paper strips

Here is a fun project to try; start with any kind of paper. I used some non-slick magazine page that I used to smear paint with.  

 Tear the paper into strips of similar width and length. Glue the strips onto watercolor paper using mod-podge or gel medium, making a grid 

After the glue dries fill in the white space and had shading, highlights and shadows. You can use a acrylic wash, watercolor or markers, I used a little of all three.

To learn more about the box go to Upcycling with Ruth

After I finished the project I thought it might have looked better if I had weaved the stripes. So on a little box I made, I did the same project, and this time I weaved the stripes. I like it better weaved, but you can do it either way.

The finished project can stand on it’s own or be used as a background for a more complex collage.

Mixed media collage

 

I always loved making collages out of magazine pictures, but have not made any for years. I started by using a glue stick to glue the magazine pictures onto cardstock. After the pictures where in place I painted over them with a thin layer of gesso. Than I colored the gesso with washes and painted shapes on the pages. I gave the shapes and background shading and more color.  By the time I was done I could hardly see the pictures at all. So I started again, this time trying to keep some of the pictures visible.

I covered an 8.5 x 11 piece of cardstock with brightly colored pictures from magazines. .  I started with a glue stick, but gel medium works better.

Using an old gift card I dragged tinted gesso across the page.

Next I painted circles with acrylic paint.

I filled in the space around the circles with gesso, than colored the gesso with soft pastels.

 

I painted another thin layer of gesso around the circles.

I painted over the gesso with acrylics using bubble wrap and a sponge. I finished off the shading using water salable markers, then I spayed the entire page with sealant. 

I like all three collages, but you can see more of the pictures on the last one.

Black cat in acrylics

I wanted to paint a black cat for my son for Christmas. I was having trouble getting a cat that I thought my son would want on his wall.  So I decided to go with a technique that I use in backgrounds. I put drops of paint on a heavy watercolor paper then I used a piece of white card stock to smear the paint across the paper. 

I was going to use the card stock to practice on before I painted on the watercolor paper. I liked how the card stock turned out so much. I framed the card stock. When I gave it to him, I told him it was his cat Neo. He just looked and me and said “I know mom”.  He said he liked it , so that’s good. For his birthday, maybe I’ll try to paint his other cat.

Watercolor

To start this painting I picked heavy watercolor paper. I soaked the paper with plenty of water then I covered the paper with a blue wash. Then I dripped red, orange and green onto the still wet paper. After the paper dried I highlighted shapes and added shading using watercolor pencils.

More Mixed Media Zentangle/Doodles in Circles

Here are some more examples of Zentangles in circles.

Here is another zentangle and doodles in circles painting, this time I used a freshwater fish theme.

The frogs are markers and colored pencils on construction paper.

I had a lot of fun with the circles, I hope you try it out.

Mixed Media Zentangle/Doodles in Circles

To try something new (to me) I decided to use circles to put my patterns in.

I started with 9x12 watercolor paper. I used a plate and a bowl for the large circles, a cd for the medium circles and a jar lid for the small circles.

I filled in the background with blue and green watercolor and orange and yellows watercolor for the circle. I spilled blue on the painting, I decided to just work around it.

I thought the large circle was too big for one pattern, so I broke it up with a design that connected the circles. Then I put a dragon tail behind the design.

I filled in the designs I started with watercolor pencils.

I filled in the background on the large circle with black ink.

Using a black ink gel pen I inked in more patterns, including a dragon wing to go with my dragon tail.

I shaded in my patterns using colored pencils and put highlights on my center design using a white watercolor crayon.

I filled in the background with little circles and abstract designs.

I used watercolor crayons to lighten what was too dark and markers to add color and shading to everything that needed it.

9x12 Watercolor

Happy Halloween! here is some art work I did for Halloween.

revamped art journal box

Doodle art

I found a watercolor pencil tutorial that was a lot of fun at Art is fun.
First you make some random shapes with masking fluid.

Then you paint a simple water color wash over the shapes with whatever colors you want.

Then you draw around the shapes with watercolor pencils.

It is a lot like Zentangles. With Zentangles, you draw strings on the paper then fill them in with patterns. With this project you make your white shapes, then make you doodle art around them. With this art, you are not restricted to patterns, you can draw what ever you want. Lots of fun!