CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED!

My gratitude to those who entered last week's contest...please stay with me even if you didn't get lucky this time!
The random drawing was done by my impartial, totally uncaring husband. Okay, he cares about me, but not my blog.
He chose Meera's name from the hat, so MEERA RAO, please send me your mailing address privately. You won the art book prize!

Two Examples of Fabric Resist

Fabric Fun Made Easy!

We've said it before, working the resist technique can be COOL, whether on canvas, paper, or other fabric. See links below to MORE posts with MORE resist methods!


Blue school glue on washed cotton fabric.

Let the resist material dry before washing colors
over the design. Then wash the school glue out after the permanent paint or ink dries!


Thin tar gel

If you want to try this
with kids, fluid acrylic
medium can be used
(with paint shirts on!).
Intense, vivid watercolors
are a good substitute for
permanent colors.

I luuuuve this tempera resist project, below: http://mixedmediamanic.blogspot.com/2015/08/white-tempera-resist.html
and this one, too! http://mixedmediamanic.blogspot.com/2015/04/more-techniques-with-citrasolv.html

Our recent contest was won by jusaweecatnap, who should kindly and privately email me with her postal address in order to claim her prizes!

MY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO VISIT THIS SITE! HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

NEW ASSEMBLAGE CREATED WITH FOUND OBJECTS

I'm so very pleased that Lynn Edwards is featuring this in-the-round sculpture on her blog right now! See more about the piece there, and don't miss her stunning work, at http://lynnedwardsart.blogspot.com/ (Lynn also has a professional site at http://www.lynnedwardsart.com/home.)



 Time, Where Have You Gone was motivated by thoughts of how quickly
the years pass...too quickly!







One side view.





Back view.

NOT MIXED MEDIA WITH TRANSPARENCIES AGAIN!?!

(My apologies in advance for those of you who prefer your mixed media without the addition of transparencies.)

I find copies so versatile and fun that I've experimented endlessly with them in many guises. I've also posted about them in this space numerous times, so please bear with me if you've been a long-time follower.

• Here's a previous post about scratching and altering a transparency.
• How about this collage with old sheet music?
• Or scribbling in the clear spaces of a transparency!

NOW FOR TODAY'S PROJECTS!

I printed this out on my home computer.

I used an original

leaf photo of my own,

altering it in Photoshop
for a very colorful
background.
TIP: Note the

white spaces,
necessary for this

activity. Also remember
that your own
background cannot be
too terribly dark, or
you will lose contrast.

Next, I altered a

photo portrait to
pure black (and
clear), very
graphic (no gray).
I printed that 

Try other backing sheets too! Sooo fun.

onto transparency

film, and lay it

over the colorful

background image.

Below, another idea!
I merely used soft
pastels to create a
gradient effect on good paper the same
size as my transparency (of a person on a dock, framed by foliage). Then I just sandwiched them together. So simple and yet, I think, quite striking.

  

Some of you might prefer more color in the sky.

PRIZE AWARDED TO A FOLLOWER! For those who participated in last week's contest,
the winner is Julie Mortillaro. Congrats to her, and
my sincere thanks to the others. Julie, please
privately send me your usps mailing address.

CONTEST WINNER (S) ANNOUNCED

The first name chosen in a fair and random drawing (for the 2015 calendar!) was Jusaweecatnap. If she (or he, I suppose I should say, to be politically correct) will kindly contact me personally with a mailing address, I will get the prize out asap. I'm on Facebook and if one is a friend they can message me.

Besides the full-size calendar, I also had a folding one for a desktop, so I thought, What the heck, let's do another drawing! The name selected the second time was Robin Larido! Robin, I will need your mailing address too. Thanks!

 

My sincere hopes go to the others who participated that

you'll stick with me and try again next time, truly! 

 

    

Thanks!                    



WINNER ANNOUNCED, AND BLASTS FROM THE PAST!

The name chosen from the hat (actually a bowl!) to win the free art book, Creating Decorative Paper, was Geri deGruy! My thanks to the others who participated, and I encourage them to please try again...I'm planning another giveaway even as we speak.

One section of that book concerns resists of many types. I've discussed them here before, and love to incorporate them into my mixed media work. Clear tar gel on absorbent paper can produce fantastic results if you let it dry, then wash vivid color over the area.

Can you see the fish shapes?

 Here's the original post.










Wax resist is another simple, easy method: In the butterfly example below, I used waxed paper. The tutorial is here.


I adore these colors!



I used a fabric resist material here.
See the original post!

             


 

WINNER ANNOUNCED & TRANSPARENCIES AGAIN!

Last week's contest for the art book giveaway was won by Becky!
My thanks to those whose names were not selected. Becky, please contact me via email or Facebook to give me your mailing address for your prize!

Painting on the Back of Transparencies

Select a black and white photograph with high contrast, since the white areas will be clear on the transparency. (Here I used one of my own photos.) The clear areas are where the paint will show. If you inkjet-print the transparency, let dry and spray lightly with fixative so the ink won't smear. If your transparency was laser-printed, no worries about smearing!

 

I use acrylics on the back, rough side (where the ink is)
for two reasons: I can paint without being overly cautious,
even into the black areas a bit, and my "goofs" won't show
when I flip it over. Too, the other side is smooth and
glossy,which enhances the work.



The back side looks messy!

Flip it over when the acrylics are dry.

TEA BAG PAPERS IN COLLAGE

 

(WINNER OF CONTEST ANNOUNCED BELOW!)

 

I’m a big drinker…of tea, that is! Hot, cold, all seasons. I like the big, family-size bags for making iced tea, and they are perfect for this project.

I let the used bags dry, and then I carefully take them apart. You can either discard the leaves or use them as texture by mixing them with gel medium.



Not a lovely photo, but you get the idea!



Browns, golds, and greens are my color scheme.

 

The photo at right shows the first layers in my collage. The motif is that of trees and nature.

 

 



It's still not finished!

Then I adhered pieces of dry teabag paper with fluid acrylic medium. Note that the papers are quite transparent and yet they achieve some veiling and unifying, an effect I was after.

 In the photo below, I had added a few very dark accents with acrylic paint, to add depth and help tie everything together.

Finished mixed-media piece by P.Guhin

I also included die cut letters and stenciled in the number 3. I did a little scribbling to enliven the surface in a few places.

 

Last week's giveaway was won by my follower, Gigi, whose name was chosen in a fair and random drawing. My thanks to the others who participated, and please, stay with me! Gigi, kindly message me privately with your mailing address to receive your prize!

 

CONTEST WINNER ANNOUNCED, & ART BOOK EXCERPT!

The name drawn at random to win a copy of this book is Shauna's! 

(But anyone can order the e-version here at a low, low price!)

Shauna, please email me privately with your address, and congrats! I hope you like it.
(My thanks to the others who kindly left comments, and my hope goes out to you that you might win in a future giveaway here.)

NOW, AN EASY PROJECT FROM THE BOOK!

This photograh illustrates the art element of shape.

Shapes are flat, two-dimensional areas that are enclosed.

Cut a spare print into strips, all in one direction. They can be either vertical or horizontal, depending on the subject matter.

The strips can vary in thickness, too!

Then reshuffle the pieces, flip some upside down, and move them out of order.

Discard any pieces that don't enhance the new composition.

When you like the new arrangement, glue the pieces onto archival matboard or foamcore.

Which one do you like best? 

     

WINNER ANNOUNCED! (WATCH FOR ANOTHER FREEBIE ART MATERIALS CONTEST IN FUTURE.)

The lucky artist whose name was chosen at random to win the 6 art supplies is Sue Morris! 

I want to thank the others who participated, and encourage them to try again here for free paint products later, as I cull my huge collection.

Sue, please email me privately with your postal address so I can mail you the prizes!

WINNER ANNOUNCED! AND 2 COLLAGE PIECES TOO!

The randomly-selected winner of the retro-style dress in her size is Terry Janes! I do need the following information from Terry (privately, please) so the good people at Shabby Apple can send the prize out to her:

Address:
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Email ID:
Size:

Terry, please friend me on Facebook or send me an email through Google, whatever works for you. Congrats and I promise I will not use your info except to ensure that you get the lovely dress! And my thanks to the others who participated in the giveaway...I hope you will win a future contest right here at Mixed Media Manic!

Now for a couple of collages:

This is a small piece, just 5x7".

Postage stamps, tickets, and other ephemera, with stamped lines added.

THREE MIXED-MEDIA COLLAGES & A WINNER ANNOUNCED!

Last week's giveaway contest was won by Scrapper Jude, whose name was randomly selected. Congrats to the winner, who will receive a brand new copy of the Creative Painting book! 

Art Book Prize

Scrapper Jude, please privately contact me with your postal mailing address. And my thanks go to everyone else who participated, too. Please watch for another freebie contest in a future post.




THREE COLLAGES WITH NATURAL OR FOUND MATERIALS

The first, below, includes a vintage book page, a real feather, and a piece of natural bone. I also added acrylic paint and a transfer.

Injurious Insects, 9 x 12" by P. Guhin

This piece, with a "flying" theme, also uses bird's feathers, images, and acrylics. I incorporated fibers as well.

Original collage/painting

>

Finally, the collage/painting below is the most dimensional of the three, and the most textured.
I added gritty fillers to acrylic mediums, and found pieces of roadside trash with which to build up key areas.

9 x 13"

It's a non-objective work that I sealed with matte medium.

Altered Art Assemblage ! & Contest Winner Announced!

Antebellum, 12 x 14"
Assemblage from recycled materials
by Paula Guhin

The construction above is made from an inverted hanging basket, tiny plastic birds that were painted, and, of course, doll parts. I know some viewers will find the mis-matched arms and my treatment of this piece to be gruesome, but I made it thusly because I like the contrasts. Please feel free to leave gentle comments without unkind thoughts. 

Announcing the Prize Winner of Last Week's Contest!

Daisukisan11 was the user name that was drawn at random from the comments that were left for this giveaway. If she is a follower of this blog, she is eligible for the freebie, a largish painting pictured last week. When she sends me her snail mail address, I will use the USPS to mail the artwork to her. Thanks to all who comment, and especially to my followers, whom I appreciate so very much.

A New Assemblage & A Contest Winner Announced!

My thanks to those who entered the recent art book giveaway. I appreciate it and encourage them to try again to win a future freebie. The winner, whose name was drawn fairly and randomly, is Elayne Koenigsberg!  I have shipped the book, Creating Decorative Paper, to  Elayne.  

MIXED MEDIA ASSEMBLAGE FOR SHOE-LOVERS

I used a thrift shop shoe, a doll's porcelain head, and lots of costume jewelry for this piece. 

There's even a little angel figure in there.  It's a great way to reuse junk and exercise your creativity.

A Shrine That's a Shoe-In!

ENTER NOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A GREAT PRIZE!

BE A FOLLOWER OF THIS BLOG AND LEAVE A

 COMMENT HERE! SIMPLE, RIGHT?

The names of those followers who do so will be placed into a random drawing for a free opportunity to win
this book, IMAGE ART WORKSHOP!



The book is packed with many gorgeous, inspiring pages on how to use spare photos, photocopies, and other images in your art.

This freebie offer expires on Saturday, April 9 so join in now!

The winner of this blog candy must, of course, contact me with his or her mailing address.

So watch this blog for the winner's name!

Draw a Cylinder and Add Form with Shading

Drawing a Cylinder

I'm including this simple little lesson, below,  for any art teachers or youngsters out there who might want it.

ENTER THIS CONTEST FOR A CHANCE AT A GREAT PRIZE!

Follow this blog and leave a comment below...that's all there is to it! The names of those followers who do so will be placed into a random drawing for a free opportunity to win

a fabulous, brand-new book,

The Complete Photo Guide to Creative Painting!



Just one page is shown, above, but the book is packed with many gorgeous, inspiring pages!

This freebie offer expires on Monday, February 28, 2011, so join in now!

Comments left at the previous announcement of this contest are already eligible.

The winner of this blog candy must, of course, contact me with his or her mailing address.

So watch this blog for the winner's name!