27.3.07

Things I’ve learned (Clorox 2)

(This post by Neda)
Having had a quite successful first experiment with the Clorox Bleach pen, I got hooked on the process. OCD aside, I could not resist experimenting more. Well, the results were less than satisfactory.
Before I talk about the experiments, let me remind you of the following safety guidelines (I know it is a bore but you really have to stick to these recommendations)

1. Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area even if using you are using just a drop of bleach.

2. Do not wear anything you care about, a drop of bleach could ruin your favorite Gap tee-shirt (unless this is the look you are aiming for).

3. Do not, I repeat, do not smoke/eat/drink/multitask when you are working with bleach.

4.If you get any bleach on your skin or into your eyes, follow the manufacturer’s recommended guidelines immediately!

Okay, now for the humbling stuff:
1. Bleach can ruin a perfectly nice drawing if you overdo it (see exhibit A - above). Be careful where you “draw” with your bleach pen.
2. Bleach does not work very well on pastels, at least on the Neocolor II I used (see exhibit B - left)
3. Bleach once, okay. Bleach twice, not okay (see exhibit C - below)
4. If you want to experiment, dip an old inexpensive brush in the bleach and “paint.” However, as soon as you are done, kiss the brush goodbye …uh..no, no, do not kiss it, just throw it out.
5. TIMING is of the essence. Within second, you will notice the effects of the bleach on your drawing. Rinse it under running water immediately and blot it between 2 pieces of paper towels. Let it dry BEFORE you attempt any additional work.

6. I have not tried spraying my bleached experiment with any kind of varnish yet. I am afraid a) to engage in some chemical experimentation which I might regret, and 2) I am at loss as how to preserve the bleached drawing without ruining it. Any suggestions???

Keeping all this in mind, have fun experimenting and please share your ideas with us!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

cool style!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Alina. I love your work too, especially the museum sketches and the origami.