Nothing New Under the Sun ~A series of tutorials~

THE TWINCHIE INCEDENT
(my first set of Twinchies)

This is the first in a series of tutorials that I have put together over the years of creating my art. More will follow. This is nothing that has not been done before, hence the series title. It’s about what happens when I let my Muse put visions and thoughts into my head and the results thereof. What is really enjoyable is the serendipitous effects from it all. I have these ideas and what I think the final results should look like, but alas, my Muse directs and says different. Do ya think it can get any better than this? Yeah it can.

So, I added my name to a group of 20 artists at MotherHenna’s blog in a collaborative effort to create heART Cards. A limited edition of fine art cards to be exchanged amongst 20 artists. It was something that I knew I wanted to create to bring me up out of my depression and grieving for awhile. My Muse knew I needed this too. Shae was so ready to have some fun with me.

Did I get the gist of what this project was all about? Yup. Did I read all the directions? Yup, did that too. Or so I thought. And off I went to create. Gawd it felt good to get on track again. But it wasn’t until after, when I went back for updates that I realized something was not quite right. “Each artist creates 20 cards of heART theme in any size from 2x2 inch to 5x7 inch” it said. Cards! It said cards! That word somehow disappeared in the instructions when I read them. It wasn't until they were all finished that the word suddenly appeared in my head. These weren’t cards! Waaa—what happened?

Apparently my Muse had something to do with this missing word and something else in mind...This is how it happened.

I started gathering supplies in excitement. Did I know where this was going? No, it was all about the amusement of my Muse and serendipity.

9x12 Water color paper-140lb
(I used Strathmore 400 series 'cuz it’s been hanging around in my art studio since 1983!)
Water color crayons and pencils
Gesso
Distress/shimmer misters
Brushes (they’re hiding)
Water (it’s in the kitchen)

I applied gesso to the paper and let it dry. Stared at the blank page for a bit. Hmm. Did some crazy moves with the crayons and pencils. Stood back, scratched my head. This doesn't look like anything special I thought. Lets add some wet brush strokes and see what happens. My Muse was not impressed yet either. Misted with some shimmers and stood back once again for a better view. Still not it.

“Awww come on, this looks like those fuzzy little seed thingies that you get when you blow them off their stems into the air” I hear. *arrow to the heart*

Hey, what do you expect for someone using some of this stuff for the first time? But it looked like that to me too. OK then, how about some direct to paper stamping then? Gawd, you’re hard to please, I say.

Archival Ink (black)
Rubber stamps
by Hero Arts and Embossing Arts Co.

Stamp, stamp, stamped to cover the whole page.

“Much better. This is coming along nicely”, I hear over my shoulder.

Now where is this going? Oh yeah, I could get 20 of something from all this, yeah? She is so laughing at me.

Although the water color paper is thick, by the time all the manipulation was done, it still curled around the edges. *light bulb*I know! I’ll back it with a stiffer board then it’ll stay flat! A recycled Express Mail carton instantly came to mind. Cut it slightly larger than 9x12. That was her idea ya know.

Grabbed some YES paste and spackled that bad boy all over with it (on the written side). That was my idea. Slapped the work on there, let it dry. It was stiff alright. Got out some matte fixative and sealed its fate.

Once it dried, I measured 2x2 squares on the back and cut them out. With an X-Acto knife and metal ruler, 'cuz that’s how I roll. Twinchies? Yeah, twinchies. So this is how you make them, I thought. I got 21 of ‘em outta that deal, ha! On a roll now. My Muse is rollin’ on the floor howling with laughter by now.

“Wait a sec Princess, this is so not done yet” she says between snorts. “You gotta add hearts, remember? And your squares look nekkid.”

*death glare* Back to the gathering of bits-n-bobs. I’ll fix her.


Gel Medium (regular, matte)
Booger Dots
(Glue dots OK?! They stick like ‘em)
Archival ink (black)...again
Distress Ink (Black Soot)...again
Rubber stamps-Angel wings
(Leavenworth Jackson)
Sharpie marker (black)
Gold Doilies (OCD episode coming on)
Handmade, textured paper (red)
Heat gun (yup, you’ll see why in a sec)
Foam hearts (these are sticky backed)
You don’t have to use this kind. Hey, they've been hangin’ around the studio for some years too ya know.
Tweezers or bamboo skewer (not shown)
You’re gonna need them. You try holdin’ a 1/2” foam heart between your fingers and puttin’ heat to it. See how far you get.

She set me up I tell ya! And I had no clue where she was takein’ me.

The foam hearts were plain and needed to have a different look. So I distressed those tiny little boogers with ink. But the ink wouldn't dry! Ink was all over my fingers and my fingerprints were showing up in places they shouldn't. She’s in tears with laughter now.

“Bring on the heat gun!” she says.

So I did. Discovered all too quickly that a little bit of heat off to the side is all that is needed. Use those tweezers or skewer! *melt, shrivel, glare*

“OK, new idea……how about adding chains? No, not what you think. Cut 2” pieces to add the mix.” Gawd, she’s so demanding!

Went about distressing each square with inks. While I was at it, I heat set the ink on the squares too. Cut out the doilies. Stamped the wings onto paper and cut them out (another OCD moment). She’s pretty quiet right now. I think, what’s up?

As you can see, I do like the assembly line method of doing things…cut, cut ,cut...And the ramblings went on in my head. She was putting other creative ideas in my noggin! That’s why she was so quiet. But I let them go on and went with it. I’m telling’ ya, it was a set up!

“OK now, this is whatcha do”, she says. Do the doilies first (gel medium as an adhesive). Next the chains (Glue dots)...that ought ta hold ya”, she says with a smirk. “Wings next, nice cutting job by the way. Hearts to finish. Use some gel medium on the wings and hearts even though the hearts are sticky backed.”

Really?

“Yeah really, just do it.”

And this is how they turned out. How cute is that?! Waaa!

“See, I knew they would turn out like this”, she says. “I’m impressed. I had a clue, but you needed to trust yourself and make it happen.”

What, you gettin’ all sappy on me now?

“No, you just never cease to amaze me. That’s why I hang out with you. Sometimes when you try to control your art, the creative process gets muddled. Loosen up girl! Let it happen. Let it flow through serendipity sometimes. You never know what you’ll get. Just sayin'.”

Well this was not what I was expected to hear or what I planned. It just happened that way, swear it did. Wanna know what happened to the collaborative artist project? Oh, I finished them on time and actually made 20 new 4”x4”cards! Ha! They have since reached their
destination. There should be a nice package of cards waiting for me at my PO Box right now.

To date I have about 13 of these twinchies left. Gave some away and will trade some. Some artists have recommended putting them on a bigger card, an ATC, hang tag, etc. I have another idea that I'm gonna try. Will post it when it is finished. Maybe as another tutorial. So……there ya have it, The Twinchie Incident. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial.