Asked & Answered!

Posted on | January 20, 2007 | 7 Comments

I had several questions from some of the art posted this week so far. Rather than answer each individually or in the comments section, I figured if some asked, more might want the answers, so here they are – this week’s Q & A!

Q: What type of liquid acrylic do you use? The good stuff or the cheapie stuff? I’m more parital to cheapie for this type of work, but I wonder if the good stuff makes a bigger difference.

A: I’ve used all kinds of acrylics, but when I’m using fluid acrylics, I choose the Goldens. It’s mostly because I love the colors they come in and a little bit goes a long way. There are other times that I’ll use watercolors with some liquid matte medium to create a similar effect, but without the gloss of the Goldens.

When I’m creating a painting, I prefer a heavy-bodied paint, but I only own one Golden Heavy Body Acrylic, which I have not yet opened! I usually use Van Gough Artist’s Acrylic (a student grade) or Art Advantage Acrylics. Both of these are not very expensive and go a long way. I tend to bring them down a bit from their opacity with some Golden Acrylic Glazing Medium. And I also have a few Liquitex heavy acrylics in colors like Titanium White that I use a lot to mix with my other heavy bodied acrylics.

And, have also used cheap craft acrylics for some projects, especially those that will soak up a lot of paint, like something on wood. I could seal the stuff first, but sealants and I don’t get along well, and I prefer to use a cheap acrylic paint as my first layer and then, if I want a specific effect, I add other media to make it work. For the specific project you asked about – the 4 x 4 LFB page I used Golden’s Fluid Acrylics for the background. Why? Well, I was experimenting – that’s what I do with my backgrounds – and I just took a stab at playing with them in different ways. I really liked the vibrancy of these colors for this page in particular.
Q:Do you always use gel medium as an adhesive? Do you ever use PVA?

A: Always is such a definitive word! There are no absolutes in my artwork. I prefer Regular Matte Gel Medium for most of my work on canvas because if I use something that is liquid, I tend to tear the paper, since it gets soaked. I feel that I get more control with a gel than a liquid. However, when I create my own background papers with tissue paper as the base, I use either a liquid matte medium or liquid polymer. I have also used PVA. It really depends upon what I’m doing.

When I work in a calendar journal, I often won’t use anything really wet, for fear of ruining the other pages. (I tend to be a messy artist!) So I will use Tombow Monoadhesive to put the pieces down and then I’ll add penwork. Again, however, there are no absolutes.

Q: What is Sequin Waste?

A: Sequins are made from mylar ribbon. What is left after they punch out the sequins (usually circle shaped, but other shapes, too) is considered the “Sequin Waste”. It’s also known in the craft world as “Punchinella”. I usually get mine at SAS Fabrics here in Phoenix, but you can also order it on the internet from companies like Skyblue Pink.

Q: How did you decide to copy your artwork and reuse it for other art?

A: First let me say that I was not, by far the first to decide to do this. I took classes with Traci Bautista and Teesha Moore, who both recommend that you repurpose your art. In some cases, I took it much further, by repurposing my repurposed pages (say that 3 times fast! ), but it works for me. I try to scan or photograph all of my work before sending it on to whomever, or wherever it is going. And so it gives me a digital image to feel like I haven’t given all the art completely away, and I get to keep a piece of it.

Q: Where did you get the fabric you used for your first quilts?

A: I purchased Ink Jet Imprintable Cotton Poplin from The Vintage Workshop. I adore their products and used to do some work with them when I lived in Kansas City, MO. The image is a scanned piece I did on 8″ x 10″ canvas with a lot of pen work. I printed it on my inkjet using the instructions and it came out that way. The embroidery was all done by hand and the border was from purchased batiked fabric I purchased over the years.

Q: Where did you get the cool letters you used in the calendar journal to spell out “vertigo” and “child”?

A: I actually created these letters myself, using hand-lettering on handmade backgrounds. I then manipulated the size by scanning the letters in. These collage sheets are available at my Etsy store, and I am working on more this weekend!
I hope this has answered some of the questions out there. I’m more than happy to share information, so please do not hesitate to ask questions either via the comments or via email at fran@artsyfran.com. I want to hear from you! I’ll do this “Asked & Answered!” as often as needed.

Have an awesome Saturday, and if you haven’t already, leave a comment to enter the Manic Monday Inspiration in a Box contest sponsored by Sakura and ArtsyFran Designs!

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