Although art has always been my passion, I stray from it quite often. Maybe it's the natural process I need to go through in order to create, because there is always an evolution that happens. Whenever I step away for a while, I come back with a different perspective. Granted, my subject matter remains quite stagnant, the lens I view it through shifts.
Being an artist is often times the visual representation of a search for identity. I think with each piece of art I create, a different facet of my identity shows through. There are some people that think they can separate themselves from their work. That the art exists as a separate being, wholly detached from the creator. But I don't really know that this is completely possible. Every choice an artist makes reflects a part of them. It says something. Even when creating a piece for someone else. The medium used, the subject chosen, the brushstrokes, the pen lines, the splatters all say something about the artist. It's a language.
My art says I'm messy, chaotic, fluid, and a little lost. And for some reason I need to put gold on everything. You can learn so much from your own art. Doesn't matter if you're good at it or are the worst. You are still speaking the language when you create something.
When I was going to school for art, I was an art snob. I was all "That's not good art!" and I thought there was a specific guideline for what could be considered art. But there isn't. The wonderful thing about art is that once people try to pin a definition on it, it wriggles away and evolves into something else. Art is something that can't be limited. Sure, there is crappy art and great art in the micro and technical sense, but it's all about intentions.
I began teaching an art class to senior citizens and my entire perspective changed. I lost the judgement I had before. I became an all inclusive art lover when it came to my students. Yeah, they didn't have a lot of raw skill and maybe their pieces weren't always 'good' in a technical sense, but there was so much beauty in their intention for creating. I could see them through their art. I couldn't judge that. I couldn't judge their creations. I still can't. I can tell someone how to better their technical skills, but when someone is creating just to create, there is no place for judgement. My students, even with their years of life experience, were finding their identities within their art and that journey does not need criticism. That journey needs nourishment.
Okay, that's enough deep thought for the moment.
Now, to the basics of how I created this. I want to introduce you to the power of alcohol inks. Adirondack Alcohol Inks are usually used for card making or other craft projects, but I have fallen in love with their artistic uses.
I have also become quite fond of making stencils (as seen in this tutorial for stenciling a shirt). I have been finding unconventional uses for a lot of things recently. I started making stencils out of clear transparencies, but the I couldn't get sheets any bigger than 8.5x11. I felt too limited. Then, after buying a roll of self adhesive shelf liner, I had an 'aha!' moment. Love those.
I sketched out a face that I wanted to stencil, cut a piece of the shelf liner, and then copied the sketch onto the line. Tip: You can actually print on this shelf liner. When I was making my shirt stencil I fed it through my printer to get the text I wanted. You can do the same with sketches. Just scan and print. Then cut out your stencil with an x-acto knife. And, by the way, this shelf liner cuts a lot easier than transparency film does.
Once my stencil was done, I put it on a piece of primed bristol board. I primed the paper myself with gesso. Just paint the paper with gesso and leave to dry. The reason I do this is to create a semi-sealed surface. I didn't want my alcohol ink to sink into the paper. I wanted it to sit on the surface so I can go back and manipulate the ink. That's the cool thing about priming paper. I've also primed plywood with interior house primer and that worked awesome.
This is where I get chaotic. The ink bottles have a fine tip which makes dripping the ink really easy. I just upend the bottles and lightly shake the ink out. Once I get the colors down, I spread a little rubbing alcohol on the ink to lift it from the surface of the paper and let it run down.
Until this point, the stencil hasn't served much purpose other than as a guide for where to put the ink. The adhesive backing isn't strong enough to keep the alcohol ink completely from bleeding underneath, but that's not really an issue for me. I think the bleed through looks pretty cool. I used a makeup sponge and black acrylic paint to fill in the stencil. Dabbing works best.
Once I pulled off the stencil, I began to detail the face with a fine tip pen. Like super fine. Micron size 005 pens are tiny, but awesome. Splatter some India ink around, add a little gold pen, and accent with some white gel pen. I love to use a bunch of different supplies.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I would love to hear about more alcohol ink projects!
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