Thanks for your comments Erika and David. I use Windsor & Newton Liquin glaze medium. Dries fairly quickly---overnight or 1-2 days. Proper drying/curing of several glaze layers can then take a couple weeks. This piece is hollow, built on a cardboard armature. I use Plaster of Paris and Durhams Rock Hard Water Putty in my pulp so that adds some weigh to the PM.
Is the glaze medium the only colouring? Or do you use a quick drying paint and then glaze over. I would have thought that if you used oil paint it would take weeks or even months to dry . . . ?
I work with paper mache pulp--boiled newspaper--to which I add plaster of paris, Durhams Rock hard water putty, elmer's glue and vermiculite. The vermiculite helps the pulp dry faster and the P of P and water putty give it a hard, sandable surface when dry. I apply 1-3 coats of homemade gesso to dried pulp surface: patching plaster, elmer's glue, acrylic paint thinned with a bit of water. Lightly sanded when dry. Now I either paint with acrylics and/or acrylic glaze coats for color or texture or apply a clear acrylic glaze to seal ground and then paint/glaze. Or I may apply a clear oil glaze to seal and then apply pigmented oil glazes. If I use acrylics I always finish with an oil glaze coat because I do not like the plastic look and feel of acrylics and I do like the flatter finish and feel of the oil glazes. If you use a lot of white in your oil glazes the piece will take a lot longer to dry so I try to do any white glazes with acrylics. I have also used a glaze mix of linseed oil, turp and liquin but that takes longer to dry. The liquin used as the glaze medium dries fastest and gives a nice finish surface. Having said all that, I am usually working on several pieces at a time so I lose track of how long each process for each piece takes :>)
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David Osborne
January 25, 2012 at 11:15AM
I do like this abstract representation you get. Don't the oil glazes take ages and ages to dry?
Erika Takacs
January 25, 2012 at 2:28PM
Great piece, Susan! Is there something inside for weight? Now that I am making larger pieces I realize paper DOES have weight...surprise, surprise.
Susan Ryan
January 25, 2012 at 3:04PM
Thanks for your comments Erika and David. I use Windsor & Newton Liquin glaze medium. Dries fairly quickly---overnight or 1-2 days. Proper drying/curing of several glaze layers can then take a couple weeks. This piece is hollow, built on a cardboard armature. I use Plaster of Paris and Durhams Rock Hard Water Putty in my pulp so that adds some weigh to the PM.
David Osborne
January 26, 2012 at 2:21PM
Is the glaze medium the only colouring? Or do you use a quick drying paint and then glaze over. I would have thought that if you used oil paint it would take weeks or even months to dry . . . ?
Susan Ryan
January 27, 2012 at 3:24AM
I work with paper mache pulp--boiled newspaper--to which I add plaster of paris, Durhams Rock hard water putty, elmer's glue and vermiculite. The vermiculite helps the pulp dry faster and the P of P and water putty give it a hard, sandable surface when dry. I apply 1-3 coats of homemade gesso to dried pulp surface: patching plaster, elmer's glue, acrylic paint thinned with a bit of water. Lightly sanded when dry. Now I either paint with acrylics and/or acrylic glaze coats for color or texture or apply a clear acrylic glaze to seal ground and then paint/glaze. Or I may apply a clear oil glaze to seal and then apply pigmented oil glazes. If I use acrylics I always finish with an oil glaze coat because I do not like the plastic look and feel of acrylics and I do like the flatter finish and feel of the oil glazes. If you use a lot of white in your oil glazes the piece will take a lot longer to dry so I try to do any white glazes with acrylics. I have also used a glaze mix of linseed oil, turp and liquin but that takes longer to dry. The liquin used as the glaze medium dries fastest and gives a nice finish surface. Having said all that, I am usually working on several pieces at a time so I lose track of how long each process for each piece takes :>)
André Parisi
January 31, 2012 at 4:07PM
Susan...Your artwork is great! Thank you for your explanation. You are a true master!
Joao Coias
June 21, 2012 at 3:53PM
Love this one. So simple, so perfect...