wonderful smooth creamy finish to them.  They lay down thick color, and are finger-blendable, for soft effects.  You can get a set of 24 colors for $10 at Staples.
• Crayola Twist Slick Stix:  I found these at Joann's, in their kids' aisle, where a set of 12 was $10 (used a coupon - that's pretty pricey in my book).  They come in a thick tube, and lay down thick, blendable color.  They are water-soluable, too, and have the added bonus of coming with a metallic silver and metallic gold color.  I would say their finish is like Gelato's, somewhere between oily and waxy - right in the middle.  Like lipstick.
• Gelato's (or Faber-Castell Gel Sticks, for the budget conscious):  I pined for Gelato's for about a millisecond, when I realized that they're Faber-Castell's answer to water-soluable crayons, and do the same thing as all the other products.  They come in "chapstick" form, and go on just like lipstick.  If you have your heart set on a set, try out the Faber-Castell Gel Sticks, in the kids' aisle of Joann's - same stuff, different marketing.  I believe it's again, $10 for a set of 10 (use your coupon!).
• Caran D'Ache Neocolor II Watercolor Crayons: These are priciest ones of all - $18 for a set of 10 from Dick Blick (and that's the best price I've found).  They have a definite waxy-finish, and are not as finger-blendable as the other products.  When laid down, the color is muted, but when activated with water - oh wow - bright and vibrant color!  They are a lovely product, but if they're just accents for your art journal, and you're on a budget, then I'd go for one of the other products.  Or, if you can, I'd go to a local art store, and buy a couple in colors you like, to try them out, before investing in a whole set.

Next up, we'll wrap up this series, and go into things like washi tape and ephemera, and how the more you art journal, the more you'll have an eye for things to use in your art journal.

Fun with Dick Blick - Experiment Time!

Julie Prichard of The Land of Lost Luggage held a giveaway last month for her newsletter subscribers, and woo-hoo!  I won!  It was a gift certificate to Dick Blick, and I gleefully spent it last week.  If you aren't signed up for Julie's newsletter, get on over there.  She is an absolutely wonderful teacher of online mixed-media classes - I took her Art Journaling Super Nova class, Part 2, a couple of years ago, and was so impressed with how available she is to her students.  The content was fabulous and I learned so much.  You need to know what she's up to.

Anyways, here's what I got from Dick Blick (thank you Julie!!):

• Dick Blick Liquid Watercolor in Metallic Gold
• Strathmore Mixed Media Paper, 140 lb, 11" x 14"
• Loew-Cornell Fine Painting Pen
• Letraset Aquamarkers - Set 2
• Various Caran D'Ache Neocolor II Watercolor Crayons - some assorted browns, to round out my colors for shading faces

I'm linking to all this stuff at Dick Blick, because I know you can get it there.  I'm not an affiliate or anything - just want you to be able to see what I'm talking about.

First, holy cow, the Liquid Watercolor!  Forget Glimmer Mists, forget Perfect Pearls - I have found my gold spray ink!!  It is a true metallic gold, shimmery and bright.  It's relatively thick, and I found that I had to add equal parts water to watercolor in my spray bottle, to get it to spray as a mist - otherwise, it was coming out as a steady stream.  It is just lovely - of course, the shimmer won't show up on the scanner, but trust me, it's shiny.  Also, my theory is that because it's watercolor, it won't clog up the spray bottle like acrylics will.  I will let you know after it's been sitting for a bit.

Next, let's talk about the Strathmore Mixed-Media paper.  I've heard rave reviews of this paper from Samantha Kira - she shows in one of her videos how it remains flat, even with all of her paint layers (and that's just a miracle in my book - a paper that remains flat under mixed-media duress?  No way!).  I was excited to see how this paper held up.

It looks a little like cold-press watercolor paper - the surface is slightly textured, but not as textured as most watercolor papers.   I painted a section with Martha Stewart Gesso, another section with Golden Soft Matte Gel, and then left the last section plain.  I used some of my new toys over the top - the watercolor crayons, the Letraset Aquamarkers, and then the Fine Painting Pen.  I also used plenty of water as part of my tests.  Here's the results (click on image to enlarge):

The paper slightly curled at the corners where I laid down the gesso, but otherwise, it's flat as a pancake.  I couldn't believe it - even where I added water to the watercolor crayon and marker, it stayed flat!  

I think, since it curled slightly with the gesso (and I do mean slightly), it might curl up some with acrylic paints.  But I'll have to test that out when I make an art journal out of the pad.  I would have gotten the actual spiral pad of Strathmore Mixed-Media paper, but they perforated the pages in those, and I know I'd have pages falling out all over the place.

As for my new Neocolor II watercolor crayon, it behaved as I expected it to.  It's more "slidey" over gesso and gel medium (it moves easier with water) than on plain paper.  What I was really interested in was the color.  It's called Beige, but the crayon looks pretty gray to me.  The color turns out to be a grayish brown when water is added.  Sigh.  I was looking for a Titan Buff kind of color, and this is not it.  Oh well, it will be great for shading faces.

Next - squeee!  The Letraset Aquamarkers!  Rhomany of Rhomany's Realm recommends these markers (and she's not a brands kind of person, so if she recommends a product, she's got good reasons).  I was so excited to try these out.  They're watercolor-esque markers, meaning, water will move the pigment.  Rhomany had said they behave in an interesting way over gesso, and she's right.  The pigment moves some over gesso, while still maintaining the original marks.  In my test, you can see where I colored with the fine tip, the broad tip and then the broad tip again, but with water brushed over it.   Over gel medium, they behave more like a true watercolor than over the gesso (which makes sense, gel medium being more plastic than gesso).  On the plain paper, the pigment absorbs more into the paper, but is still slightly activated by the water.

I can easily see these markers going into my portrait arsenal, for easy shading and blending.  They also work over acrylics and gesso, so I can use them for writing and doodling over backgrounds.  

By the way, these are not brush-tip markers - they have a firm, felt-tip point to them.  And, considering that these are water-based, I doubt they're permanent when dry (just something to consider for those that like to layer).  Also, for some reason, the fine tip seems to lay down a brighter blue than the broad tip.  Can you see it in the photograph above?  I can't for the life of me figure out why that would be.  Any ideas?

Now, for the piece de resistance!  The Loew-Cornell Fine Painting Pen - I am in love.  It's a metal contraption (for lack of a better word), where you can add inks or paints to the well, and the ink/paint comes out of a fine point on the end.  No more messing around with a fine brush for details or writing.  I can just add some fluid acrylics into the well of this pen, and voila!  Details!  In any color I want!  

I found that with fluid acrylics, it's best to add just a touch of water before adding it into the well of this pen - otherwise, there's a lot of tapping involved, to get the paint to come out.  Clean-up is a cinch (just rinse it out with water), and it even comes with a fine-needle cleaning tool.

Thank you again, Julie, for my fun time at Dick Blick!  I love being able to test out new toys!

Introduction - Let the Experiments Begin

Hello there. I'm Kristina, a 36 year-old chic who decided to try a more heavy hand at creative endeavors after I got sick almost 4 years ago. Sick with what, you ask? Well, it's a long story, but the highlights are that it involves chronic pain, isn't deadly, and involves "female troubles". Yeah, enough said, eh?

So, I've been taking this crash course in mixed-media art ever since, with the Internet, books and some very kind online friends as my guides. Because of that, I've spent a lot of time trying out different supplies and techniques, in this effort to find out what I enjoy, artistically. And after all this trial and error, I've found that it's become its own means to an end, its own niche, for me.

Meaning, I like to experiment. A lot. With everything I can lay my hands on.

I blame it on my previous, short-lived career as a scientist. Actually, I'm not even sure I can claim that title, scientist, since really, I was a research assistant. That basically means I did the grunt work in a lab, but, for simplicities sake, let's just call that close enough.

After sharing a lot of my technique experiments with a close friend, she recommended that I put this all into a blog. It's a good idea. I don't claim that it's original, though. A lot of these products and techniques, you'll find reviewed and demonstrated on ScrapFriends, on Yahoo Groups like arttechniques, and in various instructional books and DVDs. Probably with better pictures, too. :D

But, I figure, since I'm going to do these experiments anyways, I might as well share them with others. Maybe then, you won't have to shell out quite the cash that I have.

LOL, who are we kidding? You're going to buy supplies anyways, right? Ok then, well, maybe you'll know a little bit more about what works, what doesn't, and maybe you can tell me why something worked for you that didn't work for me.

So, that's why I chose the title "Art Alchemist" for this blog, because these are my early experiments, fumbles and foibles. Plus, "Art Scientist" just didn't sound as catchy or romantic, and "Crafty Scientist" and "Art Alchemy" were already taken, dangit (both blogs that I really enjoy...I mean, where else can you get Western Blot Earrings??? Are those not the coolest things you've ever seen?).

I look forward to sharing what I learn with you, and look forward to hearing about your own experiments as well.