Fara Thomas Support Info
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FARA THOMAS PROCESS INSIGHTS
1. Substrate: Fara uses ‘Clay Boards’ as her primary substrate. Here is the description from her supplier, a company called Ampersand, "The ultimate mixed media panel. Archival and acid-free, Clayboard is created by applying Ampersand's patented, archival kaolin clay ground to a True Artist Hardboard substrate, then sanding it to a velvet-smooth, absorbent finish.
Clayboard is ideal for ink, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, casein, egg tempera, airbrush color, collage, pencil, and pen. Paint colors remain true and brilliant.
Made from sustainable forest products that ensure the protection of wildlife, plants, soil, and water, Clayboard is formaldehyde-free and contains no harmful volatile organic compounds.'"
2. Medium: Mixed. Acrylic paint, alcohol inks, metallics, solvents and resins.
3. Technique:
1. Substrate: Fara uses ‘Clay Boards’ as her primary substrate. Here is the description from her supplier, a company called Ampersand, "The ultimate mixed media panel. Archival and acid-free, Clayboard is created by applying Ampersand's patented, archival kaolin clay ground to a True Artist Hardboard substrate, then sanding it to a velvet-smooth, absorbent finish.
Clayboard is ideal for ink, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, casein, egg tempera, airbrush color, collage, pencil, and pen. Paint colors remain true and brilliant.
Made from sustainable forest products that ensure the protection of wildlife, plants, soil, and water, Clayboard is formaldehyde-free and contains no harmful volatile organic compounds.'"
2. Medium: Mixed. Acrylic paint, alcohol inks, metallics, solvents and resins.
3. Technique:
- Fara must have an extremely flat surface available for integral parts of her process. Since some of the pigments, especially the alcohol inks and the art resins are so free-flowing, the slightest difference in elevation will affect the outcome. So it is super important to use a high-quality and consistent substrate such as the clayboards. For other pigment and paint work, she purposely manipulates the positions, moving the board from easel to flat surface and angles in between.
- To get the desired consistency of the alcohol inks, Fara has a preferred blending solution she mixes with the ink and with isopropyl alcohol (91% alcohol). The mixing of these 3 components is crucial to the final outcome of color intensity and consistency of the alcohol inks. Fara has worked through a lot of trial and error to create the mix that works best for her vision and style.
- Fara will often pour the alcohol inks onto the board and then to create the final painting she uses paint brushes, hair dryers and directional gravity to coax everything into the final images and shapes she desires.
- Each painting has 20-30 layers of pigment which means 20-30 times of applying the pigment to different parts of the board and 20-30 times for drying each layer.
- Fara will have multiple paintings going at one time, anywhere from 2-8 depending on the size. Each panel requires drying time between each application of pigment so one can see it is a long, on-going process.
- Once the painting is artistically complete, Fara sprays a clear UV protectant on top of the entire surface. She then applies the specially formulated Art Resin which also is designed to keep the art true to its original state over time.
- Do note that Fara is a perfectionist when it comes to applying the art resin. It is super smooth and clean, completely flat on the surface like glass and straight-edged along the sides. If the slightest imperfection or bubble occurs in the drying process, Fara always does it over until it is flawless.