Hi thank you for making this available! I have five questions.
How do you store your shells so they don’t flake into each other? Little shelf? Plastic baggies?
Do you add any gum to that dot of shell gold? I have some just like it from ages ago and it put sparkles over my page when I tried to burnish it.
For tezhib is it also watercolors that you would use in this thick way or gouache?
How thickly is starch size to go onto paper on average?
When you use liquid or granular gum Arabic when making paint?
Thank you!
Think @Nadia Bouhdili is interested in daily routines too. It's just so fascinating.
Yes, they had a smaller physical world (or let's say slower, as they definitely did travel, but didn't have lightning internet)... I wonder if that meant that the vastness in their minds was more expansive... their idea of time and how to apportion or schedule time must also have been different. I'm really interested in people's daily routines - not just people in history, but also today!
I love your reply and this reminder as well that what looks so heavenly from our future looking back was also quite possibly done by artists trying to bring a bit of hope and levity to their strained times. maybe we can do a tad of that for the next generations.
It did make sense and actually I love midnight (or later!) ramblings/streams of consciousness, I get some of my best work done then, even if is thinking work! You're right to factor in other responsibilities. Artists are humans too and should have rich and full lives (otherwise honestly what are they going to paint? where are they going to get their inspiration from?) - unless they are monks (perfectly valid career move) (but not for me now). Another thing you touched upon which I'm really interested in too is the ethics - this art was made during times of great upheaval, war, petty palace intrigues and infighting, pandemics and plagues, deadlines, whole world shifting (does that sound a bit like today?) and they still managed to do it... we should be able to paint under great duress as well as in serenity, basically, as all those factors are out of our control. Agree also that every human has a vast light within them as you say!
You're welcome! What are your art goals? Always interesting... maybe I should do a thread on Art Goals...? Or someone can. So glad you're enjoying the class!
You're welcome Bridgette!
Firstly - your first question actually sparked off a longer answer in my mind, involving videoing my colours (a rabbit hole) and now I've had the idea to just focus on one colour at a time and describe it, so I'll also post those at some point! So please bear with me as it'll take a bit longer.
No, I don't add any gum to the dot of shell gold unless it needs it. It needs it if it is flaking off when you burnish. This hasn't happened to me yet as either I've made the gold myself or bought it and it's always been fine. Time is a factor - I've noticed that with gold and gilding materials there is a shelf life! Maybe try to reconstitute it fully, ie. mix up all the gold and wet it through before using, so that the gum is evenly redistributed. Also, I maybe know what you mean about the sparkles. sometimes that has happened to me through over burnishing.
For tazhib, both watercolours and gouache, either/or; gouache IS opaque watercolour, just make sure you buy artist's quality as it is full of fillers.
Starch size goes on very thinly in layers, I do 2-3 layers (we will cover this on the course, don't worry - in fact many of your other points will be covered during the course, but useful for people to know here)
Either! Eventually the granular gum Arabic (as it's sometimes sold thus) becomes a liquid that you have to strain, so up to you!
I hope that helps!