consanguinity

yuh....awn....g'mornin'. I sure ranged over miles in my dreams last night. I'm kinda travel-weary this morning! Wuz jest too tahrd last night to post this quartet, so here are more of the gel transfers. Etayne asked if I'd 'splain how I do it so sure thing!









This is a series of doodles I did yesterday. I think I will just let the images stand on their own without any big explanation. Chuck's in Canada, I emailed them to him and he said something about salamander love-touch. Yes. He's a way with words, that laddie.

As for the method - I love the uniball fine point pens for doodling. After I scratch out some sketches I photocopy them. At home I prep some 'canvases', which are actually sturdy pieces of cardboard I usually filch out of the dustbin at work, or find lying around in big piles that haven't been disturbe for weeks, so I figure, fair game. I paint a couple few coats of gesso over the cardboard, letting that dry between layers. Then I choose a palette and paint with acrylics. I've carte blanche to a bucket of nice tube acrylics from my friend Jacque who doesn't ever use them (she prefers charcoal, conte, and graphite to draw with and I, in her generosity, reap the bennies). After I'm done painting a background, I coat that with gel medium. I'm using GAC700 Golden brand right now, simply because there is a huge container of it. There are also other gel mediums in the acrylic bucket, this is just what I've settled on for now. When the gel medium dries, I coat my cut out photocopied image with a think layer of gel medium - using my fingers, so I can feel how thick it is. Don't want it too gloopy. Then I press it onto the canvas and I roll it out with a small brayer. No air bubbles. Let it dry completely! Then, wet it with some water, a bit at a time, and work the paper off by rubbing it with fingers and thumbs. Often there is a thin film of not quite white, where the paper just won't come off - so coating with another layer of gel medium brings up a nice sheen most times.

Here's a great link, where I learned the basics of gel transfers. It's got pictures, too, which is nice if you learn well by visual example.

Well shucks, better get myself ready for work. Another beautiful day here, it's nice and quiet still. Dandy!