Pour Painting

So what is a Pour painting? “Pours” seem to be trending in the art world today. If you remember doing Spin Art at a carnival or at school, then the pour painting artwork is going to be a bit of a throw back for you. The best part is that this art form is all based on the luck of the draw and is stress-free! Each piece is created by the ebb and flow of weights of paint, medium and silicone. The outcome of your art will be a fun surprise and a new discovery each time. Pour painting is a great place for novice artists to start because it is so non-threatening and inviting.

Breaking the pour painting process down is very easy. All you need are are cups, any acrylic paint (Folk Art to Goldens will work here), mediums, silicone, and distilled water. The tricky part is controlling the mess because everything shifts like oil and water. There are many recipes out there for this painting process and they can range in price, so choose what works best for you.

If you want to try it without the price rage of expensive name brand mediums and the messiness of silicone, you can use Elmers Glue All (not school glue) and acrylic paints . It is important that you use liquid body acrylics for they lend themselves to be poured.

Here is our recipe for those who have secured a flat surface space where they can leave their creation for 24 to 48 hours while drying.

  • Mix one part acrylic paint and two parts Elmers glue all together completely.
  • Then add a half part distilled water.
  • Mix all together until you get the consistency of pancake batter.
  • Tip: 1oz shot glasses are great for measuring, but you can also pour all into a cup sitting on a kitchen scale to measure that way.
  • Repeat this process for each color you would like to use.
  • Once you have all three colors prepared, you mix them together in one cup and pour them onto your canvas by turning your cup completely over and lifting up swiftly and completely. Or, you can pour each color on individually and watch them combine.

Three colors will produce the best color combinations. Remember starting with primary colors will result in beautiful secondary colors! It is also fun to do something in the same color family like a series of blues and add white, or a series of reds and add a yellow.

There are endless ways to create your pours and those that are adventurous will experiment with the process trying many different approaches from the dirty cup to a direct pout of each color. How you pour it on is up to you. The key to success is the drying process. You should make sure that you do not move your pour art until it is fully dry — at least 24 hours. The glue recipe does dry faster than if you were using a medium and the silicone. That is why we encourage you to try this at home.

If you want to create a “wow” piece you can always take a Pour it On art class at our studio. We use the silicone and medium together along with the water and paint, which allows the paint to rise to the surface and pop through creating little “cells” of color. Many of these paintings look like geodes because of the cell formation. Click here to learn more!

Get out and get creative!

Art Studio at Home

I used to day dream about having an art studio at home. I always put off creating one because I thought I needed a certain space, the perfect design and money to build it. You might be dreaming about a studio of your own — especially if you see blog posts by other creatives that feature their home studios. Well, I am here with a little wake up call! Or, in the words Nike borrowed from Andy Warhol…just do it! Actually I think the words he used were “don’t think about making art, just get it done”. Either version applies here, though!

There are many glamorous images in peoples minds as to what makes a great studio space. We have all seen beautiful spaces transformed into a creative studio space with dazzling white walls, industrial floors, and lots of natural light. In these photos, everything seems to have a place and everything is in it’s place. In fact, there are many HGTV shows that focus on just this topic. I let not having the ideal space at home keep me from creating art for many years before I had that “ah ha moment”.

Accessibility

Really the main ingredient for a studio space, no matter how large or small, is accessibility. For many years I pushed back the tablecloth and worked at my kitchen table. The main reason I did this was because I had easy and quick accessibility with, of course, great lighting! Whether you stand or sit in your space is really not important. Whether its new or old,  clean or cluttered, doesn’t matter. The determining factor for you should be accessibility! If it’s not convenient, you will never take the time to do your project or create when inspiration hits.

Close the Door

You also want to be able to close a door and walk away. Working in this manner whether it be at sewing, writing or painting, will allow you to pick up where you left off. I have toured many friend’s home studios locally and found them to be everything from a small table in the attic by a window in an empty bedroom, or just a clean spot at the end of the kitchen table. We all imagine the perfect setting and think it will produce better work, but honestly it just doesn’t always exist for the talented artists that I know.

If you want to start to create, find a small pocket of space and start! Don’t make excuses or hold your self back — and don’t wait for someone to go off to college either. I’m baring a little bit of my soul here, but here is my space. No judgments. Just use this post to add fuel for your fire!

If your haven’t found your creative corner in your home yet, don’t worry, I have the perfect spot for you to create. Come join us at any of our workshops this February. Use this link to see all of the classes that are available. I’m happy to share my creative space with you!

Get out and get creative!

Block Printing

Some of you many remember block printing from your middle school or high school art class — and not in a fond way. I still hear horror stories from clients that remember trying to carve into hard, brittle linoleum blocks and trying not to stab themselves, all while trying to make something artistic in the process.

Well, my friends, those days are gone! Speedball and companies like Moo Carve have created the “soft block”. This new material is thicker, softer and allows for intricate and detailed carving all while saving your poor fingers from injury. The soft block allows you to carve with ease and focus on your design instead of fearing it.

February is a great time to reignite your love for block printing, by making you Valentine’s cards! The block printing process allows for the printing of multiple copies of the exact image which makes it a great choice for your Valentine’s cards. You can even print the same image and embellish it with markers making slight variations to the same design. You can even get your little ones in on the fun, by having them help with the printing process or by having them embellish the prints. Each card can be different and as special as the person it’s intended for.

If you decide to do tackle block printing at home you will need the following supplies that can be found at art supply stores like Art Things in West Annapolis or online here

  • an ebony pencil (for sketching and making a transfer backing)
  • your carving tool
  • a soft pink or blue speedball linoleum block
  • a soft roller for inking
  • smooth non textured paper
  • water soluble ink in the color of your choice

After drawing the image onto paper, simply rub the ebony pencil on the back of your design, making a carbon or graphite back. It can easily be transferred to the block by drawing over the design again. Carve out your design and then you are ready to apply the ink to the carved design. The process is trail and error until you get the feel for the brayer and ink. Then carefully turn over the inked block and press firmly and/or massage the block to transfer the ink to the cardstock.

If you have a change of heart and would like to take a class on block printing first, please come see me on Saturday, February 10th. Use this link to learn more about the class and to sign up yourself or with your family. Once you learn this skill/art form you will want to personalize every paper surface and tee shirt you own!

Let’s connect and create,