How I designed Autumn Gratitude - a mixed media piece
Autumn Gratitude Mixed Media - Dry fit
I'm pleased to share my art process with you. In the picture to the left is what I call a dry fit. I'm trying out the layout before I use the Mod Podge or any other medium of your choice to glue the individual pieces down.
Step 1: Preparing the background
Using Mod Podge and paper napkins for the background
To start with, I used a flat canvas board. You can use cardboard, mixed media paper, a stretched canvas, or anything you have on hand. Separate the layers of the paper napkin until you have the very top one. Depending on the napkins there may be two or three plain layers. I spread the Mod Podge using a paint brush and carefully laid the napkin down brushing it to make sure I didn't get any wrinkles. Beware at this step - the wet napkin easily tears.
Step 2: Assembling your pieces
Fabric pieces and watercolor art fodder pieces.
When it comes to mixed media, the sky's the limit as to the materials you can use. That's why it is called mixed media. I dug through my fabric stash and found this batik leaf printed piece, and I cut out several leaves to use. I sketched the pumpkins on to watercolor paper, used light washes of paint, came in with an ink pen to outline, and finally cut them out. These pieces are often called art or collage fodder. (Check out this video from Willa Wanders for more about this topic).
Step 3: The Scary Part! - Putting it all together
small flower pieces purchased at Michaels
I call this the scary part because now you are committing yourself to the final placement. Granted if you are quick you can always lift pieces back up, but that napkin layer when it gets moistened with glue again can become very fragile. Another tip - be careful of glue on your finger tips. Should you touch the wet napkin you may adhere to it and tear it. Been there and done that. If you go back up to my first photo you will see why I dry fitted everything first. Tip - take a photo of your layout with your phone and refer to it as you assemble. You might even want to put down some pencil marks to help with lining things up as you glue.
Hey Presto!!
Final Product
And there you go - the final product. I was really happy with the result. You can see that I layered the different elements, and that is where trying things out first can be really important. I've learned from each piece that I complete that my first ideas often don't last to the final steps. I still move things around. I might find something that I want to incorporate or remove a piece that just doesn't seem to fit just right. That's where the real challenge and fun of mixed media art comes, bringing together a wide variety of things that speak to you, and piecing them all together until you have something to share with others. I wish you luck in your mixed media endeavors.
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