(Using Tea Bags–originally from Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop by Serena Barton–was featured in Adventures in Mixed Media Art edited by Amy Jones, published by North Light Book, copyright 2014. It is republished here courtesy of North Light Books and CreateMixedMedia.com.)
Old, dried tea bags can add magic to your artwork. It’s no joke. Each tea bag has a different pattern of staining. Some tea stains are subtle, while others are more obvious. Tea bags containing berry teas are particular favorites of mine due to their rich crimson stains. I use tea bags to create an aged look, to mute a too-bright color and to add texture. I like to tear off the telltale edges of the tea bags before I use them. Once they’re on a piece, they won’t look like tea bags at all, but rather like a mysterious vintage surface. In this project you’ll get to play with this inventive technique.
Materials List
- acrylic paint—Buff, Green Turquoise, Nickel Azo Gold, transparent Red Iron Oxide, red, sky blue
- glaze medium
- paintbrushes
- paper towel
- pre-gessoed wood panel, canvas
- or canvas boards
- scissors
- used tea bags, dried
- vintage book pages and newspaper
- watercolor crayon
1. Using a pre-gessoed panel, canvas or canvas board, paint a layer of Green Turquoise acrylic paint over the top of the piece.
2. Paint a layer of Buff acrylic paint over the bottom of the piece.
3. Collage a variety of text: pieces from vintage books, newspapers and dictionary pages. Use pages that have small illustrations on them.
4. Paint a layer of Nickel Azo Gold paint and glaze medium over the entire piece and blot it. When the gold layer is dry, add a layer of transparent Red Iron Oxide paint and glaze medium. Wipe the area lightly with a paper towel.
5. Mix some Red Iron Oxide with gel medium and paint an uneven horizontal line above the text area.
6. Take a dry used tea bag and cut off the top under the staple. If you have a lot of patience you can remove the staple with needle-nosed pliers instead. Open up the tea bag at the seam and empty the tea into a container. Repeat with other tea bags as needed. Collage the tea bags and torn pieces over the top area of the piece. Look for interesting tea stains to include.
7. With a small brush, dash down a small area of bright red acrylic paint on the line across the piece.
8. Brush on a short line of sky blue paint below the red area.
9. Handwrite text in the upper gold area with a watercolor crayon. Rub gently to partially obscure the text.
(Using Tea Bags–originally from Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop by Serena Barton–was featured in Adventures in Mixed Media Art edited by Amy Jones, published by North Light Book, copyright 2014. It is republished here courtesy of North Light Books and CreateMixedMedia.com.)
To find out more about Wabi-Sabi Art Workshop by Serena Barton, click here.