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 

 

OIL & ACRYLIC PAINTINGS, ABSTRACT & NON-OBJECTIVE

PAINTINGS NOW AVAILABLE ON ETSY

MY SHOP IS CALLED "GUHINP"

https://www.etsy.com/shop/guhinp?ref=search_shop_redirect 

Glossy acrylic, 9 x 12 x 2"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oils, 9 x 12 1", "The Bridge"

Primary colors, very Mondrian-like. Oils. 9 x 12 x 1"

These paintings are all cradled, 

with good quality materials, and the design for each

does carry over the sides, so they are ready for hanging. 

 

NOT A PAINTING: EX VOTO ASSEMBLAGE

YOU CAN BUILD AN ASSEMBLAGE WITH HEART

I'm happy to take you through my process, especially since this shrine or construction is very dear to me. I knew and loved a young man who was on the wrong path, wild and a bit rowdy sometimes. He nearly died in a car crash, and was left with head injuries. (He's much better now, many years later, thankfully.)

Here you can see a toy car and small head in the upper part of the photo.

I based this new  assemblage roughly on a
votive offering placed in a church or shrine
as thankfulness for a miracle received.

Mexican retalblos are small oil paintings, generally made
on tin. An ex voto is a votive offering to
a divinity, usually Christian. Read more  about them here:
(click on this link)  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex-voto

  Materials I used:

Strong, clear adhesive 

Wooden shelf, picture frame, and small box
Found objects (many are pictured below)
Discarded beads
Acrylic paints: Diox. purple, Quin. red and Quin. gold,
    Mars black, Titanium white, and Ultramarine blue. 

Copper patina

I decided against some of these objects and altered others.

  Traditionally written (usually at the bottom) are inscriptions, names, dates, and stories of miraculous recoveries and escapes. I chose not to do that.
For more history on ex votos and info on modern, current ones, click here:
http://www.mariolinasalvatori.com/understanding-ex-votos/

This might have been where my friend had gone if he had died years ago.

Here's a close-up, below, of the broken, burnt glass that sits below the devil.

I also put rusty barbed wire just below 

that (not too visible, sorry), and again 

where "Hell" ends, just below the car and boy.

Here you can see the beads and the costume jewelry pin.

My recent assemblages might seem a little sinister

to some of you...I mean, Medusa? Now this!

But I have always loved icons and myths.

Have I gone to the dark side? 

What's your opinion? I'd love to know.

Below is a link to a much sillier assemblage

that I created quite a long while ago.

Circus and clown!

BELOW, A FULL VIEW OF THE FINISHED PIECE!

Do you think this is appropriated art? 

I'd love to hear your comments! This was a love project for me, and

I feel I've put my own, original stamp on the artwork. And I didn't include any inscription or a saint although I do have religious elements in the top half of the piece.  (There is also an image you can't see of a saintly figure, in the dark, under the hand.) 
Do you find it too depressing or ominous, with the devil and horns?  

I do need a title for this piece, so if you have a good idea, 

please let me know!

Thanks for viewing this post. I appreciate you.   ---  Paula

                                        

 

PAINTERS: HIE THEE TO A DOLLAR STORE!

Cheap and plastic, yes, but thrifty!

Save paint in these containers...they have lids!

And the painting knives would be great for kids.

(Kids don't always clean their tools properly.)

And you get three knives to a package! 

Mixed media artist could use these so often!

Dollar Tree or Dollar General, I don't recall, but well worth a trip!

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.)

MONTAGE & SCRAP PHOTOS & MORE

Duplicate prints and downright bad shots

 can be put to good use...I've said it before.

SURE, PHOTOSHOP CAN ACCOMPLISH ALL THESE
TECHNIQUES, BUT THE OLD-FASHIONED
WAY IS AWFULLY FUN.

In this first example, a large print served as the support (or background, if you will). Then I found other, smaller prints to cut up and arrange to make the work more interesting. Do try this, but only glue the pieces down when you're happy with the composition. I like the complementary colors together.



Good method for hiding the worst parts!

This next idea is the "more" mentioned in this post's title. My so-called example below is a straight photograph, with no manipulation or mixed-media. But it gave me an idea! Make your own "trellis" with thin chart tape, fine-line tape, or other colored tape! So easy, and yet you can be as creative as you wish.

Copyright Paula Guhin

Our third photograph has been manipulated a great deal!
It's a weaving, of course, with yarns, wallpaper strips, and more.
I worked around the figure...she's not simply pasted on top!


 

I've featured other fun photo projects on this blog. Check out this photocopy fun page and this painted collage post. Also another painted collage page here. AND 3 photomontages, fun and cool.

Happy New Year, everyone!

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.

NO TIME FOR ART? BULL CRAP!

Here's another stab at a simple, grid-like
collage using up some of my

huge stash of painted papers.

I do prefer my earlier, very vivid example, shown at the link here, but this time I wanted to try a neutral collage with tan, beige, white, brown, black. As you can see below, I did not stick with the plan. That happens quite often!


Use wallpaper, wrapping paper, old letters,
book pages as well as your own original papers.

I had also intended to further develop this work with stamped and scribbled additions, but nooooo. Go figure.
As my friend Lynn says, this could be a good warm-up exercise. Or a preview to test a composition!                

Thanks for your viewing! 

A STENCILED EFFECT...BUT NOT!

HOW TO CREATE A POSITIVE/NEGATIVE PAINTING

In just three or four steps!

First up, the original mixed-media piece on canvas, which I rather despised and wanted to paint over. (See my post here about putting a bird on it!) 

I love nature, but not this collage/painting.

Step 1: Disguise the original work in places with fairly thin acrylic colors, almost at random. Let dry.   

As you can see, I flipped the piece upside-down.

TIP: For partially obscuring the piece, choose colors on either the light or the dark side, depending on the next color, in the next step!

Step 2: Draw outlines of the flat shapes you wish to use. (I selected plant forms, but other ideas include still life objects, simplified people-shapes, animals, and more. I "drew" with thin blue-violet paint and a liner brush (far better than pencil). Note where I began to fill in the negative space in two corners.

TIP: Turn the canvas as you work.

Step 3: Paint the negative
spaces (those around the
positive shapes). If your
background is quite dark
over all, try a very light
color (a high value)
instead of doing as I did.

In the finished painting, below, I
left a few streaks and round shapes
unpainted in the background, to add to the foliage effect.


The finished positive/negative painting.








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!







 

ANTLERS: AN UNUSUAL PAINTING SURFACE

SOME ANTLERS ARE TOO BEAUTIFUL TO COVER...
THEY ARE LIKE FINE IVORY.

But if you live in an area frequented by deer, you might find their antlers shed in or near trees. You can also buy antlers on eBay!

 

A found object.

I'm unlucky enough to live in an area well-trafficked by hunters,
but I do often find antlers. When I wished to use some of them in a
decorative painting project, I tinted gesso with yellow oxide or simply
used the white gesso. Gesso is a primer that helps the paint to stick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colored gesso is the first layer here.

 

I used stencils and spray paint on this example.

For an ombre or gradient effect I used spray paint in black, copper metallic, & brown.
I also masked off areas
with a stencil.

Another idea, especially if the antler is textured with ridges and bumps in places, is to drybrush over them with a contrasting color!
Or try gold leaf!

I prepared to do the stripes in the example below by adding

masking tape and burnishing it down thoroughly before

painting an area. I wished for some natural antler-color to show

in some places. I also wanted to include some Native

American-like symbols, drawn on with paint marker

 afterward. NOTE: When creating stripes next to

each other, let dry and seal with matte medium

first, before taping. This intermediate layer helps

keep tape from peeling off some of the acrylic paint.

 

Always let dry thoroughly between additions.

Altered Art

Ancient symbols add interest.

Seal when dry, using clear acrylic medium to help preserve your masterpiece.


 



Alter a Photo for Collage (or just for fun!)

Scratch a Photographic Print  to Add Interest

 

I'll bet you have some commercially-processed photo prints that are less than perfect. Or maybe you have duplicates, or disappointing enlargements.

 

Here's how to have some fun with them...and if you goof up, it's no loss. If you like the effect, the "new" piece might stand alone--or you could work it into a painting or mixed media artwork.

 

First, soak the print in warm water (not too cool, please) to soften the emulsion. Gently blot dry.

 

Then just scratch away with a good, sharp tool! The technique works best in the dark areas of the photograph. The lines may be yellow or blue, depending on the print.

 

If you don't like it, cut or tear into collage pieces. 

NOTE: I plan a giveaway soon with a very useful prize! It will be just for my followers.



Just Messin' Around with Leftover Art Materials

DON'T DISCARD DRIBS & DABS

Here's a great way to use up art media rather
than throwing it away!

 

Even the support for this exploration should be spare sturdy paper, cardboard, foam core, or an unwanted painting. Use it up!

 

As you finish an art-making session, stroke leftover paint here and there onto the spare substrate. (It helps clean your brushes of excess paint, too.) Eventually you might like the colors and effects enough to use the painting as a background for a new work!

 

Here's what I did with some fine sand I had mixed with golden ochre paint and fluid acrylic medium:

 

 

 

 

I applied the mixture to foam core and drew into it
to create the lines you see. Note the leftover bit of tissue I adhered to one corner when I ran out of sand.

 

A day later and another painting sesh finished,

I saved extra inks by applying them to my (now dry) sandy "spare."

It was teal Bombay India ink and Scattered Straw distress ink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On another day, I added burnt sienna airbrush color, which is liquid. Next, I made a blackened blue mixture from leftover acrylics and used that in places. Still not done!

Finally, I added accents of vivid red-orange and white. Sand (even mixed with acrylic medium) is very absorbent, I found!

 

Since you never, ever, EVER want to rinse acrylic paint down your pipes, this is a great way to use up extra paint & experiment at the same time. Just mess around a bit!