Hot Glue Creations

 I love to learn new techniques.  I particularly enjoy taking classes, especially at local museums.  Several years ago a friend recommended classes at the Pearl Fincher Museum in Spring, TX and I was glad she did.  Here I met a wonderful art instructor named Evelyn Bouley.  She's the educational specialist for the museum who organizes or designs workshops for all levels of artists.  She's been an art educator for over 33 years and has developed a masterful approach to using materials and techniques in a variety of ways.  Recently she taught how to create an abstract diptych (2 panel painting) using hot glue and acrylic paint.  I asked if I could share these steps on my blog and being the true educator she said "of course!"

 1.  Get 2 - 8 x 10 canvas boards.  Trace the size onto a piece of white paper.
2.  Use 2 lines to divide the space into 3 shapes.  Keep them pretty simple.
3.  Fill 2 of the shapes with patterns.  Again keep them simple.



 4.  Cover the back of the paper with graphite to create tracing paper.

 5.  Trace the design onto both canvas boards


 6.  With a glue gun go over all the lines on both canvas boards.

 7.  Choose acrylic paints in some warm colors (reds, yellows, oranges) and some cool colors (blues, greens, or purples).

8.  Paint one section using a blend of warm colors - meaning don't just paint a flat color but a mixture.

9.  On the third section create a neutral color by mixing a color with it's complement (aka color opposite on the color wheel).  In this case I used orange + blue.  Mix small amounts of this color into some white and paint it on the 3rd shape.  This will give the eye somewhere to rest.

Let all the paint dry.

 10.  Squeeze some metallic paint onto a flat surface and with a brayer roll this color onto the hot glue.  If you don't have a brayer just use a small brush.  Don't worry about some of the metallic smearing the areas.  You can wipe those off with a damp towel or blend them with a brush.  Let this paint dry.

11.  To mix the glaze put a small amount of black paint into a generous amount of matt medium.

12.  Working in small sections paint the glaze on.
13. Next take a soft paper towel or tissue and wipe away most of the glaze leaving some in the grooves.

14.  If you want to brighten the metallic paint back up use a small detail brush after the glaze has dried.

Wasn't that easy?  Now create your own unique designs on different size canvas boards. Share your creations with me - I'd love to see how Evelyn inspires other people like she did me!