i made a second watercolor palette from eyeshadow
about a year and a half ago i turned an eyeshadow palette into watercolors and it really was one of the most fun watercolor projects i've done. a couple of weeks ago, i finally cleared a space and weekend to make another palette.
along with the space to do it, to make watercolors you need binder, a slab and muller, pigment, and somewhere for the paint to go (a palette).
watercolor binder, $24
i had a supplier on etsy that i always bought binder from, but this time she never sent the order or responded to my messages so etsy eventually just refunded me. it's actually super fortunate that this happened, though, because i then ended up getting a 4 oz bottle of this binder. i love this binder and you will too if you like the scent of clove oil, i assume a preservative - binders really only have a shelf life of a couple of weeks in my experience. also, please don't ask me why i don't just make my own binder, i don't do a lot of things.
glass slab & muller, $70*
i paid $70 for a small glass slab and muller from an etsy shop that shut down. every time i see an etsy shop shut down i imagine it ended in a virtual FBI raid and everyone are Club Penguin characters on the screen. i really want a larger slab and as i am typing this i am realizing that we just happen to have a large slab of glass? jenn. why. it's a long story but i think it might work, stay tuned for a Future Blog.
a year ago i upgraded the muller to 3" heavy glass muller from kremer for $65. i wanted a muller that was more like me: ergonomic and locally blown.
as i'm mulling and changing pigments, i'll paint with the muller on a piece of paper. it gives me a sneak peek of how the paint will look and perform. when you're stoned, you'll think you are THE next fucking claude monet doing this but please don't quit your day job until after this fake recession cycle orchestrated by wall st and tech company boards (redundant) in order to lower wages comes to its inevitable conclusion.
bh cosmetics glam reflection eyeshadow palette, $15?
i got this palette in a mall in berlin in 2019. i was on the hunt for a hot pink eyeshadow to match the staging of the conference i was there to speak at and picked up a few other items, including this palette of neutrals. i have no idea how much i paid but bh is an affordable brand. this palette got the job done, i just didn't need it any more and its metal packaging makes it a great watercolor palette.
making the paint is easy - you add binder to the pigment and mull it and pour it where you want it to dry. the drying process takes a couple of days. don't ask me for actual measurements because i'm an italian american not otherwise categorized. what i can tell you is that you shouldn't let the palette close before the paints dry.
watercolor cards, ~$10
i use watercolor cards for pouring the extra paint that doesn't fit in the palette because of the binder being added. i got mine at blick but i can't find the listing anymore, mr. dicky blicky please advise? i did find these "slim" ones which i honestly wish i had instead and will get when i run out of my current stash.
for this batch i made 3 cards and gave away two - one to a coworker i knew would appreciate it and another i mailed to my dear friend jim. the third i consume like food in a spiritual artist ritual. that's not true, i always keep one for photos and potentially to give as a gift in the moment. even though eyeshadows and binder are typically non-toxic, you really don't need to eat them so don't.
that's my "tutorial" on how to make your own watercolors out of eyeshadows. i've made a couple of paintings with the palette and they perform very well and i love the subtle scent of clove oil from the binder. ok bye!
xoxo jenn
