Paint scraping technique

Have you seen this tutorial before? I had, but didn't do anything about it ... just added it to my "list of things to try someday" (do you have one of these lists, too?!) Then the other day I saw this, and was reminded again of this neat paint scraping technique. I even commented on that post that I really wanted to try this and would definitely try it soon. And, what do you know? I actually did! That same day, in fact LOL! While my girls were outside playing Thursday afternoon, I realized this was as good a time as any to just do it. So I did. I did 6 spreads in my art journal (wax paper is my friend!) and learned a few things along the way. First, it really does only take a swipe or two before the colors can become muddy, especially if you're using complementary colors, so be sure to keep a paper towel or wet wipe handy to keep the credit card clean. Second, I found I really love working in layers ... for the third layout I did, I tried a layer with 3 or 4 shades of one color, then let it dry for about 30 seconds or so before doing another layer with 2 or 3 shades of another color. Doing it this way is especially nice when working with those complementary colors because you can avoid the mud problem. And, third, I really like adding a final layer of white or light gray when it's getting to dark. All in all, this was a fun project that I will definitely be doing more often! I really like that you get the look of texture, but the layers are so smooth that it'll be nice to write on. Go on, try it!!

Just be careful ... see my last spread? I was trying to lift the right-hand page to separate it from the back cover and it suddenly flopped over on itself. When I tried to pull it back up, it tore off and this is what I ended up with. Of course, if you use a sturdy paper or cardstock, this probably won't happen to you, but I was doing this in my art journal, which is a composition notebook with flimsy paper. At first I was so upset because I was really happy with how the colors turned out, but the more I look at it, the more I realize that I kind of like it with the back cover showing like that. I'm thinking of painting that back cover and then gluing this page down to it, and then journaling about the end of this journal and the beginning of a new one ... though I think I'll wait until I'm closer to really being done with the journal. I still have quite a few pages to fill.

Let me know if you do try this ... it is really easy and lots of fun!