"Sacred Tools"

($40.00.....6" x 6".....Collage on 140lb. HP.....mounted on a 1/8" depth clayboard)

"Tools of the trade are sacred to the artist who uses them." It is also true that the art is only as good as the artist who picks up the tools. In either case, the tools are very special.

Today I am going through the steps of creating this type of mixed media piece. I recently taught a class on design and this type of collage was the vehicle. You can see that just a simple line drawing (very little or no shading) gives a nice focal point set into the backdrop of the other elements.

So the first thing to do is to create an ink drawing with a dip pen or a fine pen (there are many different brands) with a .005 pen size. It is good to create it a bit larger and then reduce it and print it out on silk tissue paper. Spray with acrylic coating.

The next step is to paint a section of 140 lb. HP with black gesso. Dry with a hair dryer and then begin to lay down old text pages from an antique book. You notice that I left only a sliver of black where the erratic edges of the text pages could be shown off. Dry the piece thoroughly.

Overlay the text pages with plain and mono printed rice papers. You can see that the gestural marks created in the mono print serve as areas where the previous layer can show through. Shaper tools or old credit cards are good to accomplish this. I prefer to use Speedball Printing Ink, but you can also use acrylic paint for this part. If using the Printing Ink, you will need to spray the papers with Spray Acrylic Coating before adhering to the piece.

After this is dry, it is good to crop to the image size you want. You are then ready to lay in your silk tissue paper with your drawing and additional mono printed sections if needed. 

The next step is to do some deconstruction techniques to unify the different color blocks. I deconstructed with some of the text pages by gluing down...waiting a minute or two...and then lifting off. You can see those areas in the brush container, the dark area at the bottom and also on the right where the yellow block is located.

Last, I sprayed the piece (2x) with Spray Acrylic Coating and then prepared the piece to receive lettering with a mixture of (2) parts water to (1) part Gel Matte Med. Lettering was done with a pointed pen in an expressive style. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.