i started painting on used tea bags this week.  i have

saved stacks of bags because i thought they would

be perfect  a possible project.... but i did not have

a project until i saw jeanne-marie's tea bag girls.

she painted 365 last year and said it changed her life.

even though i am only on tea bag girl # 7,

i have had a lot of questions on how these are 

done.   i told my friends that there are good tutorials online

but they encouraged me to do my own.  so here we go.

i  started simple with these

basic supplies 

used tea bags, dried and the tea emptied by cutting a tiny

slit in the back.  i am experimenting with various brands and  sizes

gesso ~ white, black,  clear.  

i started with white using a wet brush, applying it to the

emptied, dried tea bag, letting it dry on wax paper to prevent

sticking to the surface.  if the brush is too wet, which mine were,

you will need two coats.  i read that clear gesso helps prevent

wrinkles.  i also find that after applying the gesso, whatever color,

smoothing the bag with the brush helps.  also check out the bags 

during the drying process and resmooth if necessary.  

various size brushes

water container

watercolor, acrylics, water soluble pencils

i started with watercolors then  to 4 colors 

of  derwent intense blocks.  the watercolors needed 

several coats after it dried.  because of the texture

you could not tell what color it would turn out until it dried.  

it resulted in  a soft dreamy feeling.

the intense blocks gave more intense, immediate colors.

today i tried acrylics.  i use acrylics so much that

it was a familiar medium, without many surprises

diluted white gesso, watercolor

diluted white gesso, watercolor and intense blocks

black gesso, white acrylic and pencil

white gesso, clear gesso, charcoal, acrylic

i am always available if you have questions and

would love to see what you do with these mini tea bag canvases.

also if there is anything that is unclear, let me know and i will

try to clarify.


thank you so much for visiting today!


posting with paint party friday