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Create Art with Dollar Store Makeup, Hand-Coloring Photo Prints
Creating art using eyeshadow on matte paper is easy enough for beginners and experienced artists alike. Start with a photo printed in black and white, or … brown and white (called sepia tone).
The eyeshadow need not be expensive. We used dollar store, expired, and mega-palette eyeshadows for this project. You can add combine it with pastels too … for instance, white pastel is stronger than white eyeshadow powder.
Our artwork was printed on archival canvas paper from Finerworks.com
However, this canvas paper was resistant to the eyeshadow. If you experience this with your paper, you can your applicators in linseed oil, then eyeshadow, to create vibrant color effects that are still semi-transparent.
Check the price of linseed oil
Linseed oil will bleed through paper, but dries thoroughly creating a durable color.
We used swabs to apply the colors.
We used all of the above swabs: A) cotton balls for removing dust; B) long-handled swabs (optional); C) regular round swabs; D) pointed swabs; E) mini swabs.
Check the availability of swabs here --
Dollar makeup can be purchased online at MissA.com
We also bought a 120-color set for about $15.
We began each of our six projects by taping the print to a hard work surface. Use small pieces of tape — we found that larger pieces can tear the image when removing.
Project 1
We created this vintage botanical collage for practicing hand-coloring with eyeshadow. We used the linseed oil to make the colors more intense.
We referred to the original graphics to help us place the colors. Making a large shadow in the background connected the elements and gave the final image the look of a vintage print.
Project 2
We downloaded a canal scene of Venice from Pixabay.com
If you over-color, you can remove a bit of the eyeshadow with swab dampened with water.
The micro swab turned out to be very useful for coloring details. Also, we found that black eyeshadow worked very well on paper. Here are the finished results.
Project 3
Portraits can be difficult, but we learned a few tricks with this copy of a family photo.
Use a light touch when coloring portraits. You need not color flesh, especially if your photo is sepia toned, but if you do, be sure to use more than one shade for a 3D effect.
We discovered that the wooden end of a swab helped remove some of the eyeshadow, by gently scraping.
Eyeshadow, plus linseed oil, gave this portrait the look of an oil painting. We found that we could add highlights by using an emory board to gently remove some of the eyeshadow.
Project 4
This portrait of two ladies has a pop-art feel with the addition of bright colors. We used the pointed swab to shape clouds in the sky.
We used the edge of an emory board to scrape the eyeshadow to create clapboard effects on the building.
Project 5
We downloaded a free drawing of Marilyn Monroe from Pixabay.com and gave it a pop art quality with three layers of eyeshadow colors.
The mini swabs were helpful in creating sharp edges to the colors. The first two layers were similar in shade and made a rich finish. For instance, we used light yellow for the hair, followed by a layer of golden yellow. We used blue for the background and eyelids, followed by a layer of teal blue.
Finally, we added some bright accent colors to enhance the pop art feel.
Project 6
We married together many images of waterfalls to create one tall image, by using a photo editing program called Affinity Photo which is similar to Photoshop.
Once again, we were able to remove eyeshadow and create highlights by gently scraping with an emory board.
You can also remove color with a swab dampened with alcohol. However, only use this on white areas as it can remove the image as well.
We created highlights on the water and waterfall streams by lightly erasing with the alcohol swab.
Water and sky effects can also be achieved by using the eyeshadow without linseed oil. A light film of eyeshadow creates a misty effect through which you can still see details.
Finish and seal your image before framing. We used Grumbacher Final Fixative in a matte finish, which we purchased at HobbyLobby or Michael's Crafts.
The WORKABLE fixative is available on Amazon, check the price here
We love the final results and how it resembles an antique oil painting.
Learn more about this craft in our video here —
Make Topiary from Dollar Store Trees
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