Second Floor Challenge II
The second challenge sent out by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer of Balzer Designs at the beginning of this month (that’s how far behind I am) was “to use something new”
Last year I bought some Schminke masking fluid. It is in a bottle with a fine applicator tip.
The first layer I wrote with the applicator tip onto the collaged page.
My mistake I realise now was in using the Derwent Inktense pencils. I chose them because I wanted to do a series of layers, and I wanted each layer waterproof. The masking fluid was very easy to remove.
For the next layer I wanted larger writing so downstairs to fossick through my little used supplies those that haven’t been returned to my studio since they were packed away when Cyclone Yasi was approaching February last year. I found a bottle of Winsor and Newton Masking Fluid. Now this bottle must be six or seven years old, and I discovered that the ingredient that prevents the fluid from drying too quickly had evaporated.
It was still useable but it dried almost immediately so any brush I used was ruined. Normally it can be washed out fairly successfully, although I would always use an old brush.
The next layer was where I discovered the issue with the Inktense they weren’t transparent enough for the effect I wanted.
As the mask dried almost immediately, it was only a matter of minutes and I was able to remove it.
Realising it wasn’t really working, I wasn’t quite ready to give up on the idea, after all the whole idea of this challenge is to go where you wouldn’t normally go and see what happens....now normally at this point I would gesso over and start again....so instead I continued with the initial plan and wrote my next layer with the Schminke applicator tip.
So there you have it, a pretty page. On closer inspection there is a lot of subtlety in this page, but I was aiming for something a bit more obvious.
Second Floor Challenge I - Gold