Collage

OK, I've never been a big fan of mix media art because it confuses me as to what to put down to create a mix media piece. So I decided to give this another try. The drawing began with a simple yellow star gazer flower off a dessert napkin. From there the drawing and painting evolved.

First I glued several pages together for a sturdy support in my sketchbook. Then I applied a light watercolor wash of New Gamboge. While the pages were drying, I went through my box of ephemera, torn pieces of watercolors, and anything else that I thought might work on this collage. I used Golden gel medium to glue the napkin and butterflies onto the page. Next I sketched the first star gazer and on the opposite side I sketched the dog. I then started to add color first on the dog and then the flowers. With the dog, I was having problems with getting the tan and brown watercolor paint dark enough. After several washes, I applied some acrylic paint. When the acrylic paint was dry I applied Golden molding paste on the dog to give him texture. When that was dry I added more acrylic paint. After the painting was completely dry, I went around with my black sharpie to add more defined detail.

I think when I broke down the components for the painting, the process became easier and I actually enjoyed working on the piece. I plan to do more...