So, I had one mistake-slash-failure. I'm not sure exactly what the mistake was, but I have some theories. That got me to thinking about my favorite part of art--there's really no such thing as a mistake. Sure, sometimes you don't get the results you're looking for from the techniques you're using... but there's never anything that can't be salvaged or turned around. A piece may change direction, and it may not come out like you wanted, but it will always have character, and a good story. And I guess, you know, that's kind of a metaphor for life... not to go too deep into left field on you all.
[Side note, I've got the tv to myself for a bit, and holy crap, I forgot how cleverly-written the show House is. Man, I've got to start watching it again, I find it HI-lar-ious.]
Anyways, off of the metaphors and on to the product. I think I might end up giving this one to Mr. Brown, after I'm done with it. So, Lessons Learned: apply gel medium in a thin coat, not a thick one. Make sure none gets on the top side. The peel works best when it's hot water, not room temp. And, I am pretty sure, CD covers are made out of paper that is too thick for this technique. Either that or I am just not patient enough to get the backing off of such thick papers. I got impatient and decided to just draw over the paper I couldn't get off. I really like the neon colors. I just have to add some lettering and maybe some shading and it will be good to go.
So, I took this "failure" in stride and kept going. For some reason I am really drawn to gel medium. I love it. I've got a big project in the works, lots of layers. It's going to take a while to pull together. But, I did a successful gel transfer, and here's that. I haven't quite figured out how to keep the greyish wash film from making it look cloudy when it's dry, but this is a step, at least.
Below, playing with coffee filters and x-acto knives... I may have to trim it down a little [unfortunately] but it's also a part of the big drawn-out project. While researching this project, I very quickly learned that the whole "Atlas carrying the world" cliche is technically totally untrue. It was actually a misunderstanding that started in like the 1800s or so, when they first started printing books of maps [called an atlas... because he was on the cover of the first book]. He did carry a huge sphere, but the translation is more like, 'the heavens' or in one case I read, it was his task to keep the earth and Uranus separate.
And one last last-minute art... Another successful gel transfer, and I was really nervous about it too, because I was trying to combine my tendency to layer and scrape wax and paint on top of the transfer, but I was afraid that in doing so I might accidentally scratch through the transfer too. Luckily that didn't happen, although I'm still not 100% satisfied with the infinity symbol. I also couldn't find the heart I was hoping to find [seems like all tattoo mags only have sacred hearts], as it was originally going to be on the theme of 'always and forever.' But, like I said, art is about making adjustments. More quick history and culture lesson, mo anam cara is a Gaelic phrase, most simply translated as 'my soul mate'. Like all Gaelic words and phrases, it means something a bit more complicated than that, but you can look it up on your own if you want to.
[Side note, I've got the tv to myself for a bit, and holy crap, I forgot how cleverly-written the show House is. Man, I've got to start watching it again, I find it HI-lar-ious.]
Anyways, off of the metaphors and on to the product. I think I might end up giving this one to Mr. Brown, after I'm done with it. So, Lessons Learned: apply gel medium in a thin coat, not a thick one. Make sure none gets on the top side. The peel works best when it's hot water, not room temp. And, I am pretty sure, CD covers are made out of paper that is too thick for this technique. Either that or I am just not patient enough to get the backing off of such thick papers. I got impatient and decided to just draw over the paper I couldn't get off. I really like the neon colors. I just have to add some lettering and maybe some shading and it will be good to go.
So, I took this "failure" in stride and kept going. For some reason I am really drawn to gel medium. I love it. I've got a big project in the works, lots of layers. It's going to take a while to pull together. But, I did a successful gel transfer, and here's that. I haven't quite figured out how to keep the greyish wash film from making it look cloudy when it's dry, but this is a step, at least.Below, playing with coffee filters and x-acto knives... I may have to trim it down a little [unfortunately] but it's also a part of the big drawn-out project. While researching this project, I very quickly learned that the whole "Atlas carrying the world" cliche is technically totally untrue. It was actually a misunderstanding that started in like the 1800s or so, when they first started printing books of maps [called an atlas... because he was on the cover of the first book]. He did carry a huge sphere, but the translation is more like, 'the heavens' or in one case I read, it was his task to keep the earth and Uranus separate.
And one last last-minute art... Another successful gel transfer, and I was really nervous about it too, because I was trying to combine my tendency to layer and scrape wax and paint on top of the transfer, but I was afraid that in doing so I might accidentally scratch through the transfer too. Luckily that didn't happen, although I'm still not 100% satisfied with the infinity symbol. I also couldn't find the heart I was hoping to find [seems like all tattoo mags only have sacred hearts], as it was originally going to be on the theme of 'always and forever.' But, like I said, art is about making adjustments. More quick history and culture lesson, mo anam cara is a Gaelic phrase, most simply translated as 'my soul mate'. Like all Gaelic words and phrases, it means something a bit more complicated than that, but you can look it up on your own if you want to.
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