Yesterday, I made an acrylic gel skin with a palette knife and left it to dry. Early this morning, I made another one, using my finger to mix the colors. I liked the circular effect on this one, and the darker blue/gray colors. Cutting shapes out of a paint skin can be a bit tricky. The scissors must be small and sharp if you are cutting small pieces, as I did. The metal sticks slightly to the plastic and it’s easy to get jagged edges or pulled pieces. Work slowly and steadily for the best results.
Tonight I had two skins to play with, the original red one made with a palette knife:
And the blue/gray/brown one, swirled with my finger:
When I saw the colors of the second one, I thought of the beautiful blue agave I recently lost to sun scorch. The neighbors cut down their 30-foot eucalyptus, and the agave, not accustomed to full sun for 12 hours, burned away. I imagined that there was such a thing as a fire agave that burned on its own.
Cutting out spears from both pieces, I arranged them to create Fire Agave Burning Under the Full Moon.
–Quinn McDonald is an art journaler and the author of Raw Art Journaling, Making Meaning, Making Art, published by North Light books.
QuinnCreative 
