Level: Beginner to Advanced Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 8.2 Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease: 62.7 Drawspace Curriculum 8.4.A2-6 Pages and 12 Illustrations Use Impasto to Paint with Texture Create a richly textured painting with tissue paper and a painting knife Figure 1 Supplies: pre-stretched canvas or canvas board, white tissue paper (color tissue paper optional), soft brush about 1 in (2.54 cm) wide, acrylic gesso, scissors, acrylic paint, painting/palette knife with 3/8 to 1/2 in (1 to 1.27 cm) tip, water for mixing and cleaning, paper towels This activity has two sections: Prepare a Tissue Paper Background Paint with Impasto Painting with texture adds a three-dimensional effect that catches light and creates shadows in the peaks and valleys of the paint. This activity is fun, easy to do and requires few supplies. The surface used in this lesson is a 6 by 6 in (15.2 by 15.2 cm) canvas board (Figure 1).
2 Prepare a Tissue Paper Background Figure 2 1. Cut a piece of craft tissue paper slightly larger than your canvas. As an Aside In Figure 2, you can see that white tissue paper was used. However, a colored tissue paper may be used as an option to add interest to your artwork. Figure 3 2. Bunch up the tissue paper in your fist to make lots of wrinkles (Figure 3). 3. Slightly flatten the wrinkles in the tissue (peek ahead to Figures 5 and 6). When you finish, the wrinkled paper should still be approximately the same size as the canvas. 4. Place your wrinkled tissue paper close by so you can later access it quickly. 5. Mix just enough gesso and water to cover the canvas with two coats. Use an approximate three-to-one ratio of gesso and water. You can also add color to the gesso mix, as shown in Figure 4. (A gold acrylic paint was mixed in to give a shimmery warmth to the painting.) Figure 4 6. Paint the canvas quickly using the gesso mixture and a wide acrylic brush (Figure 4). 7. Place the tissue over top of the canvas and brush another coat of gesso mixture over the tissue (Figure 5 to 6).
Figure 5 Work quickly so the gesso doesn t dry! The beautiful wrinkles sharpen and create a wonderul textured background. 8. Before you continue, let the canvas/ tissue paper dry fully. 9. Trim any excess tissue paper that s extending off of the canvas using scissors or a cutting knife. As an Aside Figure 6 Artists often choose to add a tint to their canvas before beginning their painting in order to give an overall warmth or coolness to their work. Paint With Impasto In this demonstration, a simple palette of the following acrylic paint colors are used: Titanium White Cadmium Green Hooker s Green Dioxazine Violet Cadmium Yellow Lemon Tip! Craft tissues come in a wide variety of colors and can be found at art supply stores, or in the gift wrap section of department stores. ArtSpeak Impasto: a technique used in painting where paint is thickly applied with a brush or painting knife (also known as a palette knife). The resulting effect is that the paint is strongly textured and appears to emerge from the painting with a three-dimensional effect. Also, next time you or someone you know receives a gift with tissue paper as part of the wrapping, don t throw it away! Keep it with your art supplies. 3
4 10. Use the painting knife, two greens, and a bit of white to create loose shapes that represent leaves (Figure 7). Figure 7 Notice there are no defined edges. The color itself creates the shape of the leaves (Figure 8). 11. Apply a thick layer of the darkest flower color using your painting knife. This creates your flower shape. Allow the painting knife to create the shape of the petals. The knife used in this demonstration has a rounded tip. A pointed tip knife will create petal shapes with pointed ends. Both are perfectly acceptable. Figure 8 12. Layer the lighter flower colors over the dark using the painting knife, as if you are sculpting the painting. Tip! Painting knives, also known as palette knives, come in a variety of sizes and shapes and can be found in most art supply stores and online. Most painting knives are made of pliable plastic and are very affordable. Painting knives can also be made of metal which last longer and are less prone to breaking. Painting knives are most often used for Impasto painting, but may also be used to achieve a variety of interesting effects and are very easy to keep clean. Tip! When working with acrylic paint, always keep a supply of clean water and paper towel or wipes handy to mop up excess paint on brushes and knives, for accidental spills, and for mishaps on your painting. Paint is often messy and sometimes seems to have a mind of its own. Be prepared!
Figure 9 13. Build the paint until the lightest color is on top. (Figure 9) In Figure 9, the lighter colors of the flower were created by loosely mixing the Dioxazine Violet with White. For smoother color, mix the colors thoroughly on your palette before applying. Less mixing allows for more variation in the applied color. (Either slight or thorough mixing are perfectly acceptable.) Figure 10 14. Add the finishing touches (Figure 10). In Figure 10, a touch of Cadmium Yellow Lemon was added to the centre of the flower to create a focal point and add interest. Touches of yellow were also mixed with green to make highlights in the leaves. In addition, a smaller flower bud was added underneath the larger flower for interest. 5
6 15. Let the paint dry completely. Figure 11 Once dry, you may choose to declare the painting complete. 16. Enhance the background texture by brushing on and gently wiping off a darker color (Figure 11). The dark paint gets trapped in the small folds and adds more contrast. In Figures 11 and 12, a dark brown mixed with water and a black was brushed on and wiped off using wet paper towel to bring out the background texture. Experiment with the consistency of the paint and water mixture on a separate surface before applying directly to your painting. Caution! Be careful not to rub too hard when applying a darker color on the background texture. When the paper is wet, it s vulnerable to tearing or rubbing off. Figure 12 To learn more about the artist s work, visit: www.cailingreen.com Facebook: Cailin Green Artist To learn about the artist s music, visit: www.campbellandgreen.ca www.youtube.com, Campbell + Green channel