Not every experiment is successful.

You know when you get something in your head, and in your head it looks fantastic?  You can also work out in your head exactly how to make it work and what to use.  It happens to me, a lot.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it fails miserably :)

Yesterday, it failed miserably.

I decided for some really weird reason, that a string picture would look great.  You know those pictures you used to make in school with paint and string? Seeing it written down makes me think it wasn't such a great idea in the first place.

So, I got a pack of acrylic paints, and a ball of string, and a decent sized canvas.  Then I looked at it for about a week not quite knowing where to start.

So, yesterday, with my A Level art daughter Shona on board, we made a start.

I sketched a rough guide onto the canvas, cut up some string, then covered it in paint, layed it on the outlines, and pulled it off.

What a blooming disaster, we laughed so much at the mess, there was paint everywhere, all over our hands like we were 4 year olds.

The whole time my father, Lawrence, sat opposite shaking his head, tutting and laughing at the same time.

I decided not to proceed, as it was just a scribbly mess, so threw out the half mile of toilet roll, loads of paint covered paper plates and dribbled of painted string.

At this point Shona decided she could use the canvas and gave it a back wash in purple. If it is anything like her last one I bet it will be fabulous!  Watch this space.

Shona's last painted canvas. A blue strawberry with red lips for 'pips'.