Those Scraps - a CD Cover Project

When I make 23 x 23 inch squares (for my square format 19 x 19 inch watercolors) I have to tear off a strip about seven or eight inches wide, and about twenty three inches long. I've been accumulating these, because I don't throw out this paper. Sometimes I use it to sample paints and see how they'll behave before I put them on a piece in progress (when I don't want to take too much risk with a painting that's going well).

The other day it came to me that I could do a series of CD covers on these strips. They would be big enough to do three each strip , and three strips would fit, stapled to one of my square boards. So out came Amy Winehouse's Back to Black and I used the lyrics book to trace nine CD cover size squares.

Back from a business trip this evening, and with the stretched paper dried in my absence, I taped them all off, pulled up a mess of Flickr photos for lines and shapes drawn blindly, and played fast and loose with watercolors. Most of these are not likely to look anything like this by the time I get done with them. I plan to toss in acrylics, pencils, ink and anything else that seems right. I'm going to make nine whatevers - responding on this small scale to the things that usually tickle my muse. I don't plan for them to be abstracts - we'll see what emerges.

Then...

I plan to put them all in a post and let people comment. Anyone who wants one can ask. The comments will register the order of the requesters (their place in line). Then the first five requesters will get to pick from the pieces that remain depending on their place in line (first commenter gets to choose from the eight that remain, second commenter gets to choose from the seven that remain, etc.). They'll also need to send me their mailing addresses, of course (via private e-mail, not in the comment), so I can send their choice. In each case I will letter the little piece for a CD cover (tell me what to put on it) or not, as the requester wishes. I'll enjoy seeing what CD you pick for the piece (if you're using it for a CD cover). All pigments and materials are lightfast, so they should be OK even in a car, etc.

The one little twist (maybe you noticed above that the numbers didn't line up) is that I've already decided who gets first choice this time. Lisa of That's Why will get first choice of the nine. (Because she's the one who propelled my blog into it's current larger audience, that's why).

If you've done the math up to this point then you've figured out that I will have three left. I don't want anyone who lined up for the original choices to end up with too few to choose from, hence stopping with the first six (even the last in line will have four to choose from).

After that I'll post the remaining three pieces and anyone who hasn't got one already, if they like any of the remaing three enough to ask, may have it - first request for each of the three will win. Just like the first six, I'll work a CD title into the piece if they wish - or not - their choice.

I'll warn you all ahead of time when (date and time) I plan to post the nine - to prevent anyone who is interested from feeling like they have to hover over my blog to get in line. I'll finish all nine to my satisfaction before the give-away will be announced. I may show the progress of these as I go (or not), but I can't predict if they'll stay recognizable from one post to the next. So if you do want one, try not to fall in love with one during the progressive photos. I can't promise I won't paint it white and start over. Two of these have already shifted to acrylics and over half of those two were covered over...