Tea Bag Art-First Attempts

First I saw an awesome class on tea bag art offered online, but I didn't take it. Then I researched it on Pinterest, and watched a couple of youtube videos. I have cataracts and am not seeing the best right now, but I decided to give it a try, because I love miniature things.

I had previously saved some used bags and opened them up to sheet size for use in mixed media journals, etc., but, for these, I saved used tea bags until I had a few. I let them completely dry with the tea still in them (to add to the color), cut a small slit in the side, or bottom, or the bag and poured the dry tea out (I saved it in a little jar to use for something else), and got started.

I started the middle one by collaging (gluing with gel med) a piece of brown paper that I had used to clean off my paint brushes, stamps, etc. onto it. You can seal the bags with a coat of white, or clear, gesso, but I tend to forget that step. For the left one, I brushed on a layer of white gesso for the background, then mixed white gesso with sort of a reddish brown acrylic color and painted in the shape of a head and shoulders. For the one on the right, I just brushed in a bust shape while I still had the paint on the brush.

Not necessarily how other people do it, but it's how I'm doing it. :D

Works in progress: Curley Dots has had acrylic inks, some irridescent, and stabilo pencil added to her. White lady has  had white acrylic paint and stabilo pencil added, and Lost has had a word, washi tape, acrylic paint, stabilo pencil, and gel pens added.

Calling them done after adding a few stripes, gold gel pens, and a bit more stabilo pencil. I wrote my name, date, the title, and the medium on the back and sprayed with fixative or sealer.

"Lost"

Close ups:                                                      

"White Lady" and "Curly Dots"

I have enjoyed playing with these a lot, and have some more ready to paint. I've seen them opened up and painted on too. I'm thinking it would be cute to use them in art journals, collaged pieces, or put a few of them together in a frame or on a book cover. Yesterday, it occurred to me that if I painted both sides and laminated them, they would make cute ornaments or gift tags.

The tea bags are sturdier for working on than one would think, Water colors are especially pretty on them. So I will be trying some of those too.

I have so many irons in the fire already, but I'm currently taking Ivy Newport's mini portrait class, Between Shadow and Light, although I've only watched the first three videos so far and haven't actually done any work yet. I've also signed up for Olga Furhman's year long class, Paint Your Heart and Soul, with 24 teachers and classes, which starts in January 2018.

I still have art classes half done, and I'm really wanting to work on my fabric books, and I have a yen to work with my weaving again. How does one learn and do everything? Yikes!!!

Oh, well, I'm thankful for what I get to do and learn. There's so much wonderful stuff for us creatives online, and so many generous teachers that I'm genuinely grateful for, that it's kind of overwhelming, but I LOVE it, and will keep doing as much as I can!

Keep learning and doing whatever it is that makes you happy!