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SPONGE PAINTING A BACKGROUND

1 . Put three values of acrylic paint on a paper plate : light , medium and dark of one color .

2 . Dip sponge into paint and tap on newspaper to get rid of excess paint . You want to see the sponge texture .

3 . On a piece of hard illustration board , canvas , or other stiff surface , tap the dark color at top , then tap the medium color with the sponge and then the light color on bottom .

4 . Do not clean the sponge – dab the second MEDIUM color next to the dark color and then rotate the sponge and tap in the light color . Dab off the excess paint then dab on the board . Robert went from dark to light but you can do light to dark .

5 . Do not wet the sponge as this will cause the paint to run . You want to keep it dry so you can see the sponge holes . Too much paint on the sponge will not work .

Now you have a beautiful surface on which to glue your favorite cut out drawing or use as a background for a silhouette painting , a photo , a little jewel , or a glued on toy . Use your imagination to create wonderful art that is truly your own !

CONTACT ROBERT SHIELDS CREATIONS : P . O . Box 3161 , Cottonwood , AZ 86326 . ( 928 ) 646-5439 shields @ esedona . net . www . robertshields . com

SPONGE PAINTING BACKGROUND - # 1 ( ABOVE ): Dip sponge in paint and dab on board . See the cutout horse on the table , which will be glued onto the background later . # 2 ( TOP RIGHT ): Robert holds up finished background with colors moving from dark to light . # 3 ( MIDDLE RIGHT ): Robert glued a sponge-painted horse to a sponge painted background . Congratulations on your finished work ! BOTTOM RIGHT : Robert Shields is a world-renown , Emmy-winning artist and performer , inventor the " Robot ," and a prolific sculpter , jeweler , and painter . Learn more at : robertshields . com

70 WINTER 2023 gmhTODAY Magazine gmhtoday . com