Accidental Collage Texture

I usually keep my process very simple when I create collages. I basically use scissors and a glue stick. My little trick to avoid wrinkles is to place each collage between pieces of wax paper and under a stack of books for a week.

This week I tried a new technique that uses gel medium and an iron to fuse the papers together. The process is explained in detail on this website.

This is how I did it:

1. Use gloss (not matte) gel medium to coat the front of your base paper (either card stock or watercolor paper).

2. Choose glossy magazine images and coat both sides with gel medium. Allow to dry thoroughly!

3. Cut and arrange your images on your base paper. When you are happy with the arrangement cover with a piece of freezer paper (shiny side down) and iron on hot. Make sure the steam is off.

4. Voila! You have a fused collage!

I am an impatient artist so I didn't let the gel medium dry thoroughly. I rushed through it and ended up with a crackled distressed look -- The ink on the magazine ironed off on to my freezer paper. Luckily I was pleased and intrigued with the results. Once I uploaded this photo Google Auto Awesome made it even more awesome by giving it the snow globe treatment. Mistakes are so darn fun sometimes!

The collage on the left also buckled because I was impatient but as often happens with "mistakes" ...  I got a good idea. I'm going to transfer this image onto silk to emphasize the watery ephemeral feeling.

How I Get My Color Fix in Mixed Media.

My beat up old set of Dr. Ph. Martin’s is the second best treasure from my second marriage. My creative, funny genius son with a heart of gold is (of course!) the very best treasure! When my son’s dad left us years ago he didn’t leave us any money, but he did leave a ton of really great art supplies (Arches paper, Sennelier pastels, an airbrush, photographic equipment, etc). I sold most of these things at a yard sale to pay for more immediate necessities (like food) but had the presence of mind to hold on to these little treasures. They are so super concentrated they will last nearly a lifetime if you work on small pieces. If you work on larger pieces they are still incredibly economical because they are so incredibly intense. Dr. Ph Martin’s Radiant Concentrated Water Colors are truly one of the studio staples I can’t live without. The colors are so incredible. Some are almost too beautiful and some are actually ugly. They are all capable of magic! 

They are labelled “Radiant Concentrated Water Colors” but I feel that they are more like a an ink or a dye. Sometimes I thin them with water or use  different kinds of acrylic mediums. I’ve even mixed them into acrylic paint, used them in conjunction with regular watercolors, pastels, crayons and collage. One of the things I love about them is their ability to unify different medias and materials.  There really isn’t anything they aren’t compatible with. And they are non-toxic! I use the gorgeous brights when something I’m working on needs a shot of energy and I use a different range of colors when I need to antique something.

The company has been in existence since 1934. I don’t know if the formula has changed since then or if the current line in production is as magic as mine from the 90s. I’m about to run out of my favorite color (Persimmon, which reminds me of a really intense flamingo) so I’ll have to break down and try the new formula. Has anyone tried these in ways I haven’t mentioned? If you haven’t tried them I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed and hope you enjoy exploring with your set.

Mixed Media Décollage

I started with some photos from Elle Magazine. They looked new and shiny so I knew I need to age them. I painted a layer of Liquitex Matte Medium on cardboard and placed a magazine photo face down. Then I rolled it with a brayer for a few minutes before I lifted off the paper. I waited until it was partially adhered to give it that look of distressed posters on the side of buildings (décollage). 

I layered a few more images using the Liquitex Medium transfer method then hand colored with liquid watercolors and paint. I've been photographing street art in lower Manhattan for decades. If I ran across this image on the side of a building I'd definitely take out my camera to document it. I'd want to be really large. Pretty street art? Why not?