Monoprinting

One of the things I am discovering during my colour studies course is monoprinting.  I didn't really understand what it was, but as it turned out, I got a chance to try it.

It was simple really; don't know why I hadn't tried it before.  We usually have left over acrylic paints when we've completed our exercises, so the instructor gave very explicit instructions for what to do with left over paint.

Add sufficient water to the paints in such a way that they do not mix together very much and that they flow more easily than straight out of the bottle.  Press a blank sketchbook page onto the palette containing the left over paint; lift the paper and presto, a monoprint.  So here are some of the ones that I tried.  The paints I used were Golden Fluid Acrylics.

First attempt I had left over blue and yellow acrylic.

As you can see I added too much water and the paint mixed so much that you can't see the yellow at all.  It mixed with the blue and gave that greeny look.  There just a tiny hint of the yellow in the upper right hand corner.

Okay, so how about using no water at all.  This was my second attempt. 

Clearly you can see the colours that I used and there are a couple of spots where they mixed.  In case you're interested, the acrylics used were Golden Fluid Acrylics in Diarylide Yellow, Pyrrole Red, and Ultramarine Blue.  This one turned out okay, but now it was time to add some water. 

Very carefully I added just enough, I thought, to get some flow going.  What do you think?

I kinda like this one, but it was worth one more try because there was still sufficient paint left over, so here is the final attempt. 

This one is my favourite.  I've got to give this a try with fabric!!!

Helping out

seems to be what quilters do best when there has been a tragedy.  What do I mean?  Quilters have put their skills and fabric "collections" to use providing comfort and caring after tragic events like the tsunami in Japan, the flooding after Hurricane Katrina, the flooding in Calgary, and many others too numerous to mention.

In one of my previous posts, Quiltingranny of Layers of Hope 911 left a comment asking if I would give a shout out.  She was in the throes of organizing a drive for quilts for 19 firefighters from one town that lost their lives fighting a wildfire in Arizona.   You can read about it here.  There is a video on her blog of those lost here.

Let me get to the point I'm trying to make.  Quiltingranny is asking for help to make 6.5 inch unfinished blocks that can be made into quilts for the families and survivors of the tragedy.  Check out her blog to see some of the other events that she has helped with (quilts for Calgary flood victims).

If you can make a block or two and are willing to send them to her, contact her directly.  Now I'm off to put together a few blocks myself and send them off.

Investigating colour

I have periodically had trouble recognizing differences in value.  Those differences are sometimes quite subtle.  Perhaps some of you have too.  For example, is red darker in value than blue; is blue darker in value than violet.

In a previous post I mentioned that I was taking an online course from the Gail Harker Center.  It is absolutely amazing what discoveries can be made when you play with a bit of paint and start mixing.

An exercise that we had to do for our studies involved creating a gray scale.  It will help with deciphering value of different colours. Here is the scale that I created.

I have nine values from white to black.  The holes punched in the scale will help when placed over a piece of fabric.  If the fabric is very similar in value to one of the scales, I will be able to determine the value of that fabric in comparison to another.  Something that will come in very handy when selecting fabrics for .... hmmm...let's say a Lone Star quilt.

Must get back to playing.  Till the next time.