I love this. I have used the frayed ends of torn up paper towel, which I always have close to my art table because sometimes I want to soak up some ink when there's too big of a puddle. But I've also purposefully cut up the bristles on a Chinese bamboo brush to paint with, to attain that same lack of control that gives unexpected results.
I did it because I was working on large-scale memoir comics but I was getting too tight and precious with my drawings. I needed a way to force myself to have less control, and making myself a crappy brush did the trick!
I used the toilet roll as a brush/pencil. I scrunched it up and dipped it in watered down ink for big swooshes across normal sketchbook paper. And I twisted bits into fine points and used them with undiluted ink for details. It was a really exciting experiment!
The toilet roll art club was a good one wasn’t it! Your portraits are amazing, so full of life, I would never have guessed they were made with toilet roll!
That sounds really exciting, do you get a nice fuzzy bleed of the paint? I keep meaning to try using play foam after reading your post about monoprinting with it!
I love this. I have used the frayed ends of torn up paper towel, which I always have close to my art table because sometimes I want to soak up some ink when there's too big of a puddle. But I've also purposefully cut up the bristles on a Chinese bamboo brush to paint with, to attain that same lack of control that gives unexpected results.
Cutting up brush sounds really interesting! I'm adding that to my list!
I did it because I was working on large-scale memoir comics but I was getting too tight and precious with my drawings. I needed a way to force myself to have less control, and making myself a crappy brush did the trick!
Oh these drawings are great, I love them! I'd forgotten about that Art Club - will definitely try this again...
It was a really good Art Club session - nice and messy!
Immediately goes to find loo roll…
These are fab! Who knew?! I love discovering new ways of working, still and I’m over 10 years in! Thanks as always for sharing.
haha! 🧻 🧻 🧻
Discovering new ways of working is part of what it keeps it exciting isn't it?!!
100%! Loo roll though…what a turn up! 😆
are you painting ON toilet roll paper, or using it in another way?
I used the toilet roll as a brush/pencil. I scrunched it up and dipped it in watered down ink for big swooshes across normal sketchbook paper. And I twisted bits into fine points and used them with undiluted ink for details. It was a really exciting experiment!
The images and textures are amazing!!!! what an amazing way to use ink - going to try it!
I think you'll really like it Raj! It's such a great material for surprising results, I need to try it out with more colour next!
The toilet roll art club was a good one wasn’t it! Your portraits are amazing, so full of life, I would never have guessed they were made with toilet roll!
It was a really good session wasn't it!!? I love a Good Ship art club!
Beautiful!!
Thank you so much Amy! I've just popped over to your newsletter and I love your drawings so much!! 🤩
Thank you Nanette!
Forgot to add I like painting on good quality blotting paper.
That sounds really exciting, do you get a nice fuzzy bleed of the paint? I keep meaning to try using play foam after reading your post about monoprinting with it!
Gorgeous drawings!
Thank you so much Polly!
So stunning! They really do feel like old photographs
It was such a weird discovery that it looked like old photos! I wouldn't have guessed it in advance!
This is incredibly beautiful Nanette! Never tried this, must catch up with that art session from GSI :)
It's a great session, I think you'll really like it!
So much atmosphere. Must catch up with that art club!
It's a good one, I think you'll love it!
Love the atmospheric drawings you have created from toilet roll!! Gorge!
The atmosphere was such a surprise - it sort of arrived by itself! That's the excitement of experimenting with materials isn't it?!
What beautiful drawings!! I would never have guessed the material
Thank you Jane! It was such a surprising discovery!
At first I read it as drawing ON the toilet roll, and was rather confused that that was the result. :D