Bits & Pieces

This is a mixed media painting I recently completed on an 11 x 14 inch canvas.   Last year, I found a wonderful vintage bookkeeping journal at my favorite antique shop.  I couldn’t decide if I wanted to use it as an art journal or use the papers in collage.   I put it aside but found myself leafing through it occasionally.  I love the feel and fragility of vintage paper.  When there is handwriting on it, all the better!  The first page in the journal had this wonderful golden brown tone with a nice sheen to it that I just couldn’t resist using as collage.

For the initial layer, I collaged on some torn pieces from the journal to the canvas and then did some painting and stamping.  Next I collaged on some torn pieces of deli paper from my stash.  The papers were painted with Golden acrylic paints and then covered in interference paint.  This gave the paper a beautiful reflective surface that is just lovely when the light hits it.

Next I added some Golden molding paste above and below the collaged deli papers with a palette knife.  I was careful not to completely cover the vintage papers from the first layer.  I made some marks in the molding paste to create texture.  Once the paste dried, I did some more painting with acrylics along with some watercolor crayons and once dry, I added some more molding paste.   After that layer of paste dried, I added more color with acrylics and watercolor crayons.  I finished it off by painting the sides black.

Here is a picture of the journal and a piece of the first page.  The pages in the journal are dated from January to March 1910.

Finding Balance – Not

This is a collage I had been working off and on for awhile using some of my painted deli papers along with prints made with the gelli plate and some old book pages.  I wanted to get the papers down just so and was really liking the way it was going.  I planned on calling it Finding Balance.  I think I lost all balance though when I added the darker blue circles and squares.   Just not loving this one.  I don’t like the placement of the blue circles or the darker blue square shapes added to the center of the lighter blue.  I had originally planned to have green drips coming down from the collage papers.  I wish I would have stuck with that idea.

This will probably go in the closet for a while until I come across it again and try reworking it.  I still had fun with the journey of creating it though.

Deli Wrap Techniques

I have been experimenting with dry wax deli wrap paper.  I have quite a stash of paper to tear and use in my art pieces.   I’m really enjoying doodling on the wrap with the Faber Castell Big Brush Pens.  I love the way the ink pulls away from the paper and leaves such lovely circles and other doodled shapes.

I also like to paint the deli wrap with gesso.  Sometimes I will make marks in the gesso.   This makes for an interesting effect once paint or markers are added.

Here is a fun way to create mottled looking papers:  Using a piece of deli paper painted with gesso, color on it with a Big Brush Pen.  Let that set for just a few seconds and spray it with water.   Take a paper towel and press it onto the deli paper.  This will pick up some of the marker.  You could also put one color on, let dry, then add another color over the top (such as yellow and orange).  Once you spray with water and pick up the top color with the paper towel and the bottom color will show through.  Try this without using gesso and collaging over other layers of art.  You can see the other layers peeking through.

Try laying your deli paper over a stencil or other textured object and rubbing with a Caran D’Ache neocolor crayon.

I’m working on a new piece of art using torn deli papers and other papers that my granddaughter and I created using a gelli plate.  I’m wanting to take pics of the process but haven’t been able to get outside pictures with better light because of all the snow we have here.  I don’t ever remember having so much snow on the ground.  We had thunder snow and lighting today with at least 6 inches to add to who knows how many other inches already on the ground.  Hoping for Spring to get here soon!

A New Paper Collage Painting

I’ve just finished another collage painting.  I thought I had ruined this one because I created it on paper and when I glued it to a hardboard panel, it had so many wrinkles in it that I didn’t think they were going to come out.  I was so aggravated and just kept thinking about how it was a favorite and I was probably just going to have to throw it away.  I kept putting heavy books on it and trying to smooth down the paper.  Finally I stopped stressing over it and had a little talk with myself about how there are going to be mistakes and I should  just be happy that I got to enjoy creating it.  I also learned some new techniques along the way.

The next day, I went to look at it again and all the wrinkles that were not supposed to be there, were gone!  I guess the glue just need to dry more and, when it did, the paper shrunk down to fit the board.  I was a happy camper!

Here are a some pictures of how it progressed.

I mixed up some modeling past and paint and applied it with a palate knife over a vintage plastic doily to create the textured design.  I didn’t have a dragonfly stamp big enough for this piece so I had to improvise.  Using a stamp I had, I applied ink and stamped it onto white paper and scanned the image.  I then copied and pasted it into Word where I re-sized it.  I then printed it onto tissue paper, cut it out and glued it on.

I also found out just how much I love using dry waxed deli paper.  I will be sharing some techniques I have learned along the way in a future post.

Painted Papers

Here are a few more collage/paintings I did on mixed media paper using Jane’s techniques.  The papers are curled up but will be fine once I mount them onto wood panels.  The paper is 10 x 7 so not sure if I will cut them up and put them on smaller panels like I did the first one, or see if I can’t find something the same size they are to mount them on.

I finished the larger piece that I was creating directly on the wood panel (except for the varnish), but it had a mind of it’s own and ended up looking nothing like how it started out.  I’ll post it as soon as I get it varnished.