Monday 31 August 2009

monday photo-a-week & plastic wrap art technique

i've been walking around on a high all week knowing that my daughter, michelle, will be living so much closer to us from september 5th. i can hardly wait and i'm looking forward to us both sharing some quality time together....what fun we will have in the studio!

-----------------------------------------------------

MONDAY'S PHOTO-A-WEEK

for this week's photos, i thought i would share another lovely sunrise that greeted me on friday morning.
check out those clouds!

i LOVE clouds!


click on any image to enlarge

-----------------------------------------------------

MY ART PROJECTS

my next main painting project will be a canvas i'm painting as a gift for my niece who recently had a baby. at the same time, i'm working on the large canvas (below) for my bedroom. i've been playing with the background and here is where i'm at so far.


work in progress on 30"x24" gallery-wrapped canvas

after painting in a background of gesso and turquoise to achieve a wavy look, i let it dry before stencilling some flowers onto the background. after the flowers dried, i used a cling wrap technique to get this effect.

as i was working on a large canvas, the cling wrap technique went something like this -


  1. i quickly applied a wash of turquoise onto the previously dried background in a vertical direction, from top to bottom, covering approximately the width of the cling wrap.
  2. while this was still wet, i quickly laid a sheet of the cling wrap flat on top of the wet area making sure it was fully covered and ensuring also that i had laid the wrap so that the next section would join on seamlessly.
  3. i then rubbed both my hands vertically in opposing directions over the cling wrap causing it to crease. i left this in place while i continued across the canvas, in sections, repeating the same method. NOTE - the direction in which you move your hands will determine the direction of the finished effect.
  4. after covering the last section of canvas, i then lifted all the cling wrap off to reveal this effect. i LOVE the variations.


now i'm off to tidy up the mess i made in the studio so it's neat for my student's class tomorrow.

ANNOUNCEMENT - my wonderfully talented blog friend, perpetual chocoholic, will be hosting a FREE coloured pencil class very soon so, if you're interested, check out this link and stay tuned for further details.

love, light and peace

15 comments:

  1. Oh, I'm so glad Michelle will be closer! What fun you two will have together. How exciting!

    I learned a plastic wrap technique with watercolors at a class I attended. But we crinkled it up a bit. laid it on the wet paint, pressed down a bit, and let it dry like that. So you had no idea what you actually had until it was dried overnight. Fun! Those techniques are such fun to play with! Can hardly see what your end result is. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. P.S. I loved the pictures of the clouds, too! I am drawn to the sky. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh, how exciting! What a wonderful time you two will have!

    lovely canvas, have fun with it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. How exciting that Michelle is moving close to you! I'm sure you two will have lots of fun.

    Look at those soft fluffy clouds! I never tire of sky watching. I've been accused of living with my head in the clouds-LOL

    Love that cling wrap technique. I was just reading about that tech. in a book I recently bought. And I will certainly check out that colored pencil class.

    The plaque turned out lovely, Serena. I'm sure the b'day girl will love it.

    What a cute butt you have! Hee hee! those jeans are so cute. You and your hair sounds like what I do with my hair. Last time I had a professional cut was 9 years ago and the stylist did a terrible job. So now I cut my own. In a couple of months when it starts to cool down I will cut it back to just above my shoulders. but in the heat of the summer it's cooler to have it long and wear it up in a ponytail.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful clouds! I like your background techniques, can't wait to see the magic you create!!
    Darla♥

    ReplyDelete
  6. the cling film effect looks really cool there Serena. Really adds depth and texture to the background. Looking forward to seeing this finished.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ooh lovely blue on that painting :D neat effect the cling film made

    really nice sunrise to wake up too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. YAY! I am excited too. I can't wait till I am actually in there and set up. We are gonna have heaps of fun :)

    I really love clouds too. Alex still laughs at me cause I really got into them about 3 years ago and even put a diagrame of the different cloud types on the wall to learn, lol.

    The canvas is looking beautiful. Even better in real life though. I will have to give this technique a go.

    Say hi to Barb for me :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. So happy for both you and Michelle, I wish I lived closer to my mom.
    Your canvas is awesome, I am going to have to try that technique on something, how cool!
    I will have a look at the color pencil tut, thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful pictures of the skyes!
    Your canvas is coming really great!

    I did not work on such big canvas, but on smaller one, I like to use similar techniques but with the pieces of the glass or something that being used in fready frames, but wrap giving different and cool personality also!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I don't think I've seen clouds or sun or moons or anything lately.... just paint, plywood, drywall, carpet samples.... etc.... but, we are managing to get a few things accomplished....wheeeeeee

    ReplyDelete
  12. Serena, you and your family are wonderful. I love just being a little part of your life and Michelle's. Lovely to know you both and share so much. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Serena,

    I am so happy for you and Michelle. I am sure you will have lots of fun together. :)
    Your canvas for your room is coming along very lovely. Can't wait to see it completed. I love clouds too and those are great pictures.

    Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  14. How exciting for you that Michelle will be closer to you.
    That sky is gorgeous. Beautiful photo.
    Your friend is lucky indeed. This canvas is already looking awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  15. LOVE that cling wrap effect...I am sure to use it soon one day! thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete