Learning Curve

Yesterday I took my box o'stuff and trooped outside to start spraying. First of all, putting the respirator mask on was a must, but all kinds of claustrophobia kicked in and for the first few moments, I couldn't breathe. I didn't like it much, but decided I really wasn't going to suffocate and got on with the spraying. The upside of wearing the mask is that I couldn't smell the fumes, at all as long as I had it on.

I chose to "make over" a few pieces of ugly scrapbook papers to start with, since I wouldn't be too heavily invested if they didn't turn out. It was a good choice, as I like what I have so far. The one shown above had moments of "whoops" or "eww" but I just let it dry and then went over the parts that I didn't care for. If anything, this process is pretty forgiving.

This one I sprayed sparingly. I want to do more acrylic paint on it than anything. My friend Penn gave me a chunk of rubber waste and it actually "prints" really well. If you look closely, you will see that this paper had crowns printed on it before I got spraying.

This one I used a scrapbook paper that was all cut work as a stencil. I think the high contrast is interesting. Underneath are printed scraps of text which shows through.

This was an embossed print, that looked like vintage tin ceiling tiles. Problem was, the colour of the original paper was fugly. So I lay the cut work paper and stenciled it over top, then lay the scalloped circle in the middle and sprayed over with red. I got an interesting layered effect.

The one downside is of course, the papers end up being pretty fumy. I hung mine outside on the clothes line all afternoon and I can still smell them. I think I am going to try some spray inks next time and see which I prefer.

On another note, Indy says thanks to everyone who has gone and voted for him! If you haven't, there's still plenty of time.

Click here to vote.

Tales from the Weekend

It's Monday! Usually there's no cause for celebration for the arrival of this particular day of the week, but in this case, it heralds the beginning of spray painting!

As you can see, I've spent the weekend hunting and gathering all the stuff I need to begin working on papers for the Stencilry class. You'll see first and foremost that I did indeed buy a respirator mask. I appreciate everyone encouraging me to do so but rest assured, I had no intention of breathing in any paint fumes. I can't breathe when we paint a room in the house with normal paint, (allergies) so there's no way I'd ever consider spray painting without a mask. $35 well spent, if you ask me, though I'm a bit concerned about the fact that the part that mashes up against your face to create an airtight seal is made of latex, to which I am sensitive. I will only be spraying for brief periods of time so if the mask bothers me, I will simply stop. There's always a trade off.

And now, some pics of my beloved Lab. Yesterday we went over to Vanier Park in Vancouver to take Indy to the beach to swim and to have a Mother's Day picnic. Isn't he handsome? If he looks a bit intense, it's because my son was standing behind me, holding a treat to get him to pose. He's a bit weird about the camera-he thinks it will steal his soul or something. *laughs*

He's wet in this photo, having just spent 2 hours fetching his water Kong and playing with Syrus, a chocolate Lab who is training to be a wheelchair assistance dog. They were adorable together-they'd race each other into the ocean to get the Kong and then swim back, each holding a part of it in their mouths.

After our picnic, we went to Granville Island, which is about a 15 minute walk down the seawall for gelato. Indy loves gelato, so he had French Vanilla.


He's licking every last bit off the plastic spoon.



I took this photo last week, but I wanted to share it. I often find Indy fast asleep on out bed. If you look closely, you'll see a green tennis ball tucked beneath his belly. I guess he hopped up there to play with it and got tuckered out. I can't tell you how dear he is-I just love him to bits.

***I entered Indy in a photo contest for Modern Dog Magazine. Please go here to vote for him. Thanks!***



I'll report back soon with some samples of my adventures with spray paint. It's overcast today, so I'm hoping I don't get rained out!