Creative Jump Starts! Week One

Ok, I know I promised my next post from the Creative Stumbling Blocks posted last week would be Creative Jump Starts but I got a little Blog happy!
The Current Newsletter for The Artists' Nook with workshop info through November is posted on the website

Creative Jump Starts! Week One!

We all need Jump Starts! Sometimes, to do something just so we can move onto the next thing!

I will present this first series of Jump Starts then next week we will add something else to the base pieces we started this week.

Take The Challenge:

For one week, spend 10 minutes each day doing the techniques listed below!

You don't have to start on a Monday- Just start!

If you want to spend more than 10 minutes go ahead. But at least 10 minutes.

Try for every day but don't worry if you skip a day or only get one day in. The more days during the week you can put aside 10 minutes to do these Creative Jump Starts the better.

Consider it your 10 minutes of fun break in life you so deserve!

Preparation:

Decide what size you want to work on. No smaller than 2" x 3" and no larger than 4" x 6". Cut heavy weight paper (something that can with stand wet) like watercolor paper, chipboard, mat board. Don't run out and buy something. Look around your art supplies you already have!

You will be doing several each day so cut about 20 or so. If you use, something like chipboard you may want to Gesso or cover with white paint. I know the blank white canvas! Don't worry, it will all turn out fine!

The reason for adding the white base is so when you add color, the colors are true and don't interfere with the color of the board. With that being said, if you don't care and want to see what happens keeping the board the original color then Go for it!

Here we go:

Do as many base pieces (watercolor paper, matboard, etc) as you can of that technique/layer in 10 minutes. Remember, it is not a race.

Day #1

Paint one color of acrylic paint on the base piece. It can be craft acrylic paint or your Golden paints. Whatever you use. Try different colors but one color for each base piece.

Day #2

Paint with an acrylic paint wash. Put a small dab of acrylic paint on a palette (disposable plastic lid works great) then get your brush wet, pick up some paint and paint a plain base piece. Do several base pieces and put aside to dry. Experiment with more or less water and see what happens. It is fun to leave puddles and see how it dries.

Day #3

Take a dye ink pad, and rub the pad directly to the base piece. Use one color for each base piece. You don't have to completely cover the base piece. Leave streaks, play!

Day #4

Take a pigment ink pad and rub the pad directly to the base piece. Use one color for each base piece. You don't have to completely cover the base piece. Leave streaks, play!

Day #5

Glue tissue paper to the base piece. It is best to apply the glue to the base piece then stick the tissue paper down. Use whatever your favorite glue for gluing paper. Gel Medium, PVA, Mod Podge. Use any color of tissue paper including white. Create wrinkles in the tissue paper before gluing down. Try not to get glue on the surface of the tissue paper because we will be doing more to this piece next week. And the glue may do weird things.

Day #6

Tear and glue down a variety of decorative papers. The cool handmade papers, scrapbook papers, or even some papers from other projects. When gluing down the papers try strips going across horizonally or vertically, small pieces randomly glued down, or just cover a portion of the base piece with the torn papers.

Day #7

Tear and glue down pages from a magazine. DO NOT cut out pictures. You are creating a background so just randomly tear and glue bits and pieces.

Next, week we will be adding to these pieces. We don't need to know where we are going just have fun getting there!

When you have done your pieces, post a comment to this post that your pieces can be seen on your blog (if you have one)

It will be great to see the variety and the way the pieces will evolve over the weeks!