One of my favorite art techniques combines black gesso, white soap, and colored pencils. Leave a few "exposed words" and coat the rest of the two-page-spread with two coats of black gesso. Once dry, decorate the pages using the corner of a white bar of soap-like the mini bars you get at a hotel. Then completely cover the entire spread with colored pencils. I generally use several layers and colors.
You will see portions of the soap design when you are done with the colored pencils. Put a piece of wax paper topped with a sheet of paper toweling between the pages before and after the black gesso & soap pages. Then, quickly run the completed journal pages under running water to rinse off the soap. Blot gently with paper toweling. Check other pages for possible water damage-blow dry with hair dryer.
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| Quickly run the completed journal pages under running water to rinse off the soap. |
The completed (wet) piece (left and below) includes the strong black lines where the soap was with the vibrant colors of the pencils.
