Thursday, July 28, 2011

Tea Bags and Checkerboards - Surface Design Surprise

I'm still cleaning brushes and tools on fabric instead of paper towel.  Glory, glory, another tree is saved and the results are great fun.  Just wish that I had been doing this before. 

The first layer of blues, yellows and golds came from cleaning brushes that I used in a bird painting for a challenge quilt that I have been developing.


The second layer emerged by using screen printing ink that remained on tools that I was using for another project.  I grabbed a foam checker board stamp and somewhat randomly stamped over the first layer

After enjoying an afternoon glass of iced tea, I opened the tea bag, cleaned out the tea leaves, rinsed it and laid it flat to dry.  Just couldn't leave well enough alone.  Some apples were almost over ripe and instead of throwing them into the compost bin, I cut one in half and made a print on the tea bag.  After it was completely dry and heat set with an iron, I used matte gel medium to make it a part of the fabric.

Enough is still not enough...at least I don't think it is.  We shall see what does or does not develop from here.  I suppose it will depend on what colors will need to be cleaned off of tools from the next project.

It is great fun seeing what develops when there is no plan or preconceived idea.  Onward!



4 comments:

  1. I love how this series of artwork is developing. So creative!

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  2. I think I'm going to be buying some more white fabric, just so that I will always have a blank canvas on which to clean my tools. May try doing this on some fabrics that I no longer am enamored with. Creative fun is the name of the game!

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  3. Something out of (almost) nothing. Linda does it again! Inspiring.

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  4. Karen, Thanks for dropping into the blog for a visit. The checkerboard surface design continues to develop. I'll try to post progress tomorrow.
    Linda

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