Painting with Coffee part 2

Maybe you remember my post last Fall about painting with coffee? Well, I never got around to painting anything on my coffee prepared paper. And then I did and forgot to share.

This is the house where I grew up. (Not the best photo---taken with my iPhone---sorry). I was going to frame it for my dad for his birthday, but it just wasn't working. The coffee made the paper too dark and when I tried to lighten it with white (read frustratingly opaque) it just made the whole thing muddy. So I chose to not overwork it, leave it in an unfinished state, and sew it to the front of some card stock for Dad's birthday card. 

I still have a few more coffee treated papers that I will try to come up with better subjects to paint.

Painting with Coffee

A few weeks ago I saw a post on one of the MANY blogs I follow that really caught my attention. You might not know this about me, but I haven't always sewn. I taught myself to do that, but I did take years and years of art classes. Watercolor was my favorite medium. So when I saw this process I had to try it. I became obsessed. When you're done it should look like an aged parchment.

My first obstacle: coffee. I don't drink it. So one morning I went to Cost Plus and poured myself a cup of FREE coffee they have set up at the back of the store.

I filled the cup a little too full. It was quite an adventure driving home---no lid. I only spilled one drop.

You'll need to tape down your paper so it doesn't buckle. I'm a little bit of a perfectionist so I measured a 1/2 inch margin before I taped.

I used packaging tape. That's all I had. I would recommend masking tape. It is less strong and will peel up easier.

Next, paint a wash over the entire surface of the paper. The first time I tried I used TOO MUCH coffee. See the ripples? Too wet.

Sprinkle coarse sea salt. I don't think my salt was coarse enough. I also over salted the first time.

You can kind of see the separation effect, but the first time I used too much coffee and salt.

This is my second attempt. Less coffee, but my salt didn't quite do what I wanted it to do. I think I still used too much.

Be careful when you pull up the tape so you don't rip the paper. And make sure to rub ALL the salt off of the paper. Now you're ready to sketch your painting. I'm still deciding what my subject matter will be.

I just re-read the original post. I didn't alternate brush strokes of coffee and pure water. Maybe that is my problem. I'll try it again. If you try this, post pics and let me know.

August Break: Photo 15

Fall Day

I've said it before, but Fall is my very most favorite time of year. I can't wait for Daylight Savings time to end. I love the earlier evenings when its brisk outside. I love to layer & get very excited when jacket weather begins. (Not that it ever really gets that cold here in LA.) My weekend plans? I'll put on a few layers, maybe a scarf, and take a walk through a cemetery, or go on location and do some painting, and then I'll come home and bake something delicious in the oven. And if I had a new yarn craft to work on while dinner cooks, that would be the perfect end to a beautiful Fall day.

I forgot I was a painter

One of my goals for the new year is to work on my talents. It has been 10+ years since I have done any painting. I watercolor because my mother watercolors. I tried oil painting in high school and didn't like it. Too messy, too smelly, and it takes too long to dry. Plus, I've been watercoloring all my life. Be forewarned! I am not as good as I used to be. Rusty, would be the word. And I definitely need new paint. It's all a little crumbly. I was lucky to even find my pallet. All my paintbrushes seem to have disappeared. I picked an oil painting by Claude Monet to copy as my first practice piece. First, the original (not a very clear copy).

Sailboats on the Seine, 1874

I already know that oil doesn't translate well to watercolor. It also doesn't help that the picture I was looking at was 2 inches wide. I'm not making excuses. I already told told you this was practice.

Some parts were looking overworked, so I stopped. After some more practice I want to take my stuff out on location. Stay tuned.