This is a very large sheet of paper, so large that it’s really too large for either of my studio benches. It’s from the pack of Snowdon paper I bought with a gift voucher, and I am having a lot of messy fun.
There’s acrylic ink, paint, gesso, art markers, collage, some of those punched shapes I punched and then didn’t really use…. it’s just a big messy play area and I really enjoyed seeing how much of a beating the paper will take. I also didn’t want to focus on anything today, as I’ve been doing a lot of focused painting and looking, and you have to give yourself a break.
The paper is definitely up for taking a lot of paint and medium, and I’m really happy with it. I discovered the silicone tool from the set I got the other day that I think is meant for icing cakes is extremely fun for swirling paint around and mark-making.
I have also been on a discovery journey with this week’s Let’s Face It class, and watercolour ground. I decided that because I didn’t have the specific paper that was suggested, I would improvise and use brown paper and watercolour ground. I had a tub of it sitting unopened and never used, so I thought I would be giving myself a gold star for a) using supplies I rarely/never use and b) not buying new supplies just for a class.
Well.
I don’t know much at all about watercolour ground, and I don’t even remember why I bought a pot of it in the first place. It probably sounded interesting, and it is, but I just never got around to investigating it.
So this week I cut some brown paper to size, and primed it, and then slapped on a layer of ground. It dried white. Presumably some people wouldn’t be surprised by this, and others might have tested the stuff first, but me – I just looked at my brown paper turning white and decided there’s going to be a lot of decisions made about my response to this class and I have no idea what direction I’m going in.
I did a bit of research on the old internet, and discovered that I need to do a couple of layers, and then a day or two drying. I also discovered that there are mixed opinions on whether watercolour ground is good. Then I discovered that there are several options with different brands, and one option is transparent ground.
I lamented the fact I had not done all this looking up things before buying the pot I have whenever it was I bought it, but decided it is what it is, and I would have fun with the class just using same reference and whatever materials I felt like using, and it would all be fine.
Himself went to Glasgow yesterday, and while he was there he went into an art shop and located a pot of the transparent ground and brought it home for me as a surprise.
So technically I am a) using supplies I rarely/never use and b) technically I didn’t buy new supplies just for the class.
Angelic smile.
Collects gold star.
The paper needs some time to dry thoroughly, and hopefully it will be ready tomorrow, and I can get on with my original idea for this project. I will also discover whether I rate watercolour ground, or not.
Til the morn,
Suzanne
335/400
Thrummie Bizzum 
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