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!

FROM A MIXED MEDIA IDEA TO AN ACRYLIC PAINTING

Don't you love a brand new, snow white canvas? Especially when it's stretched, primed, and deep! I've read that all that whiteness is intimidating to some, but it inspires me to try something different. 

I wanted to do a cityscape for a change, 

but my grand idea flopped.

I had planned this artwork as a collage/painting 

with lots of interesting artsy papers combined with

a very wet, blended sky. I thought the watery acrylics 

would contrast nicely with the hard edges of cut paper pieces.

I  used dioxazine purple, Quinacridone Violet, Indian 

Yellow, Titanium White, & a few other colors that I 

mixed from leftover acrylic paint I had on hand. I 

liked the idea of a complementary color scheme...

& purple is the complement of yellow. (Also, 

yellow-green is the opposite of red-violet!) 

To enhance the wet-on-wet effect, I used a floating medium.

Flow release medium works much the same way.

I extended paint to the sides too.

Art ideas can change as you go along.

Yep, I had cut a variety of textured

and painted papers, but as I arranged

them on the canvas I realized that

they were too precise and perfect for my

"messy," loose, freely painted portions. 

I painted the buildings & more, including a   

few shadows, and then stamped in lines,  

shapes, & textures. See below,
though I want to do more to it.  

   

   I hope you'll try a cityscape if you haven't

   already. If you want to create a collage that's

   not too tight and hard-edged, 

   consider torn papers. 

 

 

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.

 

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!

SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA ADMIT YOU GOOFED!

I'm not afraid to say I really did fail with this acrylic painting. Don't know why my heart wasn't in it, but I've already scraped the art board so I can use it again. Below read what my intentions were! First photo, below, is just the beginning.

I love the graceful lines of antlers, so I based my sketch on them.
Then I had the idea of painting bright, strong hues in some places, with their pastels in others, thus the unfortunate divider line.

My color scheme was red, yellow, and blue. When I didn't like the smooth effect, I thought texture might help...texture USUALLY helps, right? Right?

Ugh. Sorry I couldn't display a masterpiece here, but everyone has their days. I hereby promise to post a motivational, inspiring, maybe even lovely mixed-media example soon! In the meantime, if you have a nice piece combining both pastels (high-value colors) and their vivid, pure counterparts, please let me know so I can add it here as what TO do! Thanks!

GRIDS ARE THE GREATEST!

A grid composition can be very gratifying. 

 The mixed-media painting shown below is extremely textural.

I added sawdust to the paint, but you can try crushed eggshells, sand,

or store-bought texture mediums.

Pastel tones may not be your preference, but for a large,

 soothing work suitable for a bedroom, perhaps,

colors with white worked out ok for me.



Try a grid painting or collage yourself!

Here's another idea if you feel your grid is too boring: Add lines,

scribbles, or stamped-on words, numbers, or letters.



Complementary Color Schemes are Great!

Complementary colors are our focus with this post. This acrylic painting, shown below, uses the complements of red and green.
Yellow and violet are lovely together, as are blues and oranges. Notice the pastel pink below rather than real red. And notice the many shades and tints of green!


Are you busy planting or potting for Spring?

Do you have a color wheel handy? Pairs of complements are found directly opposite each other on the color wheel.
Often it's wise to use one color predominantly and its complement as an accent.
I especially like red-violet with yellow-green...sooo pretty. Blue-violet is another fave, with touches of yellow-orange.

Try your own artwork with a complementary color scheme!

COLLAGE with PHOTO SCRAPS

THIS MIXED-MEDIA PROJECT CAN

HAVE STUNNING RESULTS!

If you're like me, you have a stash of many, many photographs to use in your collage work. Heck, you can even use magazine papers for this "painting."

 

First, select a color scheme and find photos with those colors. Be sure to find textures and patterns as well as solid areas of color.

While you could cut the pieces, my preference is to tear the edges for a smoother look when finished. NOTE: You want a variety of sizes and some change in shape for added interest.

You do want a number of values, too.
See the different sizes?

Second, arrange the pieces on a sturdy background with some overlapping. A canvas panel, archival mat board, or your usual support. (I have even adhered a large, unwanted photo--in related colors--to the support before beginning the arrangement!)

 

This is not done! The arrangement has been glued down.

Go for balance, contrast, movement, unity...all that good stuff. My visual texture came from photographs of rusted metal.

When the collage (some would call it a photo-montage) is dry, get out your small, fine brushes and acrylic paints. I like the white, torn edges to show in places, but I also want to add shading for a dimensional effect. So I brush on dark colors as if a light source were shining from one corner and shadows falling away. I use water to dilute the edges of the painted shadows as they move away from the "light."


Pure black isn't as desirable, usually, as a mixed color.

Finally, if desired, stamp or print, letter, spatter, do any

of those fun things should the composition call for it.

I added some small dots, tiny squares, and a few other

 enhancements.

The finished piece. I hope you like it!







 

COLLAGE (& PAINT ) WITH PHOTO SCRAPS

Have you saved some of your "bad" photo prints to use in your art-making? Here's a great way to use them up and make wonderful collage - paintings at the same time!

Either cut or tear the photos into various sizes and shapes.

Find photo images that go with each other, all in a particular motif--such as these botanicals, above. This is a complementary color scheme, with recognizable plant forms. See the finished piece coming up! 
With this piece, since it was far too "busy" already, I obscured some areas with dark green and black. My intent was to unify the artwork, tying together the parts.

The finished collage - painting.

Only scraps of photos were used in this unfinished project.

Blue and orange also make a pleasing, complementary color scheme. See the unpainted example here.

Add a traditional image into the layered, shaded mix! Leave space for one striking picture that fits in nicely with the colors or textures of the other shapes. Or insert a piece of text or written material, as shown in the example below.

Can you tell I am obsessed with earth colors?Note that a few edges in this artwork have been cut, not torn. 

IDEAS FOR COLOR SCHEMES

Half a dozen color harmonies for you to try!

I won't always use the "official" name for a hue, tint, or shade, but I hope you'll find several combinations that you like. What are YOUR favorite palettes?

                                                                                                                                       

Cadmium yellow deep, cadmium
red light, navy blue

Neutral gray, cadmium yellow medium,
& navy blue

Burnt umber, burnt sienna, ivory, black.

Cream with  light & medium red,
medium & dark gray.

Cadmium red light, yellow green,
& a few true green accents.

Bright aqua green, yellow oxide.

COLLAGE PAINTINGS WITH BIRD SYMBOLISM

You see them in the arts and crafts magazines, in ancient art, and as symbolic imagery everywhere. Birds are charming and decorative, but more than that they are richly significant.

The crow is sometimes a symbol of adultery, a fact that I did not know when I created the work shown here. (If you use sparrows in your work, you should know that, traditionally, they have been associated with the dead.) 

Town Crier, acrylics, papers, 18 x 24"

A color scheme of red, white, and blue can be very effective with the addition of a variety of values, including black.

Eye See You, Mixed-media on canvas, 12 x 18"

There's something I really like about blues--any blues--combined in a work with browns, tans, or golden colors. It really works for me and for lots of other artists!

These paintings are shown courtesy Stackpole Books and Paula Guhin.

THREE COLOR SCHEMES AND A CONTEST!

A Triadic color scheme is made up of three colors that are found an equal distance apart on the color wheel. The three primaries are a triad, as are the three secondaries. But don't stop there! In the example below, done by Geri Greenman, three intermediate colors have been used (red-orange, blue-violet, and yellow-green).
  

Triads are equidistant on the color wheel.



A Complementary color scheme, like the one below, uses the two colors that, uh, complement each other! They are pairs of colors found opposite each other on the color wheel. Below, the intermediate red-violet is complemented by yellow-green. 

This example of color harmony was done in gouache.

 An artwork done in warm colors reminds us of fire and sunshine.

Now for the contest portion of our program: If you're a follower of this blog, kindly leave a comment below this post if you wish to win a brand-new copy of the latest issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine! It's the September/October 2012 issue with my essay!

 

  

Using Value in a Color Scheme

The Definition of Value

The value of a color is based on how light or dark it is. The easiest way to remember this is to picture a "grayscale," which runs from black to white with all the possible light, middle, and dark grays in between. The lighter the color, the higher its value. So a deep, royal blue is a lower value than a light, sky blue (a high value).

Tip: An artist might find it helpful to use a variety of values in a single artwork, including white (or nearly white) and black (or nearly so).

Note: The scales below don't illustrate the lowest values (the colors with  lots of  black added).