Drawing with tea bags
I experimented with various materials in my sketchbook. Below, I reflect on each trial; some worked better than others as tools or materials to manipulate to create images.
Toothbrush
Quality of mark: This completely depended on how I used the toothbrush. The bristles were harsher than the paintbrushes I usually choose; if I dabbed the end of the bristles, this created fairly uniform speckles/spots. I also used the back of the toothbrush – dabbing the plastic shape (which reminded me of petals) and dragging it along the page, which reminded me a little of using a palette knife. I also tried using the end of the toothbrush, which worked best when dabbed to create small marks (it did not spread the paint onto the paper easily). I also tried watering down the paint and splatting it across the page (using the bristles – running my fingernail along the bristles to spray the paint). I also applied some and let it drip down.
Other material combinations: I think acrylic paint worked best here to clearly show the marks the toothbrush could produce. I can’t imagine using dry materials with the toothbrush (e.g. chalk/charcoal dust) unless these had been mixed with water to create more of a paste.
Natural/man-made forms: The toothbrush produced some unpredictable marks, making me lean towards natural structures as the best subject to capture using this tool. I think man-made structures could be depicted if the hard plastic parts of the toothbrush were used to apply paint in uniform lines and patterns (but the bristles are too rogue!)
Lipstick
Quality of mark: The lipstick did not stick to the paper as easily as I thought it might! (Although this could vary depending on the quality of the lipstick and the ingredients). I tried applying it directly to the paper from the stick, which gave a thick, rough mark, and then experimented with other ways of applying it (eyeshadow pads, make-up brush, lips). The eyeshadow pads hindered the application further, because the lipstick did not seem to stick to this either; however, I did manage to produce some blurry, fuzzy marks. I also attempted watering down the lipstick, but this made it lumpy and did not help it to stick. It was interesting to blend the shades (I used a brush for this) to create different tones and experiment with thicker application (applying more pressure) and thinner (which gave a very rough texture).
Other material combinations: After trialling the lipstick on white cartridge paper, I would want to experiment further with perhaps waxier paper, or very smooth paper, to see if this made a difference to the marks produced. I would also be interested to see how different lipsticks worked/different ingredients in the lipstick.
Natural/man-made forms: Perhaps due to the colours I chose, I am imagining humans or plants being depicted using lipstick. It would be simple to find colours for human skin and lips and hair, plus the rough texture might work better for natural forms. I imagine if you could source blues/purples and metallic lipstick, these would work well to create man-made forms. Perhaps a ruler/stencils could be used to ensure sharp lines for geometric shapes.
Eyeshadow
Quality of mark: I also had difficulties applying eyeshadow to paper! I did try making pastes from the powders, which helped enhance the colours but did not particularly aid the process of getting them to stick to the paper. I used a brush and an eyeshadow pad for these marks, and my fingers as well. As expected, the marks are fuzzy and blurry and have a rough, powdery appearance. It was difficult to achieve any sharp, defined edges or lines. However, the colours blended to create different tones and there were a variety of marks that could be made by sprinkling, dragging and swirling the eyeshadow across the page. I also found that flicking the eyeshadow pad created a furry texture.
Other material combinations: As with the lipstick, I would be interested to try other paper to see if this made any difference to the marks. I also wondered if oil-based materials would help create a better paste with the eyeshadow to help make it workable on the paper.
Natural/man-made forms: This material is definitely more suited to natural forms; skin, animals (furry or fluffy!) and perhaps some flowers or clouds.
Elastic band
Quality of mark: This was such a fun tool to work with! By stretching the elastic band taut and dipping it in paint, I could create sharp, clean lines on the page. Alternatively, flicking a paint-loaded elastic band gave unpredictable splatters. I also tried dragging the band in a circle (holding down the end with my thumb) which smeared the paint in a circle, like a compass (the end effect made me think of a hand-held fan). All marks were clear and bold and interesting; some more deliberate, some unpredictable, which made the elastic band an intriguing tool.
Other material combinations: I think this could be used to apply anything, from paint to ink to glue. On this occasion, the white acrylic worked well to clearly show the potential marks on the brown paper background.
Natural/man-made forms: Either! Sharp, defined lines, and therefore geometric shapes, can easily be achieved with the elastic band, making urban landscapes, buildings or other man-made objects simple to depict. However, the elastic band is also flexible and so curves and splatters and natural forms could be created.
Paper clip
Quality of mark: The paperclip surprised me, because I thought it would be simply a case of dipping it in paint and dabbing a pattern onto the page and then needing to reload it with paint again. However, the gaps in a paperclip hold more paint, so it was quite easy to drag smooth curves across the page, then create patterns in the paint afterwards. There were some ‘chain-link’ patterns that I managed to achieve, and some smaller, delicate pattern using the edges and ends of the wire.
Other material combinations: I’m not sure how well a paperclip would work with other materials – perhaps ink could be used, but anything too watery would not be ideal to apply with the wire. I also thought about stretching out a few paperclips and binding them together to create a very harsh paintbrush – it might be intriguing to see what patterns could be created by manipulating each wire in the brush.
Natural/man-made forms: Again, either, although I think I would lean towards man-made. The wire creates straight, clean lines and even the ends of the wire are perfect for rigid, uniform patterns, like windows in a skyscraper, or buttons on a control panel, or a chain-link fence.
Teabags
Quality of mark: I had a go at using four “flavours” of tea, to see how much difference this made to the colours. Some I used when loaded with water, others I only dipped in water or squeezed water out of before using on paper. I also tried dipping a paintbrush into the tea to see how well this worked. The marks created are subtle; when dragging the teabag, a cleaner line could be made, whereas dabbing the teabag gave a rustly, speckled texture. The colours were interesting; the black tea was the most vivid on the page, while the green was weakest. The other two looked very similar, but started very pink/red when applied wet to the paper, then dried a grey/purple colour.
Other material combinations: I tried applying the tea leaves to the paper, but they didn’t stay, so maybe some glue with the tea to get everything to stick to the page would be an interesting experiment. Then more tone could be created, using areas of tea leaves for the shadows/darker areas, and more watery tea for the lighter areas/highlights.
Natural/man-made forms: Natural. I had a go at drawing a tree using tea, which turned out very flat and subtle. Perhaps layering the image would help. I do think buildings could be captured using a paintbrush and tea, but the actual teabag is too unpredictable and odd in texture for man-made structures.
Drawing with a toothbrush
I was very pleased with the effects created here; the marks are bold, textured and a little over the top (especially the leaves); I think this adds vibrancy to the image. The bristles were perfect to achieve the soil textured in the basket, then I tried careful dabbing of the plastic end of the toothbrush to create the pattern of the wicker basket. The leaves were last, using bold swishes of the bristles. Sometimes the brush was loaded with paint, other times I used a dry brush to spread paint that was already there.
Jade's OCA Learning Log 