The first day I used assorted sheets of unknown paper that I had lying around from the year I was born (don’t ask). I used Elmer’s Art Paste mixed according to directions (1pkg. + 4 qt. water). This is a new product to me and I used it because it keeps unrefrigerated indefinitely. That is a huge time saver. It’s methylcellulose - like wallpaper paste, but without the pesticide—hence, no gloves are needed. The consistency was a little runny, slimy even, but it mixed easily with paint. I used some old tubes of acrylics that were just hanging out waiting for me—also from the beginning of time. The Liquitex worked well, but the Chroma Atelier Acrylic (now called Interactive) did not. There must be enough pigment in the paint for it to work well. Golden is almost always my acrylic of choice, but I didn’t want to use my charmed liquids just yet. As for the paper, the designs held the best on Canson Mi Teines, Mohawk Super Fine text, and 140lb. watercolor paper. Bristol brushes worked better than foam brushes because they added another layer to the initial design coating. All supplies can be purchased from Dick Blick. Stay tuned for Part 2.
