Mixed Media Time for Art (nsfw)

We have been home from our Outer Banks trip for almost two weeks now and I still have not caught up 100 % at work. Crazy. Working to clean up before you go on vacation and then catching up after it - oh well, it is what it is, no use whining about it. Moving on.

The weekend we got home I cleaned up my creative corner because I was itching to do some traditional art-ing. For the past few months I have been using the iPad pretty much exclusively. And it was fun but I guess I work in cycles. I have noticed before that I really enjoy switching up creating digital painting and traditional artworks.

So, right now I am in the phase of traditional and today I finished this mixed media piece - I guess I better tag the post #nsfw.

Here is what I used

• Strathmore 300g mixed media paper
• charcoal
• different kinds of
  -- scrap papers
  -- washi tapes
• white gesso
• stencils
• water colors
• micron pens
• gold pens and
• glitter in different colors

You can find the whole process in the gif below. I started it all with a charcoal sketch which I fixated because I had the idea to see it through to the final picture. Then I filled the subjects with watercolor and for the background I ripped and added papers and washi tape and fixed them with gesso. To pull it all together I applied more gesso to most of the piece. I did this with a foam roller to get an irregular pattern partially covering the scrap paper and washi tape.

Also with gesso and a stencil I applied two of the three butterflies and let everything dry. Next came another layer of watercolors in dark purple and blues. Once I was happy with how deep the colors were, gesso always seems to suck up watercolors a little, I traced some of the patterns and the subjects with black micron pens.

The second to last step was golden - hah - I really enjoy adorning my mixed media pieces with stars and a bit of gold. Sometimes I use leafed gold but this time it was pens. And finally, I felt like this image could do with a bit of a pattern in the moon and with a bit of glitter. This is a little hard to photograph but if you look closely you will notice it. Maybe I added a little too much but - hey, it's sparkly!

If you click on the pictures below to enlarge them, I am sure you'll see the shine especially in her hair.

With mixed media it may seem strange that we are adding all those things to then just cover them up and paint over them. Why apply those things in the first place? Right, well, trust me when I say that there is something very cathartic about the whole process. From deciding which pieces to add to the picture, to ripping the papers to pieces, glueing everything and then bringing it together again with gesso and colors.

It is a little bit like magic. Nothing of what I added got lost but adds to the whole feel and even haptic of the picture. To me there is something wonderful to this whole process and the final product.

Maybe try it out on a smaller piece for yourself. If you have any questions at all, please ask me in the comments.

Till next time!

Have a great rest of your day!

Cheers,
(Ocean)Bee

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