PAINTING WITH MIXED MEDIA ART BOOK ON SALE! BRAND NEW, NEVER USED.

A LOVELY HOW-TO, FULL-COLOR, FULL SIZE! ONLY 4.99.

HUNDREDS OF GORGEOUS PHOTOS! FIND IT AT ETSY IN MY SHOP, GUHINP. JUST 4.99! https://www.etsy.com/listing/834455095/art-painting-mixed-media-book-brand-new?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=PAINTING+WITH+MIXED+MEDIA+ART+BOOK&ref=sr_gallery-1-4&organic_search_click=1

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 

 

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!

HOW TO PAINT A TIE-DYE EFFECT ON CANVAS SHOES

PAINTING FOOTWEAR WITH A SPLASHY TECHNIQUE

 

Look closely to find where I forgot to remove some tape before taking the photo.

MATERIALS:

Shoes
Tape (masking)

Water

Brushes

Fluid acrylics

A palette

A flow aid (optional)

I used inexpensive canvas tennies (trainers? sneakers?) in white, 

but any light color will work.

First, tuck the laces inside the shoes.

Tape off the outsole if you don't want to get paint on it.

 

For a soft, tie-dyed effect, wet the canvas first with clear water 

(I used a clean paint brush).

 I applied the acrylics (mixed with a flow aid) with the tips of
brushes, working quickly before the canvas dried.

 When I was done, I upended the shoes onto heavy tumblers

and let them dry thoroughly.

I hope this has inspired you to try your own fancy footwork!

DID YOU MAKE A MISTAKE? 2 TIPS FOR REMOVING IT.

 FIX YOUR GOOFS!

HOW TO CLEAR DRY ACRYLIC PAINT FROM AN AREA

(TWO POINTERS TO HELP CLEAN  UP AN ERROR IN YOUR PAINTING)

Yes, you can cover mistakes with gesso or collaged materials. 

But here are two reminders of other techniques for different effects.

TIP #1: Sandpaper! See photo above.

It removed dry acrylic paint quite easily.

TIP #2: Pour on some rubbing alcohol and let it sit awhile.

Then rub with a dry cloth. See lighter areas above.

Thanks for viewing.

 

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. 

 

 

ASSEMBLAGE, FOUND ART OBJECTS, SCULPTURE, STEP-BY-STEP

I've been a fan of myths and legends since I was a child. Medusa, especially, caught my fancy.

She was a Gorgon, but before that she was a beauty. Raped by Poseidon, cursed by Athena, she was said to have wings. One of her sons was the winged Pegasus.

I always have a concept in mind before I begin.

I also prefer to build upon a structure or support.

Below I've pictured a few of the materials I

gathered ahead of time. Didn't use them all!

 

The costume pin reminded me of snakes!

I often change my plans as I go. Materials not shown are an old rubber ball and a metal ball-chain necklace that "fancied up" the edges later. Of course I also used paints (acrylics) & adhesives.

I cut the doll's rubber "hair" off and

affixed the ball to the face, to serve

as forehead and top of head. When

dry & secure, I punched holes in the

"scalp" and glued in the toy snakes.

The baby-doll face was waaaay too

cute, so I created her unsightly nose

and mouth from molding paste.

 

I adhered the lovely face image looking down at Medusa, and placed her in a bubble of glass (slightly domed, from a small picture frame).

 Below is a detail of the topmost part. Note the blue eyes on either side of the "turned-to-stone" figure--because, you know, MEDUSA!

The horse's wings came from a composite angel.



Another close-up, below, of the 2 key-chain "snakes."  

On the two outer sides, I made marks: ancient Greek symbols.
They seemed too obvious until I partially obscured them.

This "junk art" can be either a tabletop piece or wall-hung.     

Most of the materials were either discards or thrift-shop finds.

  

In need of more assemblage art inspiration? There are many more examples on this site.

 





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 MONOCHROMATIC EXERCISE FOR ART TEACHERS & OTHERS

SQUEEZE-BOTTLE LINES WITH BLACK GESSO

 

Gesso has enough body and tooth to use as a barrier to hold in wet media, once it's dry. 

I made my own black and gray gessos.

You can buy colored gesso or add acrylic color to white gesso. A clean squeeze bottle served me well for "drawing" the shapes. I also filled in some areas. Then I let the design dry overnight, before painting. See the first step above.

 

Then, the next day, I used diluted paint to complete the forms and shade parts of the background. 

This study was finished with fluid black acrylic and water.

The water and paint stayed within the confines of the slightly raised gesso lines. This exercise might be good for middle schoolers or beginners at the high school level. Art teachers could substitute watercolors at the painting stage if desired. Even pastels would be great! Students could create their own designs rather than relying on this "Pebble" motif, of course.

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: BASIC FORM

Many Art I students or absolute beginners at the high school level require a great deal of practice when learning how to shade forms. That said, I’ve assigned to eighth graders the two exercises described here. And nearly every one of them enjoyed triumph with both! Performing the tasks required of them, my students, um, drew on their knowledge of essential art concepts.

It was fun to go loopy and bundle up, too!   

This might be too challenging for fifth or sixth graders.

GETTING STARTED   Before class, I had cut white drawing paper into 4.5” x 12” strips, one for everybody. Using transparent tape, I affixed one end of a paper strip to a drawing board to show the students how to start. Then I twisted or curved the strip toward the center and fastened that portion down, too. A final bump or curl, taped down at the paper’s end, makes the form even more interesting. I asked the class to create their own unique, "unboring" forms directly on their desks, but to leave work space on their desks for themselves!  

Before my demonstration on the board, we held a discussion on the element of form, with emphasis on its three-dimensionality and the use of light and dark to depict that. Then I drew an enlarged sketch (outlines only) of my bendy, taped-down example for everyone to see.

I passed around several finished works to exemplify our objective. My own shading on a whiteboard didn’t have the quality I wanted, so I used a piece of 18” x 24” white drawing paper and charcoal instead. Nattering away about values, gradations, and hills and valleys, I smeared charcoal from dark to light to transform my outline drawing into a form with mass. Then the kids began their own works with soft pencils, and I was able to walk the aisles to assist. I directed the artists to include the cast shadow on their desks, to ground their subject.

A form that takes up space!

I reminded the students to try to use their blackest blacks and their lightest grays—a full range of values. The class members were reminded of several fundamentals with the “wavy strip” lesson. ART TIP: Imaginative kids might poke a hole in their paper forms. I had one who even left a pencil in!

A BUNDLE OF FUN The second, related activity is best for another day, especially if class time is only 40 minutes or so. I had been given scraps of flexible foam rubber padding, so I shared a piece with each student. I instructed them to squeeze and squash their foam any way they wanted, and then tie a piece of string tightly around the bunched-up form.

Charcoal and white chalk on blue paper.

They could roll it, pinch it, and fold it any which way before tying it into an interesting form, but they should keep in mind that they would be drawing the bundle! If it was terribly complex, they could be quite challenged.

WE BEGAN very lightly with charcoal pencils on light blue construction paper.  But you could use any toned paper (not too dark), even brown wrapping paper! Following the contours of their bundles with their eyes, class members completed line drawings first.

Then we modeled the sketches with shading, just as we had done in pencil shading the drawings of the wavy paper strips. Again, including in their drawing the shadow cast on their desks was part of my message. “It helps to anchor the drawn form to the page.”

Ask a carpet-layer or re-upholsterer for foam scraps!

Lastly, here’s the reason for the toned paper: We added highlights anywhere the light would strike, especially the rounded tops of bulges. That finishing touch helped to illustrate the volume of the forms very well.
MATERIALS

• White and toned drawing paper
• Soft drawing pencils
• Transparent tape
•  Charcoal pencils
• Upholstery foam scraps or carpet foam padding
• String or rubber bands
• White chalk or white pastels

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: to earn the importance of drawing what they see by using the elements of form and value, & to create a realistic work of art presenting the illusion of mass.

BOOK ART: Anyone Can Do It!

I'm not one to fold book pages into fabulous, complicated designs, but I admire those who do.

 This is a terrific way to create beauty from unloved, unwanted books.

I'm the free-form type, decidedly not methodical, so the project detailed below was just my style.

I filled a large pan with a little acrylic medium and a lot of water.  White glue would be a good substitute for the medium. I also collected thin pencils, thicker ones, and fat rolls of waxed paper. These would serve as armatures. Remove hard covers from the book unless you want a straight "stem."

Oh, but wait, there's more!

Dipping pages--still attached--into the pan (sometimes just one or two, sometimes more!), I wetted them, removed from pan, and rolled. I varied the directions and amount of curve, as you can see in the photo above. And yes, this takes awhile, since I only recommend doing a few sections at a time. I left the supports inside until dry, but the diluted mixture dries fast. 

Took a couple of days, but so fun and simple to do!

I used spray paint and a touch of brushed-on acrylic paint on  mine. Then I photographed it from above. I suggest either white, gray, or black as a background.

Here's another idea to try, if you're more precise and meticulous than I: a butterfly!

                (Art teachers might find discarded books and try this with fast-working kids who always seem to need more to do. If not photographed with a digital camera, try scanning.)

ALTERING PHOTOS FOR FUN!

Scratched first, then the color was enhanced with markers.

Got any old processed prints that just aren't the best? Did'ja go through old albums with relatives at Thanksgiving (or maybe you WILL, at Christmas), and found or will find some duplicates or just plain bad shots? Here's some ways to have PHUN WITH PHOTOS! Even with kids (see my caveat below)! One or two can even be done with inkjet prints, while a couple of others require commercially-processed pics.

First, for the scratching activity (the photo above with the leaded glass), dip a processed print in lukewarm water about a minute, blot, and use scratch tools or even sandpaper on the parts you wish to lighten or remove. If the emulsion hardens too quickly, just run warm water over the picture again.
If you want, add color back in with markers, watercolors, or inks. This project is a great way to re-work photos that contain distracting elements! Here's a link to another scratched example.

Next, bleaching the print is best done on a commercially-printed photo, since rinsing afterward is a good idea. Inkjet prints would run with a water rinse.) Try a bleach pen if you want to write words or numbers or symbols. Then wipe with a damp paper towel, rinse under water, and dry. Young children should not attempt this project.

Shot inside an old house to "frame."

In the photo above, there was just too much dark and my view wasn't great anyway.
BUT, here's another way to use household laundry bleach with photos! Mix a solution with half water, half Hilex in a tray. Dip part of the photo in and watch the colors change! You can even protect parts of the photo with a wax resist product first if desired, and then dip the entire thing into the tray of bleach solution. See example below. Also see "Dodg" at this link.


Partially bleached in a tray.

Cutting and rearranging the parts is nothing new, but it IS easy and sometimes the results are striking. I've also previously discussed stretching two similar pictures into one, discarding the most boring strips. (See another example here.)


Of COURSE it works with either
horizontal or vertical strips, even
angled pieces!

Finally, coloring photos the easy way, with markers: Try buffing or smoothing out the streaks with cotton balls. Go for unreal colors and psychedelic effects.

Markers are just so easy!

Thanks for viewing this post! I appreciate it.