Author: lauramchugh

I’ve been struggling for three months because I can’t get the chine colle to work. I bought some stuff at the art store called Pure Wheat Starch, for $17. I prepped the paper and tissue by wetting it, then sprinkled on the powder as directed by putting it in a glass jar with a cheesecloth top. I even moved the powder to a nylon sock with allows for a nice distribution of the powder and is a holder all in one. Still, no sticking. 🙁

Pure Wheat Starch is NOT the same as Wheat Paste (did you know I can be kinda stubborn?!):

Even Deb helping me in my printmaking class couldn’t make this stuff work so yesterday I remembered that I should buy some garden variety wheat paste – the kind used for wallpapering. I got the last $3 box of it at the hardware store.

I put it in the sock and put it on some new paper I bought yesterday at the art store for chine colle and voila! (I’m taking French now), it worked. Like a charm. The tissue paper was so adhered to the base paper that I could barely see it, white on cream. But it worked. Yay.

Now that I have more free time on my hands I’m volunteering with two groups: Art in Action* and Girls for a Change**. Art in Action got some nice press in the SF Examiner this week about its programs which help school children learn about art by viewing the work of masters and then creating art themselves.

I’m very excited to be piloting a Community Coordinator position for them that will hopefully help them leverage their programs to schools outside the SF Bay Area.

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* Many thanks to my good friend Cipactly for telling me Art in Action needed volunteers.
** Many thanks to my good friend Tia for asking me to be her coaching partner for this program.

Many thanks to indoor girl Lillie for taking photos and videos of the big event on Sat nite.

Here are some pix: click on this link.

And here are two videos.

Video 1 – Don’t Embarrass Me

Video 2 – Singing Happy Birthday

We’re at weekend 4 out of 5 in the Master Printing Class and I can’t believe it is almost over. I’ve been working hard and learning a lot. Our last class is the same weekend as the ‘Punkin Fest so unfortunately I will miss those festivities.

Yesterday and today I was attempting to gain more control of chine colle. I feel like I’ve got the xerox transfer pretty much down. I’m really pleased with the results most of the time. I know I have to start with a good crisp image and be patient when apply the ink.

The chine colle process still gives me fits. I may not have the right powdered glue – today I worked with methyl cellulose and it was fine after I got the wetting and patting dry pieces worked out on both the tissue paper and the receiving paper.

I got 4-6 good backgrounds with tissue as a chine colle layer, and in the last hour or so of today’s class got several good prints done, including this tugboat. The print measures 5×7 in. Blue tissue paper was used under the print in the water area.