Kirsten Paints Hope

Faces! Faces are one of my very favorite things to create. When I got my hands on Artistcellar's new stencils by Kylie Fowler I was excited to see how my artistic process would work with these new tools. 

Here's what I used:

• Mineral Paper
• Hope from the Kylie Fowler - Fowler Faces Series
• Constellation from the Arabian Nights Series
• Dylusions Ink Spray - Calypso Teal, Polished Jade and White Linen
• Dye-na-Flow - Sun Yellow
• FW Acrylic Artists Ink - Process Magenta, Fluorescent Pink
• Uni Posca paint pen - Black
• Dina Wakley Acrylic Paint - Gilt, Night

To start off I prepared my background on the Mineral Paper by placing the stencil on the paper and liberally spraying the three colors of Dylusions Ink Spray on the surface.

Before lifting off the stencil I placed another sheet of Mineral paper on top on the stencil, making a stencil sandwich. This way I can get two prints from the stencil and use all the ink I sprayed. I separated the "sandwich" and let the papers dry. Since the ink spray is reactive with water and the Mineral paper allows ink to wipe clean it will allow me to create some beautiful effects with water. 

I decided to create a simple border to my composition by painting with water and then rolling a paper towel over it to soak up the water and ink. I also flicked water droplets onto the surface and used my paper towel roll to lift up the activated ink and water to reveal more random dots in a white color and created more stars for my sky background.

Before I get to more of the water magic I need to get my focal point in my composition. I chose the Hope stencil, which is an angle that I don't usually draw, and the stencil was a great way to get used to how the lines and shapes should look. I used Night paint and a cosmetic sponge to put the stencil on the paper. While that dried I used the Gilt Paint (an awesome metallic gold) to add stars to the sky.

Now I am ready to add highlights and mid-tones to the face by simply using a brush and water. I wet the ink to swirl it around and wipe off certain areas where I want highlights. I can move the color around to create value. I let it dry several times to make sure I don't over-work it and lose too much of the ink. 

To add color for the face and hair I used Dye-na-flow and FW Acrylic Inks. I also used more Night paint to add more shadows.

Lastly I add to the border with multiple lines from an acrylic paint pen as well as color from the inks.

It's lovely and I am so happy with the results!

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