Artists and craft lovers have taken the concept of ‘sip and paint’ to a new level! The use of coffee, tea and wine as an unconventional painting medium has quite literally poured itself into art works….The next time you find yourself with a dash of leftover coffee or wine, don’t throw it away – you can create a beautiful art piece with it instead! Here’s how.
Unconventional mediums
To paint with coffee, tea or wine, you’re going to make sure whatever medium it is you’re using has a strong pigment. With coffee, we recommend using a dark expresso brew. With tea, we recommend using fresh black tea. For either coffee or tea, the longer they brew, the deeper the colour.
A dark red wine works perfectly for painting – instead of wasting the drinkable stuff, grab the last bit from the open bottle that’s been hiding in the fridge or wine rack for a while. For a more concentrated pigment, pour your wine into a small pan and let it simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. You should also consider exploring the many wine routes across South Africa.
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The staining technique
Coffee, tea and wine can be applied directly to paper or canvas, creating transparent and translucent washes. This technique is often used to create subtle, monochromatic works of art.
Scott Maier
Blotting and dripping
Dabbing, dripping, and splattering coffee, tea or wine onto a surface can yield unpredictable and exciting patterns and textures. Artists embrace the element of chance in their creations.
Scott Maier
Mixing mediums
Some artists choose to mix coffee, tea or wine with traditional watercolours, acrylics, or other mediums to achieve unique effects, such as richly textured backgrounds or intricate details.
Ageing your canvas
Coffee can be used to “age” paper or canvas, giving it an antique or weathered appearance. This technique is often employed in mixed-media pieces.
Scott Maier
Looking for a fun craft project? Here’s your cue!
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Feature Image: Pexels
