GPP Street Team Crusade #21 - Irresistable !

The first week of the month means a new GPP Street Team Crusade ! Yay ! This month : Irresistable - making wax rubbings that serve as wax resists when you apply paint ! I used to do this activity with my grade 1 students all the time. We would get out the Crayolas in our favorite colors and run around the class room and the hallways, making rubbings of any cool surface we could find.

In lieu of the classroom, I wandered the house looking for objects to rub. I wish I had found a magic lamp and a genie who would grant me three wishes but no such luck ! Had fun anyway !

I pulled out some thin paper from a childrens sketch pad from the dollar store and photocopy paper to make my rubbings. I like using thin papers like this when making painted papers. They can be torn or cut up easily and added to collages without too much bulk. Some surfaces were more challenging to make good rubbings on - anything rounded like the bottle took a little more care. I think my favorite ones were the mosaic tray and the mylar alphabet stencil.

Plastic Alphabet Stencil

Mylar Alphabet Stencil

Mosaic Tray

Bottle

Candle Holders

Rubber stamps

Picture Frame

Then it was time for paint ! Yippee ! Even more fun ! For this I got out my Golden Fluid Acrylics which are just wonderful when watered down. The colors stay so vibrant ! I added in some regular craft paint and some Lumiere Metallics which have such a beautiful metallic sheen when they dry on paper. I mixed some Fluids with water in a spray bottle and sprayed that around. I slopped watery paint around with a cheap boar bristle brush and dabbed it around and sometimes off with paper towel. I love just slopping color around - it made for a great hour of relaxing time in the studio this morning.

Plastic Alphabet stencils with paint

Mylar Aphabet Stencil rubbing with paint (Love the bronze sheen!)

Mosaic Tray Rubbing with paint

Bottle Rubbing with Paint - Subtle but Interesting !

Candleholder Rubbings with Paint - Remind me of sewer covers ?

Rubber Stamp Rubbing with paint - probably my least favorite !

Picture Frame Rubbing with paint - Looks like a magic door to somehwhere...

So there you have it ! I have a beautiful pile of painted papers to work into collages and I had a great time trying out an old technique in a new way. I got to make use of tools and toys I had around the house in a different way too, just as Michelle suggested ! So join in this one ! It was great fun ! Thanks as always to Michelle, for the inspiration ! Lady, you really ROCK!

Oh yeah, check out one last pic - my dried painted paper towels after the painting process ! More collage papers to work with , a la Tracy Bautista.

Cheers !

Kim