Reported by Jo-Anne te Raa
I admit to having an entire cupboard full of paints, most of which I never use! All the Ranger dabbers – in duplicate, and so many shades of blue it’s unreal.
So when I saw Claudine’s new range of paints at Summer 2008 CHA, I knew somehow they would end up in my hands!
Claudine Hellmuth is a renowned artist, specializing in the whimsical. Her books are jammed with techniques and boundary stretching ideas. She has appeared on the Martha Stewart show, and I am lucky enough to work with her on SISTV!!
The first of these products are the semi-gloss paints:
Available in 15 of Claudine’s favorite shades, these paints are highly pigmented and give amazing coverage. They can also be mixed, without going muddy, to produce a total of 51 colors. Claudine also has a handy color mix PDF to print out, on her blog.
The second product is Gesso, in a handy 4oz jar.
This is a base coat with a slight texture and ideal for priming canvas, wood, metal, plastic and chipboard.
The final product is multi-medium, in glossy or matte:
This is a high quality gel medium suitable for gluing, sealing and creating glazes. It appears milky in the jar but dries clear.
There is also a set of high quality brushes, both flat and round:
Finally, the cherry on the big fat chocolate cupcake, sticky back canvas…..yes sticky back canvas!
This comes in two sizes; 8.5×11 and 12×12″. It’s a self-adhesive canvas that you can draw on, paint, cut, and adhere to your scrapbook pages, cards and decorative projects. It can be run through the printer and through a die cutting machine.
Okay, so I ripped open the package and just stood in awe of the colors! They were so Claudine, they matched all the funky projects in her books, and the blue was the color I had searched for so long!
The paints literally go onto the canvas like butter. Coverage, even on raw wood is perfect, and I had no need to give a second coat. I decided to watch Claudine’s video (on her blog) about the mixing technique. Easy to follow and fun to play with. You really can’t make a “muddy” mess. You always achieve clear shades and the paints are so easy to blend.
I have to say, gesso is gesso, but this is good quality gesso with great coverage. My favorite feature was the size of the tub, a great size to just stick in your scrap bag. The same goes for the gel medium; I also liked that this was in a tub. Until now, I have only ever had medium in a tube, so I found this very handy!
The canvas…….the canvas….truly the discovery of the last 5 years. I mean, you can print on this, sew on it, paint and embellish. All without the limitations of the “frame”.
Just seeing this prompted so many funky ideas. Covered notebooks, 3-d flowers, wall art and the chance to maybe unpack the Slice! Claudine also has some cool batik effects (shown on her blog) using the gel medium to stamp onto the canvas. The Ranger site also has a tutorial to make a brooch using the canvas.
I can’t praise this range enough for its versatility. Just a package of the canvas and 3 or 4 of the 15 paint colors would make a great gift for any creative pair of hands. The collection really allows an eager Hellmuth fan to tackle some of the projects in her 2 (soon to be 3) books.
Pros:
- “Claudine-esque” colors which are usually hard to come by
- High quality and easy to use products
- Competitively priced; $5.50 per paint color and $2.50 for a 12×12 canvas pack (approx)
- Handy size pots
- Innovative canvas product holds a world of possibilities
Cons:
I have to say I can’t find any…..only that I wish a mini Claudine came with the paints to sit on my desk and inspire me!!
If you don’t already have them, put them on your Santa wish list, have a play and let me know what you come up with! I can’t wait to see what you all think!!!!
Click on the link at the top of the page to visit Craft Critique for comments, giveaways and more!
Oh, I totally agree. I got to play with these (and with Claudine) at Ranger U… the paints are soooooo yummy! And the canvas… ROCK ON! Thanks for a great write up of a wonderful product!
OMGosh! I’m so glad you brought these new products to our attention. I can’t wait to play with that canvas!!! Thank you!