I love using “CitraSolv paper” as I call it, in my mixed media collages, but found I had about wiped out my stash! Time for a CitraSolv party! I gathered my supplies:

CitraSolv Concentrated Cleaner

spray bottle

National Geographic magazines (I like to use 2000 or newer)

newspaper

clothesline and clothespins

That’s it! Though this time I added alcohol inks in spray bottles to play around with some added colors.

After spraying several pages generously with the CitraSolv, I closed the National Geographic magazines and let them sit for awhile – maybe 5 minutes or so. On the pages I played with the ink, I alternated between spraying it on with the CitraSolv, or spraying it later onto the still wet pages. When I opened the pages, they were a wet, wrinkly mess of beautiful inky designs. WARNING: your hands will end up a MESS, so if you don’t want to have black fingernails the next few days you might want to add gloves to your supply list.

I carefully tear each page out of the magazine and promptly hang it on the clothesline I put up. I really like doing this outside, or on a screened porch both because of the mess, and because the ever present Kansas breeze helps dry the pages quickly, making room on the line for more!

Once completely dry, I pull them off the line and end up with a nice stack of pretty and unique papers. Before I work with them, I will spray with a workable fixative to keep them from getting smudgy.

Now I am ready for creating!

For more on CitraSolv as an art medium:

http://fromvictoryroad.com/2013/05/08/citra-solv-discovery/

Cathy Taylor’s instructional video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6GOGK_BmyY&list=UUQoysbJNEmZrtbP7aFTiBKg

CitraSolv Artist Site

http://www.citrasolv.com/art/index.html

To view my art on the CitraSolv Artist Site

http://www.citrasolv.com/art/Kayann.html

And, for my Somerset Studio magazine article on using CitraSolv

http://stampington.com/somerset-studio/Somerset-Studio-Sep-Oct-2012