This 'stay-wet' palette can keep your acrylic paints wet for days.
Here's how to make your own:
Materials
Kitchen towel
Greaseproof paper or baking parchment (white is best for mixing colors)
A small shallow tray/plate OR container
A little water/spray bottle
Step 1: Fold up a couple of pieces of kitchen towel so it sits comfortably in the bottom of the tray or on the plate.
Step 2: Add some water so the kitchen towel soaks it up. You dont need it flooded but make sure to replenish it as your painting if the towel starts to dry out
Step 3: Cut or tear a piece of greaseproof paper to the approximate size. It's not vial if its a bit bigger than the tray of plate.
Step 4 : Place the greaseproof paper on top of the damp paper dowel and put your paints around the edge, leaving the center area for mixing. Depending on the thickness of the greaseproof paper you use, it will cockle slightly on top of the wet towel but this is quite normal and will stay intact.
When you've finished painting, carefully wrap up the greaseproof paper with the reside of the used paint inside and dispose of it.
You can continue with a fresh sheet if you need to OR if you want to carry on painting the next day using the colors you've already mixed, strech a piece of cling film over the whole tray to keep everything moist and store in cool place. Else if you are using a container simply close the lid.
Sunday, 28 January 2018
Monday, 11 July 2016
(PROJECT) Cake : Anatomical Heart
Red velvet Anatomical heart cake
This cake was created for a 21st birthday party, the request for a heart cake. She didnt expect this, lesson learned be careful what you ask an artist to make for you.
ABOVE: what my daughter saw when she opened the fridge
Below : reference images
The following is the general process that I followed from http://howtocakeit.com/blogs/cakes/112034823-deep-red-velvet-human-heart-cake-with-chocolate-ganache-for-valentines-day
Yes. I know Valentine’s Day is all about love, but what about all the heartbroken people out there? Do they get a day in honor of that? I’ve decided to make a human heart cake for anyone that’s ever had their heart ripped out. I’m using my Deep Red Velvet cake recipe once again, and filling it with a burgundy chocolate ganache. Red and blue fondant veins, pink flesh coloured fondant to cover the whole heart and red food colouring mixed with raspberry jam to make a lot of blood.
To anyone that’s ever broken my heart - eat your heart out!
For the Human Heart Cake!
Ingredients & Tools You will need:
1 x recipe Deep Red Velvet Cake - find my recipe here
2 x 8” Diameter Stainless Steel Bowls, greased and lined with parchment paper
Once your Deep Red Velvet batter is complete, divide it evenly between the two prepared stainless steel bowls. Bake at 350ยบ for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Always test your cakes with the toothpick method.
Cool your cakes completely in their bowls and chill them for a few hours before carving.
Sculpting your Heart Cake!
Ingredients & Tools You Will Need:
Italian Meringue Buttercream - find my recipe here
Simple Syrup - find my recipe here
Small Offset Spatula
Rubber Spatula
Ruler
Serrated Knife
Small Serrated Knife
Begin by removing your chilled cakes from their bowls. Placing the flat top down, level each bowl cake by cutting off about ¾” all the way around. The leveled flat tops of the two bowl cakes will be filled and sandwiched together with ganache once we begin to shape a heart.
Stack the two cakes on top of each other, with the flat tops meeting in the middle. It will look like a not so perfect ball. Begin to carve the shape of a human heart. I had a heart model in front of me, but I also found some detailed pictures online.
First, I carved the base shape of the heart (which actually resembles a Valentine's Day heart) by trimming the sides. Then I carved out the indentations until I was happy with the shape. This can be tricky because we will be adding the valves later on, which will add more dimension. Keep that in mind and focus on the core shape of the heart.
Once you are satisfied with the shape of your heart cake, it’s time to fill it with burgundy chocolate ganache. You can make this ganache a day in advance and let it set at room temperature.
Burgundy Chocolate Ganache!
Ingredients & Tools You Will Need:
3 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate
2 oz whipping cream
1 Teaspoon Wilton Burgundy Icing Colors
Wooden Spoon
Chop the chocolate as finely as you can and place in a heatproof bowl. Heat the whipping cream in the microwave for about 45 seconds or until it is slightly bubbling on top. Pour the whipping cream over the chocolate, cover the bowl, and let sit for 5 minutes.
Add your food colouring and stir the ganache gently until it comes together. Let the ganache set at room temperature overnight or at least for 6 hours so that it is thick enough to spread and hold the cake together.
Shower both halves of your heart cake with simple syrup. Fill the inside of your cake with the burgundy chocolate ganache.
Crumb coat the entire cake with Italian meringue buttercream and place it in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.
Now ice your heart cake once more, and chill it again for 20 minutes. If you have any ridges in your buttercream after chilling, wet your fingertips and smooth them out.
Decorating your Heart Cake!
Ingredients & Tools You Will Need:
2 oz Red Fondant
2 oz Blue Fondant
Vegetable Shortening
1½ lbs White Fondant
Wilton Ivory Icing Colors
Wilton Burgundy Icing Colors
Paring Knife
Clay Extruder
Icing Sugar
Rolling Pin
Paint Brush
Sculpting Tool
This heart needs veins running through it. The human heart has a very important job to do. To make the veins I kneaded vegetable shortening into my red and bluefondant to make it very soft. This really helps when pushing fondant through a clay extruder.
Roll your now softened red fondant into a tube that is thin enough to fit into the barrel of your clay extruder. Push the fondant into the barrel, pressing down with your finger to avoid air pockets.
I used the ¼” round faceplate on my clay extruder, and begin by making long tubes of red fondant. The clay extruder basically forces the fondant through the faceplate to create long strands in the shape of the plate you attach to the front end. It is a very useful tool to have when working with fondant.
Alternatively, you can roll tubes of red and blue fondant by hand to make your veins. Perhaps you should sit down and have a coffee if you are doing it this way. ;)
Cut pieces of the long red fondant tube and add your veins to the top of your heart cake. I had my heart model and iPhone close by to get the pattern just right. Press the veins down slightly to help them stick to your buttercream.
Repeat this process to create the blue veins that overlap the red ones.
Time to cover the entire heart cake, veins and all, with our pink flesh fondant. I created this colour by kneading Wilton ivory and burgundy into white fondant. You want to end up with a colour that is, well, a soft flesh like pink. This will be the perfect base for all the blood, I mean food colouring, that we will add later.
Roll out 1 lb of flesh fondant as thinly as possible. Drape it over your heart cake and smooth it onto the cake with your palms and fingertips. Pull and tuck the excess fondant underneath the cake. If you do have some creases remaining at the base of your cake, don’t worry. They will be hidden in a pool of blood anyway.
Time to form the right and left atrium and auricle out of fondant and add them to the heart. I found those handy names on the diagram that came with my heart model, thank you very much. Once those pieces are secured in place with a little bit of water, begin to roll and form the valves.
Sculpt the opening of the valves by pinching all around the top of your tubes of fondant with your fingertip. Add all of the valves to your heart.
To make the extra parts and valves appear as if they are seamlessly stemming from the heart, use a wet brush to blend the fondant together. Stroke the fondant in one direction at the base of the addition onto the heart cake. The water on your brush will begin to dissolve the fondant and work out the seams.
We are going to add a few more veins to this heart. Soften a bit of the pink flesh fondant and fill your clay extruder. Place the 1/8” circle faceplate onto the extruder and push out long thin tubes of fondant.
Add the veins, using a little water as your glue. Use your wet brush to soften the lines.
Making your Edible Blood. Yes. Edible Blood.
Ingredients & Tools You Will Need:
2 x Wilton Red No Taste
¼ cup Seedless Raspberry Jam
Paint Brush
Spoon
Mix the two containers of red food colouring together with the raspberry jam. I added a few tablespoons of water because I felt the mixture was a little too thick. We want this heart to appear as if it was just ripped out! The blood needs to be fresh. Too much?
Paint the blood onto the heart and make sure to get into all the crevasses and openings. Spoon some of blood right on top of the heart and let it drip down.
Remember your burgundy ganache? You should have a little leftover. Melt it in the microwave and spoon it into the opening of the valves. Yuck. I mean that in the best way possible.
I wonder if anyone out there has the guts to make this for the very person who has broken their heart. If you do, I salute you. Tell them to eat their heart out!
(PROJECT) Book cover: Of fire and solace by Nathan Denis
This cover was produced for the debut of emerging author Nathan Dennis. You can find and/or purchase the kindle version here https://www.amazon.com.au/Fire-Solace-Nathan-J-Dennis-ebook/dp/B01CHBWCPU
Of Fire and Solace
"This is an intriguing story about a man set on revenge after his wife has come under the influence of a man of fire and attempts suicide. The book follows the journey of this man, from experiencing extreme happiness to crushing loss and pain and his subsequent search for revenge. The author leads the reader along the same path and I became drawn into the story. The main character is slowly revealed and his struggle with his deep emotions and longings are laid bare. I particularly liked the descriptions of the landscape through which he travels as it reflects his emotional state at each part of his journey. There are several twists and turns throughout the book and help comes from a very unexpected corner. The end of the book promises new adventures and I look forward to reading the sequel."
Top Customer Reviews
By luna-rose on March 17, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition
A wonderful debut, this short story is filled with magic and adventure, loss and love. It's a quick read and perfect for getting yourself in the mood for more fantasy. My only complaint is how short the story was - I would've loved it even more if it was a novel.
Thursday, 9 June 2016
ARTWORK (drawing) self portrait series
Tristan Griffin self portrait pastel on paper
ABOVE: self portait series chalk pastel on paper
Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century that artists can be frequently identified depicting themselves as either the main subject, or as important characters in their work.In the 17th century, Flemish and Dutch artists painted themselves far more often.
Rembrandt was the most frequent self-portraitist, at least until the self-obsessed modern period, also often painting his wife, son and mistress. At one time about ninety paintings were counted as Rembrandt self-portraits, but it is now known that he had his students copy his own self-portraits as part of their training. Modern scholarship has reduced the autograph count to something over forty paintings, as well as a few drawings and thirty-one etchings, which include many of the most remarkable images of the group. Many show him posing in quasi-historical fancy dress, or pulling faces at himself. His oil paintings trace the progress from an uncertain young man to the dapper and very successful portrait-painter of the 1630s to the troubled but massively powerful portraits of his old age.
ARTWORK (painting) Absinthe
Tristan Griffin Absinthe Oil on board
The legacy of absinthe as a mysterious, addictive, and mind-altering drink continues to this day. Though its psychoactive effects and chemical makeup are contested, its cultural impact is not. Absinthe has played a notable role in the fine art movements of Impressionism, Post-impressionism, Surrealism, Modernism, Cubism and in the corresponding literary movements.
The content of this painting was not the primary focus, but instead is an exploration into hyperrealism. Hyperrealism is a genre of painting and sculpture resembling a high-resolution photograph. Hyperrealism is considered an advancement of Photorealism by the methods used to create the resulting paintings or sculptures. The Hyperrealist style focuses much more of its emphasis on details and the subjects. Hyperreal paintings and sculptures are not strict interpretations of photographs, nor are they literal illustrations of a particular scene or subject. Instead, they utilize additional, often subtle, pictorial elements to create the illusion of a reality which in fact either does not exist or cannot be seen by the human eye. Furthermore, they may incorporate emotional, social, cultural and political thematic elements as an extension of the painted visual illusion. Hyperrealism incorporates and often capitalizes upon photographic limitations such as depth of field, perspective and range of focus. Anomalies found in digital images, such as fractalization, are also exploited to emphasize their digital origins by some Hyperrealist painters.
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