Sunday, December 30, 2012

A LINKEDIN ART BLOG BUFFET

Are you LinkedIn? All these artists are members, and they also belong to the group "Mixed Media/Collage."  Join us there!  Enjoy the smorgasbord here and make a luncheon of these links!

Our first delicious site belongs to Wendy Alvarez. http://www.wendyalvarezart.com/is striking and easy to navigate. Wendy is a full-time mixed media artist. Don't miss her Heads of State series! 
art blogs
Aviary Series #11 by Wendy Alvarez




















Nicky Barfoot is a textile artist, but you can also see examples of her mixed media and collage work on the blog http://nickybarfoot.wordpress.com/
Are you into portrait collages? Paul Matthew Dessau does that and much more fine art work. Take a look at his step-by-step process with magazine papers!

Collage by Paul Dessau

Liz Kettle's site, shared with another fiber artist, is www.textileevolution.com  Even if you're not into needle and thread, see the gallery for inspiration.
Wisdom Journey by Liz Kettle
















Enjoy some of Chris Marshall's mixed media/collage works in the galleries area of http://www.marshallarts.com.au  She shares the site with her hubs, Steve Marshall, and they are both in Perth, Western Australia. (Steve is a photographer and woodcrafter.)
Art by Chris Marshall

Handmade treasures abound at http://empresswu.blogspot.com. The site is an eclectic mix of art dolls, textile and bead art, and still more. Thanks, Wilma Simmons, for sharing!
Seasons project for the "Hello Dollies" challenge











Joy Norman, mixed media artist, teaches papermaking workshops and maintains a well-organized website in the U.K. Her url is http://www.joynorman.co.uk. View it and be inspired!
Shallow Waters by Joy Norman








Linda Neff's website, called (yes) http://linda-neff.com/ is all about making "scrapped little treasures."  If you're into cards, ornaments, paper and such, check it out! She does tutorials, and will custom-make scrapbook pages and more.
Linda Neff





Geri DeGruy














Our next site in this buffet is http://geridegruy.com/
"Ger" loves to create, with fabrics, yarn, thread, paint, words, music and just about anything. See colorful mixed media pieces under "Works."










Sheila Gazlay has a cornucopia of many things to choose from, including some collages, at
http://www.lifecapturedframedcollages.wordpress.com, 

You'll find mixed media landscape art at www.judithmonroe.com . Judith's website is professional and elegant. She works in assemblage and much more. (Wish I could buy her Bird House #3.)
Judith Monroe

Last but certainly not least, the work of Heidi Eisenmann-Jones can be found at http://onthewind-heidi.blogspot.com/
She is an artist who loves to draw and paint fantasy animals and fairies and write stories about them. Heidi also creates mixed media collages. 
By Heidi Eisenmann-Jones





Saturday, December 22, 2012

HOW TO USE THE RINSE AID TECHNIQUE


CREATE A COOL EFFECT WITH AN EVERYDAY DISHWASHER PRODUCT!

MATERIALS AND TOOLS:
  • acrylic (or watercolor) paint
  • water
  • paintbrush
  • canvas or paper
  • dishwasher rinse aid
  • rags
  • gel medium (optional)
  • squirt bottle (optional)
This lesson will show you an easy how-to, and you can use the effect you get as a cool background! 
Or you can do it on paper and use the dry paper later in a collage project.
  1. Cover the canvas or paper with acrylic paint in the color of your choice, to seal the surface. (You can also seal the surface with gel medium.) Let dry. 
  2. Select a contrasting paint color (much lighter or darker than the first) and thin the acrylic paint with water. 
  3. Apply the thinned paint quickly, and while it is still wet, drip the rinse aid into it.
instruction, advice, tips
Beginning the rinse aid technique

Note: You can use a thin brush to draw rinse aid lines, or make large spots of the rinse aid run by tilting the paper or canvas. You can even saturate a sponge with rinse aid and stamp it onto the wet paint.


The effects you get might be satisfying this way (especially with watercolors!), but here's another tip: Use a damp rag or paper towel to wipe off the surface.


technique, tute
Example of  the technique using acrylic paint on mixed media paper

More advice? If you aren't happy with your results, repeat the process with a third color of acrylic paint!

Experiment with different color combos on a variety of surfaces. 


The example below was done with watercolors.

tutorial
Spray the paper with water first for best results.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

COLLAGE PAINTINGS ON CANVAS

This piece appears, step-by-step, in the Stackpole book, 
Painting with Mixed Media.
create, canvas, paint, papers
Collage painting by Paula Guhin.
Another artwork from the same book, below, uses the grid system.
create, paint, mixed media, collage
11x14" painting/collage 
See the book to view the steps that went into making it. Images, fabric, text, and acrylic paint on canvas.
P. Guhin, Mixed Media Manic





Saturday, December 8, 2012

THE PRINCIPLE OF VARIETY IN ART

To use variety is to combine elements that differ in shape, form, color, line, or texture. Another way to create variety is to use assorted sizes or to change direction. Variety adds interest, but too much of it can become too "busy," creating chaos. The acrylic painting below holds together well while still exhibiting variety.
Design Principle, Variety
Collage/Painting by P. Guhin, Private Collection
Reprinted courtesy Stackpole Books.
The simple diagram here shows the use of various sizes, shapes, and patterns.
variety
VARIETY