Last evening was spent experimenting with a new art medium using water based oils and tissue paper.  I used what I had on hand, and seemed to make a good start with the idea of "touch drawing".  I visited the website of Deborah Koff-Chapin and was able to adventure into a new area of expression through art.

First I gathered materials of:  tissue paper, water based oils ( I had the colors white, red, blue and yellow), a squeegee ( in place of a roller), a plastic coated canvas.  I had a leaf close by, as one of my Fall decorations on the table, that I ended up using also.

I spread yellow paint at the top of the canvas, and blue paint at the bottom using the squeegee to make it nice and even.  I'm not sure if I used too much, so I will try less, the next time around.  Then I applied a piece of tissue paper that I'd cut to be about the same size as the canvas and laid it on top.  It immediately began to absorb the paint, but I did touch drawing anyway.  Because of the crinkles in the tissue paper, it made an interesting design.  I focused on using my fingernails to make more of an impression, using both hands simultaneously, and mirroring each hand, like Koff-Chapin showed in one of her teaching videos.   Initially, I used the colors of yellow and blue thinking that the yellow would represent light, or sun and the blue would represent water.  Those are two powerful colors in themeselves.  But knowing that the blue mixing with the yellow would make green was another opportunity to represent something, and that something, was the green found in nature.  I look forward to doing studies regarding colors, how to use them effectively, and in combination with each other.  I looked for any kind of scribble that might be turned into something meaningful, and was surprised to see the sign of a cross that just showed up without any effort on my own.  

I called my daughter up to witness my art experiment and she became involved in the process.  I'm so glad that I can share my love of art with someone close to me.  It not only inspires me, but her as well.  She became interested in the touch drawing idea because she is always looking for ways to get her babies involved in sensory stimulation in the daycare where she is employed.  She figured she could get the babies to hit the paper to make a design.  Not only would it be a way to get babies and toddlers involved, but they would have a way to brighten up the room as well.  My daughter suggested some kind of sticker shape to be under the tissue paper that might make it more interesting, and that is when I reached for the leaf.  I added some red and some more blue and yellow (to make green) and then smoothed it out with the squeegee.  You can see from the pictures how beautiful the prints came out. So we not only had a reversal picture from where the leaf was, we were able to take the leaf and use it as a print itself. 

Sensory involvement, using the imagination for the designs and pure joy from making something from almost nothing was the reason for this directive.  I look forward to learning better how to actually make a design, and I look forward to the oil paints drying so we can hang them up to enjoy them.  I may even make greeting cards from pieces of the tissue paper by cutting them and gluing them on card stock along with a nice message.  Tissue paper is not that easy to cut smoothly so I will be sure to use sharp scissors and find a glue that will not ruin the art to mount them.  The next time I do this, I will play music of inspiration that helps me connect to my "higher power", and see if it helps me in the process.