Alyice on May 15th, 2008

Sponge Painting

Can you really make beautiful art with everyday household sponges and a few acrylic paints? According to Terrence Lun Tse you can! And that’s just what he proves in his exciting book, Sponge Painting.

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I originally went to the bookstore to find a few books on painting backgrounds as I have a few ideas that could use a little polishing but when I found Tse’s book, I had to buy it. It’s amazing what he does with an ordinary household sponge and how many beautiful effects you can create with nothing more than a rectangular sponge, a little water, and acrylic paints. In fact, I think it’s a great book for beginning collage artists who want quick, easy, and fun backgrounds for their collage work.

There are 20 projects in the book with 14 quick sponge painting demonstrations and four pages of getting started instructions.

The projects start with a photo of the actual painting you’ll be making and a description of that painting. It’s followed by a list of acrylic paints you’ll need to complete the project along with colored squares to help you match the colors correctly. Next you’ll see a few photos of the painting in progress and step-by-step instructions on how to achieve certain effects. Finally, you’re given instructions on how to critique the piece so that you can give yourself constructive criticism and make the changes necessary to go from “okay” to “wow”.

After showing the book to my daughter she asked if we could do a few projects together this summer. I can’t wait! It’s the first book I’ve shown her that she actually thought she’d have fun doing as a “mother-daughter” activity.