My art teacher in college was an arrogant, self-absorbed bully.

What? Too dramatic?

Yes, you are probably right. After all, it was several decades ago, so I should have been able to work through all my collegiate issues by now. Right?

Still, I do hold him responsible for the fact that I never learned how to draw. Of course, I could have taken responsibility and found another teacher, as I believe there is probably someone out there who could have taught me how to render a rough estimation of certain three-dimensional forms onto paper. But apparently, I prefer to hold onto him as the monster of mousy, mystified mentee me rather taking on the task of learning to draw at this late stage..

In my defense, after experiencing his kind of art, I lost most of my interest in learning how to draw and all of my confidence as a budding artist.

I was a nervous freshman quite literally 1000 miles from home, and I did not find myself in a position to confront him about how he was not meeting my expectations as the scholarly, helpful, and kindly educator I expected him to be.

His attitude seemed to be that I should already know how to render likenesses with pencil, pen, and paint. He appeared to think his job was merely to critique and interpret what his students were saying in their capital “A.R.T.” He seemed to want to impress upon us how imperative it was that our efforts said something brooding, tormented, or at least interesting. He would comment provocatively about the openness of a student’s blouse in a self-portrait assignment and make other less-than-appropriate comments during our awkward class discussions.

In one particularly vivid memory, our estemed scholar approached my easel, paused and then threw a wadded-up paper towel at my drawing and declared, “that looks like a piece of bird sh*t,” and then he walked away. Leaving me dumbfounded and speechless, looking sheepishly into the eyes of a fellow student who seemed to be telepathically communicating gratitude and empathy simultaneously.

In truth, my drawing was a couple of uninteresting smudges on a piece of paper that in no way represented the subject matter, not even in the most abstract of ways. So, I suppose one could argue that our pernicious professor was actually being generous to suggest that my efforts looked like anything at all.

Thankfully, most of our class time was spent on independent drawing or, in my case, scratching out rudimentary cave drawings.

I also used the non-lecture time away from Professor Prickly Pants to prepare for the inevitable class discussion regarding what my self-portrait renderings said about my innermost, deepest fears and feelings. I would picture myself awkwardly in front of the class, describing my sketches.

“Well, these would all be better if they were scratched into clay instead of scribbled on paper.” I would declare. “But,” I would continue, “this one is saying, ME SLEEPY and, this one, ME HUNGRY and last ME START FIRE!”

Fortunately for me, our esteemed professor decided pretty early on that my pictures had absolutely nothing to say. So I was rarely called upon to explain the deeper meaning behind my ART.

And that, my friends, is why I paint like this.

I promise anyone can do it. I assume I have already clarified that no fine arts degree is required.

Step 1 – Supplies

You need some paint, a few paper towels, and something to paint for this simple technique.

Step 2 – Select Paint Colors

There are no actual rules, but I use these guidelines. I start with a base color. My favorite base colors are these metallic spray paints. But any color or type of paint will work. Brush or spray your piece with the base color and allow it to dry.

Next, select a few acrylic paint colors and use a small piece of paper towel to blot on each color. Again there are no rules, but I usually start with the lightest shade and then add the darker colors.

You can add a little paint or a lot of colors. Blot, smudge, and smear it. Have fun, and don’t overthink the process.

Step 3 – Seal

This step is optional, but I like to add a shiny finish, so I put a top coat of DecoArt DuraClear gloss varnish on my projects.

I made these squares just to play around with the colors.

But there are lots of ways to use this technique in projects here are a few things I have made using this painting technique.

I hope you can appreciate all the deep meaning and expression in my work.

Happy Upcycling,

Cindy

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