Making Art: Digitally Remixing CitraSolv Papers, Photographs, and Drawing

Desert, M.A. Reilly, 2016
(CitraSolv papers, original photograph, digital remix)

For the last few days I have been altering pages of magazines (NY Times Sunday Magazine and also LL Bean catlog) using CitraSolv and then using these papers in original art. The process involved in altering the magazine pages is easy and this tutorial by Cathy Taylor below offers some good insight.




I found spraying the CitraSolv works best and then after the ink had begun to dissolve using q-tips and small brushes to manipulate the loose ink served me well. I let the magazine sit with the CitraSolv on the pages for about 15 to 20 minutes and I always peak. I haven't used any stencils, saran wrap, tar gel or artist tape that Cathy references but will be trying it as it looks interesting. I look carefully and select the pages I want to use and lay these papers to dry (I don't hang them). The pages will be super easy to tear out and any rips only make the papers more interesting.


After the pages dry, I set them out on a table and look carefully to see what emerges. What does the page suggest? Some papers I set aside for collage purposes and other papers I see as background for art.  Here's a quick tutorial about ways to paint into the paper using acrylic inks (which I love).



I also found Eva Macie's ebook, Dissolve It...Resolve It to be excellent and inspiring. Her work is beautiful and she also shows how to use stencils and masks to remove to further alter the pages.


Because I make a lot of art digitally, I photographed the pages and then further mixed them with original photographs and painted directly on them through photoshop.

Here are a few examples:

(CitraSolv papers, original photographs, digital remix)

Contemplation (CitraSolv, pencil, digital remix)

(CitraSolv papers, acrylic paint, newspaper, found papers, stabilo pencil, digital remix)

(CitraSolv papers, original photograph, digital remix)