BONUS ONLINE-ONLY CONTENT MIXED MEDIA REVOLUTION. Creative Ideas and Techniques for Reusing Your Art

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1 BONUS ONLINE-ONLY CONTENT MIXED MEDIA REVOLUTION Creative Ideas and Techniques for Reusing Your Art By Darlene Olivia McElroy and Sandra Duran Wilson BONUS ONLINE-ONLY CONTENT north light books Cincinnati, Ohio createmixedmedia.com

2 CHAPTER 1 RECYCLE, REUSE Yummy Leftovers Variation: Dirty Salt It! This technique uses salt leftover from a popular resist technique first published in Surface Treatment Workshop and which we are reprinting here. The RECYCLE, REUSE variation begins with Step 4. 1 Paint the surface with paint diluted with water, about the consistency of 2 percent milk. 2 Sprinkle different sizes of salt on top of the wet paint. 3 After the paint is dry, use a paper towel to brush off the salt. 4 Repeat this technique reusing the salt you brushed off in Step 3. If you used a larger-grain salt there should still be some paint still stuck to it. 5 This time paint your surface a different paint color. When you sprinkle the dirty salt on the wet paint it will transfer some of the first color onto the new color. TIPS Do not wait more than an hour or two to brush off the salt. Otherwise you may have a permanently gritty surface. Use table salt, sea salt and rock salt to create a variety of interesting patterns. You will get a different look on porous versus slick surfaces. 2

3 Street Sweeping Variation: Rusting Alternative In Mixed Media Revolution we explain how to rust items by wrapping them in plastic and spraying with water and vinegar and adding salt if desired. But there are also commercial products to help with the process and you ll likely get faster results with these products. Here is how they work. 1 Prepare the surface as desired and allow it to dry. Using a clean paintbrush, paint the surface with the iron part of the two-part compound. Let it dry thoroughly. Clean the paintbrush immediately. 2 With a clean paintbrush, apply the rusting agent. 3 It can take an hour or more for the change in appearance to show. A second coat may be applied at any time if the effect is not working as well as you want. TIPS If your piece is not rusting, it s usually because not enough of one of the two compounds was applied. Just add more. Do not use the same brush for both parts of the compound, or you will get a rusty brush. To eliminate contrasting surface color showing through, paint the surface dark gray or burnt umber. You can use this technique on just about any surface. We recommend testing it on a small patch before committing to working on an entire surface. 3

4 CHAPTER 2 COPY, SCANNING Gel Transfers This is a classic and low-tech method for transferring images and it requires minimal materials. In Chapter 2, this technique is referenced in both New From Old and Dreamy. Apply soft gloss gel to the surface you are going to transfer to Mist the back of the transferring image with water. Lightly spray the laser or toner print of your image with water. Rub off the paper. A piece of brown craft paper is especially helpful in removing those last bits of paper 3 While both are still wet, place the image face down onto the surface and rub all over to ensure adequate adhesion. Be careful not to get gel on the back of the image you are transferring. Allow to dry overnight. 6 You can also apply gentle pressure with your fingers to remove the paper backing from your transferred image.

5 TIPS You may get some smearing when using an inkjet printer to make a gel transfer. If you only have access to an inkjet printer and you absolutely have to try this right now, spray the printout first with a workable fixative. You may have to spray several times for best results. If you don t apply the gel on perfectly, your transfer can be more random which isn t necessarily a bad thing! Your transfer should be moist not wet. If it is wet, you could end up with unwanted wrinkles. But, again, those wrinkles could add a bit more visual interest, too. If you still have a bit of paper residue on your transfer, use a damp brush with polymer medium to coat the surface. When dry, this will make the residue more transparent. 5

6 CHAPTER 3 CREATE LAYERS Crazy Easy Transfer This technique is one of our favorites! It s like making a monoprint whatever you transfer will be reversed with almost no cleanup at all and without using a press. It can be done on canvas, panel, paper, Plexiglas or metal, and there is no limit on the size you can work in. The technique is great for creating layers, drawing, stamping, cutting into shapes and lots more. You will find a full photographic step-by-step demonstration of the technique in the book, in Chapter 6: Loosen Up, Tango for Two, Technique Two. But we thought you might find the following tips and tricks useful. TIPS If the image has not transferred well or at all, the most common reasons are that you didn t apply enough medium to your surface or substrate, you didn t let the medium dry thoroughly, you didn t rub it down well enough, or you placed the wrong side of the plastic into the medium (make sure it is paint side down). We suggest lifting only a corner of the plastic to check the medium for dryness. When using a canvas as your surface, use soft gel as the medium for better adhesion. If you use paper as your surface, use matte medium so the transfer method doesn t show. Drying time will vary depending on the absorbency of the surface. For example, medium will dry faster on paper than on metal. 6

7 CHAPTER 4 MORPH IT Making and Using Waterslide Decals This technique gives you very crisp transfers onto paper, painting, Plexiglas, glass, metal, wood and almost anything else you can think of. Be sure to purchase the right type of paper for your printer. Then print your desired image onto the paper following manufacturer s directions. 1 In a tray of warm water, place your printed decal paper face down. Let the paper rest in the water until the transfer sheet starts to release from its backing Holding the bottom edge of the decal paper in place with a paintbrush, slide the backing paper out from underneath the top/printed layer. Place the decal paper on a paper towel and blot well but be gentle! The decal paper is fragile. 3 Using a paintbrush, apply a thin layer of polymer medium to your background surface. Using a clean, damp paintbrush, smooth out any air pockets by making a cross through the image and working out in a radial pattern. Allow the image to dry thoroughly. 7

8 TIPS To seal your image: If you want the transfer to be opaque, use a paintbrush to apply polymer medium over the image and allow to dry thoroughly. If you d prefer transparency and would like to show the surface color and texture beneath the image, apply two or three coats of any oil-based varnish over the transfer using a clean paintbrush. Allow the image to dry between coats. This step may have to be repeated several times to achieve desired transparency. Do not brush over the image at any time with polymer medium. Because this process involves an emulsion transfer and you are using polymer medium to bind the image to your surface, there may be a slight edge and plastic feel. Adding a layer of soft gel will make the edge disappear somewhat. Not sure if the decal is ready for transfer? The paper and the transfer sheet will start to separate when ready. You can test the paper by lightly sliding the transfer sheet from the paper backing. If it moves, it s ready. If it doesn t move, let it soak a little longer. If you wish to make a larger image than the size of the decal paper, you can resize the image with a photo editing program and print it on several sheets. This is known as tiling. When the transfer has dried completely, you can sand it for an aged look. Do not get waterslide decal paper wet prior to use, as doing so may glue the emulsion to the paper backing, preventing the image from sliding off. If the waterslide decal paper is old, it may require additional soaking or resting time. No need to waste any of the waterslide decal paper draw or print images onto scraps. 8

9 CHAPTER 6 LOOSEN UP Get Loose Is your piece too busy? Or perhaps you would love to try some gestural element in your otherwise tight painting. Think Rauschenberg; look up some of his work. Add wonderful gestural, expressionistic movements to your painting. If you are not ready for such a drastic combination, try loosening up some of your imagery. Leave out details and work with block shapes. It is amazing how much can be said with so little. Back up to view your art from a distance as it will change drastically with space. 1 Create a crackle finish. For this piece I spread white glue down the left and right sides. 2 While the glue was still wet, I painted over it with a sage green acrylic paint. 3 Allow the glue and paint to dry naturally or help the process along with a heat gun or other heat source. When the paint dries, it will crackle, giving the piece a softer and older look. 9

10 CHAPTER 7 PLAY WITH COMPOSITION Gel Transfers This demo is essentially the same as the one on page 4, but we felt the art was different enough and compelling enough that we wanted to show you the technique once again. The finished art created here is titled Bold Horizons and you will find it in Chapter 7: Play with Composition: All Mixed Up. 1 Apply soft gloss gel to the surface you are going to transfer to Mist the back of the transferring image with water. 2 Lightly spray the laser or toner print of your image with water. 3 While both are still wet, place the image face down onto the surface and rub all over to ensure adequate adhesion. Be careful not to get gel on the back of the image you are transferring. Allow to dry overnight.

11 5 You can also apply gentle pressure with your fingers to remove the paper backing from your transferred image. 6 Rub off the paper. A piece of brown craft paper is especially helpful in removing those last bits of paper. 11

12 CHAPTER 9 TEXTURE WHERE YOU WANT IT Stencils Rule Variation: Crazy Shapes You can try this technique using inexpensive deli, or sandwich wrap papers. You can buy them at restaurant supply stores or some of the big box stores carry them. You may even be able to ask for a few extra from your friendly corner deli when you go in to order your lunch. 1 Mix your paint with gels or pastes and use a palette knife or old credit card to smear the paint onto the deli papers. 2 For fun don t completely mix the paint into the gel. When you spread it onto the paper you will have some areas with paint and some clear. You can get some wonderful gestures this way. 3 When this side is dry, you can flip it over and apply a contrasting color to the back side. The paper is thin and the color will show through Let dry. Cut into shapes, circles, squares or whatever your imagination comes up with. Use a polymer medium to glue your shapes. Smooth and press any air bubbles out. 12 Let dry.

13 HEAT WAVE Sandra Duran Wilson The flowers near the top of this painting were created using the Crazy Shapes technique. 13

14 About Sandra Duran Wilson Sandra Duran Wilson is influenced by scientific concepts, the dream state and the nature of materials. She loves to experiment and push the limits of paints, mediums and surfaces. She enjoys the tactile aspect of paint and what it can do, and she has always been an inventor of new ways to use existing tools and materials. She loves to paint ideas; to make them visible, beautiful and abstract so that others may enter them and create their own reality. She lives and creates in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with Mark, her husband and collaborator, and a bevy of feline friends. Connect with Sandra: Website: sandraduranwilson.com Blog: sandraduranwilson.blogspot.com imagetransferworkshop.blogspot.com Facebook: Sandra Duran Wilson Abstract Artist YouTube: Sandra Duran Wilson 14

15 About Darlene Olivia McElroy Darlene Olivia McElroy comes from an old New Mexico family of storytellers and artists. She began making art the first time she found a wall and a drawing instrument. Her grandfather, a painter on Catalina Island, was her mentor and taught her to play and experiment with art. Darlene attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, and has worked as an illustrator both in the United States and in Paris. She went from creating illustration traditionally to becoming one of the first nationally recognized digital illustrators in the late 1980s. Darlene lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she paints, teaches, writes and enjoys a delightfully chaotic life with her husband, Dave, and their four dogs, Bernie, Bella, Taco and Zola. Connect with Darlene: Website: darleneoliviamcelroy.com Blog: darleneoliviamcelroy.blogspot.com imagetransferworkshop.blogspot.com Facebook: Darlene McElroy Pinterest: Darlene McElroy YouTube: darlene olivia mcelroy 15

16 Resources Art & Hobby Stores Acrylic paints, gels and gesso Golden digital ground or Inkaid Gampi paper Spray paint Stamps and stencils Tissue paper Water soluble crayons Magnets, Mousepads, Cards Zazzle.com Society6.com Cafepress.com Hardware store Plastic tarps Epoxy Canvas Reproductions Fineartamerica.com Plexiglas & Metal Reproductions Acrylicpix.com Bayphoto.com Fabric Stores Fusible web Office Supply Store Transparency film Pharmacy or Grocery Store Petroleum Jelly Aluminum foil waterslide Decals 16 Lazertran.com

17 The Books These and other fine North Light Mixed Media Products are Available from your local art and crafts retailer, bookstore and favorite online supplier. visit our website at: createmixedmedia.com Connect with your favorite artists. Get the latest in mixed media inspiration, instruction, tips, techniques and events. Be the first to get special deals on the products you need to improve your mixed media endeavors. Follow CreateMixedMedia for the latest news, free demos and giveaways! Follow Follow us! CreateMixedMedia 17