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. 

 

 

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!

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!

DOLL DRESS & DOLL PARTS = COLLAGE / PAINTING

This artwork, in pinks and greens, uses a complementary color scheme.


Notice the arms and legs are from different dolls!

The dress, while adhered very well with acrylic medium, adds texture to the piece.

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.