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Calmality — Maybe I'm Dreaming
Published: 2011-06-08 04:48:50 +0000 UTC; Views: 2157; Favourites: 115; Downloads: 0
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my god....I can't believe she did another painting in tea. This is getting so very old...has she run out of ideas or something?Yes! I am back with yet another tea painting.
I have been working in watercolor and such but only for some commission work that I don't care to post here. I have not given up on other mediums, I swear. Just trying to build a portfolio here 
I have really no idea where this inspiration sprouted from but I just wanted to try working in a more illustrative way. The entire time I worked in this piece I was listening to Owl City's new songs and I thought the lyrics really fit well with this style so this is a sort of backwards tribute to Adam Young.
Boy reference used: [link]
Reality is a lovely place,
but I wouldn't want to live there.
~The Real World
Owl City
Time: about 6 hours
Medium: tea
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Comments: 73
Thank you so much!
I haven't done a tutorial yet, but I can briefly explain the process. You take only about 1/4 cup or less of water on the stove top, then add quite a bit of tea into the water (4-6 tea bags worth, open the tea bags and pour the tea into the water) and boil it down until it basically looks like tar for about 3 minutes. Then take a coffee filter inside a kitchen strainer and pour the tar-like tea in there over a bowl. Use a spoon to push at the tea leafs to get as much liquid out as you can. Finally, put the new liquid into a jar and refrigerate. Freeze if you want to keep it even longer.
You will need the pigment that dark. It will look super dense but it's actually light on paper. It requires a lot of layering of that one color. This medium does require patience and ability to control the water because tea bleeds a lot. I use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process. For painting, the key is just layering. You won't be able to get an instantly dark value like in watercolor. You just have to keep layering pigment to get the desired color. Wait until each layer is fully dry before layering more tea. Color tends to pull out of the paper if it's not completely dry.
Hope that helps! I will make a tutorial someday...it's definitely on my to-do list
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Wow, thank you so much! I'll definitely try it out.
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Yes it's tea. 
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I love it and I love the fact that you did it with tea!
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I think it's really cool that you use tea! I like the painting a lot too!
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Oh my god I can't believe she did so many fantastic, mind blowing paintings in tea, without me finally commenting on them
Sorry, that I am barely around and even less able to answer or comment. Things are still problematic around here, but I am too stubborn to give in
Fight ^.^m
Sooooo... as you might have figured out by now, I really love the style of your tea-paintings. (Though I couldn't tell it's not actually coffee XD)
And for this painting, the brown colour is just amazingly fitting. Maybe I'm dreaming, indeed. Even the title fits perfect. Looks like a dream, I wouldn't want to wake up from.... Or as if he had the wrong stuff, if you've ever watched Moon Child
I'm still wondering how you're able to put so many details in a painting completely done in tea.
Great, great work, honestly
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Your comments are always so encouraging, I appreciate every word. Don't ever worry about not commenting though, I am very much guilt of that too. Sometimes life outside the internet gets insane. XD
I've never actually painted with coffee, but maybe someday I'll try it. However, I find tea has more variations in color.
Maybe I'm Dreaming is a song title from Owl City and I just thought it fit. I actually haven't seen Moon Child. Maybe it's applicable. XD
Thank you again and I sincerely hope you're doing well. Feel free to message me whenever if you need to vent.
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Paintings using tea - that's an amazing idea and the results are fantastic. Has a very dreamy, calming feeling to it. (:
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Thank you so much! You got it exactly right. That's the feeling I was trying to go for. I wanted it to feel like a child's dream. Thanks again!
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Tea painting O:
with actual Tea O: ?
OMGSLDKFJSDF. reminds me of that Miyazaki movie, the one with the princess..
SOSOSOSO pretty. ♥
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Yes, it is actual tea.
It's an absolute honor to be compared to Miyazaki in any way so thank you so much for that!
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This is gorgeous! TEA? Really? WOW...beautiful work! And to think I keep throwing my teabags away!
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I find that freezing the tea helps to preserve it, so it's not a total waste I guess. ^.^ Thanks again!
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HEE...You're welcome!
Do you actually brew the tea, or do you like soak the bags at thicker consistency to get the paintable liquid? Just curious...I've tried watercolors and found I'm absolutely no good at it...I'll stick to my sketch art and digital "paintings".
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I actually use only one kind of tea from a tea bag, the rest are all raw tea. I break open the tea bag anyway and boil the tea down on a burner with just a little water. It ends up looking like tar XD
But then I strain the tea and I'm left with a very dense color.
No problem! I love when people ask questions. Digital paintings are still paintings. Considering I have no idea what I'm doing in photoshop, they are always impressive to me.
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Ah, interesting! Thank you for the information. That is really cool!
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This is wonderful. It really is like a dream, unreal but it feel snatural while it happens.
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Thank you very much! That's exactly what I wanted to accomplish. Because dreams make all the sense in the world when we're in them.
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You did a great job. Thanks a lot for the 
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No troubles- thanks for the same!
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Thank you very much! Glad you like it ^.^
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Wow, this is great! It reminds me of Miyamoto's work...Or whatever that director's name is...I can never remember, hehe. The one with Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away. It has that unreal quality.
Wait, Owl City has new music? Why didn't anyone tell me?! Must go look it up.
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Go listen!! It's an amazing album. I was actually listening to it weeks before it was released. I found a site that had all the songs. I felt bad listening before the actual release but I did buy the album. I love supporting Adam Young because he is from Minnesota, just south of me, so I consider him a local musician.
I like Alligator Sky, The Real World, and Deer in Headlights (quite a funny song)
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You should totally go into children's book illustration! Even if you don't have a story, you could probably get commisions from authors! You'd be great at it, I'd wager. These tea drawings alone would look amazing. (:
I looked up a few on youtube! The Real World was great, and Deer in Headlights made me laugh, "Her pepper spray made it hard for me to walk her home". Hahahaha, Owl City has the awesomest expressions and metaphors! Witty, witty music. "Honey and the Bee" was good too! "I swear there are a lot of vegetables out there!"
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Funny you should say that. I was actually contacted here on DA over a month ago about a commission. I was a little nervous doing commission work for a stranger online but eventually I found out this guy is pretty serious. I did a test commission for him and now wants me to illustrate his whole children's book. I found out he's the lead producer of the Halo games and WoW which is just mind-blowing. So that's what I've been working on! But sadly, I can't post anything about it here until it is published with a copyright. I will actually be very busy this year, but not much will show up on DA
Deer in headlights made me laugh the first time I heard it. I thought I misheard the lyrics at first
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Woooooooaaaaaah
Duuuuuuuuuuuude
That is the super greatest opportunity ughhh I am so happy for you! DON'T LET HIM UNDERPAY YOU
That is pretty interesting actually, that he is a popular producer but also publishes his own stuff. Am I allowed to know what the children's book is about? Will you be able to put it on dA after it's published? 
I actually heard an interview with him on radio, it was very funny actually...The way he spoke, it was so obvious that he is very whimsical and lost in his thoughts. A true artist, hehehe. He had a very soft voice, it's odd what sorts of things you can pick up about a person by their voice.
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Beautiful. I like how the boy doesn't seem frightened at all.
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Thank you so much for all your kind words! Children have more active imaginations and I feel tend not to be afraid of surreal subjects
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No problem.
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