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. 

 

 

GIVEAWAY - BRAND NEW ART BOOK!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
It's easy to win this freebie!

The rules for the contest are simple. Just follow this blog and leave a comment below this post. A winner will be selected randomly and announced
at my very next post. Vivian Miller!

(Winner must then privately email me with his
 or her US postal address.)

(This book has only been used once for review purposes!)

Excellent with acrylics mixing, too.

 

THANKS FOR FOLLOWING THIS ART BLOG!

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.

How to Use Saturation or Intensity in a Color Scheme

Saturation

Also known as "intensity," saturation describes the strength of a color with respect to how pure it is. A color's saturation is the degree to which it is different from gray at any given lightness. For instance, colors that are quite grayish are fairly unsaturated compared to brighter, more vibrant colors. 

Pure, bright yellow at left. Duller yellow (with gray, not black, in the gradient at right.

Pure, vivid color is not diluted by gray (or the color's complement). If you wish to tone down a bright, pure color and lower the saturation, add both black and white together (gray), or the color's opposite on the color wheel.

E.g., red is the complement of green, so it would de-saturate green paint (make an olive green, for example) to add some red paint to it. Or, to create a muted barn red, add a bit of green to the red paint!

Tip:

It's often advantageous to paint with a variety of intensities, to avoid a simplistic, "too sweet" effect.

                                                                                                                                   

                                                         A color's complement, if added to that color, will lower its intensity.

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).

Color Scheme of Golden Ochre and Teal: Two Artworks

I'm often drawn to yellow ocher and blue-green color harmonies in my work. The two pieces shown here are variations on that scheme.

This wall-hanging (left), Iron Man, is based on a vintage, very large anatomy chart. I added rusty bits, imagery, acrylic media, string, and much more. The texture is extremely palpable. Do you find it to be creepy and disturbing, or interesting and thought-provoking?

The collage/painting directly above, Abide in Me, is to honor my step-father, Cal Schultz, who was a very talented artist and a great dad. (He's the little guy being held up by his brother.) Cal had been stricken with polio, and wore a leg brace all his life. He was a model of courage and perseverance.

Here are links to more posts about color schemes! http://mixedmediamanic.blogspot.com/2012/08/three-color-schemes-and-contest.html  and http://mixedmediamanic.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-to-use-split-complementary-color.html   and http://mixedmediamanic.blogspot.com/2011/09/looking-for-great-color-scheme-try.html
 

HOW TO IMPRINT LEAVES WITH DYE & MAKE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL!

This project is so easy, and yet the results can be very striking! 
Use the papers as artworks in themselves, or as backgrounds or collage elements in other works.


MATERIALS:

1. Absorbent, smooth watercolor paper
2. Liquid fabric dyes
3. Leaves with prominent veins
4. Pane of glass or plexi, and heavy books

PROCESS:

1. Arrange a variety of leaves (different sizes and shapes) on a pre-dampened sheet of watercolor paper. Add a few grasses here and there if you like.
2. Flood the paper with vivid, beautiful colors of liquid fabric dye. (Liquid watercolor paints or inks work, too.) Select a few colors, lighter and darker, that work well together.
3. Place the sheet of glass on top, and a heavy book to weigh it down. Let dry overnight. Try several of these, since results can be mixed.

Be sure to check out my previous post on how to select a fabulous colour scheme! And please see my photo blog on Tumblr, I Luv Photography!