Mixed Media Fun in My Studio

After celebrating Independence Day and my less than satisfying fireworks paintings, I was able to spend time with the Make Create Express weekend taster session. This event is offered yearly and is a fun way to explore mixed media techniques. I’m inviting you to see the various techniques I used and to get inspiration to be creative on your own.

Faces, Feathers, and Florals

I’ve decided to niche down in my artwork and focus on one of the three areas of faces, feathers, or fun. With this in mind, I approached the Make, Create Express weekend looking for lessons that followed the theme and maybe to try different artists’ techniques.

Aimee Bishop

https://aimeeirel.com/

Aimee presented a very loose approach to faces done on found paper with inks, water soluble graphite, oil pastels, etc. I used old book pages, calendar inserts, a large, used teabag, and a coffee filter as the basis for the portraits. This was a quick, fun way to create lots of small portraits for use in collage.

Michelle Schratz

https://www.raspberrybluesky.com/

I was excited to see this lesson was based on using used teabags that are emptied and dried. I was also excited to see she was using a gelli plate to print on the teabags. I haven’t used my gelli plate in over a year and forgot just how fun it is to roll paint on the surface and pick up the colors on paper or, in this case, teabags.

I used some of the teabags to add to an art journal in a vintage book.

Jenny Grant

https://www.jennygrantart.com/

I have followed Jenny for years and like her grunge approach to portraits. I’m always surprised just who shows up through this process of collage and layering. This was done on an altered book and that adds to the grunge appeal.

Angela Kennedy

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Pennystamper

I have also followed Angela, also known as Penny Stamper, and did a previous portrait using her unique approach. She has you draw out the portrait and then put a wash over the whole drawing. That’s quite unnerving as the drawing took some time and then it almost disappears under the wash.

Fused Glass

Although not in my chosen niche, I am a multi-passionate artist and have enjoyed the fuse glass process recently. This is my third and favorite piece. The animals were supposed to be seals, but they turned out more like manatees after firing the glass.

What’s Next?

I’m in the process of finishing a couple portraits in oil. I need to get one of them finished before we leave to head North at the end of July. Yes, I will be on the road again!

Sign up below for free coloring pages and newsletters. I promise not to send spam!