Inspiration Avenue: Sun kissed

I actually painted a wood block for the IA challenge known as Sun Kissed, provided by Stephanie. But after I finished it, I didn't think it was good enough to meet Stephanie's challenge, so I will show it at a later time. So after painting on wood for two days, I came up with this technique, which was new to me. I hope you will be willing to sit through the steps I used to create this, because I will be adding it to my tutorials page.


I started with a piece of linen, at least that's what it felt like to me. I had seen, or possibly read about, this technique in an art magazine, years ago. In fact, so long ago, I have no idea where I got the idea. However, the fabric was silk, so I wasn't sure it would even work with this heavy fabric torn from an old table cloth.


The rest of the supplies (from top left clockwise):
Mister or sprayer
Rubbing Alcohol (I only have 91%, but I suspect 70% would work with this technique)
Various Sharpies (make sure they are the Sharpie brand because the others don't work)
Fabric, folded in half (size and material of your choice)


1. Create your design using various Sharpies. By folding the fabric in half, your Sharpie will bleed through, so all you have to do is go over a few lines that don't look finished.

I know I can't draw, but I thought I could draw a sun. Forgive the crude imagery. Please note that I had no yellow, so used orange for the sun's center. Then I used a red wet wash marker used to mark transparencies. These didn't bleed through the fabric at all.


2. Add some rubbing alcohol to a mister.

3. Mist


4.Allow the colors to bleed and disperse.


5. Allow to dry. Notice the red rays did not dissipate. This is because they were NOT made with a Sharpie.


When dry, I scanned the sun, which is where I could have stopped. However, the piece didn't look complete, so yesterday morning


before the heat returned,


I drove to WalMart for some new supplies.


I used a piece of large hole punchinella (sent to me by a friend) to draw the various colors on the ends. I had to include the new silver that came with the "80s Glam" pack on the ends.


After adding the rubbing alcohol, I got a bit of a mess, I think. I notice the silver lines on the ends did not disperse.

This scan shows a little over half of the completed piece, as much as I could get on my scanner. Again the Sharpies really dispersed, while the red wet marker's lines were still quite obvious. For this project, I think it is appropriate.


I guess this is the money shot, the one showing the sun after the alcohol further moved the Sharpie ink around a second time. Thanks again Stephanie for this IA Challenge. Although I was not anxious to revisit the heat of summer, I thought this sun showed what was possible with this technique.