Dina Wakley Media Blog Hop


Welcome Everyone! I am super excited to be a part of this blog hop and many thanks to Dina for asking me to participate. I had a grand time in my little studio with my messy worktable covered with several projects in various stages. Let me start by saying Dina's paints and paintbrushes are swoon-worthy. Yes, yes they are. Here are my thoughts after canoodling with them and ignoring my children chores:

I love adding visual and actual texture in my work and in doing so I am rough with my brushes. I like to dry brush alot as well as scrub the paint into my substrate. After using her brushes I have found that Dina designed the perfect brush for me. (Thanks Dina!) They are stiff but not too stiff. Also, I am pretty sure I could leave these in water for days and days and they would survive.

The paints are divine and were so nice to work with. I loved the way they spread (like butter!) and their translucent quality. It made building up and breaking down layers a joy. The color palette is so versatile and blending colors together or diluting with a little water or matte medium was easy and smooth. The gesso had just enough tooth. The gel medium was soft and has a nice satin finish. Alright, enough with the gushing, lemme show you a couple of the finished pieces:

This is a 6x12 heavy duty canvas that is about 1.5 inches deep. After building up layers of vintage sewing pattern tissue and paint I loosely sketched in her face. Then I collaged scraps of vintage dictionary pages with the gel medium to add texture where her hair would be.


Then it was a dance with the acrylics and my trusty isopropyl alcohol to help her face emerge. I went back and forth with adding thick and thin layers of paint and then using the alcohol to bring back the texture from previous layers.



I live in the desert and so I have learned to work quickly as thin layers of paint tend to dry quickly. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Dina's paints have a tad more working time to them. I went back to places I left to dry for several minutes and found I could scrub the paint with a damp brush and the paint was a bit workable. My texture-lovin' heart went pitter-pat and it was love at first sight. 


Will you stay with me for one more? Pretty please?

The substrate of this whimsical piece is a 10x10 inch wooden cigar box. I removed the lid, flipped it over and gessoed it. Tada! Instant cradled wood panel! Next was a layer of drywall plaster and after that dried another layer of gesso. Then came Dina's acrylic paints, pencil, PITT pens and my fav Molotow white marker. Fine grit sandpaper helped bring out the texture of the plaster.


Please visit me again soon and I will have another post with lots of pictures and details showing the layers and progression of this lovely lady with her garden of flowers.


Thanks so much for joining me and in the immortal words of one of my favorite childhood backyard neighbors with her slow Southern drawl, "Ya'll come back now, ya hear?!"

Here is a handy list of all the blogs to visit for more gorgeous art featuring the Dina Wakley Media line from Ranger:

Dina Wakley http://www.dinastamps.typepad.com
Dyan Reaveley http://dyan-reaveley.blogspot.com/
Roben-Marie Smith http://www.robenmarie.com/
Mystele Kirkeeng http://www.mystele.com/
Dawn Sokol http://www.dblogala.com/
Julie Fei-Fan Balzer http://balzerdesigns.com/
Nathalie Kalbach http://www.nathaliesstudio.com/ 
Kirsten Varga (that's me!) http://www.smilingeyestudio.blogspot.com/
Traci Bautista http://www.treicdesigns.com/

If you haven't already, be sure to swing back to Dina's blog to enter to win a complete set of her paints! She is giving away two. Woohoo!

63 comments:

  1. Here from Dina's blog. I love both of your pieces! The whimsical lady in the flowers is especially appealing to me.

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  2. I'm doing the hop - this is a fabulous stop on the way! That lush blue on the edge of the canvas is just YUM!

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  3. So glad to have found you through Dina's blog! Your work is fabulous-love all the layers and rich color.

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  4. I too live in the Dry South West - glad to hear this will work here. Thanks.

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  5. I'm so happy I went on the blog hop and found your site. Your creations are beautiful! Lissag123@verizon.net

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  6. Wow, I'm so thankful for this Blog Hop and finding your Blog Your art is simply gorgeous. The texture is A-mazing. I can't wait to play with Dina's paints. Thank you for sharing your wonderful talent.

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  7. Both pieces are gorgeous! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  8. Thank you for sharing your work in the blog hop! LOVE the look you were able to achieve with the paints - gorgeous!

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  9. Love these! The texture from the plaster is really intriguing. Wish I could reach through the screen!

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  10. This is really cool and I can't wait to see the progression! Thanks so much for sharing, the paints look amazing! Janelle R

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  11. Love both pieces. You've given me some new ideas to try...thank you!

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  12. Wow! I love the faces you produce! Dina's paints really look great on your paintings. I've subscribed to your blog as I think I can learn a lot from you!

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  13. Both paintings are fabulous!!! I will definitely be coming back to your blog!!!

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  14. These canvas are so amazing!!!! I coming back to your blog!

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  15. Lovely to 'meet' you via Dina's blog hop. Love your projects

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  16. Love both of your pieces, but the face is stunning! I love the dictionary pages as texture for the hair. The colors are fantastic! Will need to try these products, especially the brushes. Thanks for sharing!

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  17. This is so cool! Love the faces you paint! Thanks so much for sharing!

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  18. I'm loving the blog hop and all the artists feedback on the paint and brushes. Love the faces on your canvases.

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  19. your work is fabulous the colours just pop out at you

    Ros
    manicros@hotmail.co.uk

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  20. Stunning pieces, they are amazing! Thanks sooooo much, you rock!

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    1. No problem darling! Looking forward to a next time. :)

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  21. Love your work! I'd love to be able to try Dina's new paints and brushes!

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  22. Both pieces are wonderful. I especially like the canvas and all its layers.

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  23. Beautiful paintings! I have learned so much from all of you today. Thank you for sharing!

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  24. Gorgeous portraits! Thank you for a chance to win these lovely paints!

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    1. I don't have a giveaway so make sure you go to Dina's blog to enter to win the paints!

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  25. It is SO fun to see all you artists' different uses of the new paints. Love what you've done with them. Can't wait to try them myself.

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  26. You're hilarious as well as talented. Just love the texture created in the hair! Thanks,

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  27. Your collage canvas is gorgeous, love reading the process and products you used to create different effects. Would love to see a video of your process. Amazing paints that I definitely just have to have now.

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  28. Love your work!! It's always good to know how paints react in the dry climate of the SW. Of course Dina had to have had that in mind.

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  29. your projects are so beautiful.. thanks for sharing

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  30. So happy I was able to stop by. Love your work and your thoughts on the paint brushes. You sold me on DW line. Thank you.

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  31. Great stuff! So glad I found the hop and followed it to some new artists to follow! Looking forward to checking out your other stuff

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  32. Love your art, just spent time looking back over your blog. The journals are so great too. Lucky you, getting to play with all that Dina paint and mediums!

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  33. Wow, I love your work! The colors look so vibrant.

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  34. Glad to find your blog!

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  35. I am so glad I found you through Dina's blog hop using her new products. Cannot wait to get my hands on them so I can play, play, play. Love your creations!

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  36. Absolutely Gorgeous, Kirsten!! I am new to your blog, joining in on Dina's blog hop and am just in awe of your paintings! WOW--these two in today's post...WOW!! The colors are so rich and the layers that you're exposing, are really Awesome! And those eyes...WOW!! So expressive and amazing. WOW--that's all I can seem to keep coming back to :) Thank you for joining in on Dina's blog hop and giving us a chance to meet you and win some fabulous paints!

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  37. Really beautiful canvases Kristen! I especially love the first and how, as you say, help her face emerge- I am intrigued...thank you for sharing and am also glad to have met you! ")

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  38. Gorgeous face- love how you've used the delicious colors to great effect!

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  39. Very nice textures and colors in these two. I love the faces. The dry wall paste looks like it works well. I like the textured loop in her hat I love your work!

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  40. This is totally fascinating!

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  41. Such beautiful pieces! REALLY enjoyed this posting and your input on Dina's new products!

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  42. Love your textures on the paintings, they look perfect under those great new Dina's colors!

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  43. Love your art, thanks for sharing!!

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  44. Your creations are wonderful to look at, so much détails.

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  45. Excellent texture work, love the hair in the first piece!

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  46. Lovely. I like what you did with her hair. Love the colors too.

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  47. your creations are beautiful!

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  48. I love the texture you achieved in your pieces- and to know you manage to get creative time in with little ones at home!! (although I only have one)- kudos to you!!

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  49. Just love your work. Found you through Dina's blog, glad I did. I can't wait to try these paints.

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  50. Two beautifully canvasses! Great to see how the colours work on such different pieces!

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  51. Stunning canvases....I'm so found I found your blog through Dina's hop. I love your work xx

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  52. lovely art. would love to win.

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    1. Then make sure you head back to Dina's blog! I am not giving away anything, sorry!

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  53. I'm so happy I hopped over here from Dina's blog! Love what you did with her paints and I'm glad I'm late so I saw your process pictures. Fascinating. Thanks for sharing.

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