I have tried several times before because I love the effects one, (sorry, others) achieve and it SHOULD be a pleasant, stress free calming thing to do, shouldn't it?...to sit down with some pens and backgrounds and gently produce graphic, beautiful, freeform results that delight and charm...nah! Don't you believe it! Not at all! Not for one minute! Not for me it isn't.
To put you better into this rather sorry picture, I have been following along with the talented Cathand and her MIxed Media Morsels video series during the past couple of weeks. She has a great range of techniques she shares very liberally through her videos...and while I have been learning heaps, I have also discovered that mixed media doesn't really seem to be my thing. Part of that, and much more specifically, is the art of doodling!
In my defence, I don't have a lot of, nor have I previously understood the significance of, the equipment required...mainly the pens (Cat seems to favour Posca Pens)...I have tried to substitute with what I have but apparently not all my pens are permanent. I found this out after I completed an alcohol background, doodled flowers (almost competently I thought), then right at the end, and this all took me a couple of days remember, what with drying time between applications et al...I gave the dear little object a coating of mod podge (as directed), only to find the mod podge mixed with the inks on the surface to produce a dark grey sludge! Toss that one straight out!
But, as I hate being defeated at anything, and have been sneaking into the craft room at odd moments to try other ways of achieving the "look". One thing I really have learned, apart from the need to have permanent inks, is the absolute requirement to ensure everything is dry before proceeding...a real test of patience. Oftentimes, if you are tempted to resort to the rapid-response heat tool (Ladies, these are NOT GUNS! I shudder every time I hear that term applied to the heat tool or adhesive applicator during a video), The outcome can become a tad warped, so best to leave things to dry naturally, in my opinion.
I had been playing with some scraps of glossy card stock and DI's, producing some glossy, richly coloured backgrounds and thought that I would have a doodle on these. They were far more vibrant than the backgrounds I usually make...anyway here is the card I managed to produce. It's not brilliant but I think I am happy to post it out to someone with a note...BTW I found Posca Pens on the Aliexpress website...might have to think about breaking the budget and acquiring some...they seem cheaper than anything I have been able to source here in Australia.
Bye now,
Di