supplies used for:
I like to start out with a photograph from my collection.
Gives me somewhere to start.
and my friend,
Masking Tape - it attaches stuff and is the color of parchment and easily accepts a wide variety of mediums: paint, pen, pencil....what more could I ask for?
The first three colors are:
Apple Barrel - Michael’s - Purple
Apple Barrel - Bright Blue
My Studio - Ivory
Mechanical Pencil - I don’t use drawing pencils, mechanical pencils are always sharp and the lead is easily manipulated for shading
Paper Stump - this extremely cheap product makes shading a snap
White Gesso: all white paint you see me use in this video is Gesso. I bought a huge, cheap container of it. I pour small amounts into an old salsa jar. I stir it with a bamboo skewer.
Golden’s Matte Medium - one of the few more ‘expensive’ products I can’t live without.
It protects my pencil work
AND, it glues stuff like words printed from the computer.
Folk Art - Parchment - this is what I use for flesh. It is VERY comparable to Golden’s Titan Buff. It’s not as thick, which I like, but still has some body to it. And the really awesome part is it costs a lot less.
Watercolors: sometimes it’s easier to start out with watercolors when you’re trying to get a feel for what the color scheme of a piece should be. I use a super cheap $5.00 kiddie set by Nicole that I bought at AC Moore.
In this particular piece, I added a lot of black watercolor to the background and as shading around some of the figures.
This is what it looked like in the end,
a layer amongst many others.
I then balanced that out by adding the white text stamp
I love Love LOVE word stamps.
Here I am, being naughty and using it with gesso.
I like the danger of it.
I'm still a wild-child (even though I quit smoking).
Now I rebel in safer, but still destructive ways which actually end up being constructive,
if you know what I mean. ;)
Pen - I so love using a ‘Bic’ pen in my work.
Pen opens whole new worlds.
Kinda like a magick wand.
But it's so easy!!
and cheap!!
Two of my favorite things!!
What more is there to say about the glorious'ness of pen?
I dare you to be more daring.
Draw with pen!
Charcoal pencil - Nicole brand again
Nicole makes low cost items that are still really good products.
I also own a heat-gun by the same brand.
I thought it died once, but miraculously it came back to life.
Delta Ceramcoat - Antique Gold - I am not sure you’ll find this.
It’s super, super old.
I don't even remember if I bought it or someone gave it to me.
But I can tell you that also own Apple Barrel’s King’s Gold
and it’s extremely similar.
These golds are not metallic, but are more along the lines of yellow ocher.
Most of the paints you’ll see me use are the cheap acrylics found in any craft section.
JoAnn Craft Essentials - Magenta
I used this because I wanted it to match my pants :)
nah, I saw it in that ribbon on the flesh of a Mermaid jar
and said to myself - Self, that color isn't in much of the photograph,
must mean we should use a lot of it in the painting.
Apple Barrel - Cobalt Blue
The blue keeps the work balanced.
After all that pink warming the whole thing up,
the blue blows in like a storm and cools everything down.
Craft Smart - Red
I gave it center stage in a couple places
and made it more subtle in others.
I was careful not to let it take over.
I muted its effects on the balloon by breaking it up with white.
Apple Barrel - Kelly Green
Just the tiniest bit here and there.
It's a fact,
green compliments red.
I try to remember all these little rules about color as I'm working.
But I also know I can break any rule I want to because it's my art.
You have permission to do the same.
All of these colors were taken from the photograph this entire scene began with.
color rule: Colors should repeat, it gives the piece a cohesive look and a flow.
The green from the Boogie Man flesh jar is used in her eyes
AND under her eyes.
Because putting the same color the eyes are under the eyes looks good.
Not because of a rule this time,
just because it does. ;)
This is how the green looks dried and layered with the other colors.
I am so enchanted by the blue left by the paper clip
and the pink around it
and how awesome this character looks up close.
All the colors are working together in such harmony
as to compliment each other,
not take the leading role.
The leading role belongs to Her and her odd beauty.
I even repeated the green in his blue hair.
That helps to pull your eye across to the other side.
There are lots of 'things' that are doing that.
Omg, check out what happened with the paper clip on this side.
Things can have a dual purpose - holding the page and creating a resist.
This IS mixed media, eh?
There was also texture created in all that flying of brushes and clicking of pencils,
but it was probably more from the scraping of old credit cards and the rolling of brayers.
I'm not quite sure what did this,
I just know,
I heart it.
and this
I just even noticed that the line of her lips is then repeated in the other girl's hair.
or is it vice versa?
A lot of what I do is repeating,
but maybe so it's not obvious.
Not like stripes.
That's more obvious.
or is it?
I like stripes.
Who doesn't?
They're pretty sexy.
So stripes isn't that unusual for me to do,
but I came up with the yellow stripes from the photograph.
That shelf is essentially a 'yellow' stripe.
Eeeeeeee!!!
I'd squeal one of those good Carrie Bradshaw squeals if I could.
For me mixed media is best under lots of distress,
With gesso I mean!
Lots and lots of layers of luscious gesso.
Makes it look aged
and aged art, I so do heart.
Here's the video in case you want to see all this stuff and me in action.
Otherwise,
get to work.
You've got a dream to live don't you?
I'm outta here.
~magick~
Meliss
