It Looks Like Blood, But It’s Not: Turning Forgotten Liptint Into Art and Proving Anything Can Be a Medium

Did I really use the thing that is inside your mind? At first glance, the deep red strokes in this piece can easily be mistaken for blood.

Don't worry! What makes this artwork special is the medium used. It’s not blood or paint, but liptint, something simple and personal turned into art. Using it this way challenges the usual idea of art materials and adds a quiet layer of playfulness. That's one of the best things about art. Anything can be used as a medium, even the makeup that we use for our face.

Today, I'm going to show you step by step how I did the artwork. So come and join me.

For this, we need a kind of paper that can hold water content colors just like watercolor paper. Of course don't forget your favorite pencil. For sketching, I used a 2B pencil for the drawing

Now, sketch the drawing you've been wanting to try for so long! Don't be afraid to go beyond your limit! Experiment and do that drawing style you've been wanting to try!

Next, get the liptint and open it. Here I used a liptint that I'm not using on my lips anymore because one day I woke up and I realized I had too many lipsticks and that one liptint I used in my artwork was crying on the corner because I forgot to use it for ages. Well, if you don't have a liptint, you can also use a waterbase or oil based lipstick.

Next, drop some of the liptint on a container just like what I did in the photo above. Be sure to have atleast 3 drops that are separated. I did more than 3 drops because that's what I want during that time. Maybe if I did that with my mood right now, maybe I only made four.

Now it's time to add water. For the first part, just put water twice or thrice the amount of the liptint so it could be our base color or the lightest color later on. And then, gradually decrease the amount of water as you go through the portions. We will use them as our shading. Be sure not to put water on the last drop of liptint because we will use it to outline our art later.

After that, mix each mixture.

Next, swatch the colors on another piece of paper. If you are not happy with the shade that you got, feel free to adjust them by adding more liptint or water depending on your desire.

Now it's time to color your drawing with the lightest color you have. Just use the lightest first and use the deeper shades later on. Gradually add the shades together and trust the process. Be sure to leave some parts untouched by the color so it will look like it is the part being touched by the light.

You can use a paintbrush here or if you don't have a paint brush, try using your makeup brush. Their good in painting and artworks too. Just don't use them to your face after that.

Now it's time for my favorite part! Putting outlines! Using the darkest shade, the one that you did not put water into, outline the areas you wish to give a striking color. If possible, use the finest brush you have.

And there you have it! A nice piece using make-up! No watercolor? No problem! No liptint? Ask your girlfriend! Well you can always ask your female friends o
if they have expired liptint that they are not using anymore.

Thanks for sharing your time with me by reading my blog! Let's experiment again on another medium next time!

Photos are all mine. The first photo is edited using CollageArt.