Exploring Media

This is a good exercise to get a feel for how different media performs. Pick a favorite shape, hue and color scheme and then practice on mix media paper. Switch to scrap fabric and experiment with different mediums until you find a combination that you like. I've found it rather amazing that media traditionally used on paper performs and looks better on fabric, while the fabric dye sticks and markers look like crap.

Dry Acrylic

Acrylic with a dry brush on mix media paper with no blender.

Acrylic with a dry brush on fabric.

Wet Acrylic

Acrylic on mix media paper using aloe vera gel as a blender.

Acrylic on fabric using retarder medium as a blender.

Acrylic Watercolor

Acrylic diluted with water on mix media paper using vegetable glycerin as a flow medium.

Acrylic diluted with water. Outline with glue and let dry before painting.

Oil Pastel

Oil pastel on mix media paper using a cotton swab as a blender.

Oil pastel on fabric using a 1/4" stencil brush as a blender. Rubbing alcohol also works as a blender. The lay down is smooth and the color blends easily. Outline with glue and let dry before painting. Heat set and brush with Varnish after painting.

Water Soluble Wax Pastel

Water Soluble Wax on paper using water as a blender.

Water Soluble Wax on fabric using water as a blender. The lay down is smooth and the color blends easily. Outline with glue and let dry before painting. Heat set and brush with Varnish after painting.

Fabric Dye Stick

Fabric dye stick on mix media paper using a cotton swab as a blender.

Fabric dye stick on fabric using a 1/4" stencil brush as a blender. The lay down and blendability is the same as for oil pastel, but the color isn't as vibrant. I won't be using these.

Colored Pencil

Prismacolor colored pencil on mix media paper using a blender pencil.

Colored pencil on fabric using a blender pencil. A stencil brush also works as a dry blender. Rubbing alcohol works as a wet blender. The lay down and blending is identical to paper. The color is more vibrant because fabric has a "tooth" that paper doesn't have. Outline with glue and let dry before before painting. Heat set and brush with Varnish after painting. It's the easiest medium to work with.

Paper Chalk

Chalk on mix media paper using a cotton swab as a blender. I love to use chalk for a background because it blends so well.

Paper chalk on fabric using a 1/4" stencil brush as a blender. Water also works as a blender. The lay down is smooth and the color blends easily. Outline with glue and let dry before before painting. No heat setting with this one. Brush with Varnish after painting.

Charcoal Pencil

Charcoal pencil on mix media paper using a stump as a blender.

Charcoal pencil on fabric using a 1/4" stencil brush as a blender. It lays down the same as it does on paper, but with more control. The fabric's "tooth" makes blending a little difficult and it's not as smooth. Outline with glue and let dry before before painting. No heat setting with this one either. Brush with Varnish after painting. Works best for coloring.

Water Soluble Graphite

Colored pencil and water soluble graphite on paper. Blended with rubbing alcohol.

Colored pencil and water soluble graphite on fabric. Blended with rubbing alcohol. Works best for creating soft grey shadow.

Fabric Marker

Marker on mix media paper.

Marker on fabric. It bleeds and doesn't blend. Outline with glue and let dry before before painting. No heat setting required. Brush with Varnish after painting. I don't think I'll use these either.