So, I did an experiment today...
And the results were actually way cooler than I expected. Details inside.
Behind the Page
I was cleaning up my living room a bit (looking for something that was under the table) and put a bunch of my gel printing supplies back into my studio. I grabbed this package of black tissue paper that I played around with a bit a few weeks ago (with mediocre results) but definitely wanted to try again.
Playing around and experimenting is one of the reasons I love Daily Pages. And a big reason for you to consider starting your own creative practice, whether Daily Pages or something else. Because I have a safe space to put all of my experimenting, I never feel like I’m just wasting my time learning new things.
Not that you should ever feel that way — but, I’m only human, and in the past, I’ve definitely had little feelings of guilt over playing and experimenting. The voices in my head would tell me that I *should* be doing something more productive, or that I *should* be working on a to-do list project.
But thinking that way doesn’t actually have your best creative interests at heart. You need a space to learn, to experiment, to see what works and what doesn’t — especially for you and the art that you like to create. This is the space for you to really learn your own creative style and discover what makes your art yours.
Technique of the Day
So today we played with this black tissue paper. First I did some color blocking to see how different colors would show up on the tissue paper, and I created the cool page you see in my notebook today (the full print has some purple in it too — check out the video to see it). But as I was finishing up, I was wondering if my first print turned out so well because I added a layer of white paint, increasing the total opacity.
In order to check — I created a new gel print with some A/B testing. First thing I did was put a full layer of florescent pink paint on my gel plate. I let that dry fully and then backed half of the gel plate with white paint, and the other half with another layer of the pink paint.
As you can see, the white paint makes a big difference. And one side isn’t necessarily better than the other, it’s just a matter of what you want for whatever you’re working on.
It might seem obvious, but I do want to point out that the side that’s backed with the white paint looks more like the color I would get if I was pulling prints on a sheet of white paper and the side without the white paint just looks like a darker version. Playing around with white paint (maybe try out some grey paint) is gonna be my new favorite way to experiment with my gel plate!
Reflections & Insights
Let’s think about setting you up for experimental success:
What’s something you’re interested in playing around with right now? A new technique, a new supply, creating in a new space?
Think about that for a second, and decide on something. Then, ask yourself if you have a space set up for yourself to do that?
— If yes, awesome. Ask yourself what the next step is.
— If no, no worries. Ask yourself what you need to do in order to get your space set up (temporary and transitory spaces are encouraged!).
Once you’re set up in your space, grab the things you need to get started, and give yourself a good chunk of time to play around!
How It’s Made
Supply List
Paint — lots of different varieties, all acrylic
Tissue Paper — Blick
Sticker — Brandi Kincaid
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