SALE! GET THIS AWARD-WINNING ART BOOK (NEW! Never used!) FOR CHEAP ON ETSY!

HOW-TO FOR BOTH ADULTS AND KIDS!

HUNDREDS OF FULL-COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS TO INSPIRE YOUR CREATIVITY.

Use the many techniques and ideas in your own mixed media art, journaling, even for scrapbooking.

My Etsy shop is called guhinp, and here's the link to the book:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/833131187/how-to-art-book-new-creating-decorative?ref=shop_home_active_1 

 

MUTANT, A COLLAGE PAINTING IN MEMORY OF PLAGUE VICTIMS

I'm mad as hell about it, hate that 100,000 Americans could die from Covid-19, and countless others have already lost their lives in the pandemic.  I'm in sorrow, sheltering in place & hoping you are staying safe.

This artwork began on a vintage anatomy chart. 

It was a canvas-like scroll with rods at top and bottom.

I'll show some steps and techniques below. 

Original old medical chart.

Because the virus is rough, I added texture in places.

I didn't want the original warm tones of the figure (they were too pleasant), 
so I made a Dioxazine purple glaze. But I didn't like that either! So I went blue.

A cool blue wash (acrylics & water) for some of the

background, too, and white too. But I also wanted visual texture.

PAINTING TIP: Open a packet of de-oxidizer, desiccant or silica gel (sometimes found

in new shoeboxes). I sprinkled those tiny pebbles into the wet paint

and got a cool effect!

Close-up of part of the painting and collage elements.

I painted a cut-off tree trunk to symbolize all the lives cut short.

I collaged a cut-out eye, heart, and 3 birds into the piece. 

Owls and ravens are symbolic, too, of course.  

21" x 5.5'

Detail of ravens.

MIXED MEDIA COLLAGE - PAINTING ON CANVAS

I WOULD LOVE A NIFTY TITLE FOR THIS NON-OBJECTIVE WORK.

GOT A TITLE SUGGESTION 

FOR THIS NEW, MIXED-MEDIA WORK?

STEP-BY-STEP FROM SKETCH TO FINISHED PROJECT

MY ORIGINAL SKETCH...I thought it would be horizontal!

I wanted a limited color scheme of cream, light and dark gray, and cool red in a variety of values. I used acrylic paint, textured papers, my own decorated papers and more.

The photo shown below is in progress.  I goofed by leaving a very dark area in the center.

At this point I hadn't yet decided to finish the piece as if it would hang vertically.

The finished work.

Note (above) the several small, brighter accents as focal points. 

Please comment if you have a good idea for a name for this. 

Or if you like it!   THANKS!

ABSTRACT COLLAGE - PAINTING with TERRIFIC TEXTURE

ROCK, PEBBLES, SAND

...and Water!

Neutrals rule! I've always liked neutrals: tans, beiges, cream, ivory, white, Payne's gray, brown, khaki colors, rust, warm stone colors. In clothes, shoes, art, and more.

Neutrals, or natural colors, are not bold or vivid ones. They can be light, medium & dark, & of course you want a contrasting combo of values in your work. 

Texture is an art element I'm fond of, too. Some areas were made more textural with handmade, ridged art paper adhered to the surface.

TIP: If any of you wonderful readers plan to work with heavy texture, DO use a board: if not an actual wooden or Masonite board, then at least a canvas panel. You need a stronger support than a stretched canvas!

I wanted an abstracted effect of clean, clear water over rounded pebbles or river rock. Wet stones are the most beautiful!

Close-up detail

The clear or frosted beads are called river pebbles, glass gems, or even fire pit pebbles. I found a mixed bag for cheap at the thrift shop: some translucent, some opaque, even some iridescent.

My original sketch for the artwork.

DecoArt also makes Sandstone Textured Acrylics, which I employed in a brown, a tweed, and their Terra Cotta (in the Grand Canyon color). Burnt Sienna & Van Dyke Brown acrylic paint were dabbed, stippled, & rubbed selectively to get a stone effect.

 
For an abstract stream, I first thought of ModPodge.
It's self-leveling, so I needed barriers to hold in
the very fluid medium. To form "walls" to prevent
the runny ModPodge from going everywhere, I
used DecoArt Texture Stucco (see the white line below).

Unfinished. Detail. The white you see is actually a short barricade to hold in the fluid medium.

The finished artwork.

Spattering would be good for a rock-like effect, too. Can you spot the fine, dark lines as well? I always enjoy a bit of mark-making!

With this abstract acrylic painting with collaged elements, I set out originally to  use ONLY neutrals, but decided the brighter orange was necessary. I think it contrasts nicely with the (complementary) blue-gray areas. More contrast is seen in the smoother, shinier areas versus the matte. The entire piece turned out warmer than my original concept. But then I always love rich, bright color, don't you?

NEW COLLAGE - PAINTING step-by-step

Learn how I created a mixed-media artwork in sequence!

I began with a used canvas, barely gessoed with thin, watery white gesso so the unwanted painting below would show through somewhat.

Rough blocking out of the lowest and highest values is always a good idea, at least for me. You can always change your mind later, but this gave me an idea of my layout.

Step 1

Next, I mixed a blue-gray acrylic paint and applied mid-tones. 

Pointer: Always strive for balance, even at an early stage.

Step 2, some mid-tones added.

 Then, collaged papers and text, and a small, real feather.        

I also stamped pattern to create a few bright accents.        

Petroleum jelly can be applied selectively (I used streaks) 

to protect previously-painted areas. Make sure that the   

paint is dry before you apply the resist (the petroleum   

jelly). Then paint over that with a contrasting color.   

Let THAT paint dry, then wipe off. A really cool effect!

    

THIS FINISHED WORK, BELOW, IS DONE IN A TRIADIC, PRIMARY COLOR SCHEME.

"Temporary," by yours truly, Paula G.

Thanks for viewing this post! I appreciate it.

 

VINTAGE ANATOMY CHART AS COLLAGE BACKGROUND

I altered a large, old school science chart & it was fun!

This mixed-media project was a blast to complete. I used acrylic paint, other mediums, metal bits, clockworks, fibers, found images, and so much more. (See the finished work following some details.)

 

Coils & gadgets & more!
(Detail.)

The organic shapes of rubber bands (see directly below) reminded me of cells or organs inside the body.      

Detail.

Another close-up.





Fibers & pics from an anatomy book.
(Detail.)



At last, here's the completed piece, below.

 

 

Thanks for viewing! - Paula

 

 



A MIXED - MEDIA PAINTING WITH SUPER HEAVY GESSO

I'm sure this product has been around for awhile, but it's new to me. I found it at Hobby Lobby. It's a very thick surface-prep medium that dries matte and opaque. Use it to prepare a canvas for either acrylic or oil paint. Create thick, impasto effects!

You can tint the white color if desired.

I used a sturdy canvas panel that had previously been painted. A knife or brush can be used to apply the product.

I blocked in the composition using the gesso.

Stippling created heavy texture where the bouquet would go. Let the gesso dry overnight if you apply thickly. It dries without yellowing.
Next, I used acrylic paint, and finally, collaged translucent napkin paper onto the piece.

Floral still life in an impressionistic style.

 

Rainy Day Blues: Other Kind Artists' (work that I love!)

Blue has always been one of my fave colors...you gals out there will understand when I speak of a vivid blue dress I had as a kid. Loved that dress to pieces!

This is titled Ignorance. Isn't it great?!

The mixed media piece above is by Meera Rao, a very talented artist. See her blog at http://artbymeera.blogspot.com/search?q=ignorance

This fantastic collage, below, is by Lynn Edwards. Find more of her well-designed work at https://lynnedwardsart.blogspot.com/


One of Lynn's Boho series (all terrific!)

The sculpture is by Empress Wu, a gifted gal by the name of Wilma Simmons, and is part of a series. This one is Perseverance. The exterior  "walls" are gesso painted fabric, with layered gauze, newspaper, and tea bag paper, amongst other media and techniques. I admire her work very much!

http://empresswu.blogspot.com/

My gratitude to the wonderful artists who allowed me to show some of their "blue" works! You women are the greatest! (I almost said girls, but, you know.)


FLORAL COLLAGE - PAINTING WITH COMPLEMENTS

A MIXED-MEDIA PIECE FOR SPRING!

Intermediate colors found opposite each other on the color wheel are some of my fave pairs to paint with. In this instance, red-violet and yellow-green make a striking combo in my opinion, especially with the addition of black and white.


A single ply of a printed paper napkin was used at right.

Scumbling loosely is a technique I really like with acrylics...love soft edges. Right now I'm working on another floral still life, very different from this, but with another pair of complementary intermediate colors!

IMAGERY, WORDS, STENCILS, LAYERS, & COLOR!

This collage - painting began with a simple 

background and few elements.

Let this dry before moving on to the next step!

Here's a photo of the collaged background, above (with gel medium below and on top of the pieces), before any of the next steps took place.

Some areas needed to be toned down a bit, so I applied a thin wash of white gesso in places.

When the gesso was dry, I used acrylic ink too!

I sprayed the acrylic ink through stencils to add interest. Rather liked the piece at that stage, but really wanted to go on with a death's-head figure and some stamping, soooo....

A Sketch 'n' Wash pencil for the figure.

TIP: Always protect your finished work. I had to apply a spray fixative to this one.



PAINTING ON A COLLAGE

As I said in the previous post, I've been wanting to create an artwork with a neutral color scheme. Searching for inspiration, I went through old canvases and found a collage that needed...something. Basically it was a background.
I used acrylics to paint the expressive suggestion of a face over the collage, adding a few drips as well.
Does it need more work? Maybe. Probably. But I also needed to post something, so there you have it!


If/when I come back to this one to improve it, I'll post it again!



NO TIME FOR ART? BULL CRAP!

Here's another stab at a simple, grid-like
collage using up some of my

huge stash of painted papers.

I do prefer my earlier, very vivid example, shown at the link here, but this time I wanted to try a neutral collage with tan, beige, white, brown, black. As you can see below, I did not stick with the plan. That happens quite often!


Use wallpaper, wrapping paper, old letters,
book pages as well as your own original papers.

I had also intended to further develop this work with stamped and scribbled additions, but nooooo. Go figure.
As my friend Lynn says, this could be a good warm-up exercise. Or a preview to test a composition!                

Thanks for your viewing! 

USE UP YOUR PAINTED PAPERS IN A PATCHWORK COLLAGE

You have them...you know you do...saved pieces on which you experimented, or scraps from failed works. Maybe you even keep papers on which you've tried out colors or wiped your brush!
This tutorial describes my own, simple method for creating a quick collage. Use it as fun inspiration, motivation, as a lesson for kids, or perhaps even to make a serious finished artwork! You can also add mark-making if you feel some areas need more. OR you might borrow from the finished design to compose a painting!



A "Primary-ly" red, yellow, and blue color scheme.

1. Go through your stash of your own, original decorative papers. You might already have a color scheme in mind...I did! Gather them together, and check to see if you've included a full range of values from near-black to white. TIP: No need to stick with brights, as I did...all neutrals are terrific for this. Or complementaries like orange and blue, or whatever grabs you!

Not a collage, just a sampling of papers, but I sorta like it.

2. I went with cut edges and geometric shapes, although torn, organic shapes work too. Aim for a variety of sizes (and shapes). Arrange on a sturdy support and audition a number of compositions before gluing anything down. Strive for balance! And unity! Are there some similarities and some differences? Is the finished collage harmonious? HAVE FUN!



MORE IDEAS, TECHNIQUES, & MIXED MEDIA ADVICE

Texture: A good way to break creative block is to collage rice papers and paper scraps onto heavy watercolor paper with matte medium. See the example above. After it's dry, use pastels, pencil, watercolor, acrylics, or whatever you wish to finish the piece!

 

Love those old wallpaper books!:
Ask for old swatch books free from the paint store, and use the vinyl samples as a support for various media. Oil pastels are great because you can layer and sgraffito the pastel and enjoy a bit of the background pattern showing through. See below.

Oil pastel over vinyl, then scratched through.

 

They DO look like china flowers!

Make your own “porcelain” flowers:

Believe it or not, these “porcelain” blooms are fabric flowers dipped in tinted plaster of Paris!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 A cool technique with acrylics:

See my own above! I plan to use this cut up into pieces!
Create interesting backgrounds with rubber cement, to keep certain areas white. First, apply some rubber cement and let it dry, paint a color and let dry, apply rubber cement in an interesting pattern and let dry.  Do again with another color. When that’s dry, pick up or rub off the cement across the entire piece, and see what is underneath.

(I did the one shown above 4 or 5 times on a single white surface, and needed elbow grease to remove all the rubber cement!)

 

Lefties:
For left-handed artists...turn your spiral bound sketchbook upside down and work from the back of the book. The spirals will be on the right side and not interfere with your hand.
 
A fun exercise to motivate you:
When you need inspiration, try the two-hand method. Pick up a different-colored marker or colored pencil in each hand and draw something—or nothing! Move both hands at the same time, alongside each other in a similar pattern. You'll be amazed at what your non-dominant hand can produce. A great warm-up tool.





 

A TWOSOME OF BACKGROUND IDEAS

For your collage or mixed-media works, here's

an easy, quick dynamic duo.

 These ideas work well not only to serve as backgrounds but also as decorative papers to be torn or cut and added as needed.

First up is a method so simple it's almost embarrassing! Paper doilies or crocheted or lacy fabrics make great stencils for spray paint. And you can use the painted materials later!

Remove some, add some, and spray again!

Wallpaper makes a wonderful start or mixed media material. Attach a sheet of it to a substrate if you wish to fill in a background fast. The floral below was embellished with painted flowers and stems. It's not a finished artwork in my view, but  I'm saving it for possible future use. I can picture torn pieces coming in handy, maybe.

Ask your paint dealer for a discontinued wallpaper book or two!