Playing with mixed media

Mixed media has never been a strong point for me, but my Artist Way group loves it:  the more different kinds of media, the better! I'm more of a purist I guess. This particular meeting, we didn't really have a planned project so we got out some gel medium and "played". I'm still not quite sure what gel medium is but it sure is versatile. Along with it, I used ink, magazine clippings, and pastel crayons on watercolor paper. Here are my creations.

Stormtrooper mixed media

In keeping with my New Year's resolution of taking risks with my art, I have taken my Stormtrooper and transformed it into Finn...or is it FN-2187? (is that a spoiler?) Using some watercolor paint, I put in a black background as well as blood on the helmet (yes, I applied it mostly with my fingers... what fun!) Since I was still working in my sketchbook, I had to be careful to not use much water because the paper does not take moisture well.

Santa Cruz seascapes in watercolor

So here is the watercolor of my lighthouse sketch. I added the sailboat to add some interest to the right side of the painting.  I really like the effect I got with the marine layer (payne's grey) and the blue sky. I simplified the waves, and darken the lighthouse...maybe a little too dark.  

Some watercolor painters it's tell me they work on more than one plaiting at a time. So while waiting for one to dry, they work on the next. As I worked on my second Santa Cruz inspired painting, I realized that in order for painting more than one painting at a time to be effective, they need to have similar palettes. I kept having to completely rinse off each brush.

 This second seascape was done from a photo I had taken. I needed to crop more of the foreground out.  On this painting I tried to put more focus on the waves.

Hand painted coasters

I feel homemade gifts are always the best. They carry a certain charm and, in my opinion, are better than the gift cards that people always resort to. Here is a great last-minute gift idea...monogrammed coasters! These "coasters" were purchased at a local hardware store in the tile department. Then with black acrylic paint, I monogrammed each tile. I always have trouble making lettering look exactly the same, so I did a little font research and created "B" in four different ways! I'm not sure if I need to put a clear coat on top to extend the life of the paint...I like the matte, rustic look so I skipped it.

Christmas cards (or Holiday cards!)

I got together with my Artist Way group to make Christmas cards. They really go all out with materials and supplies, because they love to experiment with different processes and multimedia. I'm more of a purist myself but it's good to get out of my comfort zone once in a while. Here are some Christmas cards that I created. I actually started with a sheet of watercolor paper that someone else had started with a blue and green wash. She said it didn't turn out like she wanted, but I thought it would be perfect for a background (and I hated for it to go to waste). Then I added more paint and stamped them. The first two are my favorite...

  For this last set of cards I really went out of my comfort zone with stamps and glitter! (It doesn't show up well in my photos though)

Although I call them Christmas cards, only this second to last one says Christmas, so I suppose "holiday cards" is a more appropriate title...good for EVERY occasion!

Quan Yin, watercolored with berries

While hanging out in a friend's backyard a couple weeks back, I saw a bush with a bunch of berries.  It got me thinking...if I could paint a leopard with coffee, could I paint something with berries? So I grabbed a small batch of berries and took it home. With a little research, I found out it's called a fatsia bush. The berries aren't poisonous, but I don't think I'll try eating them!
First, I put a pot with a little water on the stove and boiled the berries down till I had a sauce, then strained it through a coffee filter into a cup. Then I let it sit for a couple of weeks...not intentionally. I just had not been inspired. It actually thickened up even more, almost to a cream consistency ( thicker on the bottom, watery still on the top). Hmmm...I might be onto something here.
So I decided to paint a small portrait of Quan Yin. The "berry paint" just doesn't flow quite as well as higher quality paint, but it does the job, from thin wash to darker coverage. I have to be careful not to dredge up too much sediment though.

Leopard with coffee

In anticipation of entering a piece of work in the Rancho Cordova City Hall mixed media exibit, I decided to try something new. Of course since the deadline was today at 6:00 pm, I started it this morning...I'm such a procrastinator! Earlier this week I was painting and accidentally rinsed my brush in my coffee cup. It got me thinking, maybe I could paint with coffee.
After I did a simple pencil sketch from a photo of a leopard, I drew in the black spots and lines with a black oil pastel. I also put in white whiskers with oil pastel...they didn't resists the water as well as I had hoped. Then I took some old coffee ( that usually goes to water the plants) and used it as a wash over my pencil sketch. This is the lightest wash on the nose. I needed to get it darker so I boiled the coffee to get it more concentrated. As I continued to test for darkness, and then boil some more, it slowly got to almost where I wanted the color. It definitely is more difficult to work with coffee than watercolor. The darker spots in the shadows needed some black watercolor mixed in.  All of the other color in the painting is watercolor. Sorry the picture didn't come out very well. I try to take photos before I put them under glass, but I was on a deadline!