I finished up my art journal travel spread and it was an enjoyable experience. I am very pleased with the outcome - lots of open space, minimal added collaging to the images laid down, little covering up and layering. My tactic was to revisit plans for trips that got waylaid when my back got so bad, remind myself of where I thought I'd like to go, by car and train and boat. Whether or not I'll actually be able to take any of these trips, see any of these places, it was a shot in the arm to remember them and why they were on my list.
As an aside, I caught myself automatically using some of my quilting lessons as I arranged things on the page, thinking to balance where different items were placed to help move the eye but particularly to balance colors. Once I added that brown rock on the right, it was picking up the brown in the moon but I kept thinking there needed to be more brown making the connection. That is why those torn strips of brown paper got added, and they also seemed to add to the sense of travel with their horizontal alignment. I thought the same thing when placing the Canadian flag - need to add more red somewhere. That's why the exuberant lady in the red convertible got added.
The sprayed acrylic background worked well, except my Uniball Gelly pen in white struggled to write over it. While perusing the small art supply section of my local Wal-Mart, I checked to see if they carried Posca pens. Posca Posca Posca is all I've been hearing for some time now from the various multi-media artists I follow. It's essentially acrylic paint in a pen that comes with various types of tips. I've often seen it used to add text so maybe I should give in and get one. I was not surprised that Wal-Mart didn't have them, but they did have these Painters pens which sounded like the same thing. Never one to really know what colors I want, except this time I knew I needed white, I decided to get this 5 pack.
Not surprisingly I suppose, my trial with the white one was disappointing. I knew from the many videos I'd watched that these need to be shaken and then the tip depressed to get the paint moving. I did this only to have the paint run freely out of the pen when I depressed the tip on a small sheet of paper. It was very thin and immediately spread off the paper. The tip was also extended quite far out after shaking so I am wondering if this particular pen has a default. I haven't taken time to check the others. Once I felt I had the flow of paint under control, I lettered over the gelly pen "Oh Canada" and was surprised at the uneven coverage. As I said, the paint seems very thin. On closer inspection, I see this brand is made by the Elmer's glue company which means at least it is made in America, but perhaps I should go for the tried and true Japanese company's paint pens if I decide this is an option I'd like to have around.
How about you? Any of you have experience with Posca paint pens?
4 comments:
I have no experience with Posca paint pens, but have used the water soluble ones on black menu boards. They require pushing the tip in the get the paint flowing, but I learned the hard way that not all are the same! Some are permanent paint that render those boards useless. Your lady in the red convertible reminds me of Thelma...you need a Louise to travel with her! Jan in WY
Jan, when I was looking for a link for the Painters pens, I could only find places that sold them which meant I could read some reviews, and while many people raved, there were some like me who had problems with the nibs and ink flow similar to mine. Most of these negative reviews came from people who had used these for years so maybe something is up with current production. However, I so agree with you that not all products are the same even if descriptions make them sound so. As my dad always said, sometimes you can save too much money, and although I haven't compared price between these pens and Posca pens, I'm guessing the Poscas are a little bit more, but also more reliable. The Painters are often described as great for use with children, which should have told me something.
I too thought Thelma and Louise when I found that convertible picture! If you look closely, there's a man hunching behind the steering wheel but I really thought it should have been another women. Reminding me of the road trips I took with my late artist friend. However, neither of us had a convertible or even a red car - most of our road trips were taken in her old navy van as we hauled our handdyed fabrics to quilt shows. Good memories. :-)
I used Posca pens a few years ago when writing over paint on an apron that I had heavily painted. They worked great! When writing over dark paint, I think I remember having to go over the writing twice to make it really white.
Thanks Sherrie! This sounds like the sort of thing they are made for. Interesting that although they are supposed to be opaque you still needed a second coat as it were. That is what I found with these Painters too. I did spend a little time on Posca's website and it's quite amazing all the things they say you can use the paint pens for including on fabric. And there was a long list of helpful hints concerning their use and the nibs. Guess I'll have to invest if I continue to find times when a paint pen seems the answer.
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