AcrylicSolutions

EXPLORINGMIXEDMEDIALAYERBYLAYER

ChrisCozenandJuliePrichard

NorthLightBooks

Cincinnati,Ohio

artistsnetwork.com

FRAGMENTSMixedMediaoncanvas,30×30(76cm×76cm),JuliePrichard

AFTERTHERAINMixedMediaoncanvas,18×18(46cm×46cm),ChrisCozen

Contents

AcrylicSolutions

InJulie’sWords

InChris’sWords

HowThisBookWorks

TheBasics:Design,Color,MaterialsandMore

ElementsofArt

Materials,ToolsandSupplies

HowAcrylicsWork

MixingtheColorWheel

TheBasics:MixingIntermediateColors

ColorOptions

TheBasics:ColorPlusLight

TheBasics:ColorPlusDark

AmazingGlazing

TheBasics:MixingaGlaze

LayingaGoodFoundation

AcrylicGesso

LayingaGoodFoundation:PreparingPaper

LayingaGoodFoundation:PreparingWood

LayingaGoodFoundation:PlanSurfaceTextureWithCollage

LayingaGoodFoundation:BulkUpWithCardboard

AddingStructure

DevelopingStructure

HowStructureWorks

UsingCollageasStructure

AddingStructure:MakingaStructuralCollage

TextureasStructure

ApplyTextureWithaPaletteKnife

HowProductsBehave

AddingStructure:PlayingWithTexturalMediums

AddingStructure:CreatingRaisedStencilPatterns

AddingStructure:LayeringStencils

AddingStructure

AddingStructure:FreestyleColorBlocking

AddingStructure:ColorBlockingWithTape

AddingStructure:ColorPatching

ColorinAction

AddingStructure:WaterMedia:DripsandDrops

LineasStructure

AddingStructure:Incised,ButNotPrecise

ImageasStructure

AddingStructure:MoveThatImage!

JulieBuildsWithCollage

ChrisDevelopsLayersofTexture

RecognizingWhentoStop

DevelopingComplexity

DevelopingComplexity:YouCanDraw

DevelopingComplexity:AbstractMonoprinting

Complexity:PaintedLines,BlocksandDesign

AddingTexturewithSheerCollageElements

DevelopingComplexity:PaintYourOwnCheesecloth

DevelopingComplexity:CreateaPaintSkin

IncorporatingPatternWithStencils

GlazingforColorCorrection

DevelopingComplexity:AddingaLayerofCalm

DevelopingComplexity:ShadingforShadow,VolumeandDepth

It’sallinaGlaze:Grit,Grime,RustandPatina

DevelopingComplexity:MixingYourAgingGlaze

Julie’sDemo:DevelopingComplexity:FineTuningWithColor

Chris’sDemo:DevelopingComplexity:ChrisDevelopsHerPainting

FinessingtheDetails

FinishingTouches

FinishingTouches:Bold,ImperfectLines

PaintaSurfacetoDrawOn

UsingColorasDetail

SpecialEffectsPaintApplications

SpecialEffectsDepartment

FinishingTouches:SprayIt!

Julie’sDemo:FinishingTouches:AddingComplexityattheEnd

Chris’sDemo:FinishingTouches:EnhanceandEmphasize

AboutVarnishing

Dedication

AbouttheAuthors

Acknowledgments

InJulie’sWords

UNTITLEDYELLOWMixedmediaoncanvas,24x24"(61cm×61cm),JuliePrichard

Ilikelookingintoapaintingforalongtime,tostudyitandseewhatIcanfind.Themysteryof

whatIwilluncoverkeepsmecomingbackformore.Lookingforpiecesandcluesaboutwhat

mightbeunderthelayersisexcitingandittotallydefinesmypaintingstyle.

Mytrainingasaphotographerprovidedmyintroductiontolayering.Havingthe

understandingthatlayerscanbeaddedandremoved,ortheycanbeaddedtoptobottomor

viceversa,isjustasimportantinpaintingasitisinphotography.Layeringalsohelpsbreak

downthedauntingfeelingofmakingamixed-mediapainting.Workonitonestepatatime,

knowingthatonestepisnotinitselffinalbutsubjecttowhim.Whenteachingpainting

workshops,ChrisandIstressthatnopaintingisfinisheduntilyoufeelitis,infact,finished.

Ihaveabackgroundinscience.Knowinghowthingsworkisimportanttomymethodology.

Ihavelearnedaboutpaints,mediumsandgroundstounderstandhowIcanmakethemwork

forme,andthroughoutthisbookIsharethisknowledgewithyou.Fromthisknowledge,we

havecompiledourfavoritetechniques.

Whenyoumixandmatchtechniques,youcanachievecountlessvariationsandlooks.Ihope

youenjoylearningfromthisbookandexpandingyourpaintingrepertoire.

InChris’sWords

PHASESMixedmediaoncanvas,24"×24"(61cm×61cm),ChrisCozen

Thereissomethingcompletelycaptivatingaboutmixedmedia.Thefreedomandserendipityof

theartformallowsmetogetlostintheprocess,easilyshiftingbetweenpaintandpaper,

addingcollage,lineandtexture.Mixedmedianeverfeelsroteorformulaic.Inthebeginning,I

usedtotrytokeeptrackofthenumberoflayersthatwentintomypieces,butIdon’tanymore.

Thegoalformeasanartististocreateworkthatseamlesslytransitionsbetweenlayers,sothat

thewholepiecereadsfullyandcompletely.Ihavefoundthatmanylayersmakeforthemost

interestingpieces.IoftentakeworksoffwallsandaddmorelayerstothemmonthsafterI

thoughtIwasdone!

Writingthisbookhasonlyreinforcedmycommitmenttomixedmedia.Whereelseintheart

worldcanyouusesuchdiversityofmaterialsanddevelopsucharangeofoutcomes?

Althoughwehavestructuredthisbooktodemonstratehowonecreatesmixedmediaartin

layers,keepinmindthattherearenohard-and-fastruleshere.Jumpbackandforththrough

thesetechniquesatyourwill.Mixitup,repeatoraddlayers.Westoppedbecauseweranoutof

pages,butyoucankeepgoing.Wehopeyouenjoytheprocess.

HowThisBookWorksWewantyoutoownthisbook!

Sure,thatmeansit’sgreatifyoubuyitandputitonyourshelf,butwewantyoutoreally

makeityourown.Wehopeyouwriteinthemargins,turndownthecornersofpagesandmake

notesandaddendumstoourtechniques.Considerthesepagesasasetofblueprintsprepared

forconstructinglayeredandcomplexmixed-mediaartwork.Wehavegivenyoustep-by-step

techniquesforimplementingyourplansandplentyofsupportivematerialtoguideyouinyour

understandingofcoloranddesign,aswellasforselectingappropriateartsupplies.

Wechosetoshowyouourworkasitdevelops,throughoutthepages.Youwillfollowtwo

verydifferentpaintingsfrompreparationtocompletion.Wefeltthatifyoucouldseefor

yourselfthetransformations,bothdramaticandsubtle,itwouldbehelpfulasyoucreateyour

ownart.Ontopofthat,wehavefilledthebookwithloadsofourownworkasexamplesofthe

techniquesthatweuseandlove.

Ourgoalforyouisthatyoutaketheinformationweshareandthetechniqueswe

demonstrateanduseitalltocreateyourownuniquemultilayeredart.Onceyouhavemastered

thetechniqueswehaveshared,weencourageyoutomixitupandpulltechniquespresentedin

onelayerintovariousotherlayersofyourwork.Thenyouwillreallyownthebook!

Wehavebrokendownthelayersinthisway:

•LayingaGoodFoundation:Propersurfacepreparationtechniquesalongwithvariations

tocreatevisualinterestevenatthegessolevel.

•Buildingstructure:Supportthecompositionthroughcollage,texture,color,mark-

makingandimagedevelopment.

•Developingcomplexity:Makeuniqueandnuancedadjustmentswithcollage,mono-

printing,painttechniques,texturalandsheerelements,paintskinsandpattern.

•Finessingthedetails:Createfinishingtouchesthatmayinvolveline,surfacetreatments,

spraypaintandspecialeffectpaintapplications.

Asyoubegin,selectoneormoretechniquesfromeachsectionofthebooktodevelopyour

owncomposition.Atfirstyoumightstartwithasimplegessoedcanvasorboardandmove

directlyontoapplycolororcollage.Asyougainexperienceandconfidence,weencourageyou

totryseveraltechniquesfromeachsectionasyoubuildupyourlayers.Onceyoustartworking

withlayers,youwillseehowyoucanborrowideasandtechniquespresentedinonesectionto

applyatanotherlevelinyourpainting.Remember,withmixedmediayouhavetremendous

freedomandflexibilitytodevelopyourcompositionasyouchoose,allthewhileadjustingand

modifyingasyouapplylayers.Havefunandmakethisbookyours.

FormorefromJuliePrichardandChrisCozen,signupanddownloadbonusmaterialsat

artistsnetwork.com/acrylic-solutions.

AVIEWOFTHEKINGDOMMixedmediaoncanvas,20"×20"(51cm×51cm),ChrisCozen

CHAPTERONE

TheBasics:Design,Color,MaterialsandMore

FRAGMENTSMixedmediaoncanvas,36"×36"(91cm×91cm),ChrisCozen

Whenwegazeuponapieceofartwefindourselveseithercaptivatedorbored,orsomewhere

inbetween.Whatmakesthedifference?Whatholdsourattention?Partofwhatengagesusis

subjective:taste,style,colorpreferences,subject,etc.Therestcomesfromtheartist’s

understandingofhowthingswork.Howcanwelearntoholdaviewer’sattention?Which

colorscalmandwhichcolorsexcite?Whyusetubepaintinsteadoffluids?

Somanyquestions!Relax,thereareguidelineseveninartthatwillhelpyoufindthe

answers.Let’sgetstartedcoveringthebasics.

ElementsofArtTherearesiximportantplayersineverycomposition:line,space,value,color,shapeand

texture.Youwillgettoknowthemwell.Eachoftheseelementsshouldbeconsideredasyou

makeart.Considerthemthearchitecturalcomponentsofsuccessfulcompositionandmake

thempartofyourartvocabulary.

Line

Linereferstothepaththeviewer’seyetakesasitexploresthecomposition.Considerhowyouwanttheviewertofollowit.

Sometimesthelineoureyesfollowcanactuallybeseen;sometimesitisimpliedthroughthearrangementofelements,such

aswhenwesetuparowofsimilarshapes.Theverticallinesoftheplantspushingoutofthegroundaresupportedbythe

verticalbandsofcolor.Imaginethatsomeonehasdrawnastrong,blackdiagonallineacrossthiscomposition.Howwould

italterthewayyoureyerespondstothepiece?

EMERGINGMixedmediaoncanvas,24"×24"(61cm×61cm),ChrisCozen

Space

Spacereferstotheareasaroundanddistancebetweenelements.Withoutemptyspacesfortheeyetorest,acompositioncan

becometoobusy.Ideally,youwantyourviewer’seyetoexitacompositionhavingtraveledaroundtheentirepiece.Edit

thingsouttoprovideenoughspaceforeveryelementtobreathe.Thelargeareasoflightbluearoundthecentralimages

providespacefortheeyetorest.

UNTITLEDMixedmediaonmountedwatercolorpaper,24"×16"(41cm×61cm)ChrisCozen

Value

Valuereferstolightanddarkinacomposition,andincludeshighlightingandshadingtechniques.Ifacompositionisall

lightvalues,thereisnocontrast,andtheeyedoesn’tknowwheretofocus.Digitalcamerasworkonthesameprinciple.The

backgroundconsistslargelyoflightvaluesandfocalelementsindarkervalues.Thetworectangularshapesfallinamiddle

valueandaddbalancetothecomposition.

GRAFFITIWALLCOLLABORATION2010PIECE5OF9Mixedmediaoncanvas,5"×5"(13cm×13cm),JuliePrichard

Color

Hueisanotherwordforcolor,whichweseeeverywherewelook.Wewillshowyouwhatispossiblewithseveralred-blue-

yellowcombinationsandwhathappenswhentheyaremixed.

Colorhasavoice.Sometimesitisquiet,sometimesitisboldandaudacious.Coloralsohasatemperature.Itcanbewarm

orcool.Colorincludestintsandshades,andcomesfrompigmentsthatalsohavedistinctproperties.Asyoucreateart,your

colorchoiceswillexpresswhatyourintentionsare.Sometimesyouwilldecidethataquietpieceneedsanexclamationpoint

somewhere.Colorwillletyoudothat.

Thepieceshownhereislargelycomprisedofvarioustintsandshadesofthesamecolor(QuinacridoneMagenta).Theblue

spotsservetopulltheeyedownandin.

UNTITLEDMixedmediaoncanvas,9"×12"(23cm×30cm),ChrisCozen

Shape

Shapereferstoareasinacompositionthatcanbedefinedbyedges.Thesecanberecognizableshapessuchascirclesand

squares,oramorphousshapes.Spacescanbeimpliedbyslightcolorshiftsinabackgroundasintheplayofshadowsona

wall.Beonthelookoutforinterestingspacesinyourcompositions.Sometimestheshapesarehidden.Thewhiteshapeisthe

positivespacedefinedbytheedgewhereitmeetsthedarkbackground.Noticehowengagingthenegativespaceisaswell.

DELICATELADYAcryliconcanvas,11×14(36cm×28cm),JuliePrichard

Texture

Textureisaboutthequalityofthesurfaceofthepainting,eithervisuallyorphysically.Itreferstothesmoothnessor

roughness,glossinessorgrittinessofthework,aswellaseveryvariationinbetween.Whenwerepresenttextureinavisual-

onlymanner,weutilizelines,shadingandcolorshiftstoimplychangesofaphysicalnature.

Torepresenttexturephysically,shifttheelevationofapiecewiththickcollageelements,addingproductsthatcontain

particlestothesurfaceinavarietyofwaysorbythethicknessorthinnessofpaintapplications.Inthisexamplethesurface

texturewasmanipulatedwiththeadditionofbuiltupmoldingpastethatcreatedaledgeeffect.Areasofcracklepaste

furtherenhancethesurfacetexture.

GRASSESINTHECREVICEMixedmediaoncradledhardboard,10×8(25cm×20cm),ChrisCozen

Materials,ToolsandSuppliesWehavetriedtokeepthelistofproductsandsuppliesneededtoworkthroughthesepagestoa

minimum.Herearethebasicsyou’llneed:

•Red,blueandyellowfluidacrylicpaint,pluseitherTitaniumWhiteorTitanBufffluidacrylic

andTitanBuffOPENAcrylicbyGolden.

•2–4brushes,syntheticandnatural-bristletypeswithstraightoranglededges,plusonelarge

soft-bristlesyntheticbrush(availableinhomeimprovementstores).

•Afewplastic,wide-bladepaletteknivesandsomeassortedmark-makingtools,suchas

woodenchopsticks,toothpicks,skewers,galvanizednails,etc.

•Stencils,whichcanbepurchased,hand-cutorcreatedfromfoundsources.

•Foammake-upwedgesforpaintapplication.

MEDIUMS

Mediumsareprimarilyaddedtopainttoalterthestrengthofthepigmentwithoutchangingits

color,tocreateglazes,andinsomecases,extendthetimeyouhavetoapplyandmanipulate

thepaintonthesurface.ThemediumswewillusearePolymerMedium(gloss),fluidmatte

medium,AcrylicGlazingLiquid(Golden)andOPENMedium(gloss;Golden).

Whenpolymermediumisaddedtopaint,themixturewilldryatthesamerateasfluidpaint,

anddoesnotextendtheworkingtimeofthepaint.Theglossmediumwilldryshinywithout

anychangetothecolor.Mattemediumwilldrywithoutglossinessandcauseaslight

lighteningtothecolor.

BoththeAcrylicGlazingLiquidandtheOPENAcrylicMediumaredesignedtoextendthe

workingtimeofthepainttowhichtheyareadded.Thesetwoproductsareessentialpartners

intheprocessesweshareinthesepages.Theglazingliquidwillallowforanadditional10–15

minutesofworkingtimebeforestartingtodry,dependingonclimateandstudioconditions.

Sincesheerlayersoffluidpaintdryinmereseconds,thisisatremendousadvantage.The

OPENmediumisdesignedspecificallytomaximizeworkingtimewhenpairedwiththeOPEN

acrylicpaints.Formostofourapplicationsweuseitpairedwiththefluidcolorsandfindit

givesusevenlongerworkingtimethantheacrylicglazingliquid.Onecaution:Don’tusethem

togetheronthesamebrushoryouwillstartliftingmorepaintoffthesurfacethanyouare

puttingdown.

Wedon’tgetveryfarintoaprojectwithoutoneorbothoftheseproductsbeingputintoplay.

It’simportanttonotethatthereareotherproductssoldasglazingmediumsofonesortorthe

otherwhichmayormaynothavethepropertiesneededforthetechniqueswearesharing.If

youuseotherbrands,besuretheyprovideextendedworkingtime.

GELSANDPASTES

Gels,pastesandothertexturalproductsareavailableinawidevarietyofchoices.Theseare

usedtoaddtexturetoourcompositionsandcanbeusedstraightfromthejar,tinted,orin

combinationwithotherproductstocreateone-of-a-kindtextures.

Eachgelorpastehasaspecificsetofbehaviors.Itisimportantforyoutogetacquainted

withwhateachonefeelslikewhenitisdry,howittints,andwhetheritistransparent,

translucentoropaque,smoothorrough,porousornonporous.Itisn’tnecessarytopurchasea

dozenproductstoworkwithourtechniques.Selecttheproductsthatappealtoyouanduse

ourtechniquestomaximizethewaystheycanbeutilized.Someofourfavoritesaremolding,

fiberandcracklepastesandAcrylicGroundforPastels(Golden).Thethicker,heavy-bodied

tubepaintscanalsobeusedtocreatecolorfultexturalsurfaces.

ExtendYourColorIfyoufindyourselflowonacolorandneedjustabitmore,addpolymermediumglosstoyourpaint.Mixitgentlyandthoroughly.Sinceartist-gradepainthassuchstrongpigmentconcentration,youcanaddupto30percentofthemediumwithoutnoticeablechange.Thisiscalledapaintextension.

HowAcrylicsWorkWehavesimplifiedthisoverviewinanefforttohelpyouunderstandacrylicproductsandtheir

differences.Formoretechnicalinformation,visitthewebsitesofthemajoracrylicpaint

manufacturersorattendalocallectureonacrylics.What’smostimportanttounderstandis

thatwhenyouworkwithacrylics,youareworkingwithinacompatiblesystem.Youhave

tremendousflexibilityincombiningproducts,tweakingconsistenciesandcreatingyourown

“designer”combinations.Thereareaveryfewexceptionstothiscompatibilityfactor,whichwe

willpointoutalongtheway.

POLYMERBASE

Allacrylicsaremadeupofpolymersthatareeventuallycombinedwithbitsofother

ingredientsthatchangetheirbehaviorinsomespecificway.Whenapolymerisformulatedto

makepaint,itisproducedinafluid,pourablestate.Mostacrylicproductsbegininthisway.

Weliketothinkofpolymermediumasnakedpaint,orwhatpaintwouldlooklikeifthe

colorpigmentshadbeenleftout.Itisthegluethatbindsthepigmentstothesurfacesitwillbe

appliedto.Themilkywhitecolorisaresultofthewaterthatmakestheproductsmoveableand

pourable.Whenthewaterevaporates,theresultisafilmthatisclearandglossy.Youcan

alwaystellwhenthefilmisdrybecausethewhitewillhavedisappeared.

Mattemediumisalsoafluidjustlikepolymerglossmedium,butitdrieswithahazyfinish

andhasabitoftooth,orroughness,toit.Thischangeinsurfaceisaresultoftheadditionof

smallwhiteparticlessuspendedinthefluid.Whenmattemediumhasdried,thecolorbeneath

itseemsabitmoresubduedordull.

Gelmediumsarecreatedbyaddingthickeningagentstothefluidpolymermedium.Gel

mediumscomeinvariousthickenedstatesrangingfromsoftallthewaytoextraheavy.Softgel

willnotholdapeakanddrieswithroundededges.Thethickerthegel,themoreitwillholda

peakoralinewhenincised.Gelmediumscomeingloss,whichdriesclear;semigloss,whichis

likeasatinfinish;andmatte,whichlookshazyandhasatoothonthesurface.

Pastesandtexturedgelsarecreatedthroughtheadditionofparticlestothethickened

mediumstocreatemoldingpastes,glassbeadgel,pumicegel,fiberpasteandmanymore.

Dependingonwhathasbeenaddedtothemixture,someofthesepasteswillbeopaqueand

somewillbetranslucent.Anyofyourpaintscanbeaddedtopolymermediums,gelsand

pastestocreatevariationsintransparency,textureandconsistency.Dosomeexperimentingto

discoverjusthowmanyvariationsarepossible.

Heavybodyacrylics,fluidacrylicsandOPENacrylics.

PAINTFORMULATIONS

Acrylicpaintcomesinavarietyofformulations,eachhavingitsownpersonality.Simplyput,

mostacrylicpaintscomeasthickformulationsfoundintubesorthinliquidformulationsthat

arepourable.New,slow-dryingformulationshavebeencreatedinrecentyears.

WheneverwerefertopaintandpaintcolorstheywillbefromtheGoldenArtistColors,Inc.

line,sincethatiswhatweuse.Ifyouhaveafavoritebrand,besuretocheckandseeifyour

favoritecolorscomeindifferentconsistencies.

PIGMENTS

Pigmentsplaythemostcrucialroleinartmakingbecausetheycrosstheentirescopeofartistic

mediums,fromoil,watercolorandacrylicstoinks,chalksandmore.Itisimportanttohavea

workingunderstandingofpigments,whytheybehaveincertainwaysandwhichwillworkbest

forcertainpurposes.

Apigmentiseithernaturallysourcedorcreatedinachemistrylab.Naturalpigmentsare

earthyandchunkyandbehavethewaywewouldexpectdirtandrockstoiftheywereground

upandthrownintoliquidglue.Thesecolorsactasgoodgroundingcolorsforour

compositions.Eveninglazeformulations,thesepigmentswillgiveustheadditionalhaze

neededtoimplyclouds,fogormist.

Naturalpigmentssuchassienna,umber,ochre,cobalt,cadmium,titaniumandultramarine

havebeenmainstaysofartistsforcenturies.However,thesepigmentsarenotcleanmixers.

Whenyoumixtwostrongprimaryearthcolorstogether,theresultingsecondarycolorisquite

dull,notclearandclean.Itisveryeasytomakemudfromcolorsthatoncestartedburied

somewhereintheearth.

Chemicallycreatedpigmentsarealtogetherdifferentintheirstructureandbehavior.Ifyou

examinedthemunderamicroscope,youwouldthinkyouwerelookingatshardsofcolorful

stainedglass.Lightpasseseasilythroughthesepigments,justasitdoesthroughglass,making

themcleanmixers.Thesepigmentscreateintensesaturatedpaintsthatpackapowerfulcolor

punchandallowforanextremelywiderangeofglazestrengths.Sometimesthepigment

namesaredifficulttopronounce,whichisonewaytorecognizethem:phthalo,quinacridone,

hansa,anthraquinone,pyrroleanddioxazine.Theselatecomerstotheartworldhavemadea

lastingimpressionduetotheirboldandbeautifuldemeanors.Thoughtheyarepowerfully

pigmented,theyremainsheerenoughtoseethrough.Addjustabitofanaturalpigment,such

asTitaniumWhite,andyoucandiminishtheirclarityalmostimmediately.

FluidAcrylics

Fluidacrylicsarehighlypigmentedpaintsthatarealmostexactlythesameconsistencyaspolymermedium.Theseareour

go-topaintsbecausetheyareeasytomanage,mix,blendanduse.Whenthinkingabouttheconsistencyoffluids,just

remembertheideaofnakedpaintwediscussedearlier.

Oneoftheimportantaspectsoffluidsisthelevelingquality.Thepaintsspreadevenlyanddrywithlittleornoevidenceof

whereyoumadeastroke.Youcanalsodrawfinelineswithfluidpaints,aswellasdrip,dropandpourthem.Addabitof

watertofluidcolorsandyoucaneasilygetawatermediaeffect.

Heavy-BodyAcrylics

Heavy-bodyacrylics(tubepaints)areproducedbyaddingthickeningagentstothefluids.Theconsistencyismuchstiffer

thanfluids.

Thebeautyofheavy-bodiedpaintisthatitwillholdlineandtexture,itcanbeusedforraisedorembossedeffects,andit

canprovidetextureonyoursurface.Everysubtleturnofthebrushorpaletteknifecanbecaptured.Ifyoufindtheyareabit

toostiff,addalittleacrylicglazingliquidtoyourpaint.

Thereisthesameamountofpigmentinanounceoffluidacrylicasinanounceoftheheavy-body.

Earthvs.Lab

Althoughthesetwopaintsseemsimilarincolor,theirpigmentsbehaveverydifferently.IndianYellowHueiscomprisedof

pigmentsdevelopedinalab.ItspaintfilmwillbemoresheerandglossythanYellowOchre,whosepigmentisharvested

naturallyfromtheearth.

MixingtheColorWheelIfyouareabeginnerandneedtopurchasepaint,theassortmentshownincolorwheelAis

recommended.Noticeallofthecolorsuseonlythreeprimary-colorbottlesofpaint.Thecolors

incolorwheelAarealltransparentpigments;theywillnotcloud.Lookcloselyandyoucansee

thatthetextonthecolorwheelremainedvisibleafteritwaspainted.Paintingoverprinted

papersisagreatwayforyoutotestthetransparencyoropacityofacolorandlearnaboutyour

paint.

Whenmixingcolors,startwithaverysmallamountofeachcoloronthetipofyourbrush.

Thecolorscanchangeveryquicklyifyoumixwithaheavyhand,andyouwillmissallofthe

hueswehavecreated.

Byselectingthreesimilar,yetdifferent,shadesofblue,yellowandred,wecancreateseveral

variationswhichareshownincolorwheelsBandC.Thesamemixingmethodswereusedto

createeachcolorwheel;theonlydifferenceswerethestartingcolors.

ConsistencyandQualityCountWeuseGoldenArtistColorsbecausetheyareartist-gradepaints.Artist-gradepaintsprovidetheartistwithamuchhigherconcentrationofpigmentthancraftpaintorevenstudent-gradeacrylics.Thepaintcolorsareconsistentfrombottletobottle,andagreatassortmentofpre-mixedcolorsareavailable.Whenaddingpainttoyourpalette,startwithonlyacoupleofdropsatatime.Remember,alittlepaintisallyouneed.Thereareplentyofartist-gradepaintsoutthere.Experimenttofindwhichbrandsworkbestforyou.

ColorWheelA

Primariesused:AnthraquinoneBlue,QuinacridoneRed,HansaYellowMedium

ColorWheelB

Primariesused:Turquoise(Phthalo),QuinacridoneMagenta,NickelAzoYellow

ColorWheelC

Primariesused:PhthaloBlue(RedShade),NapthalRedMedium,DiarylideYellow

TheBasics:MixingIntermediateColorsSpendtimegettingtoknowyourpaint.Nowitisyourturntoexperiment.Mixingsecondary

colorsiseasywhenyouusetransparentpigments.

MaterialsHansaYellowMediumNickelAzoYellowDiarylideYellowPhthaloBlue(GreenShade)QuinacridoneRedPaletteSmalldetailbrushRagorpapertowelWater

STEP1:PullYourColors

Startwithasmallamountofeachcoloronyourpalette.Theyellowhueswilleachcreateaslightlydifferentcolor.AlsoonthepalettearePhthaloBlue(GreenShade)andQuinacridone

Red.Useasmalldetailbrushtopracticemixing.

STEP2:MixingWithBlue

Pickupsomeofthebluepaintandspreaditonyourpalette.Next,usingonlythetipofyourbrush,pickupaverysmallamountofoneoftheyellowshades.Mixtheyellowintothebluepaintyouhavealreadysetasideonyourpalette.

STEP3:CreateaRangeofValues

Continuetoaddsmallamountsofthesameyellowtothecombination.Noticethechangesinthegreenpaintyouhavemixed.Witheachadditionofyellow,thecolorgrowslighterandbrighter.Byreintroducingtheblue,youcantweakthecolortoanyoneofanumberofgreens.Makethenewgreencoloraslightorasdarkasyouwish.

STEP4:CreateAnotherGreen

Cleanyourbrushwithwaterandsqueezeouttheexcessusingaragorpapertowel.Pickupsomenewbluepaintandplaceitontothepalette.Chooseanewyellowcolorandbegintoadditveryslowlytothenewswatchofbluepaint.Takethegreenaslightasyouwanttobycontinuingtoaddmoreyellowtothemix.

STEP5:FinishtheSet

Completethemixesbyrepeatingwiththeremainingyellowpaint.Noticehoweachoftheyellowsmixwithasinglebluetocreatedifferentgreens.Youcanalsocreatevariousorangesbyaddingdifferentyellowstoreds,andpurplesby

mixingredandblue.

ColorOptionsLearningtotweakcolorisahugepartofmakingart.Althoughwelookatcolorsalldaylong,

wedon’talwaysunderstandwhatcolorsworkwelltogetherorwhyoneyellowclasheswhen

anotheryellowdoesn’t.

Weknowartist-qualitypaintsareexpensive.Ourgoalistohelpyoumaximizeyour

investmentbyteachingyoucolormixing,Chris-andJulie-style.First,you’llneedto

understandafewthingsaboutcolor.Then,we’llmoveontothefunandgames.Let’sget

started.

MONOCHROMATIC

Usemanytintsandshadesofthesamecolortocreateamonochromaticlook.AddingTitanium

White,blackorTitanBufftoyourpaintcolorwillhelpyoucreatevariationsofthesamehue.

Youcanalsoaddtheseneutralcolors,keepingthemseparatefromthecoloryouhavechosen

foryourmonochromaticpainting.

GRADIENTS

Colorsprogressfromlighttodarkinagradientpainting.Startwithapureconcentrationofthe

colorofyourchoiceandaddwhiteorbuff,blendingthecoloracrossthesubstrate.

Gradients

Toblendthepaintinthispainting,anacrylicglazingliquidwasused.Themediumextendsthepaint’sworkingtimeand

allowsittoblendveryeasily.

Monochromatic

Selectingavarietyofshadesinthesamecolorfamilywillalwayswork.

UNTITLEDMixedmediaoncanvas,8×8(20cm×20cm),JuliePrichard

ColorSquare

Choosecolorsthatformasquareonthecolorwheeltomakeacolorsquarepainting.

COLORSQUARE

Thecolorwheelisagreattooltousewhenpickingcolorsforyourartwork.Choosecolorsthat

formasquareonthecolorwheeltomakeacolorsquarepainting.

Anotheroptionistochooseanythreecolorsthatformatriangle(triad)onthecolorwheel

insteadoffour.

COMPLEMENTARY

Colorsoppositeeachotheronthecolorwheelarecalledcomplementary.Whenpaintingwith

complementarycolors,itisnotnecessarytousethepureformofthecolorasshownonthe

colorwheel.Noticethevariationswithineachcolorandmakeyourselection.

ANALOGOUS

Neighboringcolorsonthecolorwheelaresaidtobeanalogous.Youcanchoosethreeorfour

colorsthatarenexttoeachothertocreateapleasingandsoothinglook.Workingwithan

analogouscolorschemegivesyoutheopportunitytodiscoverthesubtlepossibilitieswithin

eachofthecolors.Spinthecolorwheelaroundandnoticealloftheneighboringcolors.Your

choicesareendless.

PURPLEHAZEMixedmedia,20"×20"(51cm×51cm),ChrisCozen

ComplementaryColors

Choosecolorsoppositefromeachotheronthecolorwheelformaximumvisualimpact.Theycarryapunch.

AnalogousColors

Selectcolorsadjacenttoeachotheronthecolorwheelforaharmoniouscomposition.

TheBasics:ColorPlusLightAllofthecolorswehavebeenusingtothispointinthebookhavebeentransparentpigments.

AddingcolorssuchasTitaniumWhiteandTitanBufftoyourpaintcolorswillcreateopaque

tintsthatyoucanworkwith.

STEP1:PickUpColor

BeginwithasmallamountofQuinacridoneRed,TitaniumWhiteandTitanBuffonyourpalette.Onlyaverysmallamountofeachisused.Wewilluseadetailbrushtomixdifferenttonesofred.Withredpaintonyourbrush,pickupasmallamountofTitanBuff.

STEP2:MixtheFirstValue

Beneaththepurered,mixtheTitanBuffandredtogether.

STEP3:TintOuttheRed

ContinuetoaddmoreTitanBufftotheredtomaketheredaslightaspossible—inthiscase,makinglightpink.Remember,artist-gradepaintshavetremendoustintstrength.

STEP4:TryaWarmPastel

Repeatsteps1–3usingTitaniumWhite.Noticethedifferenceinthetwocolorsthatyouaremixing.TheredmixedwithTitaniumWhiteismoreofapurepasteloftheredcolor,whereastheTitanBuffmixturevariesslightlyandcreateswhatweliketocallawarmpastel.

CloudyCoverMixingTitaniumWhiteandTitanBuffwithyourtransparentpaintcolorswillmakethemmoreopaque,dependingontheratioofwhiteorbufftotransparentcolor.Noticehowthetextontheledgerpaperbecomesobscured.TitaniumWhiteisaverydense,cloudypigment.Useitsparingly,asitwillshiftatransparentcolorto

opaqueveryquickly.DuetothedensityofTitanBuffandTitaniumWhite,youmayfinditiseasiertoaddcolortowhitepaintratherthanviceversa.Remembertoalwaysstartwiththesmallestamountofpaintnecessary.Youwillbeabletocontrolyourmixingmucheasierthisway.

TheBasics:ColorPlusDarkDarkcolorscanbeusedtoshiftcolorsinmuchthesamemannerastheirlightercounterparts.

Useblack,PaynesGrayorspecialeffectcolorssuchasMicaceousIronOxidetocreateunique,

darkershades.MicaceousIronOxideisafavoritecolorofours.Theparticlessuspendedinthis

pigmentcreateasubtleshimmerandareinstrumentalincreatingavarietyoflustrouslooks

withoutlookinglikeglitter.

MaterialsHansaYellowMediumCarbonBlackMicaceousIronOxidePalettepaperSmalldetailbrush

STEP1:PourYourPaint

AddYellowHansaMedium,CarbonBlackandMicaceousIronOxidetothepalette.Verylittlepaintisneededforthisexercise.

STEP2:PickUpColor

Spreadaswatchofyellowontoyourpalette.Dipthetipofyourbrushintotheblackandplaceaverysmallamountintotheyellowpaint.

STEP3:MixthePaints

Mixtheblackintotheyellowpaint,addingmoreyellowtomixthelightertint.Noticehowalittleblackgoesalongway.

STEP4:RepeatUntilFinished

Repeatsteps1–3withtheMicaceousIronOxideinsteadofblack.TheMicaceousIronOxidewilldarkentheyellowpaintmuchslowerthantheblackpaint.ThisisbecausetheMicaceousIronOxideiscomprisedmostlyofdarkparticlessuspendedinatransparentmedium,whichtakesonthecolorofthepaintwithwhichitismixed.Thedarkparticlesfloatacrosstheyellowmixture,creatingtheillusionofadarkershadeyetstillallowingtheyellowpainttoremainvisible.

AmazingGlazingArtistscanaddglazestopaintingstocreatedepthanddimension.Aglazeisaverysheerlayer

ofpaint.Glazesarecreatedbymixingpaintina1:10ratiowithaglazingmedium.Themedium

willextendtheworkingtimeofyourpaintandallowyoutoblenditveryeasily.Addingglazeto

thebackgroundallowstheartisttocreatedepthandinterest.Glazeisusuallyappliedwitha

syntheticbrushinsteadofabristlebrushsothatthebrushstrokesdon’tshow.Theresultisa

smoothhazeofcolor,aslightorasstrongasyouwishtomakeit.

Therearethreedifferentmediumsyoucanusetomakeaglaze.AcrylicGlazingLiquidwill

extendtheworkingtimeofyourpaintandisformulatedforworkingwithacrylics.Mixthe

glazeusingonepartpainttotenpartsglazingliquid.Theextendedworkingtimethisprovides

isimportant,becauseitallowsyougreatereaseinblendinglayers.

OPENAcrylicMediumcanalsobeusedtomakeaglazeinconjunctionwithGolden’slineof

OPENpaints,whichareheavierbodiedandhaveamuchlongerworkingtimethanthefluid

acrylicpaints.ItisformulatedtobecompatiblewithGolden’sfluidandheavybodylinesas

well.Forthegreatestextensionofworkingtimeinglazing,trythismediumcolorizedwithfluid

acrylics.

Polymermedium(gloss)canalsobeusedtocreateasheerlayerofpaint.Aglazemixedwith

thismediumwilldryatthesamerateasthepaintanddoesnotallowextendedworkingtime.

Thepolymermediumcanbemixedinthesame1:10ratioastheglazingliquidtocreateasheer

glaze.Byvaryingthisratio(2:10,3:10,andsoon)youcanincreasetheintensityofthecolorof

theglazeyetstillmaintainthetransparency.Thispolymerishelpfulifmanylayersofglazing

areneeded,orifyouwantthepainttodrymorequickly.

DevelopNuance

Sheerglazesreactwiththecolorofpainttheyareplacedover,andcreateagradualshiftofcolor.

EnhanceDetails

Glazingaddsdefinitiontoeachoftheleavesinthisartichoke.Theleavesaremuchmoreinterestingthaniftheywere

paintedwithasinglecolor.Afewcolorsofglazingcanfitinasmallareabecausetheyareveryeasytoblend.

VaryColorIntensity

UsingAcrylicGlazingLiquid,weareabletoleavetheglazeheavyinsomeareasandthinnerinothers.Oncetheglazeis

appliedtothepanel,itcanbemanipulatedwithacleanpaintbrush,ragorpapertowel.

TheBasics:MixingaGlazeUnderstandinghowtomixandapplyaglazeisausefulskill.Theprocessmaybechallenging

atfirst,butwithpractice,you’llsoonunderstandthebehaviorsoftheglazeandhowtomakeit

workforyou.

MaterialsAcrylicGlazingLiquidSoft-tippedbrushQuinacridoneMagentaAlizarinCrimsonHueQuinacridoneNickelAzoGoldPaynesGray

STEP1:PourYourPaintandMedium

Squeezeadroportwoofcolorontoyourpalette,followedbytendropsofAcrylicGlazingLiquid.Workwithasoft,syntheticbrush.Asoft-tippedbrushwillleavesmoothpaint.

STEP2:MixPaintIntoGlaze

Mixasmallamountofthepaintintotheglazingmedium.

STEP3:ApplytheGlaze

Layyourcolorsontopofaneutral-colored,collagedcanvaspaneladjacenttoeachother,butnotblended.

BrushTipBuiltupAcrylicGlazingLiquidonyourbrushmaycausethepainttoliftoffofyourartwork.Topreventlifting,cleanyourbrushfrequentlywithapapertowelordryrag.Donotusewatertocleanyourbrushatthisstage.

STEP4:Blend

Oncethecolorsareonthepainting,useacleanbrushtoblendthem.Wipeyourbrushonacleanclothfrequently.Getintothehabitofusingcrisscrossstrokestoincorporateeachcolorintotheothercolorsforaperfectblend.

STEP5:ContinueBlending

Useadrypapertowelandaverylighttouchtohelpyoublendifneeded.Youcanleavetheglazedarkerinsomeareasandlighterinothers.Becautiousnottoremovealloftheglazeyouputdown;itwillmoveveryeasily.

STEP6:MakerSomeAreasDarker

Todarkensomeareas,yetstillretainthetransparencyoftheglazelayersothatthelowerlayersonthepaintingremainvisible,useonedropofPaynesGraywiththeglazingmediumtomakeadarkglaze.Switchtoalarger,broad-tipsyntheticbrushtoaddthisglaze.Whiletheinitialglazelayersarestillwet,addthisgrayglazetodarkentheedgesofthepainting.

STEP7:DarkentheMagentaLayer

Addanotherlayerofmagentaglazetosomeareas.Alwaysusealighttouchwhenglazing.

STEP8:AddOpaqueGlaze

CreateaslightlyopaqueglazeusingonepartTitanBufforTitaniumWhitetotenpartsAcrylicGlazingLiquid.Usethisglazetopushbacksomeoftheareasofthepainting.Thistechniquewillallowyoutoeditpartsofthecompositionthatwillremainmostvisibletotheviewer.Theglazesmadewithopaquepaintswillbegintohidelowerlayers.Buildtheselayersuptopushpartsofyourpaintingfurtherbackifnecessary.

STEP9:DrawIntotheGlaze

Useamark-makingtooltowriteordrawinthewetglaze.

STEP10:BridgetheGap

Mixintermediateshadestobridgethegapsbetweencolorsinyourpainting.Ifyoufindaharshlineofdemarcation,youcanmixdifferenttonestosoftenthelinebetweentwocolors.

CHAPTERTWO

LayingaGoodFoundation

MOONBLOOMMixedmediaoncanvasboard,20×16(51cm×41cm),ChrisCozen

Ifyouareseriousaboutyourart,oreverhopetobe,itisimportanttopayattentiontoevery

aspectofart-making,eventhemundane.Sure,thereareshortcutsandtimeswhenyoucheata

bit,butthosearenotthehabitswewanttoencourage.Surfacepreparationisaboutas

mundaneasitgets,yetsoessentialtowhathappenslater.Timeandtimeagain,wehave

pickedupsupposedlypre-gessoedcanvasesandfoundthesurfacerespondingunevenlytoour

paintapplications.Youcannotmakeassumptions.

Preppingyoursubstrateisanecessarystepinmakingqualityartwork.Manycommercial

surfacesarepreppedbythemanufacturer,butreactdifferentlywhenpaintisapplied.To

ensureaconsistent,uniformpaintingsurface,alwaystakethestepsnecessarytoprepareyour

surface.Consistencyisimportant.Don’triskthatyourpaintdoesnotmoveonacertain

surfacedespiteitworkingfineafewpaintingsago.Usetheappropriatemediumstogive

yourselftheconfidencethatyourpaintwillalwaysbehaveasyouwantitto.

Wehavethrowninafewmoreinterestingpossibilitiestoholdyourattention.Solet’sgetout

thegesso.

AcrylicGessoAcrylicgessoisamodernformulationofacenturies-oldsubstancethatisusedtoprimeand

preparesurfacestoreceivepaint.Traditionally,ithasalwaysbeenathick,opaquewhiteliquid,

althoughtherearenowblackandcoloredgessoesavailable.

Gessoformulationswereoriginallyspecializedforuseineitherrigidapplications(boardor

wallsorsculptures)oronflexiblesubstrates,suchascanvas.Theformulascontainedeither

rabbitskinnedgluesorgypsumdependingonthesubstrate.Now,mostofthemanufactured

gessoisofanacrylicformulationanddoesn’tchangeaccordingtosubstrate.Itusesaformof

calciumcarbonateinaflexiblelatexbase.Wecansafelyuseonegessoforanysurface,rigidor

flexible.Gessoisusedtosealandprotectthesurfaceaswellasthepainting.

Gessoisconsideredagroundinthatithasabitoftoothandpromotestheadhesionofpaint

tothesurface.Whenappliedtoacanvas,thegessoseepsintotheweaveofthefabricandseals

it.Additionalcoatsofgessowillsmoothoutthecanvasevenmore.Ifyourgessobecomestoo

thicktoapplyevenly,youcanthinitwithwaterupto25percent.

Consideraddingfluidcolortoyourgessototintormixwithanothertexturalproduct,such

asGolden’sCoarseMoldingPasteorFiberPaste,tocreateadditionaldimension.When

sandingacrylicgesso,useawetsandingmethodtoavoidanygummingofthesurface.Usinga

finegritsandpaperisusuallyadequate.Forboardswithextremelysmoothgessosurfaces,

considerswitchingtoaSandableHardGessoandfollowthemanufacturer’sdirections

carefully.

TheSupportingCast

Avarietyoftexturedpapersandcardboardpieceswerefirstappliedtoasubstratewithgelmedium.Aftertwocoatsof

gesso,thesurfaceiscompletelyunified,yetstillremainsinterestingandtextural.

PreventDiscolorationSupport-induceddiscolorationoccurswhenimpuritiesinasubstrateleachupthroughthelayersofpaintappliedandalterthecolorsonthesurface.Thislargelyhappenswhenrawwoodsurfacesornon-artist-gradeparticleboardsupportsareutilizedwithoutfirstbeingsealed.Toavoidthisproblem,itisimportanttosealthesetypesofsurfaceswithoneortwocoatsofeitherpolymermediumorGAC100—aspecialtypolymer—beforeapplyinggesso.Ifyouwishtokeepthelookofrawwood,thenaddanadditionalcoatoftheclearmediumandomitthegesso.

Ourgoalonthenextfewpagesistoshowyouthatthisstageofsurfacepreparationisyourfirst

opportunitytomakeastatementonapristinesubstrate.Whetheryouchoosetoworkon

paper,canvas,woodorsomethingelse,beginmakingastatementwiththiseffort.

GessoonPaper

BLOOMMixedMediaonPaper,12×12(30cm×30cm),ChrisCozen

GessoonCradleBoard

BIRDSONGMixedmediaonboard,18×18(46cm×46cm),ChrisCozen

GessoonCanvas

UNTITLEDMixedmediaoncanvas,11×14(28cm×36cm),JuliePrichard

BlackandColoredGessoonCanvasBoard

UNTITLEDMixedmediaoncanvasBoard,10×10(25cm×25cm),ChrisCozen

LayingaGoodFoundation:PreparingPaperEachsubstraterequiresaslightlydifferentwaytoprepareit.Sincetheyareporousand

absorbent,papersneedtobetreatedwithaprepmedium.Withoutpreparation,paperwill

absorbthepaint,causingittodryrapidlyornotmovearoundatallifitisnotsealed

beforehand.

MaterialsGessoMattemediumLargebrushFirmbrayerFine-gritsandpaper

STEP1:SpreadGessoonPaper

Applyonelayerofgessotopre-preppedpaperwithalargebrush.Ifyouareworkingwithrawcanvas,youwillneedtoaddthreecoatsofgesso.Allowthe

gessotodrybetweenlayersanduseafine-gritsandpapertogentlysandinbetweeneach

layerofgessotocreateasmoothsurface.

STEP2:CoatEvenly

Useabrayertoevenlycoatthesubstrate.Allowthegessotodrycompletelybeforeyouapplyanypaint.

PencilItInWriteonyourcanvaswithpencilbeforeyouapplymattemedium.Themattemediumwillsealthewritingontothecanvas.Thisstepcanalsoberepeatedasyouaddlayerstoyourpainting.Ifthereisalayerorareainyourpaintingthatyouwouldliketopreserve,usemattemedium,thencontinueforward.Mattemediumalsoallowsyoutowipefuturelayersofpaintfromthesurfacewhiletheyarewet.

Gesso,PaintorMatteMediumGessoisgreattouseasabaseandpreplayer,buttheingredientsingessoprovedifficulttoworkwithifthegessoisappliedontheupperlayers.Usewhitepaintinstead.Usemattemediumtoprepasubstratethatyouwanttoremainvisiblewhenpaintingbegins.Itisfluid,

yetmostlytransparent.Useapaletteknifeorbrushuntilyourcanvasisevenlycovered.Themattemediumwillsealthesubstrateoncedried.

LayingaGoodFoundation:PreparingWoodFailuretoprepawoodsubstratewillresultinthewoodabsorbingalotofpaint.

STEP1:PrepareWoodPanels

Sandtheedgesandsurfaceofyourwoodpanelwithfine-gritsandpaper.

STEP2:ApplyGesso

Usingabrush,applyanevencoatofgessoandallowittodrycompletely.

STEP3:SandandRepeat

Oncethegessoisdry,usesandpapertosmooththepanel.Thesandpaperwillremoveanybrushstrokesthatremainedinthegesso.Repeatsteps1and2untilatleastthreelayersofgessohavebeenappliedandsandedonthepanel.

STEP4:CovertheSides

Don’tforgettoprepthesidesofyourcanvasorwoodpanels.

OtherSurfaces

Hardwoodandmanufacturedwood,suchasMasonite,arecommonlyavailable.Thesesubstrateswillalsoneedtobesealed

withgessoormattemediumpriortoacceptingpaint.Thereisvarietyofpre-preppedboardsyoucanbuy,usinggesso,clay,

water-based,orothersealants.

LayingaGoodFoundation:PlanSurfaceTexture

WithCollageUseavarietyofbasicmaterialstocreateareasthatpaintcanlateraccent.Planwhereyoucan

addeitherpaintedorcollagedelementsinthefinishedproduct.Usethesematerialstocreate

line,interestandtexture.

Here,weshowhowasimplepieceofunwaxeddelitissuecanaddtexturetothesurface.

MaterialsGesso,whiteandblackTissuepaper(whiteorneutralcolor)Quinacridone/NickelAzoGoldOtherlight-weightpapers(optional)BrushPaletteknife

STEP1:ApplyGesso

Applywhitegessotothepaperwherethetissuewillgo,thenusethebrushtocovertheentiretissue.Allowthetissuetowrinkleandfold.Addanothercoatofgessotocompletelycoverthetissue.

STEP2:MakeaTintedGesso

TintyourpreppingagentbyaddingasingledropofQuinacridone/NickelAzoGoldtosomewhitegesso.Mixcompletely,thenaddthistoyoursubstrate.Leaveanareaofthesubstratefreesothatyoucanaddadifferentcolorofgessointhenext

step.

STEP3:AddBlackGesso

Blackgessooffersthesamepropertiesasitswhitecounterpart.Itisokayifthegessooverlapsthetintedgessothatweappliedearlier.Ensurethattheentirepaneliscoveredwitheithercolorofgesso.

STEP4:UseOtherTypesofPaper

Trythesametechniqueusingacrumpledpieceoftissueorlightweightcollagepaper.Makesurethatgessoisplacedunderthepaperaswellasontopofit.

LayingaGoodFoundation:BulkUpWith

CardboardAddanurbanfeeltoyourartworkbyusingcorrugatedcardboardorheavy,texturalpapersasa

structuralbaselayer.Youcanpeelthecardboardthinanduseonlythebumps,orleaveitthick

foranevenmoredramatictexture.

MaterialsGessoCorrugatedcardboardLaidpapersand/orheavycardstockSoftgelmedium(orheavy,ifneeded)Paintbrushorpaletteknife

STEP1:CreateaShape

Tearorcutcardboardandpaperstosizeanddecidewheretoplacethem.Leavethebumpsinthecardboardexposed.Oncetheyarecoveredingesso,theywillacceptpaintverywell.

STEP2:AffixCardboardandPaperstoSubstrate

Usesoftgelmedium;or,ifyourcardboardisheavy,useheavygelmedium.Theheavygelisadensermediumandwillattachheavierelementsbetterthansoftgel.

STEP3:ApplyGesso

Oncethegelmediumhasdried,coattheartworkwithgesso.Ifmorecoverageisrequired,applytwocoatsofgessoandsandinbetweeneachlayer,butmakesurethecardboardhasatleastonecoat.

Final

CHAPTERTHREE

AddingStructure

MOONLIGHTLOFTMixedmediaoncanvas,14×14(36cm×36cm),JuliePrichard

Structureisanessentialcomponentincreatingart.Thinkofitasprovidingsupportforyour

composition,justaswhenwallsareframedinahouseorbeamsareusedtosupportaroof.

Structurebecomestheframeworkuponwhichyouhangeveryothertechnique.Creatingthis

internalstructurewhenyouworkwillleadyoutoastrongerandmorecomplexpieceofart.

Thedecisionsyoumakeatthislevelforceyoutoconsiderwhatyourchoicesareinfuture

levels,andhowthechoicesyoumakeinstructurecanbemanipulatedasyoumoveforward.

Eachtechniquehasgreatflexibilityandcanworkincombinationwithanyother.Each

materialorproductdoesaswell.Weencourageyoutochooseoneormoreofthetechniques

andseehowyourworkisinfluencedthroughtheadditionofstructure.

DevelopingStructureThesetwopaintingshavesimilarelementsoflineandspatialdivisions.Eachappliesa

differentapproachindevelopingtheunderlyingstructure.InGrowingintheCrevice,muchof

theunderlyingstructureisachievedthroughaninitialapplicationoftexturalproductssuchas

moldingpastesandGolden’sCracklePaste.Onceapplied,thetexturalsurfacesbecome

armatureforthepaintedanddrawnelementsaddedinsubsequentlayers,essentiallycreating

aplaceforthedrawingsandguidingwherethecolorglazesgo.

TheSearchutilizesstrong,incisedlinestocreatethestructure.Thelinesaremarkedintothe

initialpaintlayersandthenrefinedandembellishedwithmorepaintandtext.

Sincethereisnosinglewaytocreatestructure,experimentwiththevarioustechniquesin

thisbookandusethemtoexplorethepossibilitiestheyofferyourwork.

GROWINGINTHECREVICE

Mixedmediaonboard,10"×8"(25cm×20cm),ChrisCozen

THESEARCHMixedmediaoncanvas,14"×11"(36cm×28cm),JuliePrichard

HowStructureWorksWithoutstructure,yourpaintingwillfallflat.Itwillnothavesubstance,andtherewillbeno

meaningfulcompositionoranywherefortheviewer’seyetotraveloverthesurface.Artistsuse

structuretoholdtheviewer’sattentiononthepainting.

Therearemanywaystoaddstructuretoapainting.Let’stakealook.

Texture

Textureplacedstrategicallyonyourpaintingisoneofthewaysthatyoucandirecttheviewer’seyethroughyour

composition.Textureaddsinterestanddepth.

Color

Adddesignsandshapesofcolortoholdtheviewer’sattention.Thecoloredshapesactasthestructureinthispainting.

Noticehowtheshapescreatemovementbyframingcertainareasofthebluecolor.

MarkMaking

Takeamomenttoimaginethispaintingwithoutanyofthelinesorwriting.Thespacewouldbeemptyandtheeyewould

travelquicklythroughit.Byaddingthelines,shapesandtext,theartistisabletogivemoresubstancetotheworkand

dictatehowtheeyewilltravelthroughit.

Collage

Piecesofbrightlycoloredpaperwereaddedtothetexturedareastoconvertthemfrommereshapestomoredynamicspaces

withinthepainting.Thepapersholdtheshapesandprovideaquickwaytoturnthemintowindows.

Imagery

Addinganimagetoyourartworkaddsinstantstructure.Withcarefulplacement,theimagebecomesthefocalpointofyour

painting.Noticehowthesmallcollagedshapespointtoandhelpframethemoths.Theyworktogethertoprovidestructure.

UsingCollageasStructureCollagecanbeanyelementthatisattachedtothesurfaceofyourpainting.Itcanbepaper,

fabric,metalororganicmatter,suchasleavesandpetals.Whatevercomponentsyouselectfor

yourartwork,thoughtfulplacementofeachelementiskeytoawell-structuredpainting.

GoingDigitalAquicksearchonlinecanyieldmanyresultsforcopyright-freeimagestouseinyourartwork.Butwhataboutusingyourownuniqueelements?Digitalscansofyourownsketchesorhandwritingmakeperfectelementsthatnooneelsewilluse.Youcanalsouseyourcameratocaptureshadowsandotherinterestingformstoincorporateintoyourartwork.Makeityourown.

Theboldcollageinthelowerthirdofthispaintingprovidesimmediate,powerfulstructurefortheartwork.

UntitledMixedmediaoncanvas,18"×18"(46cm×46cm),JuliePrichard

AddingStructure:MakingaStructuralCollageNeutralcollageelementsworkgreatasbasestructurebecausetherearenoboldordarkimages

tocompetewithasmorelayersareadded.Thismakesagreatuniversalbackgroundthatcan

beusedinalmostanysituation.

Decorativepapersmaynotbethefocalpointofthecomposition,butareusedtocreatethe

formsandspacesuponwhichtobuildacomposition.Considerhowyoureyewillbelater

guidedbytheplacementsyoumakeatthisstage.

MaterialsSoftgelmediumNeutral-coloredartpapersPaletteknifeScissors

STEP1:SelectYourPapers

Whenselectingneutralpapers,considertheirtexturalaspectsandhowthesewillenhanceordetractfromyourstructure.Forexample,theopen-weavepaperisarchitectural,whereasthelightgreenpaperissmooth.

STEP2:PrepareYourPapers

Tearorcutyourselectedpapersintovariousinterestingshapes.Youwillhavemorepiecesthanyoumayneed,butitisbesttohaveanumberofsizesofeachkind.Wearefondoflong,narrowtornstripsandcuttriangles,aswellaspiecesthatcanbeusedtocreatediagonalvisualspaces.

STEP3:LayertheElements

Placetheelementsonthesubstratewithoutgelmediumfirsttogetafeelfortheplacementbeforeyouattachthempermanently.Makethecollageelementsframeanareaforthemainfocalpoint.

STEP4:FitthePaperstoSubstrate

Usesoftgelmediumtoattachthepaperstoyoursubstrate.Makesureyoucovertheentirebacksideofeachpiece.Usethepaletteknifetoscrapeofftheexcessgelwhilespreadingitoverthetopofeachelement.

TextureasStructureDifferentlookscanbecreatedwithinyourpaintingbyusingtexturemediumsandvaryinghow

youapplythemtoyourart.

DrippingWithTexture

Layersofdripscancreatevisualtexture.

Overlaps

Overlappingdifferentproductscanleavegapsandspacesthatcanbeenhancedwithpaint.Sometimesit’sgoodnottobetoo

perfectwithyourapplication.

LayerItOn

Applyaraisedstencilpattern,paintit,coveritwithcheeseclothandapplymoretexture.

SpreadItWithaPaletteKnife

Varyhowyouuseyourpaletteknifetogetinterestingeffects.

ApplyTextureWithaPaletteKnifeHoldingyourpaletteknifeatdifferentangleswillresultininterestingvariationswhenusing

texturemediums.Trythistoaddinteresttoyourartwork.

45Degrees

Holdyourpaletteknifeata45-degreeangletotheproducttocreatearaisedtexturesimilartocakefrosting.

90Degrees

Adjustingthepaletteknifesothatitisalmoststraightupwillallowyoutoremoveportionsofthemediumtocreategrooves

inthesurface.

Parallel

Holdthepaletteknifemoreparalleltothemediumtosmoothouttheraisedareas.

ScrapeIt

Scrapeawaysomeofthemediumsothatthetextureisappliedindeliberateshapes.

HowProductsBehaveWhenyoufirstopenanewjarofanacrylicproduct,itisdifficulttotellmuchaboutwhatitwill

belikewhenitisappliedtoyourwork.Acrylicgelsandpastesarealmostallwhitewhenthey

arewet.We’vepreparedaquickchartforyouthatwillgiveyousomequickinsightinto

selectingthecorrectproductforvarioustechniques.

Rememberthatyoucanaddcolortotintanyoftheproductsbeforetheyareapplied.Just

remembertomixyourpaintintotheproductverythoroughlyuntilnomorewhiteisvisible.

Productsmarkedasopaqueonthechartwilldrywhiteonthesurfaceandblockunderlying

areas.Addingcolortotheseproductscreatesatintoftheoriginalpaintcolor.

Productsmarkedastransparentwilldryclear.Colorizingthemwillresultinasheerer

versionofthepaintselected,butwillbetheexactsamecolor.

Productsmarkedastranslucentwilldryslightlyhazyorfuzzy.Colorizingthemwillresultin

afrostysheerlayerofcolorthatisslightlylighterthanthepaint.

Productsmarkedasabsorbenthaveanadditionalqualitybesidestheiropacityor

transparency.Theseproductscanbefullyrewetafterdryingtoallowwetpaintapplicationsto

bleed,dripandflowontheirsurfaces.

Productsmarkedasnon-absorbentcreatebarriersbetweenlayers,preventingfuturepaint

layersfromseepingintothesurface.

AboutCracklePasteCracklepastecanbeusedtocreatebeautifulcracksandtexture,butitisatemperamentalmedium.Ifappliedthinly,thecracksaredelicate;ifappliedthickly,thecrackscanbemuchlargeranddeeper.Giveitampletimetodry.Usecautionifyouaretintingthepastewithpaint.Ifyouneedtotintthecracklepaste,usenomore

thanthreepartspainttotenpartspaste.

*SandedgelsincludeAcrylicGroundforPastels,FinePumice,andothertexturalproductsthatwhendryhavearough,toothyorgrittysurfacethatcanbedrawnupon.ThischartreferstoGoldenproducts.Otherbrandsmayyielddifferentresults.Findthebrandandstyle

thatworksbestforyou.

TexturalProductsChart

Transparent/Product Opaque Translucent Absorbent

MoldingPaste Yes No No

LightMoldingPaste Yes No Yes

CoarseMoldingPaste Semi Translucent Yes/gritty

GlossGels No Transparent No

MatteGels No Translucent No/toothy

SandedGels* Semi Translucent/ Yes/toothy,grayish

FiberPaste Yes No Yes

GlassBeadGel No Transparent No

CracklePaste Yes No Yes

AddingStructure:PlayingWithTextural

MediumsYoucanenhanceyourtextureswithoutaddingtoomuchcolorbyapplyingafewdropsof

interferencecolortothesurface.Theseshimmerypaintsarecreatedusingmicaparticlesand

willbouncelightoffsurfacesthey’vebeenappliedto.Youwilllearnmoreaboutthese

delightfulpaintsinlaterpages.

MaterialsFiberPasteAcrylicGroundforPastelsInterferenceVioletPaletteknifeSubstrate(suchaswood)

STEP1:ApplyFiberPaste

Keepthepaletteknifelowtothesubstratesothepasteisalmostsmoothandapplyfewdropsofinterferencepainttoaddashimmeryeffecttothepaste.

STEP2:SpreadthePaint

Usethepaletteknifetocarefullyspreadthepaintintothepaste.Keepthepastesmooth.

STEP3:AddaSecondMedium

AddAcrylicGroundforPastelstothesubstrate.Useavarietyofstrokestocreateanunevensurface.

STEP4:CarveShapes

Holdthepaletteknifeperpendicularandcarveshapesoutofthemedium.Theemptyspaceshelpcreatestructure.Fillwithcollageorpaintoncethemediumisdry.

AddingStructure:CreatingRaisedStencil

PatternsTexturalproductsandheavybodyacrylicpaintscreateaclearlydefinedraisededge.Trythis

foradimensionaltexturethatreallystandsout!

MaterialsStencilPaletteknifeTexturalproductHeavy-bodyacrylicpaintSubstrate

STEP1:ApplyTexturalProducttoStencil

Useapaletteknifetoscoopoutatexturalproduct,suchaslightmoldingpaste.Applyitonthestencilpattern.Holdtheknifeatanangleandmakelong,firmstrokesinonedirection.Thiswillpreventtheproductfromgettingunderthestencil.

STEP2:ExposethePattern

Whiletheproductisstillwet,liftthestencilupandawayfromthesurface.Allowtofullydrybeforepainting.

STEP3:MarkOffthePattern

Asinglestencilcanbebrokendownintomanyindividualparts.Identifywhichpartsofthepatternyouwishtouseandapplyproducttojustthoseareas.Forverysmallorcomplexpatterns,maskoffportionswithbluepainter’stape.Useheavybodypainttocreatethisstencilpattern.

STEP4:LiftUpandAway

Liftthestenciltorevealthepattern.Theheavy-bodypaintcreatesanembossedlookwithouthigh-definededges.

Raisedstencilswereusedintwoareasonthispainting.Thefirstlargestarburststencilintheupperleftcornerwascreated

withMoldingPaste.AsecondstencilwasusedtoapplyaseriesofsmalldotswithamixtureoftintedGlassBeadGel.

VERDIGRISMixedmediaoncanvas,20×20(51cm×51cm),ChrisCozen

AddingStructure:LayeringStencilsBycombiningcolorandproductvariations,youcanbuildendlesslayersofstencilstoadd

interestandstructuretoyourbackgrounds.Trythisforamorecomplexsurfacetreatment.Be

suretobalancetexture,form,colorandscaleforapleasingcomposition.

MaterialsCanvasorothersupport2differentstencilsFoammakeupwedgeFluidacrylicsTexturalproductPaletteknifeSmallsyntheticanglebrushWaterIridescentgoldpaint

STEP1:AddaStenciltoaStencil

Positionthenewstenciloveryourdried,embossedstencil.Withalightpouncingmotion,applyfluidacrylicswithafoammakeupwedgeindesiredareas.

STEP2:LiftUpandAway

Liftthestencilandallowpainttodry.

STEP3:ApplyAnotherStencil

Positionthenextstenciloverthedriedpaintedpatternandapplytexturalproductoverthedesiredportionofthestencil.Liftthestencilupandaway.

STEP4:CleanUpAnyProblemSpots

Useasmallangledbrushdippedinwatertoremoveanypartsofthestencilpatternthatarenotdesiredwhileit’sstillwet.Cleanuppeaksbylightlytappingthemwiththewetbrush.Allowthestenciledareatodrythoroughly.

STEP5:AddaThirdLayer

Addalayerofcleargeltoembedtheraisedstencil.Highlightsomeoftheraisedareaswithiridescentgoldpaintafterthecleargelhasdried.

AddingStructureColorisagreatwaytocreatestructureinacomposition.Becausecolorshaveapowerfulvisual

impactontheviewer,theyareanidealvehiclefordefiningspacesorestablishingstructureina

painting.Thereareanumberoftechniquesforapplyingcolortocreateeitherwell-definedor

subtlestructurewithinyourcompositions.Experimentwithasingletechniqueorcombine

colortechniquestocomeupwithyourownuniquestructure.

AddingStructure:FreestyleColorBlockingThisloosecolorblockingtechniqueencouragesyoutoblendyourcolorsdirectlyonyour

canvas,pullingthepaintintointerestingshapesasyougo.Bycontinuingtoaddnewcolorsto

thesurface,uniquecolormixesandblendsdevelopwherethecolorsmeet.Workquicklyand

keepyourbrushmoving.

MaterialsBristlebrushSyntheticbrushTitanBuffPermanentVioletDarkCobaltTealCeruleanBlueDeepPreppedcanvaspanelorpreppedstretchedcanvas

STEP1:StartWithTitanBuff

UseabristlebrushtoscrubTitanBuffontoyoursubstrate.Donotallowthepainttodry.Usethesamebrushtoaddpurple.AllowsomeofthenewpainttomixwiththeTitanBuffandsometoremainpure.

STEP2:AddaThirdColor

Mixsomeofthebluewithpurple,andsomewiththeTitanBuff.Whenmostofthecanvasiscovered,switchtothesyntheticbrush.Thiswillallowyoutopaintwithoutleavingbrushstrokessoyoucanstarttosmoothoutthepaint.

STEP3:AddaSecondLayer

Oncethebaselayerofpaintisaddedandsomewhatblended,applymorepurpletothetopofthepainting.Thiswillcreateadarkerareathatisnotasmutedasthebeginninglayers.

STEP4:FillWithBlue

Usebluetoblockintheremainingarea.Atthispoint,allofthepaintisstillwetandeasilyblended.

STEP5:BlendtheBlocks

Usethesyntheticbrushtocreateasmooth,featherygroupofcolors.Varythedirectionofyourpaintstrokes.Stepbackandobserveyourpainting,butdonotstopmovingthebrushuntilallofthepaintisblended.

WatchYourOpacityTitanBuffpaintisanopaque,heavypigment.Itwillturnanycoloritismixedwithintoanequallyopaquepigment.Whileitisagoodcolortouseasabase,ifyoudesirebright,clearcolorinyourfinishedpainting,youwillneedtoaddatransparentpaintbackontothetoplayers.Thiswillcreaterichnessanddepth.

AddingStructure:ColorBlockingWithTapeUsepainter’stapetomaskoffpartsofthepaintingandtoconfineyourcolor.Trytearingthe

tapeinhalfsothatthelinesmadebythetapearenotperfect.

MaterialsPainter’stapePreparedcanvasorcanvaspanelSyntheticbrushStiffbristlebrushAcrylicpaint

STEP1:TapeOfftheArea

Placepainter’stapeontothesubstrate.Useyourthumbtopressthetapeintothecanvastopreventthepaintfrombleedingunderthetape.

STEP2:PainttheSurface

Scrubpaintintothesurfaceusingthebristlebrush.Workingquickly,mixthepaintdirectlyonthesubstrate.

STEP3:AddMorePaintColors

Asnewcolorsareadded,allowsometomixwiththecolorsalreadyappliedandsometoremainpure.Thiswillcreatesubtlecolorvariancesthroughout.

STEP4:CovertheEntireSurface

Paintuptoandoverthetape,makingsurethatalloftheareasarounditarecovered.Oncethemajorityofthepieceiscoveredwithpaint,switchtoasyntheticbrushtoblendthemtogether.

STEP5:RemovetheTape

Itisnotnecessarytowaituntilthepaintiscompletelydrybeforeremovingthetape.Thelinescreatedcanbeleftwhiteormorepaintcanbeadded.

AddingStructure:ColorPatchingUsethisquicktechniquetocoverthesurfacewithlivelycolor.

MaterialsSubstratepreparedwithgessoTitanBufforTitaniumWhitefluidacrylicThreeothercompatiblefluidcolorsBristlebrush

STEP1:ApplyPainttoSurface

Applyoneortwodropsofeachcolorinvariouslocationsdirectlyontothesurface.Beginscrubbingthepaintontothesubstrateuntilthebrushisnearlydry.Pickupsomeofeachnewcolorasyoumoveoverthepiece,workingthecolorsclosetoeachother.

STEP2:VaryYourStrokes

Continuepaintinguntilyouhaveworkedmostofthepaintontothesurfaceinapatchyfashion.Varyyourstrokes,makingsomelongorshort,angledorstraight,verticalorhorizontal,etc.

STEP3:CovertheSurface

Addmoredropsofpaintifneededandcontinuescrubbinguntilthesurfaceiscovered.UsetheTitanBufforwhitetovarythetintsofthecoloryouhaveselected.

STEP4:AddDarkestColor

Addanadditionaldropofthedarkestcolorselectedandworkthatintothesurfaceinvariousareas.Allowthesurfacetodrycompletely.

ColorinActionExaminethewaycoloraddscomplexityandstructuretothesepaintings.Allusecolorina

uniqueway.

DripsandBlooms

Watermediadrips,bleeds,dropsandbloomswereutilizedtocreateanoverallbackgroundstructure.Theimageswere

pulledoutfromtheshapesandspacesmadebytheprocesses.

BaseLayers

Heavylayersofacrylicpaintwereappliedtothebaseofthispainting.Oncetheshapesweredefined,glazingwasusedtore-

intensifythecolors.

PatchesandBlocks

Thecolorpatchtechniquewasusedonthebaselayertoprovideabrightandcolorfulstructuretothesubsequentlayers.

Drawingthroughtheupperlayersthatwereappliedincolorblocksrevealsglimpsesofthered,yellowandorangepatches.

Color-BlockingLines

Colorblockingisclearlyvisibleinthiscomposition.Theareascreatedbythelinesgivesupportandstructure,andguided

theplacementofthedarkandlightareasofcolorthatfollowed.

AddingStructure:WaterMedia:DripsandDropsUsingwaterwithacrylicpaintisanicechangetothetraditionaluseofacrylicpaint.Itiseasy

tocreatesheerwashesofcolor,spattersanddrips.Allowingwatertopoolandthendryon

yourartworkcreatesamysteriouslookthatisdifficulttocreateusingtraditionalpainting

techniques.

MaterialsWatercolorpaperorpreppedcanvasAcrylicpaintSyntheticbrushSmalldetailbrushSpraybottleofwater

STEP1:ApplyWater,ThenPaint

Applyalineofwaterliberallytothetopofyoursubstrate.Thenapplyoneortwodropsofacrylicpaintintothewater.Usethelargebrushtogentlymovethepaintthroughthewater.

STEP2:BreaktheTension

Breakthetensioninthewaterlinesothatdripswilloccur.Orchestratewherethedripswillfall.Tiltthesubstratetoallowthepainttorundownthesurface,orlaythepaintingflatsothecolorspooltogether.

STEP3:BleedthePaint

Spraymorewaterbelowthedropssothatthepaintbleedsintoit.Youcanaddasmuchoraslittlewaterasyoulike.Tiltthesubstrateasneededtoallowthewatertorun.

STEP4:AddaSecondColor

Usingasmalldetailbrush,addsmallamountsofasecondcolorintothewater.Thepaintswillbleedandmixintoeachother,creatingsecondarycolors.

STEP5:AddaThirdColor

Addanothercolorofpainttothedetailbrush.Holdingthebrushinonehand,usetheotherhandtotapthebrushsothatdropsofpaintspatterontothesurface.Tryspatteringintodryareasaswellasareasthatarewetwithwater.

STEP6:LetDry

Allowittodrycompletely.Thistechniquelooksasbeautifulonawhitebackgroundasonapaintedone.

ExpectationsandSurprises

Theserendipitythathappenswhenwatermeetspaintcanberiotousordisastrous.Selecttransparentpigmentstocreate

drips,splashesandstainstoavoidmakingmudwhenthecolorsbleedintoeachother.Whenusingacrylicsaswatermedia,

thereisnoneedtoworryaboutrewettingpreviouslydriedlayers.Acryliclayersarepermanentafterdryingandwillretain

boththeircolorandplacementwhennewlayersareadded.

Lookcloselyatthesurfacetodiscoverthemanylayersofdripsunderneath.

BLOOMMixedmediaoncradledboard,8"×8"(20cm×20cm),ChrisCozen

LineasStructureLineisliketheskeletonofthepainting.Itholdseverythingtogether.Whenwethinkoflines,

weoftenthinkpaintedordrawn,butlinescanbeimpliedbythearrangementofelements

withinthepainting,aswellasbycolorsandthewaythattheyintersectwitheachother.

Linecanbeaddedtoyourartworkinseveraldifferentways.Theycanbesubtle,bold,

straightorshaky.Linestyleshouldcomplementyourstyleofpainting.

Afavoritetechniqueistouseblackinkandasimplesticktomakelines.Theactionoftheink

flowingoffthestickcreatesvariationinwidth.Theimperfectioninthiskindoflinecreates

energyandinterest.

Linescanalsobecarvedintowetpaint.Withvariationofthelinedepth,youcancreatea

mysteriousflowthattheviewerwillstudywhilelookingatyourpainting.Uselinetodirectthe

eyetothefocalpointinyourpainting.

EMERGINGMixedmediaoncanvas,24"×24"(61cm×61cm),ChrisCozen

EVOKEEMOTIONANDMOOD

Whenlineisintroducedintoacomposition,thedynamicschange.Artistsuselineasawayto

influencethewaytheviewer’seyetravelsthroughthepainting.Sometimessubtle,linesactasa

roadmapandcandetermineifsomeonelooksatyourpaintingforabriefsecondoriftheeye

lingersforseveralmoments.

Linescanevokeemotionorconveyamood;theycanbeominousorwhimsical,seriously

strongorplayfullylight.Linecanalsoplayasupportingroletomoreimportantelements.It

canencompass,pointtoorcreateaplacetoaddanotherdetail.Applyinglinetoyour

compositionisawayforyoutoexpressyourintention.Linehasavoice.

Ahorizontallineconveyscalmnessandquiet,whileaverticallineismorealertandactive.A

strongdiagonallinecanbeconstruedastense,whileazigzaglinesuggestslivelyandenergetic

movement.Linescanbeperfectlyformedornot;theycanbefluidandcurvywithasenseof

melody.Thinlinescancoveyfragilityanddelicacy.Thicklinesarestronganddemanding.We

wantyoutobeawareofyourline-makingpossibilities.

DrawingtheEyeWithLines

Althoughmanyofthelinesareverticallyplaced,themajorityofthemhaveacurveorsoftness.Theverticallinesdrawthe

eyeupwardonthelefttothewhitearea,whichisrepeatedwithinasetofsoftlycurvedlinesonthelowerright.Quietnessis

conveyedintheinexactlineformationandthesoftenedformsofthiscomposition.

CALLACALLSAcryliconboard,12"×12"(30cm×30cm),ChrisCozen

CurvingLines

Theslightlycurvingverticallinesinthiscompositiondrawtheviewer’seyeupward.Thereisanactiveelementinthe

repeatingstripesthatbuildsfromonestructuretothenext.Theadditionofthehorizontallineintheupperpartbalancesthe

composition.

Combinedwiththequietpaletteofcolors,thelinesworktoengagetheviewer.

WEHAVEPARISAcryliconcanvas,14"×11"(36cm×28cm),JuliePrichard

AddingStructure:Incised,ButNotPreciseCarvedandincisedlinesbringarawandtexturalqualitytoyourwork.Usingaheavy-body

productwillgiveyourlinesgreaterdepthandpresence.Eachproductwillcreateadifferent

kindofline,evenwhenusingthesametool.Beforeactuallybeginningtocarve,tryabitofline

doodlingonpapertoseeifyoucancapturethemoodyouwishtoconvey.

MaterialsSubstrate,alreadypreppedandpaintedasdesiredSuggestedproducts:coarsemoldingpaste,lightmoldingpaste,fiberpaste,gelandcoarsepumicePaletteknifeCarvingtools,suchascombs,chopsticks,etc.

STEP1:ApplyTexturalProducts

Useaflat-bladepaletteknifetospreadproductontheareasofyoursubstrateyouwanttextured.Aimforanapplicationofproductthatisabout1⁄8"(3mm)orlessdeep.Bykeepingthebladefairlyleveltothesurface,youwillgetalevelcoat.Ifyoupreferarougherlook,applytheproductwithchoppy,randomlyplacedstrokes.Whenyouareapplyingmorethanoneproducttothesurface,thereisnoneedtokeepthemseparate.

STEP2:MakeSomeMarks

Whiletheproductisstillwet,dragyourtoolthroughthesurface,revealingthepaintedundercoat.Keepyoureyesopenforunexpectedmark-makingtools.Thistool,foundinhardwarestores,canbeusedtomakemultiplefinelines.

STEP3:UseaClayTool

Useavarietyoftoolsonthesurfacetocreatemorelines.Apenliketoolmadeforcarvingintoclayisalsoidealformakingfinelinesanddrawingandwritingintowetproduct.

STEP4:AddWater

Allowtheappliedproductstodrycompletely.Selectproductsthatliketoplaywithwater,suchaslightmolding,coarsemoldingandfiberpaste.Theirpropertieswillallowyoutoaddanotherlayerofcolor.Tomakethedriedsurfacereadytoacceptthewetpaint,lightlyspraywithwater.

STEP5:LetthePaintBleed

Useawetbrushtopickupabitoffluidpaintandtouchitlightlytothesurfaceofthelinedarea.Letthepaintbleedintotheproduct.Notehowthecolorsoftensasitspreadsfartherout.

Thepainttendstofollowtheline,poolinginthedepressions.Anotheroption:Tiltyourboardsothewetpaintwillrunintothelinedareas.

STEP6:SelectAnotherColor

Loadyourwetbrushandapplyittoanothertexturalareaonthesubstrate.Asthecolorsspread,theywilleventuallyintersecteachotherandcreateafascinatingblend.Applyabitofstrongcolorintothedeeplines.Oncethissurfacehasdriedcompletely,youcanre-wetitandaddadditionalcolorswithoutdisturbingwhatyouhavealreadyapplied.

STEP7:LeaveIttoBleed

Givethepaintachancetobleed.Theareaswiththelineshavecollectedpoolsofpaint,whichreallyshowsthemoff.

MakeEasyCorrectionstoWetProductsIfyoumakeamistakewithoneofyourlines,don’tworry!Aquickswipewithadamppaletteknifeoverthelineanditwilldisappear.Youwillgenerallyhaveatleasttwentyminutesofworkingtimebeforetheseheavierproductsstarttobecomedifficulttocarveinto.

ImageasStructureStructureisabasefromwhichartcangrow.Applyingdifferentimagesthroughoutyour

paintingwillcreatemoodandsetthetonefortherestoftheelements.Structureandlinework

hand-in-handinthecompositionofyourartwork.

MAXIMIZINGTRANSPARENTIMAGES

Untilnow,wehavebeenfocusingonimagesthatcallourattentiontoaspecificareaofthe

compositionaswebuildthestructure.Transparentimages,whethertheyareappliedthrough

transferprocesses,collagedapplicationsoftransparencyfilm,orassheerprintedpapers,can

alsolendnuanceandstrengthtothestructureofyourcompositionswhenappliedatbase

layers.Usetransparentlayersoftextorsubtleimagerytofillinorshadowspecificareasandto

providedirectionalityandmovementtocreatespaces.Createtransfersdirectlyintofluidpaint,

coarsemoldingpasteorevenglassbeadgel.Theprocessisidentical,butthediffering

outcomesareamazing!

ComplementaryImages

Thispaintinguseslayersofimagestocreatethestructure.Imagetransferswereappliedatthebeginningofthepainting

andalsoattheend.Theimagescomplementeachother.Overabaseofneutralimages—whichwillblendintothe

backgroundwithoutcompetingforattentionwiththeotherimages—morevibrantimagery(inthiscase,thebutterflies)was

appliedtothetoplayer.

FADINGMEMORYMixedmediaoncanvas,16×20(41cm×51cm),JuliePrichard

PaintingOverTransparentImages

Thiscompositionstartedasademoinaclassandwasabitofanexperiment.Iappliedopaquetexturedmediumsanda

coupleoftexttransfersfromoldbookpagesdirectlyontothesurface.Insteadofpaintingtheboardbeforethetransfers,all

thepaintwasaddedafterthetexturemediumsandtransferswerecompleted.Theabsorbentqualitiesofthemediums

allowedfortheadditionofwaterylayersofsheercolorwithoutobscuringthetextthatwastransferred.Althoughtransfers

doneonopaquemediumsdonotallowyoutoseethroughtotheunderlyinglayers,thesemediumsprovidedistinctand

interestingsurfacesforcreatingtransfers.

SATURATEDMixedmediaonboard,20"×16"(51cm×41cm),ChrisCozen

SeeingtheLayers

Allofthetransfersonthispieceweredonewithacleargelsothelowerlayerscouldstillbeseenthroughthetransfers.

Originaltransfersofornategothicspireswereappliedonapaintedboardandweretheinspirationforsomeoftheshapes

thatwereaddedlater.Theplacementofthetransfersalsoinfluencedshadedandpaintedareasasthecomposition

progressed.

GONEAWRYMixedmediaonboard,20"×16"(51cm×41cm),ChrisCozen

IntegratingCollageTransfersTransferscanbeutilizedtointegratecollagedelementsintoacomposition.Imagescanbetransferreddirectlyoverpreviouslyappliedcollageelements.Thetransferprocessgivesyoucontroloverimageplacement,sizeandvisibility.Sincetransfersarealwaysdonewithcopiesoforiginalsorcopyright-freeimages,repeatingformsandimagesisalwaysanoption.Rememberthatifyouwanttransferedtexttobereadable,youmustfliptheimageinthecopierorscannerbeforeprinting!

AddingStructure:MoveThatImage!Injustafewsteps,youcanplaceanimagewhereveryouwant.Transfersprovideaseamless

transitionbetweenimageandsurface.Theverybestresultsareobtainedwhenyouusetoner

orlasercopies.Transfersshouldbeappliedtoproperlypreppedsurfaces.

Usingsoftgelmediuminaglossformulationwillallowthemaximumamountofvisibility

fortheimage/textyouwishtotransfer.Mattemediumsandgelswilldrywithaslightlycloudy

film.Consecutivelayersofmatteproductswillbuildupahazysurfacewithoutclarity.

MaterialsPreparedsubstrateTonerorlasercopyofimageofchoiceSoftgelmedium(gloss)PaletteknifeSpraywaterbottleClothorbabywipesTerryclothtowel

STEP1:DecideYourPlacement

Trimyourimagetowithin1⁄4(6mm)to1⁄2(12mm)inchoftheedge.Checktheplacementofthetransfertomakesureyouarehappywithit.

STEP2:ApplySoftGelMedium

Spreadanevencoatofsoftgelmediumwithapaletteknifealloverthesurfacetobecoveredbytheimage.

STEP3:ApplytheTransferImage

Usethetipsofyourfingerstosmooththeimageintothegelmedium.Workoutwardfromthecenteroftheimageouttopushoutanybubbles.Aclean,flat-bladepaletteknifecanbeusedaswell.

STEP4:CleanUpExcessMedium

Useadampclothtocleanupanymediumthatmayhaveoozedoutfromundertheimage.Besurethatnoneofthegelmediumdriesonthebackofthepaper.Onlyareasoftheimagethatareindirectcontactwiththewetmediumwilltransfer.

STEP5:LetItDry

Thereversedimagecanbeseenfaintlythroughthepaper.Thisisagoodsignthatthetransferwillbesuccessful.Alwaystrytoleaveyourselfalittlepaperedgetograbontowhenitistimetoremovethepaper.

STEP6:RemoveExcessPaper

Whenthemediumiscompletelydry,pulloffanypaperyoucanmanagetoremove.

STEP7:RubOfftheRemainingPaper

Spraytheremainingpaperwithcleanwaterandrubgentlyintothesurfaceuntilitstartstoliftoff.Keepwettingandrubbinguntilallthepulphasbeenremoved.Aterryclothtowelishelpfulinremovingthelastbitsofpulp.

JulieBuildsWithCollagePreferringamoregridlikeapproachratherthanafree-flowingpainting,Juliebeginsto

preparetheunderlyingstructurewithsomebasiccollageelements.Followalongwitheach

step.

Materials18"×18"(46cm×46cm)canvasGesso(blackandwhite)OldpapersSoftgelmediumAnthraquinoneBlue,CeruleanBlueDeep,CobaltTurquois,DiarylideYellow,HansaYellowMedium,SapGreenHue,TitanBuff,TitaniumWhite,Turquoise(Phthalo)WaterMark-makingtools

STEP1:StartWithGessoandSomePages

Prepareacanvaswithwhiteandblackgesso.Onlypartsofthecanvasshouldbepreppedwithblack.Thecontrastwillallowupperlayersofpainttoreactdifferentlywiththebaselayers.Cutbasicshapesfromvintagepapers.Arrangethepagessotheyframetheareaofthe

canvasontheupperright.Ifaprominentfocalelementisaddedtothepainting,thisisanideallocation.

STEP2:BlockItIn

Scrubbaselayersofacrylicpaintintothecanvas.Beforeeachlayerdries,allowittoblendintothepreviouscolorssothatyoudonothaveharshlinesofdemarcation.Useheavy-bodypaintandwhatyou’velearnedaboutfreestylecolorblockingaroundthecollageelements.Applydripsanddrops.Theseaccentswillbesubtlebuttheywillprovidedepthbecausethey

willbeslightlyvisibleintheendresult.Carvelinesandscratchesintothewetpaint.Takecautionsothecollageelementsarenot

coveredup.

STEP3:AddImageTransfers

Addneutralimagetransfers.Transfersthatfeaturealotoflightareaswillallowforlowerlayerstoremainvisible.Noticetheintricaciesofthelayeredtransfers.You’llbeabletoseethebookpagetextshowingthroughthegateinthelowercenterofthe

paintingandintheupperleft-handcorneronceyou’verubbedoffallthepaper.Letthepaintingdry.

STEP4:ContinueColorBlocking

Continuecolorblockingsothecolorsbecomericher.Applypaintwithcautionuntilyoudecidewhichimageswillbecoveredandwhichwillremainvisible.Throughoutthecolorapplications,scratchintothewetpainttorevealwhatwasappliedunderneath.MixcolorsusingDiarylideYellow,HansaYellowMedium,Turquoise(Phthalo),

AnthraquinoneBlue,TitaniumWhiteandTitanBuff.Inthisstyleofpainting,itisnotnecessarytomixtheexactpaletteeverytime.Subtlecolorvariationsaredesired.

TransferTipRepeatthetransferthemethroughoutthepainting.Eachtransfershouldbecomplementaryoftheotherstoallowforacohesivepainting.

STEP5:BuildSophistication

Applyadditionaltonesofthesamepaintcolorstocalmthesurfaceandblendthepaint.Carvemorescratchesintothewetpaint.Addpainttotheimageandcollageareas.Whilethepaintiswet,usearagorpapertoweltoremoveandexposethelayersbeneath.Thiswillallowyoutotintsomeofthecollageinsteadofcoveritcompletely.

Rich,EvenCoverageLayeringacrylicpaintiswhatmakesadullpaintingbecomearichone.Eventhoughthecanvasiscovered,studyhoweachlayerreactswiththepreviouslayer.Thereisnosetnumberoflayersneeded;shootforrich,evencoverage.Asyouaddlayers,besuretoaddmarkstoexposesomeofthepreviouslayers.Showthoselayersoff!

STEP6:GrungeItUp

Atthisstage,begintoapplypaintinamoreintentionalmanner.Blockahorizontalgreenlineontothepainting.Placecolorstoaccentthelineandmaketheareastakeshape.Addlayersofcolorandtakecarenottomaketheadditiontooprecise,sothatthepreviouslayersremainvisible.Addsomewhitehighlights.Carveplayfulcirclesintothewetpaint.Whilethislayerisstillwet,useadampbrushover

thecirclestofadethemintothebackground.Holdthebrushflattothecanvastomakethecirclesseemnotasharshaswhentheyarefreshlyapplied,whichaddstothegrungy,wornlookofthispainting.

ChrisDevelopsLayersofTextureChrisstartswithacanvaspreppedintexturedpapers,collage,andstencils.Anoverallsoftblue

stainisthebuildingblockfortherestofthedevelopingcolorstory.

Materials20"×20"(51cm×51cm)canvasGessoGelmediumsLargepatternstencilMoldingpasteTexturedpapersManganeseBlueHue,QuinacridoneMagenta,PermanentVioletDark,NaplesYellowHue,TransparentPyrroleOrange;QuinacridoneRed,TitanBuff,TitaniumWhiteSpraybottlewithwaterPaletteknifeBrushPapertowelDeli-wrappaperHand-carvedstampAcrylicGlazingLiquidWatercolorSkin

STEP1:PreparetheCanvasSurface

UseSoftGelMattetoapplyvarioustexturalpaperstothesurface.Considerwhereyouplaceyourelements,asthiswillaffectthetotalcomposition.Includecrumpledpapersandthickelements,suchascorrugatedcardboard,forincreasedsurfacetexture.Besuretosealthesepaperswithmattemediumbeforeaddingthegessolayertopreventanyfuturediscolorationfromnon-archivalpapers.

STEP2:Gesso

Applytwocoatsofwhitegessototheentiresurfaceofthecanvas.

STEP3:StencilaPattern

Usingmoldingpaste,applyalarge,radialstencilpatterntotheupperleftandlowerrightsidesofthecanvas.Useonlypartofthestencilpatternandleaveadequateopenspacetocontinuebuildingthecomposition.Whendry,thestencilpatternwillberaisedabovethecanvasabout1⁄8"(3mm)deep.Allowtodrythoroughlybeforemovingon.

STEP4:StaintheSurface

MixthreedropsofManganeseBlueHue(orasimilarcolor)withateaspoonofwaterandstiruntilmixed.Brushthismixtureontotheentiresurfaceofthecanvas.Waitaboutaminute,thenbrushagain.Wipeofftheexcesspaintorwaterwitharag.Yoursurfaceshouldappearmottledandlightlycolored.Ifitistoodark,sprayabitmorewaterandremovesomecolor.

STEP5:EnhancetheStructureWithColorWashes

AddadditionalcolorwashesconsistingofQuinacridoneMagentaandPermanentVioletDark.Spraythesurfaceofthecanvaswithwater.Pickupthefluidcolorwithawet,loosebrushanddrawoverthesurface.Repeatthiswithbothcolorsandallowthemtoflowandmingletogether.Softensomeofthecolorbymoppingupexcesswaterwithapapertowel.

KeepLayersCleanByallowingeachlayerofcolortodrythoroughlyinbetweenapplications,thelayersstaycleananddonotruntogether.Noticehowtheoriginalbluecolorremainsblue,whilethetwocolorsthatwereappliedtogetherrantogether.

STEP6:LevelaStencil

Usingapaletteknife,createalevelsurfacearoundtheraisedstencilbyapplyingmatteheavygeloverthearea.Sincegelmediumsshrinkwhentheydry,twocoatsmaybenecessarytocreatealevelsurface.

STEP7:MixSomeColors

Selecttwoareastoaddadditionalcolorusingthecolorpatchtechnique.Byseparatingthetwoblocksofcolor,thecompositionbeginstodevelopadditionaltexturethroughcolor.Mixthesefluidcolorstoachievetherangeshownhere:NaplesYellowHue,QuinacridoneRed,TransparentPyrroleOrangeandTitanBuff.Thepatchesaresmallbyintentiontoallowforthegreatestvariationincolor.

ForaMottledLookRapidmixingyieldsbetterresultsifyourcolorsarenotcompletelymixedtogether.Pouroutafewdropsofeachcoloryouwanttouse,anddipyourbrushfirstintoonecolorandthenthenext.Themixingwilloccurasyouputthepaintdownonthesurface,creatingamottledblendofthetwocolors.

STEP8:ToneDowntheSurface

RapidlymixTitanBuffandNaplesYellowHuedirectlyontothesurface.Worklooselyaroundafewbrightareas,whichcanbeusedatalaterphase.Usethislayertotonedownthepreviouscolorblocksection,pushingmuchoftheareatoalowerlayervisuallysoitwillmeldwellwiththepreviouslyleveledstencil.

STEP9:AddLinearStructure

UsethedriptechniquewithTransparentPyrroleOrange,QuinacridoneMagentaandPermanentVioletDark.Addthepaintatthetopedgeandthenscrapedownwithapaletteknife.Spraywateroverthewetpainttoencouragedripping.Wipesomedripsawaytoopenupthecenterofthepaintingandkeepthelinearelement

overontherightside.

RecognizingWhentoStopThereisalwaysthechancethatyou’llgetthroughthisoralaterstageoftheprocessandfeel

thatthepaintingisdone.Thatisagoodthing.Wheneveryoureachthepointwherethe

paintingisworkingforyou,stopandwait.Letyourselfstepaway.

Itisimportanttobegintofosteranunderstandingwithinyourselfastowhereyour

sensibilitieslie.Therearenohard-and-fastrulesformixed-mediapaintings.Wheneveryou

feellikeyourpaintingiscallingforyoutobedone,thenyouaredone.Sometimesapainting

justcomestogetherwithoutanexcessoflayers;othertimesitcallsformoreandmore.There

willalsobetimeswhenthepaintingthatfeltdonesixmonthsagocallstoyoutosay“putme

backontheeasel.”

Timeandpracticewillhelpyoudevelopawarenessandrefineyourartisticsensibilities.

Learntolistentoyourinternalvoicewhenitcomestoyourart.Workingwithacrylicsallows

yousuchgreatflexibility.

UNTITLEDMixedmediaoncanvas,14"×11"(28cm×36cm),JuliePrichard

CHAPTERFOUR

DevelopingComplexity

CELEBRATIONMixedmediaonboard,14×11(36cm×28cm),ChrisCozen

Ifyoutrainyourselftolookcloselyattheworld,youwillbeabletoglimpsethecomplexitythat

isinherentineverythingaroundyou.Thereareinnumerableintricaciesofform,nuancesof

colorandshading,andaspectsoflinetobefoundonawalkthroughagardenordownan

urbanstreet.Learntoobservecarefullyatwalls,cracks,shadowsandcorners.Seekoutthe

details.

Whetheryouarelookingataprize-winningorchidoracommondandelion,youwillfind

complexshapesandcolors.Thesenextpageswillprovideyouwithtechniquesthatadd

complexitytoyourcompositions,teachyouhowtodevelopnuancethroughcolorapplications,

manipulateandpositionimagesfreely,createshadinganddepth,concoctspecialeffectglazes

andmore.Ourgoalistohelpyoucreatemixed-mediacompositionsthatarevisually

compellingandexciting.

DevelopingComplexity:YouCanDrawThissimpletracingtechniqueisagreatwaytoaddsomedrawnimagestoyourpaintings,even

ifyouthinkyoucan’tdraw.

MaterialsDeli-wraportracingpaperPencilPreparedartworkGelmediumAcrylicpaintSmalldetailbrush

STEP1:TraceYourImage

Usepencilandapieceofnon-waxeddeli-wrappaper(ortracingpaper)totraceyourimage.Carefullytearouttheimage.Tornedgeswillblendintothepaintingeasierthanthestraightlinescreatedbyusingscissors.Allowabout1⁄4"(6mm)ofborderaroundtheentireimage.

STEP2:DeterminePlacement

Haveapaintedcanvasreadyforyoutoworkwith.Onceyouhaveyourimagesready,experimentwiththeirplacementbeforeaffixingthemwithgelmedium.Anchorsmall,separateimagesbyconnectingthemtoanyedgeofthesubstrateortoagroundedlineorpaintedelement.Floatingimagesarenotvisuallyappealingunlesstheyarepartofthestorylineofthecomposition,ornaturallyfoundintheair.

STEP3:BlendtheDrawingsIntotheBackground

Mixapaintcolorthatblendsintothepaintedbackground.Usingasmallangularbrush,paintoverthedeli-wrappaperwiththebackgroundcoloruntilyoureachthelinesofthedrawingsothepaperedgesdisappearintothecanvas.Variation:Printpurchasedorhand-cutstampsontodeli-wrapandusetheminthesame

way.

STEP4:PainttheImages

Useasmallbrushtopainttheinsideofyourimages.Oncetheimagesarepainted,itwillbedifficulttoseethedeli-wrappaperandyourfriendswillbeimpressedwithyournewdrawingskills.

MarkingtheSurface

Thepencilandmark-makingdetailsaddedtothissurfaceincreaseitscomplexity.Whetheryoudrawrealistically,scribble

ormakeinterestingabstractshapes,eachadditionallayerbegsfortheviewertopaymoreattentiontoyourwork.

THEBEACHAcryliconwood,24×18(61cm×46cm),JuliePrichard

DevelopingComplexity:AbstractMonoprintingThisisasurefirewaytoaddabstractblocksofcolortoyourpaintingsinawaythatdoesnot

lookforcedorcontrived.Thelookwillalwaysbeuniqueand“worn.”

MaterialsPaintedsubstratereadyformorelayersHeavy-bodyacrylicpaintsDeli-wrappaperoranyotherdisposablepaperfortransferringSyntheticpaintbrushAcrylicGlazingLiquid

STEP1:PainttheBaseLayer

Beginwitharustybrowncolorcombination.Rememberthatthesecolorswillbevisiblethroughthelayersappliedlater.

STEP2:PainttheDeliWrap

Chooseacolorcombinationthatwillcalmthepaintedbackgroundandprovidecontrastbetweenthetwocolors,whichwillallowthebottomlayertoshowthrough.Applythenewpaintcolorhaphazardlytothedeli-wrappaper.

STEP3:PrintontheSubstrate

Pressthepainteddeli-wrappaperontothepaintedsubstrate.Workquicklysothatthepaintremainsaswetaspossible.Applypressuretosomeareasofthedeliwrap.Liftupthedeli-wraptoexposethenewpaintlayer.

STEP4:BlendSomeLines

UseasyntheticbrushandsomeAcrylicGlazingLiquidtosmoothoutsomeofthelinesinthenewpaintlayer.Thiswillcreatemoreliftastheprocessisrepeated.

STEP5:RepeattheProcess

Applypainttothedeliwrapandpressitontothesubstrateafewtimesuntilthedesiredlookisachieved.Asmorepaintisdepositedincombinationwiththeglazingliquid,largerpitsofpaintwillberemovedwitheachlift.

DepositsandPulls

Thispaintingfeaturedseveraldeli-wrapdepositsandpulls.Layersandlayersofpainthavebeenaddedtocreatethisrich

andcomplexpainting.Deli-wrappullsandtransfersallowforthecreationandplacementofabstractshapeswithout

allowingtheshapestolookliketheywereforce-paintedontotheartwork.

UNTITLEDAcryliconwood,24"×18"(61cm×46cm),JuliePrichard

Complexity:PaintedLines,BlocksandDesignThismaskingtechniqueisafavoritebecauseoftheabilitytoworkandreworkareasofthe

canvasuntilthedesiredcomplexityisachieved.Wepreferacrylicpaintwithanextended

dryingtimeforthisprocess.You’llseewhy.

MaterialsPreparedpaintedsurfaceAcrylicGlazingLiquidDeli-wrappaperSyntheticflatbrushGoldenOPENpaint

STEP1:ApplyAcrylicGlazingLiquid

Continuingonwiththesurfacecreatedduringtheabstractmonoprintingdemonstration,applyAcrylicGlazingLiquidgenerouslytotherightsideofthesubstrate.Thismediumwillholdamaskinplace,anditwilleasilyliftoffofthepaintingwithoutdisturbingthepaintunderneath.

STEP2:PlacetheDeli-WrapPaper

Pressthepaperdownontothefreshlyappliedglazingliquid.Useyourfingerstogentlysmoothitintoplace.Ifthereareairbubblesunderthedeliwrap,applyadditionalglazingliquidunderitandstartagain.Thedeliwrapshouldbefirmlyinplace;itshouldnotliftormovesidetoside.Noglazingliquidshouldoozeouttheside.

STEP3:AddaContrastingColor

Useasyntheticflatbrushtopaintacontrastingcolornexttoandontopofthedeliwrap.Ensurethepainttravelstotheedgeofthedeliwrapsothatacrispedgewillbecreatedoncethedeliwrapisremoved.

STEP4:RemoveandRepeat

Liftthedeliwraptorevealthenewcrispline.Layerdeliwrapandgetcreativewiththenumberofpiecesyouutilizeatonetimetocreateintricateabstractdesigns.

Afterusingabstractmonoprintingtocreatethisrichbackground,Iusedamaskingtechniquetoaddcomplexity.Itookthe

paintingseveralstepsfurtherbyaddingshadowingtothemaskedlinestomakethemastand-out.Howmanyofthe

techniquesshowninthisbookcanyoufindinthispainting?

UNTITLEDAcryliconcanvas,14×14(36cm×36cm)•JuliePrichard

AddingTexturewithSheerCollageElementsCarefullyselectedcollageelementscanaddasenseofmysteryoraglimpseofsurprisetoyour

compositions.Collagecanbemundaneoritcanbeintriguing.

Thereissomuchmoretocollagethancut-outpicturesortorntextpages.Collageelements

canbeone-of-a-kindpaintedskins,hand-drawnimagesorevenyourownphotographs.When

youelevateyourcollagechoices,youaddcomplexitytoyourwork.

Thecollageelementsaddedtothispaintingnotonlycreateinterest,theyalsoanchorthecomposition.Themetallicacrylic

skinsandmeshdrawtheviewer’seyetothelighthouse,whichisthemainfocalpointoftheart.

UNTITLEDAcryliconcanvas,14×11(36cm×28cm),JuliePrichard

AddComplexityWithCollage

Fibersandcheeseclothhavebeenaddedtothiscompositiontoenrichandenliventhesurface.Theseuniquecollageelements

adddepthandtexturewithoutvisuallycrowdingthespace.

INRUINSCollageandmixedmediaonpaper,9"×12"(23cm×30cm),ChrisCozen

DevelopingComplexity:PaintYourOwn

Cheesecloth

STEP1:WettheCheesecloth

Cutandseparatepiecesofcheeseclothanddipintowater.Removeandsqueezeouttheexcesswater.

STEP2:ApplyYourColors

Dipalargebrushinwaterandpickupsomepaint.Dabthepaintinvariousplaces.Ifusingasecondcolor,repeattheprocess,overlappingthefirstcolor.Colorswillblendwhenappliedtowetcheesecloth.

STEP3:FinishtheCloth

Workthewetpaintthroughoutthecheeseclothwithyourfingers.Openuptheclothandletitairdry.Lesspaintandmorewaterwillprovidesubtlecolors.Thecolorispermanentwhendry.

ComplexTexturesandColors

Theadditionofopen-weavefabric,cheeseclothandfiligree-cutpaperstothishighlytexturedbackgroundprovidedaperfectsettingforglazingandstaining.Allthenooksandcranniescreatedbytheimperfectsurfaceallowedforgreatvariationsincolorandshading.Transfersofpersonalephemerawereaddedatboththemiddleandfinallevelsoftheprocess.

AGAINSTALLODDSMixedmediaonpanel,14"×11"(36cm×28cm),ChrisCozen

DevelopingComplexity:CreateaPaintSkinIttakestimetomakeanacrylicskin.Setasideadayortwotomakeseveralandstorethemon

theirpalettepaperforwhenyourartworkcallsforanembellishment.Notwoskinswilllook

alike!

MaterialsDisposablepalettepadFluidacryliccolorsofchoicePaletteknifeorbrushSpraybottlewithwaterAcrylicgelthatdriescompletelyclearsuchasself-levelingcleargel,cleartargel,orsoftgel(gloss)Rubbingalcohol

STEP1:ApplyColor

ApplyafewdropsofTransparentPyrroleOrangeandIndianYellowHuefluidcolorstothepalettepaper.Spraythecolorswithwatertoloosenthemup.

STEP2:SpreadthePaint

Usethepaletteknifetomovethepaintaround.Spraythesurfaceonemoretime,thenallowthepainttodrythoroughlyonthepalettepaper.

STEP3:CoverWithMedium

Pourorspreadclearmediumoverthedriedpaintsurface,coveringitcompletely.

Ifyouareusingsoftgel,youwillneedtoapplyatleasttwoorthreecoats,allowingeachtodryinbetween.

STEP4:LetDry

Allowthesurfacetodryuntiltheproductturnsfromwhitetocompletelyclear.Thickerlayerswilltakealongertime.Ifairbubblesdevelopinthemedium,agentlemistofrubbingalcoholwilltakecareoftheproblem.

STEP5:RemoveSkin

Separatethedriedskinfromthepaperpalettebybreakingthesealattheedge.Peelawaytheskintouse.Keepthepalettepapertostoretheskin.

STEP6:UseinaPainting

Theseskinsarebeautifulusedwholeorcutupinparts.Theycanchangethecolordirectionofacomposition.

IncorporatingPatternWithStencilsPatterncanaddinterestandexcitementtoshapesandspaceswithinacomposition.Onething

thatisgreatfunistocoveranentirecanvaswithbright,colorfulstenciledanddrawnpatterns,

thenutilizecalmingglazestopulloutfunshapesseparatingthemfromtheriotousbackground

withaquietercolor.

VISION1971Mixedmediaartjournalpage,7"×10"(18cm×25cm),JuliePrichard

UPFROMTHEEARTHAcryliconcanvas,20"×20"(51cm×51cm),ChrisCozen

ACROSSTHEFIELDMixedmediaoncanvas,12"×12"(30cm×30cm),ChrisCozen

MANICMixedmediaartjournalpage,7"×10"(18cm×25cm),JuliePrichard

GlazingforColorCorrectionYoumayfindtimeswhencolorneedscorrectingorashapeneedsemphasis.Youmaydecide

thattheyellowyouhavechosenisjustnotstrongenoughanditneedstobemoreorange,or

evenred.Usingglazesinyourartworkcanallowyoutocreatethesesubtleordramaticshiftsof

colorwithouthavingtostartallover.Thebeautyofusingsheerglazesisthatyoucanapplyone

layeror50layers,withoutbuildingupabulkysurface.Yourunderlyingsurfacecanbepushed

backorbroughtforward,warmeduporcooleddown.Glazescanbegritty,metallicor

opalescent.Glazesmakeapaintinglookfinishedwhileaddingcomplexitytoyourpalette.

IT’SCOMPLICATEDMixedmediaoncanvas,24"×24"(61cm×61cm),JuliePrichard

DevelopingComplexity:AddingaLayerofCalmMixingandapplyingglazescanquicklymodifythecolorandtemperamentofyour

compositions.Acalmingglazeisusefulforpushingbackcertainareasofthesurfacesothat

shapesandimagescanbepulledfromthebackgroundandemphasized.Ingeneral,acalming

glazeissemi-transparent,whichallowstheunderlyingcolortoinfluence,butnotdominate,

thefinalcolor.

MaterialsAcrylicGlazingLiquidCeruleanBlueDeep,HansaYellowMedium,ManganeseBlueHue,PaynesGray,TitaniumWhite(orTitanBuff)SmallsyntheticangularbrushPencil

STEP1:CreateaGuide

Lightlypencilinanyareasyouwishtokeepvisible.Thiswillprovideaguideforyouasyouapplytheglaze.Thereareacoupleofareasthatlookasifbirdsareflying.

STEP2:ChooseYourColors

MixatinybitofthelightestbluewithTitaniumWhiteandthenmixintheglazingliquid.Workwithsmallamountsofcolor,astheglazingliquidwillallowyoutoworkwiththemixtureforalongertime.Itisimportanttouseaslightlydampbrushandnoextrawaterforthisprocess.

STEP3:ApplytheGlaze

Painttheglazealongandaroundyourpencillinestopushbackthebackgroundandallowtheselectedareastocomeforward.Thefirstcoatwillbequitesheerandwilldrywithahazyfinish.Mixadditionalglazeasneeded,tocovertheareasthatwillbecomethebackground.Applydifferent-coloredcalmingglazestovariousareasonthesurface,ifdesired.

STEP4:AddAdditionalLayers

Oncethefirstlayerofglazeisdry,addanadditionallayerinHansaYellowMediumtothebluestocreateagreen.MixwiththeTitaniumWhiteandglazingliquidtocreateanadditionalcalmingglaze.Thesecondcoatwillstarttopushtheoriginalorangesandpinkstotheback.Itisuptoyou

howmuchorhowlittleofthebackgroundcolorwillremainvisible.

DevelopingComplexity:ShadingforShadow,

VolumeandDepthFiguringouthowtocreateshadowsandvolumecanbetricky.Asimpleshadingglazecando

wondersforgivingtheillusionofvolumeanddepthinyourcompositions.Ourfavoritecolor

forthisglazeisPaynesGray,whichisadarkblue-graywithtransparentqualities.

STEP1:CreateSemi-SheerMix

MixPaynesGraywiththeAcrylicGlazingLiquidtocreateasemi-sheermixture.Theglazingliquidcutsthepigmentloadandallowstheglazetobemovedandremovedeasily.Workatinybitoftheglazeintoaslightlydampangularbrushandapplytothebottomedgeoftheshapeyouwishtoshadow.

STEP2:SoftentheLine

Useaclean,drybrushtosoftenthelineofpaintedshadowglaze.Useadownwardpullingmotiontocreateanaturaltransitionbetweenthedarkandthelight.

STEP3:AddDarkerLayers

Continueaddingdarkerglazestoyourcompositionuntilyouachievethevolumeyoudesire.Whenyouselectcolorstocreatevolumewithinashape,lookforsimilar,darkercolorsthathavesheerpigmentqualities.Theglazingliquidwillprovideadditionalsheernessandallowyoutocontrolhowmuchoftheunderlyingcolorremainsvisible.

It’sallinaGlaze:Grit,Grime,RustandPatinaSometimespaintedsurfacesneedabitofcharacter.Glazesaretheperfectwaytoachievethe

patinaofage,thegrimeoftimeortherustofneglect.Thesesimple-to-mixacrylicglazes,some

ofourfavorites,canbeappliedtoanentiresurfaceorjustsmallareasforatouchofinterest.

Thetrickisintheratioofcolorsineachmixture.

DevelopingComplexity:MixingYourAgingGlazeTherecipeswehaveprovidedareonlyaguidelineforyoutogetstartedinmakingagingglazes.

Experimentwithyourowncolorchoicestoseewhatagingformulasyoucancomeupwith.

MaterialsPaletteknifeGlazeformulacolorchoicesWaterAcrylicGlazingLiquidSpraybottle

STEP1:ChooseaGlaze

Usetheglazeformulacharttodetermineyourformulaandmixthedropsofpainttogether.Applytheglazetoyourpaperwithabrushorpaletteknife.

STEP2:ReleasethePigment

Spritzwithwatertoreleasethepigmentfromthebinder.Encouragethespreadofthepigmentintotheareaswherethewatergoesbypushingthepaintacrossthepaperwiththepaletteknife.

STEP3:MixWithAcrylicGlazingLiquid

Foranevenmoresheerapplicationofglaze,mixtheformula—withoutwater—intosomeAcrylicGlazingLiquidandapplywithabrush.Inthisapplication,thepigmentparticlesstaycloseonthesurface,heldtogetherbytheglazingliquid.

JulieDevelopsComplexity:FineTuningWith

ColorInthefinalstagesofthepainting,morespecificcolorchoicesaremadebecausetheywillbe

sittingontheupperlayers.Intheearlierstages,muchofthelayerswereobscured,buttheyare

neededsothattheywillinfluencetheupperlevelsofpaint.

STEP1:WorkontheRectangle

Determineafinalcomposition.It’simportanttoknowthatifyoudecidetotakethepaintinginadifferentdirectionfromyourinitialidea,youcan.FocusontherectangleontheleftsideofthepaintingandaddCeruleanBlueDeeptotheshapetomakeitmorepronounced.UsingaglazecreatedusingCeruleanBlueDeepandAcrylicGlazingLiquid,slightlydarkentheedgesofthe

paintingtogiveitanagedappearance.Thedarkenededgemakesthepaintinglooklikeithasbeenhandledovertime.

STEP2:ToneDowntheRight

Addlightbluepainttotherighttotonedowntheareasothewindowwillremainthefocalarea.Addbrightgreenpainttotheupperedgessothatframingisimplied,andtotietheupperportionofthepaintingtothelowerportion.Brushtheremainingblueareaswithlightglazestosmooththestrokesandcalmthemdown.

VisibilityThroughtheLayersGlazingistheperfecttoolbecauseitallowsyoutoadjustthedepthanddimensioninyourpaintingwhilestillallowingthelowerlayerstobevisible.

STEP3:AddGreen

Addgreenpainttothebaseofthewindowrectangle.Usegreenpaintasaglazeinthelowerportionofthepainting.Sincetheglazeisasheerpaintcolor,muchofthebluepaintandstrokescreatedarestillvisiblethroughtheglazing.

Givethepaintingmoreofagardenfeelingbyaddinggreenpainttothebaseofthewindowrectangle.

ChrisDevelopsComplexityinHerPaintingSofartheprocesshasbeenfocusedondevelopingthestructureofthecomposition.Textures,

layersofstencilsandadjustmentsofcolorhavebroughtustoapointwherethepainting

beginstocomealive.It’stimeformorecolorlayers.

STEP1:GlazeIt

AddacalmingglazecomprisedofAcrylicGlazingLiquid,TitanBuffandNaplesYellowHueovertheareadirectlyundertheupperpinwheelstencilpatternandaroundthecolorareasthatwerepreviouslyisolated.Flowershapesbegintoemerge.Repeatthisfortheupperrightandbottomleft.ThestencilpatternreceivesabroadswipeofPermanentVioletDarkGlaze.Dripsof

QuinacridoneRedandTransparentPyrroleOrangeareaddedtotheupperrightdeveloping

thelinearelementthatwasestablishedbytheoriginalplacementofthecollageelementsandsupportedbythetwocolorpatchareasaddedearlier.

GlazesUnifyTheadditionofthesetwoglazesbringscohesiontothesurface,whichreallyallowstheshapestotakeprominence.

STEP2:StampYourDesign

Usehand-carvedstampblockstocreatemultiplesofaspecificcollageelement.UseabrayertoinktheblockswithOPENacrylicsandstampthemontodeli-wrappaperorarchivaltissue.Cutthemoutandexperimentwithplacingthemontothesurface.Whenapleasingarrangementhasbeenfound,applythecutoutstothesurfaceusingsoftgel.UseblackOPENacrylicfortheimagetomakethefloralimagespopoffthesurface.STEP3:AddPetals

CreateawatercolorpaintskinusingPermanentVioletDark,QuinacridoneMagentaandQuinacridoneRed.Cuttheskinintopetalshapesandaddtothepaintedshapes.Applytheskincutoutstothesurfacewithregulargelgloss.

STEP4:StartShading

Addshadingglazesunderandaroundanumberofthefloralshapestofurtherdefinethemandprovidesomedepthtothesurface.MixPaynesGrayandDioxazinePurplewithAcrylicGlazingLiquidforthisshadingglaze.

TipApplytheshadingglazewithonebrushanduseaseconddrybrushtosoftentheglazedareaforanaturalshadow.

STEP5:DevelopContrastandDimension

Continueaddingvariousglazes.MixTitaniumWhitewithAcrylicGlazingLiquidtocreatealighteningglaze.Applythisglazetoseveralareastoincreasecontrastbetweentheflowersandthebackground.Maskafewareaswithaleafshapebeforeapplyingthelighteningglaze.Whenyouremovethemask,theshapeoftheleafisoutlinedbythelightercolor.Applysheercolorglazestothedeli-wrapcutoutstointegratethemintotheoverallcomposition.

CHAPTERFIVE

FinessingtheDetails

TAKEALEAPMixedmediaoncanvas,18×18(46cm×46cm),ChrisCozen

Withallthesetechniquesinplay,therecomesatimewhenweneedtostepbackandassessour

work.Thispausebeforemovingontothefinaldetailsallowsustobreatheandtakeinwhatis

happening.It’simportantforartistsateveryleveltodevelopanabilitytocritiquewhatthey

havedone.

Hereareafewquestionsthatwillhelpyouintheprocess:

•HaveIplacedtheemphasiscorrectly?

•DoesmyeyetravelaboutthecompositiontotheplacesIwanttobeseen?

•Doesanyareaneedmorecolorordefinition?

•Shouldashapebefurtheroutlinedordefined?

•Hasthecompositionbecometoobusy?

•Istheresomethingmissingfromthecomposition?

Thesequestionswillprovidedirectionforthefinaldetails.Thisisyouropportunityto

correctandrefineyourcomposition.Theselastfewpagesofferyouafewofourfavoritedetail

techniques.

FinishingTouches

Sometimes,thesubtledetailsinapaintingreallybringtheartworktolife!Hereisalistofour

favoritefinishingtouches.Seeifyoucanspotthemthroughoutthisbook,andthinkabouthow

youcanaddthemintoyourownpaintings.

Rubberstamps.Rubberstampsareagreatwaytoadduniformdetails.Mixadroportwo

ofOPENAcrylicMediumintoyourfluidacrylicsandapplyafine,thinlayerofpainttoyour

palettewithabrush.Stampintothepaintandthenontoyourproject.Or,stampdirectlyonto

yourprojectwithacleanstamptoremovesomeofthepaint.Thisworksgreatwithheavy-body

acrylicsorwhenAcrylicGlazingLiquidhasbeenused.

Indiaink.Indiainkallowsyoutoapplysolidblacklinestoyourpainting.Becauseofthe

viscosityoftheink,youcancreateuneven,imperfectlineswithgreatease.Ensurethattheink

youchooseiswaterprooforacrylic-basedsothatitwillnotsmearifadditionalwatermediais

addedtoyourpaintingatalatertime.

Quillpensandsticks.Aquillpenisniceifyouwouldliketoaddhandwritteninktoyour

artwork.Various-sizedtipsareavailableforarelativelylowcost.Costingevenless,astick

fromyourgardenmakesagreatimplementtousewithink.Astheinkflowsoffofthestick,it

createsaninteresting,unevenline.

Pastelsandpencils.Pastelscanbefoundinstickformandinpencilform.Usethepastels

toenhancepaintonceithasdried.Youcanusethecolorstoaddshadingbysmearingthe

pastelswithablendingstumporcosmeticsponge.Somepastelsarewater-soluble,whichis

funbecausetheycanbethinnedjustlikewatercolorpaint.Applypastelsattheendofyour

paintingandusefixativetoensuretheirpermanence.

Oilcrayonsandpastels.Oilcrayonsandoilpastelswillcreateamorevibrantdisplayof

colorthantheirchalkcounterparts.Thesepastelswillhavemorestayingpoweronyour

artwork,yettheycanstillbeblendednicelywithacosmeticwedge.Followthepackage

instructionsregardingthepermanenceofyouroilproducts,astheyvaryfrommanufacturerto

manufacturer.

Specialtypaints.MetallicandInterferencecolorsarereallyfuntoworkwith.Interference

painthascolorparticlessuspendedinitthatreaddifferentlydependingonwhichdirection

lighthitsthem.Thinkofanoilslick,ortheiridescenceofaculturedpearl,andhowtheyshine

andpickupcolorinthelight.Interferencepaintreactsinthesameway.Theeffectofthepaint

willbesubtleorvivid,dependingonhowmuchyouuse.Trythepaintonacosmeticwedge

withastencilforacoolupper-layereffect.Metallicpaintcanbeappliedwithadetailbrush,

cosmeticspongeorpaletteknife.Experimentwithwriting,stampingandscrapingthepaintto

seewhichlookyoulikebest.

Charcoalpencils.Charcoalpencilscomeinseverallevelsofhardness.Trysoftpencilsfor

asmudgylook,andharderpencilsformoredetailedwork.Coloredcharcoalpencilsarealso

available.Addcharcoaldetailstoyourprojectinthefinalstages,andusefixativetoensure

permanence.

TheEyesFollowtheLine

Uselinetocalltheviewer’sattentiontospecificareasofyourpainting.Subconsciously,theireyeswillfollowthelineand

restwherethelinetellsthemto.Imagineapaintingwithoutanyline.Doesyoureyelingeronthepainting,ortraveltothe

focalpoint?

Linecanbecreatedwithcolor,ink,paint,pencilorcollage.Lookattheartaroundyou.Noticethelinesthatmaybe

impliedbyshapeswithinthepainting.Youcanuselinetodrawsomeone’sattentiontoyourfocalpoint.Photographers

studylineinimagesandevenfashiondesignersuselinetocreateclothesthatarethemostflattering.Lineiseverywhere!

GHOSTWRITERMixedmediaoncanvas,12"×12"(30cm×30cm),JuliePrichard

FinishingTouches:Bold,ImperfectLinesWhetheryouworkinaquietmonochromaticpaletteorariotousarrayofcolor,astrong,black

lineisoftenjustwhatisneededtofinishoffacomposition.WeareusingpermanentIndiaink

andawobblystickpluckedfromthegardenforthisinterestingplayonline.Youmaywantto

practiceyourdoodlingskillsbeforeyoustart.

MaterialsTallbottleofIndiaink(makesureitispermanent)Skinny,wobblystickfromthegardenAcrylicGlazingLiquidSmallangularbrushYourworkAfearlessattitude!

STEP1:LoadYourStick

DipthestickdeepdownintothebottleofIndiaink.Theinkwilldripdownthestickandprovideyoutimetodoyourdrawing.

STEP2:DrawYourLine

Don’tworryabouttheoccasionaldripordrop.Theyonlyaddtotheboldnessofthetechnique.Youwillgetthickerlinesrightafteryoufirstdip,andthenthelinewillthinout.Dipagainasneededuntilfinished.

STEP3:MakeCorrections

Shouldyoutrulyneedtocorrectaninkmistake,quicklyaddabitofAcrylicGlazingLiquidtoasmallangularbrush.Usethebrushtoerasethemistake.Wipeoffthebrushandcontinuetoremovetheinkuntilsatisfied.

STEP4:AddDrama

Adddramatothesurfaceofanotherwisesimplecompositionbyaddinglinesasneeded.

PaintaSurfacetoDrawOnAcrylicpaintisnotaneasysurfacetodrawonwithcharcoal,chalkpastelorpencil.Luckily,

thereareseveraldifferentproductsyoucanaddtoyourartworktogivethesurfacemoretooth,

soyourdrawingmediumswilltraveloverthesurfacenicely.Welikethesoftlookthat

translucentmediumsaddtoourart.Herewewillexamineafewofthosemediums.Eachof

thesemediumsappliedinthin,evencoatswillprovideasuitablesurfacefordrawing.Even

thoughwearetalkingaboutdrawingonthesemodifiedsurfaces,don’toverlookhowpaintwill

reactontopofthemtoo!

AcrylicGroundforPastels.Probablyourfavoriteofthedrawingmediums,thismedium

addsunmistakabletoothinjustonecoat.Itsveryslight,hazyappearancewhendrycreatesa

slightlyethereallookwhichcanincreaseasmorelayersofthisgroundareaddedtotheart.

Thereisnotonepencilorpastelthatwillnotlovethistexture.

CoarseMoldingPaste.Thispastewilladdtoothandtexturetoyourproject.Coarse

MoldingPasteisamediumwithgroundupparticlesthataresimilarinsizeandappearanceto

hand-groundsalt.Itdriesawarmwhite,andistranslucentinapplicationsupto1⁄8"(3mm).

Thickerapplicationswillcoverunderlyinglayers.Onlyaverythinapplicationisneededto

createadrawingsurface.

LightMoldingPaste.LightMoldingPasteisa“fluffy”cousintotheheaviermolding

paste.Itsairy,lightweightqualityisidealforpreppingsurfaceswithoutaddingweight.When

dry,thesurfacefeelssimilartoheavywatercolorpaperandreceivesmarkseasily.Becauseitis

soabsorbent,itisfabulousforwetapplications,allowingcolortopoolandpuddle.Light

MoldingPastedrieswhiteandopaque.Averythincoatwillallowsomevisibilitytothelower

layers.HeaviercoatsofLightMoldingPastecanbeformedandmoldedwithawetbrush.

MatteMedium.MatteMediumdoesnotdryperfectlyclear.Particlessuspendedinitthat

allowthemediumtobemattewillcreateaslightsurfacetextureortooththatwillacceptpencil

andpastel.Applyatleasttwoverythincoats,allowingeachcoattodrybeforethenextto

createthedrawingsurface.

AcrylicGroundforPastels

Inthisexample,asinglecoatofAcrylicGroundforPastelswasaddedtoapieceofpaintedwatercolorpaper.Oncethe

groundwascompletelydry,itleftanice,translucentsurfacetodrawon.

TestYourMediums

Trypaintingasampleboardtotestyourmediums.Useacrylicpainttocreate4"(10cm)coloredsquaresonalarge

substrate.Oncethepaintisdry,applythin,evencoatsofmediumtoeachsquare.Whentheyaredry,usepencilsorpastels

tomakeyourmark.

Savetheboardforreference.Thesampleswillshowhowpencilandpastelreactdifferentlyontopofeachmedium.

UsingColorasDetailUsingcolorasdetailisawayforyoutoemphasize,enhance,modifyorembellishyourwork.

Simpleswipesofcolorwithyourpaletteknifewillcatchtheedgesoftextureinadelightfully

randommanner.Usingjarlidsorcookiecuttersdippedinpaintcanaddthatextrapopofcolor

andshapeneededtopullthingstogether.Thefinalphaseisaperfecttimetoaddabitofshine

orshimmerusingMetallicorInterferencepaints.

Thesefinalstepswilloftenmoveyourcompositionfromjustokaytosomethingoutstanding.

Herearesomeshotsofcolordetailsthatwelove.

Byhighlightingtheedgesoftheleaveswithabrightcolor,itreleasesthemfromthebackground.Theleavesappeartopop

offthesurface.

TIPPEDMixedmediaonboard,20"×16"(51cm×41cm),ChrisCozen

SpecialEffectsPaintApplicationsTherearewonderfulpaintsavailablethatprovideartistswithmetallicandinterferenceeffects.

Usedsparingly,thesepaintscanprovideluminosityandsparkletoyourwork.Trymixing

thesepaintswithyourpalettecolorstodiscoverhowyoucanmultiplyyourcolorlibrary

instantaneously.

1.UseapaletteknifetoscrapeIridescentGoldoveralayerofQuinacridoneMagentamixed

withInterferenceViolet.

2.MakeasparklydirtyglazebymixingMicaceousIronOxidewithAcrylicGlazingLiquid.

3.MixPyrroleOrangeandIridescentBrightGoldforvividlightreflectingcolor.

4.ApplyIridescentPearltoamakeupwedgeandpouncethroughyourfavoritestencilfora

luminescentpattern.

5.MixInterferenceBluewithAcrylicGlazingLiquidforasheerveilofcolor.

6.AddalayerofInterferenceGreentoyoursurfaceandseehowitchangesthecolorsbelow.

SpecialEffectsDepartmentInterferencepaintisfuntoworkwith!Experimentbypaintingoverbothlightanddark

surfaces.We’vecreatedsomesamplemixestogetyoustarted.Whatothermixescanyoucome

upwith?

•Bird:InterferenceBlue+PhthaloBlue(GS)

•Centerleaf:InterferenceBlue+PhthaloBlue(GS)+IridescentCopper

•Topleaf:InterferenceBlue+PhthaloBlue(GS)+AcrylicGlazingLiquid

•LeftLeaf:InterferenceGreen

•Bird:InterferenceGreen+PhthaloBlue(GS)

•Centerleaf:InterferenceGreen+PhthaloBlue(GS)+IridescentCopper

•Topleaf:InterferenceGreen+PhthaloBlue(GS)+AcrylicGlazingLiquid

•LeftLeaf:InterferenceViolet

•Bird:InterferenceViolet+PhthaloBlue(GS)

•Centerleaf:InterferenceViolet+PhthaloBlue(GS)+IridescentCopper

•Topleaf:InterferenceViolet+PhthaloBlue(GS)+AcrylicGlazingLiquid

•LeftLeaf:IridescentStainlessSteel

•Bird:IridescentStainlessSteel+PhthaloBlue(GS)

•Centerleaf:IridescentStainlessSteel+PhthaloBlue(GS)+IridescentCopper

•Topleaf:IridescentStainlessSteel+PhthaloBlue(GS)+AcrylicGlazingLiquid

•LeftLeaf:IridescentGold

•Bird:IridescentGold+PhthaloBlue(GS)

•Centerleaf:IridescentGold+PhthaloBlue(GS)+IridescentCopper

•Topleaf:IridescentGold+PhthaloBlue(GS)+AcrylicGlazingLiquid

•LeftLeaf:IridescentPearl

•Bird:IridescentPearl+PhthaloBlue(GS)

•Centerleaf:IridescentPearl+PhthaloBlue(GS)+IridescentCopper

•Topleaf:IridescentPearl+PhthaloBlue(GS)+AcrylicGlazingLiquid

FinishingTouches:SprayIt!Acrylicspraypaintsofferflexibility,sotheydon’tcrackwhenusedonflexiblesubstratessuch

ascanvas.Theseprofessionalpaintsallowforgreatcontrolofyourspray,anddifferent-sized

nozzlescontrolhowmuchpaintwillbeaddedwitheachspray.

Beforeyoubegintospraypaint,takesafetyintoconsideration.Alwayssprayinawell-

ventilatedareaandwearprotectiveglovesandamasktoprotectyourhandsandlungs.Follow

themanufacturer’sinstructions.

MaterialsPaintedartworkStencilsRespiratorymaskArtistspraypaintProtectivegloves

STEP1:ChooseYourBase

Makesurethatyourbaselayersofpaintarecompletelydrybeforeyouspraypaintontopofthem.

STEP2:StenciltheBase

Shakeandtestpaintonascrapsurfacetomakesureyourpaintismixedandflowingproperly.Spraythroughastencil.Stayclosetothestencil.

STEP3:AddaSecondStencil

Addasecondstencil.Sprayonlyaportionofthestencilsoyouarenotleftwithacookie-cutterimage.

STEP4:MonoprintWithStencil

Usebuilt-upspraypaintonthestenciltoprintyourworkwhileit’sstillwet.

Julie’sFinishingTouches:AddingComplexityat

theEndEventhoughtheyarequickandsmall,thesefinishingtouchesaddmorecomplexitytoyour

art.Takealookathowsomeoilpastels,pencilandastenciladdanotherlayerofdepth.

MaterialsAcrylicGroundforPastelsOilpastels(red,blue)AlphabetstencilNo.2pencilFixative

SwitchHandsUseyournon-dominanthandtomakemarksthatlooklessdeliberate.

STEP1:AddAcrylicGroundforPastels

Oncetheaddedgroundiscompletelydry,useredoilpasteltoaddaccentsaroundtheshapeofthewindowandthecollageelements.Createconflictingemotionswithsmallaccentsandblendthemwithyourfingertips,sothatnothinglookstooprecise.Addbluepastelaroundthewindowshapeandscribblesomebluetomatchontheoppositeside.Useano.2penciltoscribblerandomthoughtsabovethewindowandinthegreenarea.

STEP2:StencilLettersandNumbers

Atthisstage,stepbackandstudythepainting.Considerifyouhavetoomanymarks,ornotenough.Imaginehowanyfurthermarkswillenhancethefeelofthepainting.Addsomestenciledalphabetletteringinpenciltosomeareasontheleftside.Tomakethe

redcirclesunderthewindowalittlemorewhimsical,colortheminsotheyalmostofferthefeelingoffloatingflowerpetals.Smudgethenewredadditionsslightly.

STEP3:MakeChanges

Makeyourchangesasyouseefittocompletethepainting.Ifyoudon’tlikethecircles,hidethemwithabitofjournaling.Oncethepaintingisfinished,applyfixative.SOLITARYMixedmediaoncanvas,18×18(46cm×46cm),JuliePrichard

Chris’sFinishingTouches:Enhanceand

EmphasizeAsapaintingnearscompletion,stepbackandlookcarefullyforopportunitiestoenhanceand

emphasizetheelementsyouhavecompletedsofar.

MaterialsRedopen-weavemeshSoftgel(gloss)SheerfabricandmeshAcrylicGlazingLiquidMicaceousIronOxide,SapGreenHue,PermanentVioletDark,NaptholRedLightBrushNo.2pencilWhitepermanentgelpen

STEP1:ApplySheerCollageElements

Addsomesheercollageelementstothesurfacetoextendcolorareasthroughacentralverticalbandemphasizingthepinkpaintdripscreatedduringanearlierlayer.Thescrollpatternpicksupontheroundedflowershapes.Applyredopen-weavemeshunderneathoneofthelargeflowerelementsanddowninthe

bottomleftcornertotieinwiththetexturallayersbelow.Applyopen-weavemeshorsheer

fabricelementswithsoftgel(gloss)justasyouwouldapaperelement.Takeintoconsiderationtheoverallcompositionwhenaddingtheseelements.Avoidgettingoverlybusy.

STEP2:AddThreeColors

BrushadirtyglazeofiridescentMicaceousIronOxideandAcrylicGlazingLiquidoverthesurfaceandpushintothetexturedareastocreateasenseofageanddepth.Thisglazereallyemphasizesallthesubtletextureofthesurface.TheparticlesintheMicaceousIronOxidearegrittyandsimulatedirtandgrime.AddagreenglazetotheleafshapesusingSapGreenHue.Breakupthelong,verticalbandwithaswipeofPermanentVioletDark,bringingtheeyetowardsthebottom.

STEP3:CompletethePainting

SkimabrightswipeofNaptholRedLightoverthesurfaceoftheraisedstencilatthetopofthecomposition.Thistiesintothetworedmeshelements.Addgraphitepencillines,arrowsand

numberstothesurfacetobuildinterest.Alsoaddafewwhitelineswithapermanentgelpen.Reviewyourcompositionforanylastdetailsthatneedadjusting.Brightyellowcentersaddedtoafewofthepaintedflowerscompletethedetails.

THEGARDENPATHMixedmediaoncanvas,20"×20"(51cm×51cm),ChrisCozen

AboutVarnishingWehavetakenyouthroughmanyvariedtechniquesandhopefullyyouareinspiredtocreate

yourownlayeredmixed-mediacompositions.Beforeweclosethepagesonthisadventure,

thereisonelastlayertodiscuss.

Thequestionofwhetherornottovarnishacrylicartworkisonethatfrequentlygetsasked.

Wethinkitisimportantforartiststounderstandwhatavarnishdoesandhowitprotectsyour

artwork.Whenalayerofacrylicofanykinddries,tinylittleholesremaininthesurface.These

holesaretheresultofthewaterevaporatingfromtheacrylicproduct,leavingyouwithoutany

trappedmoistureunderthesurface.Theseholescollectdirtandgrimeovertime.Ifyouuse

onlyanotheracrylicproductinsteadofvarnishtofinishyourpainting,youarenotdealingwith

theholesatall.Avarnishlayerfillsintheholesandeliminatestheissueofdirtcollectingin

theirspaces.Inaddition,varnishlayersaredesignedtoberemovableintheeventthatthe

surfacegetsexcessivelydirtyovertime,isexposedtosmokeorpollution,orevengetslight

damageduringshippingoruse.

ThereareacrylicvarnishesthathaveUVprotectionintheirformulas.Thisadditionallayer

ofprotectionisnecessaryinmixed-mediawork,assomeofthepapersandothermaterials

usedmaybesubjecttofadingifthecolorantsusedarenotlightfast.

Thereismuchusefulinformationavailableaboutpreparingyourpiecesforvarnishing.

Applicationofaclearisolationcoatiscriticalasthisputsabarrierbetweenthesurfaceofyour

artandtheremovablevarnishcoat.

ALTEREDPERCEPTIONMixedmediaonmultiplecanvases,28"×54"(71cm×137cm),HollyDean

ARTISMYSANCTUARYMixedmediaoncanvas,24"×24"(61cm×61cm),AndreaRaft

VECTORAcryliconcradledwoodpanel,12"×12"(30cm×30cm),SethApter

SOOTHINGSEAMixedmedia,20"×20"(51cm×51cm),BrigittevanTienhoven

Dedication

ChrisdedicatesthisbooktoRogerPoitraswhofirsttaughtherhowtoseeinanartfulway.

Thanks,Dad,youarealwayswithme.

Juliededicatesthisbooktoallartistseverywherewhosespiritandcreativityhavelifted

mankindthroughtheagesandespeciallymyinternetmusesbothseenandunseenwhohave

guidedmetothesamenoblepurpose.

Acknowledgments

JulieandChriswouldliketoacknowledge:

AllthepeopleatNorthLightBooksandF+WMedia,Inc.,wholitafireunderustowritethis

bookandstokedtheflamestogetitcompleted;thecountlessstudents,bothrealandvirtual,

whosupportusandfeedourcreativeenergieseveryday;andthemanypeoplewhovisitand

commentonourwebsitesandthatencouragesharingandcommunitybuildingonline.

Juliewouldliketoacknowledge:

Myhusband,daughter,motherandfatherwhohavealwaysstoodbehindme,andtheinspiring

ChrisCozen,myextraordinarymentorandfriend.

Chriswouldliketoacknowledge:

Myhusbandof35yearswhodoesn’tunderstandanyofthisbutsupportsmyendeavors

anyway,JuliePrichardforbeingthekindofstudent,friendandcolleaguethatmakesitall

worthwhiletotheend,andmykindredartistfriendswhoarebothnearandfarfortheir

enthusiasmandbeliefinme.

AbouttheAuthors

ChrisCozenisaself-taughtartistwhoenjoysexploringcolor,texture,andpatterninherart.

Herabilitytodevelopandteachawiderangeofclassesisrootedinherprofessionaltrainingas

aneducator.ChrisisaWorkingArtistforGoldenArtistColors,Inc.(US),manufacturersof

acrylicpaintsandproductspresenting30ormoreprofessionallecturesandacrylicworkshops

throughoutSouthernCaliforniaandtheUSeachyear.Since2008shehaspublishedthree

highlypopularAcrylictechniquebooksfocusingondifferentapplicationsofAcrylicpaintsand

textures:AlteredSurfaces(2008),Transfers&AlteredImages(2009)andMixedMedia&

Color(2010)withDesignOriginals.HeronlineclasseswithJuliePrichardcanbefoundat

thelandoflostluggage.com.HerworksareheldinprivatecollectionsthroughouttheUS,

EuropeandIsrael.ChrisliveswithherhusbandinPasadena,CA.YoucanfindChrison

chriscozenartist.com.

JuliePrichardisamulti-mediaartistlivingandworkinginSouthernCalifornia.She

currentlywritesandproducesonlinemixedmediaworkshopsmakingthemavailabletoa

globalaudience.ThroughtheinternetJuliesharesherknowledgewithfellowtravelersina

voyageofeverevolvingcreativity.Julie’scurrentartworkcanbeseenonherwebsite:

TheLandOfLostLuggage.com.

EditedbyVanessaWieland

DesignedbyWendyDunning

AcrylicSolutions.Copyright©2013byChrisCozenandJuliePrichard.Allrightsreserved.

NopartofthiseBookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanical

means,includinginformationstorageandretrievalsystemswithoutpermissioninwriting

fromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquotebriefpassagesinareview.Published

byNorthLightBooks,animprintofF+WMedia,Inc.,10151CarverRoadSuite#200,Blue

Ash,OH45242.(800)289-0963.FirstEdition.

OtherfineNorthLightproductsareavailablefromyourlocalbookstore,artsupplystoreor

online.Alsovisitourwebsiteatfwmedia.com.

eISBN:9781440321184

Thise-bookedition:March2013(v.1.0)