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Doodling in Paint

I am happy- there is paint on my fingers!

Every so often my muse takes long vacations away from me so I work on the mundane parts of art then.  Here is a piece of rosin paper (big cheap roll from the hardware store!) with tags gesso’d on.  I have sheets of these I made one day.  Today I felt inspired to use one.

 

 

I used  bright colors on purpose- I wanted something that would pop against the white in the next layer.  I’ll use any excuse for bright colors…

 

 

 

 

A finger full of heavy bodied white paint covered one tag. You could use a palette knife or brush but I really love the feel of the paint  on my fingers. Then I scratched and doodled loose shapes in the paint.  I did one tag at a time so the paint was wonderfully wet and easy to scratch off.

 

 

 

 

Once the white paint was completely dry I used Peerless watercolors to loosely paint over the white.  I use Peerless watercolors  on glossy surfaces because it doesn’t bead up like my Koi watercolors.

 

 

I haven’t decided if I will cut out the tags and use them in an art journal page, keep this in its entirety or bind  a large piece of it into a journal.  Perhaps the creative posts I see while visiting Paint Party Friday and Creative Every Day will guide me in my decision about where to go with this next…oh, just a few days left to get in on my giveaway.  I’ll be drawing one random winner from my newsletter subscribers. You can sign up in the top right of this page.

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  • Corrine October 25, 2012, 8:15 pm

    Neat idea Carolyn to pre-make that sheet of tags. Rosin is the best isn’t it, and you are so right, it’s downright thrifty. Love your floral doodles in the paint. Can’t wait to see them shine later on a journal page! xox

  • Maria McGuire October 25, 2012, 9:12 pm

    This is so fun! I love the idea of doodling in the paint. Haven’t thought of using my Peerless this way. I think this would be really cool as a journal cover 🙂

  • Judy Shea October 25, 2012, 9:14 pm

    I have never heard of Rosin paper. These are so pretty.. They remind me of pastel-ly greeting cards covers. Welcome home, muse. Where do they go anyway?

    • Carolyn October 25, 2012, 9:21 pm

      My muse travels to beautiful beaches and comes back all tan…

  • Cynthia October 25, 2012, 10:07 pm

    Oh wow, this is gorgeous!! Please show us what you do with it in the end. I think I would have a really hard time cutting the page up–it looks like such fun to play in the paints like that! 🙂

  • Raine October 25, 2012, 10:20 pm

    Those colors just SING to me!

    When you say that the tags are gesso’d on the rosin paper, do you mean that you used gesso like a glue to permenantly adhere the tags to the rosin paper? I’ve never used gesso that way. It looks to me as if there is gesso on top of the tags. Are they basically sandwiched between two coats of gesso? I’m totally intrigued by this technique! I simply have to try it. I’ll even share my rosin paper (when I get some) with my buddy Judy! 😉

    • Carolyn October 26, 2012, 6:16 am

      You are right- a gesso sandwich! Gesso- above and below. That’s so nice of you to share!

  • Anne October 26, 2012, 6:47 am

    Love your colors, nice chalk like quality to them, makes really nice composition!

  • Ginny October 26, 2012, 7:19 am

    You used some of my favorite colors. I have a feeling your tan muse must have come back sooner than you thought. Your work is always filled with love and inspiration for others.

  • Lindsay October 26, 2012, 7:57 am

    Love the spring colors you have used! I’m not sure if I would use them as tags or as background, both options are lovely!

  • artmusedog and Carol October 26, 2012, 8:06 am

    Ms. Colors ~ delightful and creative work for when the ‘muse’ takes a vacation ~ Love the colorful tags and the process ~ ( A Creative Harbor) ^_^

  • Mari October 26, 2012, 8:15 am

    They look like bags of children’s parties are so funny and sweet colors ..Saludos

  • NatashaMay October 26, 2012, 8:19 am

    Looks like fun! 🙂 Thanks for sharing the tutorial. 🙂

  • Carly October 26, 2012, 8:39 am

    Ugh! My muse is on an extended vacation all week. :/ Maybe I’ll break out some cards & do something little and fun like this! Thanks for the idea, these are so cute!

  • Terrie -Creative Explorer October 26, 2012, 9:32 am

    You’re absolutely right – those bright colors are dynamite! Love them. And your process of adding the ‘drawn in’ texture is a great one – I’ll have to try it. What a fun project to “fill in” while waiting for the muse to kick in. I’m a long time subscriber but hadn’t registered for your newsletter – now I have 🙂

  • Faye October 26, 2012, 9:53 am

    Beautiful doodling, Carolyn.

  • Marji October 26, 2012, 10:09 am

    What a great idea to make a sheet of tags. So much opportunity here – cut apart or use as a whole… hmmm. I’d go for cut apart. Love the texture and colors. Happy PPF

  • Dawn Jones October 26, 2012, 10:33 am

    Oh my Carolyn! What fun and inspiring work!!! I love watching your process photo by photo! Thanks for sharing your talent!

  • Annette G October 26, 2012, 12:09 pm

    This is great Carolyn and thank you for showing the process. Happy PPF, Annette x

  • Jessica October 26, 2012, 2:19 pm

    I’ll have to thank your muse for going on vacation, because you came up with a great post even without her! Hope she brings you back some nice trinkets from her vacay. Seriously, I love this. Love the knocked back look you got with the paint, the underneath colorful layer, and your whimsical doodles.

  • Julie A Case October 26, 2012, 2:19 pm

    This is so pretty! Looks like you had a lot of fun making it 🙂

  • Mary C. Nasser October 26, 2012, 3:04 pm

    I love your combination of colors and textures!
    And totally agree about being inspired by the other Paint Party Friday participants! 🙂

    Off to sign up for your newsletter. 🙂
    ♥♥♥
    Happy PPF!!
    Mary
    Mixed-Media Map Art

  • Dara Lynn October 26, 2012, 3:27 pm

    Rosen paper! I would have never thought of it! lol I so enjoy seeing step by step pics…so helpful to newbies like me! 🙂

  • Gloria J Zucaro October 26, 2012, 3:33 pm

    Hi Carolyn, I learn so much from your posts, thank you. I scrolled up and down the right side of your blog and didn’t see a square that said “Newsletter”. Or is it just the email sign up for posts?

    • Carolyn October 26, 2012, 9:07 pm

      So glad you enjoy my posts! The newsletter sign up is just below my picture at the top of the page.

  • Suzy October 26, 2012, 4:09 pm

    Hi Carolyn. I like your bright vivid colors used as a base for the tags and to doodle them with gesso is clever. I love the wash of watercolor over the top to highlight your doodles! Happy Weekend and PPF!

  • Tracey Fletcher King October 26, 2012, 5:02 pm

    I always love doodling in paint… it is the best part of acrylics I think… I am about to launch back into some canvases and can’t wait to get to scraping and mark making… no clue why I haven’t thought to do it on cards and things before now… see that is why i have to visit you… you get me thinking in new ways…xx

  • Suzanne October 26, 2012, 5:32 pm

    I really like this as a whole page. Good to know about the Peerless WC too, I might have an excuse, erm, reason to grab some for myself!! ;o)

  • aimee October 26, 2012, 6:13 pm

    COOOOOOL! I have used shipping tags for many things but not this. wowzers!

  • Rita McGregor October 26, 2012, 6:47 pm

    That is such a neat page! Love your doodling through the white into the colors–and I didn’t know that about Peerless Watercolors. Interesting that they paint on glossy surfaces. You’ll have to let us know what you decide to do with this. 🙂

  • laurie October 26, 2012, 7:22 pm

    such beautiful results from your doodling! Love the soft color palette you used, its so fresh and light, I really like this!

  • carlarey October 26, 2012, 9:00 pm

    These are such fun! I could see them being varnished and used as garden markers.

  • Rinda October 26, 2012, 10:30 pm

    Such fun!
    Rinda (off to enter the drawing)

  • Wanda Hentges October 26, 2012, 11:59 pm

    Beautiful!!! Terrific idea!!! Way cool!!!

  • Mari Carmen October 27, 2012, 4:00 am

    Love your colors so much, Carolyn! 🙂

    Have a good week end!

  • denthe October 27, 2012, 9:53 am

    great idea, and the endresult is stunning!

  • Carin October 27, 2012, 11:21 am

    Carolyn, this is such a fun project! I have to try that technique sometime because it looks awesome!

  • gloriav October 27, 2012, 3:09 pm

    Hi Carolyn. Very nice job. Thanks for the intro to the paints and I’ve never used liquid pencil before. Have to give that a stab. Thanks for sharing this great project. Looks awesome.

  • annie! October 27, 2012, 9:38 pm

    This is SO wonderful! I can’t stand the thought of you cutting it apart…but I know from experience…that the parts are often greater than the whole!

  • Ritu Dua October 28, 2012, 4:08 am

    As always I love the colors you used …the textures are great and love the final result 🙂

  • Creative Mind October 28, 2012, 5:16 am

    This is really Awesome!!

  • Arnoldo L. Romero October 28, 2012, 5:15 pm

    That looks like fun, Carolyn. Blessings!

  • Gina Sismilich October 28, 2012, 8:50 pm

    I’ve only doodled with paint once or twice – what a wonderful way to awaken your muse. It will be interesting to see what you decide to do with this lovely colorful piece.

  • Deepa Gopal Sunil October 29, 2012, 2:05 am

    This is wonderful…I have to try this out. I love the feel of paint in my fingers too 🙂 So simple and so lovely! Thanks for the sharing it & inspiring!

  • JKW October 31, 2012, 5:19 pm

    Your doodles look like templates for stamps. Good job. Blessings, Janet PPF