El Maguey
This is the handmade Twinrocker watercolor sheet I dyed with green tea.
Watercolor & acrylic ink. 6" x 8"
The colors are a little more subtle than the last one I did.
The dyeing process was really easy,
I just made a batch of really concentrated tea
and submerged the sheet while the tea was still hot and left it there
for approx. 30 minutes. I took it out, sandwiched it between two paper towels and left it there to dry for an hour or so. Same with the coffee.
It's going to be very hard for me to go back to plain old white paper now :)
Hope you're having a lovely weekend!
posted by Geninne at 6:49 PM
Gorgeous!!
Oooh, how nice! You do such fabulous work.
Di
Beautiful! I tried the coffee technique, but came out more like the tea one - don't know what I'm doing wrong.
Thank you so much :)
CEA: Dunk the same sheet again and let it soak a little longer. That'll do it.
So beautiful! And thanks for the tips!
Really like the subtle patterning on the leaves. Nice color dye job!
I love succlents and agave and this plant. I like the dry feeling it gives the paper. CM
Stunning! Wendy xx
It is great to see you experimenting wit new things!
This cactus plant I have seen at some places in Greece and am amazed by its size!
Just beautiful. I've always loved your white ink you apply and it really stands out in this piece.
Lovely work, Geninne! For a less uniform, more antique look, I like to sprinkle or rub a few grains of dry coffee at random onto the the damp paper when it comes out of the coffee dye. Brush off when dry.
Another technique is to dampen and wrinkle up the paper first, then unfold and put it into the coffee or tea, which will settle into the wrinkles and give an allover netted texture when it's flattened and dried.
Paper can also be dip-dyed, for a dark to light gradation.
Watercolour paper usually takes dye better if you soak it first to remove the sizing. Or use printmaking papers.
Cate
That's lovely! I really like the geometric component that you added above the plant!
You're really on to something with the dyeing of the paper. It reminds me of a treasure map!
Love the dyed paper. Yeah, white seems stark after seeing these gorgeous neutrals!
I really love the geometric shapes you're adding to your paintings. They really give them an other-worldly feel.
I find your art and blog most inspiring - thank you!
Cosmic Cactis!!
I love your plant illustrations, this and the cosmos are my favorites to date. Beautiful!
I just took my first painting class and chose a succulent for our flower
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gwen/4621210740/
do you scan or photograph your works that you post here?