Something Good From Michael's??

I hate Michael's. It's like the worst store in the world. I would say nine out of ten times I go there, they do NOT have what I want. I don't ask for much. Just a few popsicle sticks, some foam core, and some water soluble paint.

But it looks like I may have broken the curse. Not only did they have what I was looking for, but it looks like I may actually have the latex pigment problem licked.

Here's the stuff I picked up. I got red, black, blue, and purple.



And here's a little demonstration of the hell I'm in. See that bright, solid red block up on top? That's the dry latex. See that pink/purple looking mess below it? That's the wet stuff. That pink/purple, when dry, turns into that red. So you can see how hard it is to get the color right. It's all just shot in the dark mixing.



The great news about these new pigments is that they mix predictably. If you mix black with red, you get dark red. Not brown. That's where things fell apart with the Burman stuff, and it looks like I'm going to get the results I want with this new stuff. Just need to get the color as close as possible.

In an earlier batch, I got it almost DEAD ON, so I know it's possible. I'm just doing one final test to get a better feel for the proportions necessary.

In other news, a swatch of broadcloth arrived today from www.fabric.com. It's decent. The color is decent, and the weave is slightly imperfect, just the way I wanted it. The drawback is that the stuff is very thin and lightweight. Not sure if it's what I'm looking for. Still, good to know that the broadcloth is the stuff with the slightly uneven weave. That may come in handy in the future.