Amazing Hidden Paintings

On the left is Vincent VanGogh’s 1885 painting “Head of a Peasant Woman”. On the right is a self- portrait of VanGogh underneath that painting discovered using a variety of art conservators’ tools. This is not uncommon and much more can be learned by an Internet search. This example came from Discover Magazine’s web site. 

Here is Paul Cezanne’s painting “Still Life with Bread and Eggs” from Smithsonian Magazine’s web site. The black and white image on the right is a hidden self-portrait of Cezanne under his still life on the left. If viewed sideways the loaf of bread, eggs and cloth easily come into view.

Face-off Friday Kitty

This 5” long kitty started with a wire armature I shaped like a cat. I filled it in with layers of papier mache, then covered it with used tea bags. It was the color I wanted but I thought it lacked interest, so I used the darker edges of the tea bags and glued them down to resemble orange Tabby cat stripes. The green eyes are leaf-shaped glass beads from my bead embroidery collection. The entire thing was preserved with a coating of Mod Podge. I guess I’m guilty once more of posting only half of a face!

I’m linking this post with DVArtist for “Face-Off Friday 

Knitted and Felted Critter

 I knitted and felted this critter some time ago but he returns for Face-Off Friday. I knitted his face and eyes in the round then closed his nose drawstring style. Two black buttons completed his look. From there I tossed him into a hot washing machine for felting. The agitation caused him to shrink to his current bumpy and fuzzy size of 5” across. His expression reminds me of a Muppet!

I’m linking this post with DVArtist for “Face-Off Friday”.

Make anything with a face and join in!

Papier Mache and more Tea Bag Art

NOT A BALLOON

Actually this is the inside of the handmade papier-mâché bowl 

in the next photo covered with dried round tea bags.

The weed was placed before a coating of Mod Podge.

Needle-Felted Critter

This small needle-felted critter sits menacingly in the corner of my crafting room windowsill. He thinks he’s scary in spite of his 2-1/2”x 2-1/2” stature and hidden smile. He makes me smile too in spite of the needle pokes I endured making him.

Linking up with DVArtist for “Face-Off Friday”. 

Make anything with a face and join in!

Switching Gears to Tea Bag Art

I put my watercolor pencils away and decided to play with used tea bags instead. This small 4x6” piece is a combination of torn tea bags (the rocks and sun) and dabs of acrylic paint. The entire thing is covered with a layer of Mod Podge. Being small it went quickly. I promise Face-Off Friday’s post will not be sky, land and water. ;)

Wet Needle-Felting

In organizing past projects I came across this 12x18” piece. It was folded and I fear that’s a permanent line. It was fun creating the scene with many different colored layers of dry wool roving on bubble wrap, spraying it down with warm soapy water, then rolling the whole thing back and forth until the fibers were flat and locked onto each other. I’ll have to think of different subject matter than my favorite sky, land and water though!

Part of a Face-off Friday

This is a 4x5” oldie from my days of “Tea Bag Art”. The image is 

painted on used, dried and torn tea bags, then glued to handmade 

paper with bits of grass in it. I never finished this piece, but 

I like and kept it. I hope to do some tea bag art again soon. 

Does half a face count?

Linking up with DVArtist for “Face-Off Friday” All are welcome 

as long as your art features a face.

Bottle Baby Bear

I had decided to skip Face-Off Friday this week for lack of time, but then I noticed this cute fella in my sewing room from years ago. I probably showed him then on a different blog, but now he wants to be here for Face-Off Friday. I made many teddy bears back then but this is my only bottle bear. You can just see part of the Snapple bottle filled with smooth river stones forming his body under his mohair arms and head. His eyes are glass beads and his nose and mouth were embroidered with black yarn. 

I am linking up with DVArtist for Friday Face-Off.

 So much fun to see everyone’s work! 

Watercolor Pencil Experiment

I wanted to see if I could use my Derwent watercolor pencils in the same way that I paint with acrylics on canvas. I like to haphazardly lay down acrylic paint until an image of something starts to reveal itself. I was also interested in trying different watercolor pencil colors. Being an experiment, I didn’t want to waste watercolor paper, so I used a sheet of 5x7”mixed media paper instead. It did not hold up and started to shed paper, so that was where I stopped. In spite of the many things I learned that could have been done better, I like this and decided to post it.