Just finished my last half page for my new Moleskine! Better pictures soon
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Round 4, First Pocket
I have two pocket items for the first mole that comes my way. The first one you've seen as a photo, but it's dry enough now to scan--It's the wandering minstrel, the Mandolin player, done in water soluble oils.
The second pocket item is for fun. It is a bit weird and silly. I was playing with oil pastels. My question was, how would they work on dark paper. I actually went to the store and bought the paper just to experiment--I've got my teeth into exploring oil pastels at the moment. I like them because they are bright and don't stink (like the fixative for soft pastels, chalk pastels.) I had in mind sort making a mandala from a poppy. When I was nearly finished, I tried to sand off on of the bumps that had formed and the layers of varnish and oil pastel delaminated. This is something I'd been afraid of and had a series of other tests and had not managed to delaminate any of the tests--nut this one did. The peeled off pieces felt like flower petals so, for fun, I glued them on.
The next painting (drawing?) is another in my series of tests of oil pastels and acrylic varnish. It's on one of my practice sketchbooks, an old one, painted (drawn?) over an old failed painting. One thing oil pastels, I have not yet learned how to do detail. Nor can I do it with a palette (painting) knife, as seen above.) The oil pastels tend to shed little lumps of pastel material which then builds up with successive layers to make "pimples." These pimples are weak spots from which delamination can begin. I have no idea about the long-term survival of these pieces, but I think they will not delaminate in the short term, as they did in the poppy mandala above, unless they are subjected to undue stress, eg, sanding.
I am not sure how much longer I will continue experimenting with this media or whether I will use it in any serious art. I will not use it in anyone's sketchbook (Mole) in the exchange unless someone gives me the go-ahead, since the archival nature of the medium is unknown (to me) at this time. For some reason, I seem to be taken by the medium at the moment. Trying to ascertain its possibilities.
 |
| The Wandering Minstrel, The Mandolin Player by Mary Stebbins Taitt Water-soluble oils for the first round 4 pocket. size: I cut this exactly to fit the Mole pocket, hopefully. |
The second pocket item is for fun. It is a bit weird and silly. I was playing with oil pastels. My question was, how would they work on dark paper. I actually went to the store and bought the paper just to experiment--I've got my teeth into exploring oil pastels at the moment. I like them because they are bright and don't stink (like the fixative for soft pastels, chalk pastels.) I had in mind sort making a mandala from a poppy. When I was nearly finished, I tried to sand off on of the bumps that had formed and the layers of varnish and oil pastel delaminated. This is something I'd been afraid of and had a series of other tests and had not managed to delaminate any of the tests--nut this one did. The peeled off pieces felt like flower petals so, for fun, I glued them on.
 |
| Poppy Mandala with Torn Petal First Round 4 Pocket item Mary Stebbins Taitt oil pastels and acrylic varnish Click to view larger. 8.5 x 11 |
 |
| Ami, age 13 Mary Stebbins Taitt oil pastels, acrylics and acrylic varnish in multimedia sketchbook 9 x 12 (part is missing on right, as my scanner is smaller than the paper) |
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Two new pieces in Round 2 and some experiments
I decided to experiment with oil pastels BECAUSE I had made two oil pastel images in my round 3 Moleskine. I read that there were actually several fixatives and varnishes that could be used on the oil pastels and decided to try for myself.
First I made a light oil pastel picture just as an experiment on pastel paper and coated with with acrylic varnish. It seemed to work well.
Then I did one with a number of layers of oil pastels, acrylics and varnish. This also seemed to work well. It's supposed to be a self-portrait, but it's unsuccessful in that regard. I started with a painting I'd made of someone else and tried to make it into me. It's not in a Moleskine, but in another sketchbook.
This next one is all oil pastels and varnish over a failed acrylic painting which is entirely covered by the oil pastels. The texture is quite rough from multiple layers of oil pastels and varnish.
After 3 trials which SEEMED to work very well--I don't know how well the will LAST THOUGH--I painted some acrylic varnish over the two oil pastels I had done in my round 3 mole (The pink elephant and the rowboat in the mountains.
THEN, I did a mixed media piece in my round 2 Moleskine. This was on a page Anders skipped because of bleed-through from Markers. I put on two layers of acrylic gesso and then drew a monochrome picture with pigment markers (pens) and then colored it with water colors and oil pastels and varnished it.
I would not have attempted using oil pastels again in a Moleskine if I had not done the previous tests.
Then, I did the final piece in the round 2 Moleskine, which is a collaboration with Milo called fish for Milo--it's pencil and colored pencil.
So Now the Round 2 Moleskine is totally finished and soon I will have a movie of it (a slideshow, probably.)
First I made a light oil pastel picture just as an experiment on pastel paper and coated with with acrylic varnish. It seemed to work well.
 |
| test 1 |
 |
| Self-portrait of the arist as an aging insomniac |
 |
| Nan's House in Maine |
THEN, I did a mixed media piece in my round 2 Moleskine. This was on a page Anders skipped because of bleed-through from Markers. I put on two layers of acrylic gesso and then drew a monochrome picture with pigment markers (pens) and then colored it with water colors and oil pastels and varnished it.
 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk Round 2 Moleskine click image to view larger |
Then, I did the final piece in the round 2 Moleskine, which is a collaboration with Milo called fish for Milo--it's pencil and colored pencil.
 |
| Fish for Milo pencil and colored pencil collaboration Milo drew the curlies at the top and bottom |
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Mary's Round 4 Mole page 2: The Quill and the Inkwell
 |
| The Quill and the Inkwell Acrylics, pens, tissue paper click image to view larger. |
Monday, February 4, 2013
Page 1 in Mary's Round 4 Moleskine: Rheta, Garrett and Ami
 |
| Rheta, Garrett and Ami "Best pals forever" |
 |
| page 2 started |
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Round 3: Walking on Eggs (in Mary's Mole)
 |
| Walking on Eggs, acrylics and pencil |
Walking on Eggs, Acrylics and pencil, Round 3--still have a lot of round 3 pages to complete. I'm going to write more about this later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)