candyverandavintage: January 2011

Monday, January 10, 2011

altered tin with wax

You don't need rain to rust! Just sand them down and set them outdoors in a dish of water... salt water or a bit of ammonia in the water will help age the metal faster. You don't need a BBQ, make a little twig fire in an old cookie tin or set them on a rock and take a torch to them. There's a lot of ways to prep and many variations on the standard methods depending on your equipment, time needed etc...
much depends on what you want your final result to be. Even if you are just going to glue papers on, a good sanding will help your glue adhere over the long run. My favorite glue for paper to metal is "WeldBond" but many others probably work just as well.

One small tip that I like to remind people of... (and you'd be surprised how many times the comment comes up "My tin won't close/open now that I've altered it"...
No matter what you do to the rest of the tin, be sure to keep the inside edge of the lid clean as well as the upper lip portion of the bottom of the tin. That includes the area in the back by the hinges, as well. Sand them down extra if needed and don't add any paint or finishes to either lip.

some inspiration on printing techniques from a thrifty artist

Most of the techniques described in the book can be done with inexpensive supply substitutes: Instead of printing paper I print on “found paper” – anything from old atlases to painted papers or cheap copy paper and wallpaper samples. The ink can be substituted with paint in many cases. My favorite way of saving time and money is to reuse some of the less successful prints and incorporate them in my collage or other mixed media art by tearing and re-treating them with paint, ink, or stitching.

CPS: What inspires you?
DE: I am mostly inspired by seeing textures and colors in my daily surroundings. Thermal on Formica I live in an area that is rich with different ethnic cultures, and just walking the street or the market really makes me want to run to my studio and start a project. My home and studio are packed with colorful papers, fibers and decorative items that I have collected and those also trigger my creative juices. Collaborating with other artists is a huge inspiration as well.

CPS: Do you have a favorite project or technique?
DE: I don’t have one specific favorite. I like to change the media or form I am working on every once in a while. Recently I worked in a book form, creating mixed-media artist books that included printmaking on fabric and stitching. Before that I worked in a box form, creating three-dimensional assemblages. There is one aspect that is common in all my projects – recycling and re-purposing. I rarely buy art supplies in the art store and most of my art ingredients come from flea markets, thrift stores and other recycling resources.