Tuesday 22 April 2014

... and Painting with Tea

Happy Earth Day! Whilst racking my brains for recycled crafts (which we love), it occurred to me that I was due to use up my various tea bags I had been saving for a few days - you know, for no particular reason!! So here's a great way to "mark" the occasion- painting with used tea bags!
Here are the teas I used:
I placed each bag in a bowl and added some fresh boiling water - not too much as I wanted the colour to be as concentrated as possible.
Using watercolour paper, I made a colour chart as I knew from past experience that the teas looked a little different when dried - for example, the Mango & Strawberry starts off a pale pinky red, but dries a greeny blue.
Before
After
I traced a sketch of the Map of the World (Earth Day!!) and painted it:
And then got carried away - this is a copy of part of a painting we got in South Africa:
And this is Mally's take on Earth Day - with the Sun and other planets thrown in:
Remember to use permanent ink pens, which are waterproof. You could also stamp images using permanent ink. So many possibilities, so eco-friendly, and so much fun!!!
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30 comments:

  1. Joanna O'Sullivan22 April 2014 at 20:01

    Ooooh.....as a non tea-drinker I'm thinking I'll suggest to my husband he needs to try a lot of new teas! I love that you got carried away and the colour chart was extremely clever.

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    1. Simsim22 April 2014 at 20:23

      Thanks Joanna! I'm sure you can convince your husband - they're delicious!! xx

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  2. Unknown24 April 2014 at 22:13

    Interesting, I only drink boring brown tea though so I'll stick to watercolours.

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    1. Simsim26 April 2014 at 09:32

      Thanks Ley! You could have your pictures in Sepia tones?!! xx

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  3. Kate27 April 2014 at 13:12

    Such a clever idea and the colours are beautiful.

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  4. Kathy/NorthCarolina27 April 2014 at 13:59

    I found your link on Sew Darn Crafty and had to pop over because the concept intrigued me. I'm so glad I did! This is wonderful, and I am definitely going to give it a try! Thanks so much for the tutorial and the wonderful examples. How fun!!!! http://www.kathybydesign.com

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    Replies
    1. Simsim28 April 2014 at 10:45

      Thanks Kathy! Let us know how it goes! xx

      Delete
  5. Janice Gill28 April 2014 at 10:33

    Mmm, will have to make a bit extra with my next cuppa :-)

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    Replies
    1. Simsim29 April 2014 at 12:41

      You just need to save the bag and add water whenever you're ready Janice! xx

      Delete
  6. Zakkiya Hamza28 April 2014 at 12:30

    This is such a great idea. I've painted with tea and coffee before but it never occurred to me to use the flavored ones. Looks so interesting and this one is in my to do list. Thanks for sharing :)

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  7. Anonymous28 April 2014 at 14:56

    What a great idea and a good use for herbal tea, love your results.

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  8. Sum of their Stories28 April 2014 at 23:20

    How cool is that! You had me at "Tea" , I love anything tea related, what a fun idea.

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    Replies
    1. Simsim29 April 2014 at 12:43

      Thanks Julia - I'm a British Indian - so obsessed with tea!! xx

      Delete
  9. Ravenna29 April 2014 at 01:22

    What a fun a creative idea! I absolutely love the map colors. Thanks for sharing!

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  10. Krisi Miller | www.krisimiller.com29 April 2014 at 18:19

    wow! what a wonderful idea! I need to try this. P.S. I found you through the link party on http://ladybug-blessings.com/

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  11. Rachel Kathy G @ onlinesisterhood30 April 2014 at 14:03

    Love, love, this. pinning. What a fabulous idea. found at whatever goes wed. Have a great week.

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    Replies
    1. Simsim1 May 2014 at 14:14

      Thanks Rachel, have a great week too! xx

      Delete
  12. Audrey30 April 2014 at 23:49

    wonderful idea. I especially like the idea of testing the paint first so you don't paint something with what you think is going to be red to have it turn out blue (this would drive my son nuts!)

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    Replies
    1. Simsim1 May 2014 at 14:14

      Thanks Audrey - I learnt this the hard way when I was trying to do a background to some pages in my art journal! xx

      Delete
  13. Unknown1 May 2014 at 02:15

    I really like this! I created some tea painted Valentine's Day cards a couple years ago. This has inspired me to try it again. Great job! Pinning.

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    Replies
    1. Simsim1 May 2014 at 14:15

      I'm glad you're inspired to do it again. Its really therapeutic!! xx

      Delete
  14. Unknown1 May 2014 at 14:16

    Awesome! I never would have imagined the beautiful colors you can get with tea. I would have thought...brown. Thanks for an informative post!!
    http://balmtomysoul.com/2014/05/top-10-posts-april-2014/

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  15. Unknown5 May 2014 at 15:48

    What a great idea! I'm a watercolorist, and I'm definitely going to try this! Found you Show licious blog party....I blog about my travels, and hope you will stop by for a visit!
    http://karanandmichael.blogspot.com/2014/04/giggly-girls-on-cruise.html

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  16. Marti @ SewLicious Home Decor8 May 2014 at 04:27

    What an awesome idea! I will have to try this, it's so creative and looks so fun! Thank you for sharing it with us! :) Pinned!

    ReplyDelete

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