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Friday, January 3, 2014

Some New Art--A Small Step-by-Step Tutorial

Happy  New  Year  everyone!!  I  hope  that  you  all  can  take  the  time  for  whatever  your  passion  is  this  year.   Sometimes  it's  hard,  when  you  have other  obligations  in  your  life,  but  it's  necessary!   It's  the  best  way  to  start  out  any  day--what  a  difference  it  makes  for  that  day,  no  matter  what's  going  on  in  your  life  at  that  time!
 
And  that's  just  what  I've  been  doing  this  past  week--I  haven't  had  much  time  for  art,  (seriously--no  time  for  art--just  family)--but  I  DID take the  time  early  every  morning.
 
Got  out  my  new  Gelli  Plate  (that  I've  had  for  months),  and  started  playing--
 
 
 
...this  is  was  all  made  from  a  gelli  print,  except  for  the  stamp  in  the  middle.   There  is  a  bit  of  a  learning  curve  with  the  plate--probably  the  most  is  how  much  paint  to  apply  to  the  plate,  and  the  combination  of colors  to  use.   It's  a  bit  different  then  when  you're  painting  papers--you  don't  have  as  much  control  with  the  paint.   But  on  the  plus  side,  you  can  whip  out  those  papers  FAST!!
 
So  all  of  these  next  ones  are  a  combination  of  the  gelli  prints,  and  painted  papers--meaning  I  would  do  the  print  and  add  some  more  of  my  painting  on  top--I  just  like  playing  with  each  individual  paper--that's  just  me.
 
 
 
---yes,  this  is what  I  would  do  every  morning  last  week--just  a  few  papers in  the  morning--the  hardest  part  was  having  to  stop--so  glad  that  I  don't  have  a  regular  9  to  5  job  out  in  the  'real'  world.   Okay,  don't  get  me  wrong,  I  had  lots  of  fun  last  week,  but  I  missed  my  art  room  too--not  enough  time  in  the  day,  I  guess  : )
 
So  I  have  a  little  tutorial  to  show  you  how  I  used  some  of  these  papers--here's  the  finished  piece--
 
 
 
So  the  first  thing  I  did  was  decide  what  kind  of  surface  I  wanted  to  work  on,  and  I  chose  my  favorite--a  gallery  wrapped  canvas--basically  a  wrapped  canvas  with  deeper  sides  ( 1  1/2")  than  your  normal  wrapped  one.
 
 
The  papers  underneath  are  pages  from  a  wallpaper  book  that  I  have--I  was  looking  for  a  background  for  my  coffee  cups.
 
 
I  used  Matte  Medium  to  adhere  these  papers since  they're  fairly  thin--I  prefer  matte  medium  over  Mod  Podge,  because  it  doesn't  leave  any  film  over  the  top  of  the  paper (always  seal  the  top!)  and  it  dries  really  fast.
 
Next  I  made  a  pattern  for  my  cups,  and  decided  on  which  of  my  papers  that  I  wanted  to  use--
 
 
....and  after  making  the  rest  of  the  cups  with  my  papers,  I  collaged  them  on  to  the  canvas--
 
 
This  time  I  used  gel  medium  to  adhere  the  papers.  Most  of  these  papers  were  painted  on  a  110lb  cardstock  that  I  get  at  my  office  supply  store.  The  gel  medium  is  heavier  and  works  great  on  these  papers--a  good  tip--it  helps  when  you  wet the  back  of  the  paper  lightly  with  your  paintbrush  before  you  apply  the  gel  medium--it  makes  them  less  stiff  and  easier  to  adhere  to  the  surface.
 
Next,  comes  my  favorite  part--when  I  start  a  piece,  I  always  have  a  plan  in  mind,  but  then,  when  I'm  half-way  through,  my  muse  takes  over,  and  it  becomes  very  intuitive  for  me  (for  the  most  part).  
 
 
 
I  started  out  by  shading  the  cups.   Sometimes,  I'll  use  more  paint,  or  graphite,  but  usually  I   use  the  Faber Castell  pitt pens  (on  the  left)  in  coordinating  colors.  I  love  them  because  they're  india  ink,  and  will  become  permanent,  but  you  can  smudge  them around  with  either  your  finger  or  a  wet  brush  for  shading  when  they're  first  applied.   And  also  for  this  piece,  as  you  can  see,  I   used  my  Prisma  chalk  pasels--they  soften  the  lines  and  really  bring  your  piece  to  'life'  with  even  more  depth  than  just  the  pitt  pens.   And  then  I'll  usually  add  some  more  doodling  or  marks  on  the  art.   And  I  always  outline  my  images  with  a  black  permanent  pen--my  favorite  is  the  Permaball  Pilot pen   that  you  can  get  at  Christy  Tomlinson's  Scarlet  Lime  shop  HERE.   It  writes  over  ANYTHING!
 
And  don't  forget  the  sides!
 
 
This  is  why  I  like  these  deep-sided  canvases--the  art  can  be  continued  around  the  sides  of  the  piece.
 
I  finished  off  by  adding  some  punched  out  dots,  using  my  wallpaper  pieces,  and  some  text.   I  like  to  add  some  words  or  a  phrase  to  most  of  my  pieces--and  yes--the  cupboard  door  handle--I  like  using  older  ones  that  I  find  at  garage  sales  or  flea  markets--the  older  the  better.
 
 
This  could  have  been  created  the  same  way  with  scrapbook  or  found  papers,  but  to  make  it  more  original--try  painting  some  papers (they  don't  have  to  be  anything  fancy  or  detailed  either)  and  collaging  with  them--definitely  a  one-of-a-kind  piece,  because  they  have  your  'signature'  on  them.
 
I'll  be  making  more  art  with  these  papers--more  to  come  in  my  next  post!


25 comments:

  1. This is such an intriguing process and it looks like a perfect outlet for creativity and expression. Thanks for the step by step. I would love to try this!

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  2. What a fabulous tutorial! Thanks for a look inside your process. A gelli plate is on my wishlist...especially after seeing how you added to them after printing. The process looks fun and the results are awesome...so many possibilities.

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  3. I love your tutorial-it'salways fun to see how something is put together. on another subject I follow you through bloglovin and for some reason i am unable to leave you a comment-I have to go to your blog independently from that list. Weird. That's why I haven't left many comments lately. I have restarted my blog www.janetsartplay.blogspot.com. I hope you will come and visit me.

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  4. Thank you for the tutorial! I absolutely love this piece!

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  5. Loved seeing your process.......thank you....this is something I would love to do on some scrap pieces of wood that we have sitting in our garage.....and a way to use all of my gelli prints.....and my 10 year old grand daughter would love to help........ Thanks again. ❤️

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  6. Oh my goodness! Your post is just amazing! All of your artwork is just delicious! I love your prints, and your canvas is amazing!

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  7. Great tutorial Diane! I've always wondered how you make your beautiful works of art! Happy New Year!:)

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  8. YOU are so inspiring!
    I am painting today...

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  9. Beautiful art again!! I saw these lovely cups earlier on Vicky Papaioannou youtube channel and I thought they were awesome too. Thanks for sharing and for the step-by-step explanation.
    xxx Marianne

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  10. Love what you do and appreciate all the little tips and product suggestions

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  11. Fabulous, thank you for sharing how you created us our canvas. X

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  12. Oh I do love your art and I thank Katherine Thomas for sending me to your blog!

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  13. Your tutorial is wonderful Diane as is your art! It's always a joy to see your vibrant, happy pieces in the news feed on Facebook! (and your grandchildren too!) :)

    I wish a happy New Year in 2014 and look forward to more of your art and inspiration!

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  14. Loved reading your tutorial and the advice about the pens. I am going to be looking for the Pilot pen for sure!

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  15. Very nice! Thanks for sharing your process!

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  16. Huge fan of your art. I have a coffee kitchen- in process. It's walls are waiting for coffee art,that I've been hoping to do myself.
    Thank you. Sooooooo CuTe!

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  17. I love your art work. Thank you for the detailed tutorial. I'm new to mixed media and you are my favorite mixed media artist....definitely an inspiration to get creative.

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  18. Very cute! Thanks for your tutorial.
    Mar

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  19. cute, cute cute ...

    *** Coy ***

    http://coyartlifejournal.blogspot.com/

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  20. Thanks for sharing your process. I agree about collaging
    Your own papers. It makes the result so much more personal. Love your art!

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  21. Wonderful tutorial and love your finished piece!

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  22. You have great color sense; love that first Gelli print. I have to stop being so OCD about cleaning my plate!

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