Monday, February 8, 2010

Beeswax Final (.... and an announcement)

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm a new member on the design team for this company: inchie arts, llc.
I've loved their product since receiving a box of Inchie Squares from a dear friend as a birthday gift last year.
It's a thick, high quality, acid free, archival material that is extremely useful in the making of "inchies" (1 inch square), "inchies +" (1.5 inch square) and "twinchies" (2 inch square).
I was happy with cereal box cardboard until I started using these.
There really is no comparison.
They take the glue, the inks, the watercolors, the collage, the beeswax - beautifully.
They give your inchies that special heavy feeling that makes you want to hold them in your hand and drop them on the table like poker chips. That might sound kinda weird - but it's a very tactile thing to hold a handful of inchies.

As you know, I've been playing with beeswax for the last 2 weeks ....
I also received materials from inchie arts to "play" with at about the same time.
So, I'm wrapping up my beeswax tutorial with these two twinchies.
I used the "Twinchie Squares" in white.

In these examples I used:

oil pastel

and collage.
In the oil pastel example, I really worked the pigment into the twinchie square base. I used several layers of color. Rubbing in, rubbing off, rubbing in some more, scratching off. If you haven't tried oil pastels and you're the sort of person who used to love finger painting as a kid, this medium is definitely for you. It's very hands on, can get pretty messy, but is very satisfying for creating your own colors and depths of color. You definitely need to apply some type of coating to oil pastel though. It will continue to rub off every time you touch it if you don't. I used beeswax, but an acrylic medium also works great.
The thing with using beeswax on oil pastel is that some of the oil pastel will melt and swirl around in the beeswax - giving it a softening effect. So just be careful - and know that you'll lose some definition in the heat of the wax.

For the collage example, I wanted to follow the same image I had done in the oil pastel. I thought it would be fun to see the differences. I used only torn or cut paper from a magazine. The magazine paper is sometimes tricky to glue down because of it's slick coating, but it stuck perfectly well to the twinchie square base. I think in the past I've had trouble because cereal box cardboard has a slick surface as well. I used to sand it as prep, but even that would still sometimes fail and everything would peel up later.
I dipped this in beeswax as well - which I just LOVE with collage. It really gives the layers of paper a depth and transluscence that I love. I applied the krylon pen edging after the fact, because it will dissolve completely off in the hot beeswax.

Thanks for hanging out with me through almost 2 weeks of beeswax!!!
It's been so much fun ....
I think we all wish we could get together now for a beeswax fondue party
.... at my house!
Now THAT would be fun!



18 comments:

laurel said...

Congrats on the design team! Love your twinchies!

*jean* said...

congratulations!! both are very cool!

Terri Kahrs said...

Congratulations, Kimmie! I'm heading over to check out the site. And thanks for all of the beeswax toots. It was a lot of fun hanging out with you! Hugs, Terri xoxo

Elizabeth said...

Congrats on the inchie design gig, Kim! I got to know you through your inchies -- and the ones you sent me sit on my desk in their pretty little teacup. I pick them up and roll them around in my hand all the time.

nancy neva gagliano said...

well, you ALWAYS AMAZE me, and now i'm sure you'll continue to amaze the inchie arts-design folks. congratulations!
and remember, i get invited to the "encaustic fondue" party!
so, another world just opened to me, and YES!! oil pastels are my all time favorite thing! and it does make me think of finger painting! now, into the wax they can go too. . ."lime glad i met you"!

BadPenny said...

congratulations Kimmie !

I'm getting a group of women friends around for my birthday... you have heard of Stitch & Bitch yes ?... well we are going to glue and g-natter !

Carola Zajdman said...

Wish I could be there !!!
Have a question about the gesso, do you sand the surface before applying it? I need some lessons on it !!

BadPenny said...

hi Kimmie - got your message & my email to you failed to send . Mine is

Pennysteel@talktalk.net

Renee Howell said...

Oh Congrats Miss Kimmie! Nothing like some good paper to start a project. And how lucky they are to have you a part of the design team. I'll be looking for the precut inchies of all sizes! Have FUN!

red or gray art said...

so
happy
for you!!
...
elk

ale said...

hola kimmie!!qué bueno!!!congratulations!!!!...and many many thanks to you for all this so interesting and teaching posts...l love the way you share everything...is really lovely!!...muchos besos!!!!!!!

Carola Zajdman said...

In the new book tutorial, you painted the inside pages with gesso, did you work on them after all? i like the idea. Thanks a lot for your help !!

McIrish Annie said...

Congrats on your new job with Inchies! I have absolutely LOVED your beeswax tutorials and thanks for the great description of how you made those twinchies. although I love mixed media, being from a quilting background, I sometimes scratch my head and wonder how you gals do some of this stuff. Your explanation was fantastic.!!

~*~Patty Szymkowicz said...

BIG Congratulations Missy
Very Cool and so well deserved!!!

Lovely and inspiring creations as always!
oxo

Chriss Rollins said...

congrats Kimmie well deserved. x

you too have been at twinchies I love them and thanx for explaining obout them.

chriss x

sukipoet said...

these are great Kimmie. Not sure I could work that small!!!! Now, here's a beeswaxy party. I spent a number of years making my own cosmetics including lip balm. A number of them use beeswax. We could have a lip balm party!!!! woopee.

Anonymous said...

Kimmie--

So happy for you on your recent contribution as a design team member. You deserve it, and your talent is such a gift to the art world. Keep inspiring us, girlfriend!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Kimmie, you are most deserved! Love your tutorials! C