Painting....

14th - 28th May 2021

So waiting for the stupid ink pen to arrive I started working on the other panels sanding and cleaning the window panes and painting everything white.  I decided to stop painting the panes separately and just glue them and and paint them on the panel. I figured it was the same thing more or less and less of a struggle to get the panes into place since everything swells a little after painting. Easier this way. While doing this, your mind wanders so I listen to music or something else but mostly contemplate about these tiles and the structure etc.

Anyway, I got to thinking, there must be a better solution than the pens since a lot of times they dry out and I really do not need to write anything (these pens are great for calligraphy).  I just need to fill in the entire tile to look shiny like a tile but rough like they’re old. Then a few nites ago, I got an idea when checking the tracking on the pen I ordered (2 weeks later and hasn’t even left the USA yet) and noticed that Amazon sells ink refills for the slow drying ink/glue used in embossing. You buy this little bottle and spread it on your ink pad. So, I read the reviews on Amazon US and found out that they are sold like little droppers (about half an ounce) and are exactly the same ink glue stuff that would be in the pens. Eureka! I find comments that you can use a brush to cover larger areas too. So, over to Amazon.it to find out if they sell it.  They do, at twice the price. Ok, bummer, but even if the other pen arrives, this solution I think is better. So I bought the ink (like €11 with tax!) and received the package only to be pleasantly surprised. They put in two bottles instead of one (I double checked and the description said only half an ounce (15ml)) but yes, I got two. Jeez what a break! Of course in the afternoon I went straight upstairs to test it.  I mounted the test tile on the white foam type backing and painted an area over the tile, sprinkled the transparent powder and heated it.  The white backing bends with the heat but is easily bent back and the ink works perfectly.  I’ll probably have to emboss each tile before mounting them on the white backing but hey - we are a go for this process once I am ready to start embossing the tiles.Very cool!

You can see the pebble effect I like in the shiney area on the right.

But I can still make the embossing thick enough to be smooth.

While painting the panels (still another two to go) and doing some cleaning of my craft supplies, I came across a bottle of Crackle Medium. I bought this back when I was doing a lot of decoupage type projects. This medium gets painted on between two layers of contrasting paint (usually a darker one underneath) and causes the top layer of paint to crack showing dark areas underneath. Hence crackle medium. I had the idea that I wanted to age the paint on the bottom of the panels where maybe lots of moisture build up would cause cracking. I decided to test if I just dusted some of my chalk pastel color on the first layer then put the crackle on to see if the result looked oldish. It did actually! So we are a go for using this to make the bottom parts of the panel look weather worn. I did the first panel and I do like it. Saves on having to paint and weather by hand.

Making a test for the cracklé medium.

Applying the chalk on the painted surface.

Using a brush to spread the chalk.

Final effect. Looks fairly water damaged.

 

 

 

And various museums are re-opening this month - Boboli and its limonaia today. Restaurants are opening for indoor seating on 1st June - next week. Course reduced capacity and masks and distancing are still required but slowly we should return to normal after a year of lockdowns. I hope anyway. 

 

(oh, and the pens arrived today - so that's a good thing. I need some good things to be happening as there is way to much negativity going around that I can't control. So it's nice every now and then.)