“Have you ever painted with rubber?”
No one has ever asked me that question. So I had to ask it to myself. 😳
I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to manipulate oil paint in my work. I love a good brush but they can’t do everything.
I found out about this nifty silicone scraper tool (Princeton Catalyst) when I was reading an awesome book called “Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts and Conversations” by Rebecca Crowell, who happens to be one of my favorite abstract artists.
I don’t use it to apply paint very often, but it’s WONDERFUL for manipulating the paint once it’s already on the surface!
My two favorite ways to use this tool: Scrape away the paint like an eraser - it’s almost like using a pink eraser on pencil marks! Another way is to squeegee-scrape the paint to blend two color shapes into each other. This creates a smooth edge blend that is impossible to create any other way.
I have used this tool for all sorts of different applications, and I rarely go a whole painting without touching it once. I believe that because I’ve explored the act of painting so thoroughly at this point, I have gotten to where I have the freedom to explore what I want to say in my work - and what are the best ways to say it. Turns out, it is not always the typical method of brushwork.
Moral of the story: Keep your eyes open for new ways to create - Your artistic voice will guide you to the tools you need!
Got a favorite non-brush painting tool? Let me know in the comments below!
Also, if you are interested, here is a list of tools I use: http://bit.ly/MainloopToolsAmazon