Acrylic Skins and Paper Collage

Oh, I have found my love, the blend of acrylics and collage and paper! I have been teaching a mixed media class this past month and acrylic skins was on the agenda. Now skins are great fun, lots you can do with them, especially if you make them thick to pull in full sheets. But, of course I had to throw a challenge in there and decided for my own work, I wanted to push the envelope and see if I could get the thinnest skins possible because I wanted to work small and possibly on paper.

Made a total mess on plexiglass using fluid acrylics and Golden Gel Medium.

For the skins I use, you have to peel them with a razor blade to get them ultra thin, be careful with that step. 

Yes, it can be done, really, really thin skins, and it is LABOR INTENSIVE I tell ya, but the results are amazing.

Mr. Fantastic - 6" by 6" by 2.25" on canvas

Ardithian Sonbird 6" by 6" by 2.25" on canvas

Sunday Preacher - 6" by 6" by 2.25" on canvas

As I really think about this process several things come to mind. Normally, most left over acrylic paint would be discarded. I am all about salvaging stuff, paper, ephemera, photos, trash, etc. This is one more way I can be a good steward of art supplies. It also reminds me of human souls. Many are neglected, discarded, forgotten, but all have beauty in some shape or form within them. I like to think of these collages as capturing the soul of what could be. 

I will be teaching a similar technique in several upcoming workshops beginning in January too! Stay tuned for details! You can view this new series at Art(ology) Gallery and Gifts in Mobile. 

Acrylic Skin Magnets

I often use a glass palette when using acrylic paints and every few years it is time to peel the skin from the glass. This year I decided to use the skins to make bottle cap magnets, which would be a remembrance of the various paintings I have made over the past two years. 

First step is to pull the skin from the glass. 

Here is a large skin, you can see the gorgeous colors that the glass reveals on the skin. 

After the skin is pulled, I place a gel thumbprint (that's what I call them) onto the skin and cut around it. This makes the painting look like it is covered in epoxy. 

I then glue the thumbprint, back side down, into the bottle cap and place a magnet on the back. 

These magnets turn out gorgeous and are really simple to do.