Just Messin' Around with Leftover Art Materials

DON'T DISCARD DRIBS & DABS

Here's a great way to use up art media rather
than throwing it away!

 

Even the support for this exploration should be spare sturdy paper, cardboard, foam core, or an unwanted painting. Use it up!

 

As you finish an art-making session, stroke leftover paint here and there onto the spare substrate. (It helps clean your brushes of excess paint, too.) Eventually you might like the colors and effects enough to use the painting as a background for a new work!

 

Here's what I did with some fine sand I had mixed with golden ochre paint and fluid acrylic medium:

 

 

 

 

I applied the mixture to foam core and drew into it
to create the lines you see. Note the leftover bit of tissue I adhered to one corner when I ran out of sand.

 

A day later and another painting sesh finished,

I saved extra inks by applying them to my (now dry) sandy "spare."

It was teal Bombay India ink and Scattered Straw distress ink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On another day, I added burnt sienna airbrush color, which is liquid. Next, I made a blackened blue mixture from leftover acrylics and used that in places. Still not done!

Finally, I added accents of vivid red-orange and white. Sand (even mixed with acrylic medium) is very absorbent, I found!

 

Since you never, ever, EVER want to rinse acrylic paint down your pipes, this is a great way to use up extra paint & experiment at the same time. Just mess around a bit!