Artwork Artwork and more Artwork! Updated!!!!

Wow!  Again Wow!  I have said last week that there are some very talented people out there.  The things they can do is jaw dropping.  I ran across a great blog site called The Graphics Fairy and she has a lot of FREE antique artwork that you can download and do just about anything with.

I saw another blog (the internet is a huge web they are right) and saw this artwork that I fell in love with.

The author said she used Gesso.  What is that?  Well, to put it simply it is a gel medium that you transfer your artwork from paper onto a canvas then peel the picture off and there ya go!  So, I just had to do this!  I went to Michaels, remember it takes me a minimum to 2 and a half hours Just to go round trip.  I bought some (there are so many to choose from).  Printed the picture (flipped) on my injet, took it to the printers and copied it on a laser printer.  (Inject ink will run that is why you need to have  laser printer (it costs me 10 cents).  I then went home slathered the Gesso on the front of the picture and then laid it face down on the canvas.  I then took my Popsicle stick and smoothed it out as best and I could.  Then I had to wait and wait. They suggest you leave it overnight and that was not going to happen because I did it at 12PM.  So at 5PM I started to remove the paper.  How did I do that?  I put my forefinger in water and started rubbing the paper, and it started coming off!  Over and over again, I kept rubbing, my finger is now raw but what was underneath the paper is outstanding!

Look!

How did it get from this:

To that:

It would be great to see the different colors that come out of each person that does this.  I had seen one that it was black and white with a little yellow on the sides.

But I have to tell you, this surprised the heck out of me!  What a great present.

If you look closely, it says balsamic vinegar, but it looks like it is perfume, ewe!

I am going to do another one today, but am worried that I am going to rub off my fingerprints.


This was so simple to do and so much fun!

TUTORIAL:

Ok, it is done!!!  To tell you the truth, when I am doing a project I normally take a lot of pictures, so if I need to go back and review the project, I have pictures.

However, on this project, I didn't take any pictures.   I didn't know in the beginning how it was going to turn out so I didn't bother.  Note to self:  Don't do that again.  

Life happens and as I had said in another post, my husband had surgery, so just the simple act of posting this became impossible until now, he is sleeping and I can get this done.....

Ok the first part:

You will need to get a canvas board.  I got from the art shop (any one, I know Michales have this too)  Is a regular canvas board that is flat.  If you want you can use one that is raised with the board around the back, however, you will need to have something put inside of it to give it strength when you are putting the picture down and making sure the picture adheres to the canvas.  i.e. maybe a book in the back.  

I got this board for $1.00 and it is 8x10.

I then made sure that the picture was able to be level so when I put the picture on the canvas  it is not crooked.  My first one was and you can't pick it up and move it around when it is wet because the color will start to come off immediately.  Live and learn.  So, I measured it again and again.  You really have one shot at this so measure it really good, unless you want the picture to be a little crooked.  Note:  Even though I though I was doing everything perfectly, the picture is not even, but I will be the only person that will know that, well now, you do too.

The gesso is called Golden and when I got to Micheals and found this aisle, I had no idea that there were so many types of gel mediums!  So I went middle of the road with this.

I bought a couple of large sticks to apply the gel, which I patted myself on the back because it was a great idea.  They were only 5 cents each!  Yea baby and I only had to use one.

I took the stick and scooped up the gel then started to apply the gel to the picture.  This one I applied a pretty thick layer.  I started to do it in one direction, then realized that it didn't matter in which direction you applied it, just make sure you apply it to the whole picture.  Put down a newspaper so when it goes off the side, you will have something down.  I didn't do that the first time and it was a yucky mess.  

Like I said on the above paragraph, I put down a thick layer.  I wouldn't do that.  It made the paper really heavy and when I did the next step it tore part of it because it was so wet.

Once the paper is covered in the gesso, pick it up and put it face down on the canvas.  Try to put it down correctly the first time as I said before, if you move it around it will smear some of the color.  

Then take the stick and start smoothing out the paper and help it ahear to the canvas, (this is where I tore the paper) if it does tear , no big deal, just flatten it out and smooth it out, it will not show up as a tear and will

give it some depth.s

On some of the other posts I have read, people say wait overnight before you start removing the paper, but I usually do it in the morning and we really have low humidity here (that does help with the drying process).  I wait about 3 hours.

You can see that it is already turning color.  I have realized that when you print something black and white, it is not just done with black, it is printed with all the colors, especially if it is printed with a laser printer.  I don't know if you can see, but within 5 minutes you could see red showing up on the paper.  Pretty cool.

See the tear on the top above my fingers?  I even took my fingers and kept smoothing the paper so it had great coverage.

This what it looks like after about 15 minutes...Now the hard part...WAIT!!!

Ok here we are it is 1:30 and I am ready.  Take a little cup with water:

Then you will dip your finger in it and spread some over the picture:

 Start rubbing.  But wait, like I said in the earlier post, if you start rubbing with your fingers we will rub your fingerprints away.  It really hurts after a while!  I came up with a great idea, I went into the kitchen and grabbed a cotton towel.  Not a plush one, but one I could dip in the water and start rubbing and it worked.  You will see the rolls of the paper and it gets a little messy.  As I write this, I am still finding little paper rolls in front of me, on the floor, in my chair, etc...

I then used my fingers just to make sure that all the paper was removed again, by rubbing and rubbing.  

I wiped off the picture with the rag just to get the rubbies off and then took some sand paper and very quickly rubbed the sides so the residue o the sheet would come off (I thought of that all by myself!) and it works!

Finished!!!!  

Here is the results of this one: 

Now I had to darken the picture up a bit so it wouldn't look so faded on my blog.  

This is such a nice project to do, I put the other one in a black frame and will be giving these as gifts.  

The price to make this is so cheap!  

The canvas board $1.00

Lazar copy .10 cents

But the Golden Gesso gel was around $15.00.  But you don't use that much and I would guesstamate that you would get a least 10 of these 8x10 pictures.  Which would bring the cost to $1.50 per picture.  

So, for $2.60 you get a one of a kind picture.  Perfect for a girlfriend's gift.  PS.  They have $1.00 black frames at the dollar store too!  For a grand total of $3.60!!!  Can't get that in your local store!

I would love to see some of your artwork using the gel medium.  This stuff is incredible!

Let me know how you did!!  Good luck and have fun!