30 Days of Creativity: Day 28

This was way harder to commit to than I originally thought. Maybe I’m just not that great at sitting down for a good amount of time to do every challenge. Maybe I don’t like the restriction of topics, even though they’re fun topics. 30 Days of Creativity, I’m not going to give up on you yet. I appreciate those who haven’t given up on me either. Been trying to follow the other “30 Days” bloggers that linked to the original post on Craft Critique. How is everyone doing?

Day 28: Paint with your fingers.

I used gloves. Is that cheating? I think safety first. My paint is acrylic, but some had ingredient warnings on the label. You would probably wear gloves, too. This needed a little something more…

… okay, I likey now. Reminds me of my Nick Bantock-inspired card. Except there I used a brush and rubber stamps (instant artistic flair). I think I should explore more paint and ink projects – you know, when I have more time. *sigh*

Tags: 30 days, art, cards, finger painting, nick bantock, paint

Craft Product Review: Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel

Been looking at my craft stash lately. Been buying more stamping supplies, too. What fun! Here’s a look at what I’ll be doing for Craft Critique in the next few months.

Update: This article is posting on April 5, 2010 at www.craftcritique.com

Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel (gel medium)

Gel medium is one of the most versatile products you can have in your arsenal of craft tools. It can turn any piece of fabric into a primed canvas for painting. It can also be a great glue for collages or protect pictures and paintings. Mix it with your acrylic paint and you’ve extended its life. I’m sure there are more uses, but being an intermediate non-professional crafter, I like to use it for my painted fabric silhouettes.

I’m comparing the Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel to the Matte Gel, which has been my preferred substrate. Both have the consistency of a smooth, non-sticky, lightweight batter, but Matte Gel (on left) is translucent while the Ultra Matte (on right) is semi-opaque. For my purposes, I needed to thin the Ultra Matte Gel so my printed fabric would show through. However, when the gel medium was fully dry, you could tell that the original color was slightly altered (see fuschia butterfly wing). If keeping the original vibrancy is an issue, I would stick with translucent or transparent gel medium.

For lengthening the life of a mixed color, Ultra Matte Gel is fantastic. Just don’t use too much, otherwise your color will lighten. Remember to do a test spot in any application.

Retails anywhere between $10-$12. Store coupons are useful since these products hardly ever seem to go on sale. I was fortunate to find this in the clearance rack for under $4.00.

Pros:
A little goes a long way
Slow drying and does not yellow
Nice matte finish
Can be thinned with a little water
Easy clean up

Cons:
May be cost prohibitive
Slow drying
May dull or lighten colors

Update: This article will also be posting on the Craft Critique site in the near future.

Disclaimer: I was not paid by Liquitex or Craft Critique for my opinion.

Tags: craft critique, crafting, gel medium, liquitex, paint, painted silhouettes

Crafting with Leftover Paint Chips

I’m sure we’ve all collected paint chips or paint sample cards from home improvement stores at some point. I’d pick some up just for inspiration when I was rubber stamping. The picture above is of a sample case from my days of working in construction… what a fun tool to have there. But more recently, I’ve collected paint chips for our home and didn’t realize that I doubled, or even tripled, up on some of the sample cards. Like the pack rat that I am, I thought that I might someday figure out how to use or re-use them in a crafty sort of way. So, for even more inspiration, I found these sites and now I can’t wait to make projects like these!

Paint Chip Card Holders at DesignVerb

Embroidered Paint Chip Cards by Lisa at Craftzine.com

Punched Dot Cards at Elegant Musings

Tags: art, cards, paint, paint chips, recycled, recycled paper, recycling