Pouring Topcoat. . .

Since I first started trying pouring acrylics last year I have been thinking the about the "finish" (sealants) the whole time.  There are so many options and each has their pros and cons, some of them are complicated, some of them are really pricey.  😏  I have decided to try them all, ok maybe not "all" but most, including this jug of stuff that I had never heard of before finding it in the store. While this is not as complicated as the ArtResin two-part mixable stuff I will point out that it was pricey at nearly $40 and I got it on sale. 😐

I selected a couple of paintings to test it on, the pink/yellow one is just not my favorite color scheme and the other has a wrinkle-y textural finish that I wasn't happy with already.  I didn't want to test on one of paintings I actually liked just in case it didn't go well.  😉

Turns out I'm really glad I did this test on lesser pieces as it did not go exactly right.  The directions say to pour it on and tilt the canvas to spread it around and let it run over the edges and then stand it at a 45* angle to dry and let the excess run off. . . Well that sounds simple enough but in reality this stuff is pretty thick doesn't like to run or spread as easily as the paint did and that whole standing at an angle to dry left a helluva drip edge. 😕

The trouble is it didn't all run off the edge like it was supposed to, for the most part it's ok, it's a shiny smooth finish except for that booger line across what was the bottom where it sat. 

Being somewhat disappointed in the result I started thinking about what I was going to do to "fix" this. The directions say you can do a second coat and orient the dry position in a different direction but looking at the thickness of the line I didn't really want to create a second line on another side. I considered sanding it down but after many days it still felt tacky/squishy not really "cured" so after a week I decided to shave it down with a razor blade. Maybe not the best idea but it did get rid of the humpty-hump, at least on this canvas.  

The second test canvas was always going to be challenging due to the textured finish but this stuff claims to be "self-leveling". 

Yeah . . .well that didn't exactly work out either, yes it went into all the creases but it did not level them out. 😔 Plus it left thick spots too, so not a really smooth finish.

And since it's blobby thick spots are not on the edge they were even harder to try to trim and deal with. I admit I have not been very successful with the second canvas yet. I tried a second coat on the pink canvas thinking if I spread the topcoat and kept it level that it would dry level and even out the previous hump.

That was not ideal as the trowel caused some tiny bubbles and even though I checked level on my table I didn't check the level on the canvas itself. . .so the tacks(feet) weren't even and I noticed it having an edge again. 😒

So I scrapped most of it off and waited a few days to try yet again.

Third times a charm. . .This time I checked the level on both canvas and table. I did the tilt and spread and let the excess run off on to the second canvas. I also had my blow torch ready to pop any bubbles. 😉 Then I left it to dry level and worked on the second canvas.

Good news, that seems to have worked it leveled out and it's very shiny and mostly smooth.  Bad news, it's been over a week since the third coat and although it's "dry" it hasn't really "Cured". 😏 The edges where it ran off is thicker and seems to be rubbery, it's not tacky exactly because it's not sticky but if you push a fingernail into it, it seems to hold the indent for a while. 😕  I consider this bad new because I have no idea how long it will take to fully cure or if it ever will.  If it never hardens then I cannot sell or ship this canvas as wrapping it for shipping would cause it to arrive with lines, creases, surface weirdness, there is no way to know.  

As it is I just have to leave it sitting around. . .waiting. . .poking it every couple of days to assess the "cure" stage.  I am thinking about trying it on third canvas, knowing now what I didn't know then. I want to see if I can get a good even smooth finish in the first coat.  Then I can see if a single coat actually "cures" the way I think it should and compare it to the repeat-offenders.  😎 

Sometimes I get frustrated and lose sight of art being "experimental" by nature. When you are #learningbydoing you have to accept failures and just think your way around to doing it better next time. 😇

Labor Day. . .

Labor Day, of course is known for the sales, but to me it's a sign that summer is over and for my business it's a sign that farmer's market season is almost over too.  

I have a couple of event dates left but mostly I'll be spending the next month trying to re-do photos, update and add listings and prepare for the holiday shopping season.  

I've been so busy this summer with not just business but life stuff too, to the point where I didn't get to do a lot of the stuff I had planned. 😕  I have not yet even tried the ArtResin finish on a pour painting.  I have not actually made some of the new rubber chainmaille designs I have floating in my head. I only ever made the one LouHi barrette when I was figuring out the pattern, I wanted to make more of those and to try the pattern in bracelets too. 

I did manage to achieve the etsy star seller badge, to my surprise, but with the sales/order requirements I'm not sure how long I'll be able keep it. 😏  

I did manage to break the 100 member mark for my goimagine facebook group and I did have the bracelet giveaway I had planned and advertised. 😇