Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Tuesday's {Tip} Creating Splatters and Drips

I have seen many discussions on paper crafting forums about creating splatters and drips on your layouts and cards. Today I wanted to share how I create them. First, let's look at my favorite tools to use for splatters and drips:

Favorite Brush: Winsor and Newton Round Brush #12
Favorite Paint:  Angora Watercolors
Other tools: Old glass jar and Water


I just started using these watercolors, and I must say I love them. Very easy to create drips and splatters with the ability to have rich color.

To create the splatters, I find using my favorite round brush is a must. It works so much better with this brush. I am sure any round #12 brush would have the same great effect. Here is what I do:

1. Dip the brush into the jar of water.

2. Use the wet brush to moisten the palette of paint.

3. Experiment with the color on the packaging paper on my art desk. Am I looking for rich color or more of a wash? If I want a wash, I need more water.

4. Once I have the color I want, I load up my brush. Then I hold the brush over my piece and begin tapping the brush (for splatters). For drips, I usually make the color more of a wash. I touch the brush to my piece to get a "blob" of colored water on the piece and then hold the piece up and let it drip down.

Note: Cover your photo(s) with paper if you don't want splatters or drips on them. :)

All of this is very fun to do. Perfection is not allowed (and this coming from a perfectionist). Just experiment, play, and have fun! Here are a few close-ups of splatters and drips:


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Notice in the first photo the splatters are even on my embellishments. I usually like to splatter at the end so that it does get on my embellishments. The second piece has drips in very light blue. Can you see them? Then the splatters are in black.

One last note, you can water down white or black gesso too and use that to splatter. I tend to use white gesso a lot for that.

Be sure to stop by on Thursday (August 1st). The piece I will share then has a lot of black splattering on flowers, chipboard, all over. :) I hope this has been helpful. Be sure and give this a try. Have a blessed Tuesday!

3 comments:

Lizzyc said...

HI..yes there are so many ways to make a splatter!! I like the way you have described it here!! and I add them at the end sometimes too.. I just cover my photo with some paper!!

Patter Cross said...

Oh yes Lizzy, I cover my photo with paper too. Forgot to add that! Now the perfectionist in me wouldn't allow splatters on my photo. LOL! Blessings,

Anonymous said...

Yahoo, permission to make a mess!!! This is a natural talent some of us already have; it's ordering the chaos that takes learned skill. Still, there seems to be a knack for getting the splatters & drips where you'd like them to land. (I had no idea of putting them on toward the end, so will have to try.)

Thanks, Patter! Love, Jennifer in OH

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