Miniature Animal Portraits with Fiber Paste

I made these two little paintings a little while ago and I (finally!) hung them up in the kids' room today.

I had so much fun making these. I bought the wood plaques from Michael's for a dollar, and then I painted them with white gesso.  Then (this is the secret) I used a product called Fiber Paste by Golden Paints as the base.  After the fiber paste dries, you are able to dilute your acrylics paints with water to the point that they act just like watercolors on watercolor paper.  Except, they act like acrylic paint in the way that they are much more user friendly and blend like acrylics.  Did that make sense?  Anyway, I love fiber paste.  It's bit pricey, so I should see if there's a way to make my own.  I also used my favorite ink pens on these, too!

First, I tried them right next to the window because I like how the curtains brought out the turquoise in the paintings. 

In the end, I decided to hang them right over Maggie's bed.  She loves them!

And a shot to show some of the detail of how the fiber paste works.   There's no fiber paste on the outside edges, and the watery paint just dripped right off and the colors don't look quite as vibrant.  I really like the contrast of the different surfaces with these.