2016 #7 Spring Wings{by Seth Apter}

 2016 Topic 7: Resists

Hello everybody. Seth here,  I am thrilled to be back for my first guest post on the PaperArtsy blog in 2016. The theme for today's project is resists. And who can resist a good resist? There are so many approaches to making resists and mine focuses on the wax crayon technique. I seem to be channelling spring with my colour choices, waiting for warmer days in NYC.

This piece started with a 6 x 6 inch square of 140lb cold press watercolour paper. The 140lb weight makes this sturdy and the cold press surface is slightly textured. I used watercolour paints for this project and I just love the way the colours settle into the nooks and crannies.

I started by gathering my (large) collection of PaperArtsy stamps. I pulled out stamps that were either text-based or image-based. I was not looking for any particular theme but rather a grouping of stamps that I could use to create a stamped collage over the entire surface of the paper.

Words 2

Mini 30

Using StazOn ink pads so that my ink would dry fast and remain permanent, I stamped on the surface creating a collage of images and text. I used Words 2 Mini 30 HPXT01 HP1301 and VID04 and VID09

HPXT01

HP1301

Next I took a white wax crayon and selectively coloured some of the surface of the paper. I chose to fill in the larger areas with spaces, such as the butterfly wings, bird wings, clock faces, flower petals and inner loops of the letters.

I then painted the entire surface of the paper with watercolour paints using a water brush. I used a spring palette, choosing yellows, reds, blues and greens and allowing all the paints to bleed and blend together. Once the surface was painted, I used a baby wipe to gently rub over the areas that had been previously covered with the crayon. Because of the wax, these coloured areas resisted the watercolour paint and stayed white. I was careful not to rub too hard so as not to dig into the paper below.

Here are a couple of close up shots showing how the white crayon has resisted the watercolour paints. 

Any paint on the crayon areas can be wiped away leaving the white areas bright and clean, this makes them really pop against the colourful paints. 

There are many approaches to resist in addition to the crayon technique but I find this simple and very effective. If you haven't tried it yourself, hope you are now inspired to do so.

Seth. 
Blog: The Altered Page

Who indeed could resist a page like this. thanks Seth for highlighting one of the simpler techniques. So often overlooked in the wake of all the fancier products. Getting back to basics has produced a fabulous page here, with a technique accessible to everyone ~Darcy 

We would love to see how you interpret this Resists topic by linking what you make to our 2016 Challenge #7: Resists, on this page HERE.

All of our bloggers love to see your twist on their ideas,  particularly if you were inspired directly by their post. 

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Resists link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, April 17th 2016. The winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.