"Mi Camino" (draft 2)

Today's quote is the same verse from yesterday. Even though I had hoped to post the final today, I made the decision to give myself some more time to work on the weight and placement of the versals. Psalm 119: 105 is written in Spanish (Spencerian Script). The versals will be in English.

Some mediums require the artist to finish the piece in one sitting such as working alla prima in oils. Being able to pause and allow some time to explore all the options is definitely an advantage with mixed media.

One of the most important processes for me...especially when writing in layers...is knowing how to protect the previous layer and prepare the surface to receive more layers. In light of that, there are two products I simply cannot live without. One of them is Gel Matte Medium (Golden). The other one is Krylon Spray Acrylic Coating.

All mono printed rice papers must be sealed before adhering to your support. If there is an exceptionally heavy area of ink, I would spray it 3x and dry in between with a hair dryer. One coat is quite sufficient for lighter applications of ink.

After adhering all of the rice papers and other collage elements, you will need to spray your piece with spray acrylic coating again. This act will cause the rice papers to become translucent where there is little or no ink and will also bring out the patina of old text pages or images.

If you are a lettering artist or if you want to add a drawing directly on your piece with pen and ink (or gouache), you will need to prepare your surface for lettering. Rice paper is very porous and the spray acrylic coating resolves that issue, but then you have the dilemma of trying to write on slick paper. Gouache and ink will not adhere to this type of surface.

You will need to mix up (1) part gel matte medium to (2) parts water by mixing in the water a little bit at a time with a palette knife on a disposable foam plate. You will then brush this over your piece by holding a hair dryer in your left hand and a foam brush in your right hand. This has to be a simultaneously activity (at least for the first coat). The gel medium will not attach to the slick surface without heat...especially if there has been a heavy application of ink or paint in the first layers.

So that is what I did to this piece this morning. After it was prepared for my pointed pen and bleedproof white gouache, I marked my base line in the black area with a sharpened white charcoal pencil. This is the best way to get your guidelines onto a dark surface. When your lettering is totally dry, the charcoal lines can be easily removed with a stiff brush or a kneaded eraser.

One other thing I added this morning was some of the background stamp printed with white Speedball Printing Ink in the black area. To make it more integrated and not so overpowering, I blotted part of the print with a kleenex dipped in a small amount of water. This is much more subtle and creates an echo of that image. The neat thing about trying this is that you will be able to completely wipe it off with water if it doesn't please you.

I ended up my work today by spraying this entire piece with spray acrylic coating (2x) and drying in between. This will ensure that when I prepare it for the remaining lettering, I will be able to completely remove any letters that don't turn out well without disturbing the previous layer. I hope this makes sense. Knowing how to seal a surface and prepare it for the next layer is absolutely critical information for the mixed media artist. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" (Draft 2)

(image 1)

(image 2)

The quote associated with this piece is Psalm 139: 14. You will see it in the final. Today you are viewing the second draft which has two layers as shown above. Artists who have not had experience in layering are amazed at how many layers can be involved in a piece. And that is why I am posting each layer so that you can see what each layer looks like. So often, an artist will get discouraged when everything doesn't look finished in the first layer. Don't despair. You simply need to keep going.

In the second layer (actually it's the third since I posted the first two layers yesterday.), I decided to add color. It's a burnt sienna color, but you will not find burnt sienna in Speedball Printing Ink unless you special order it. Just squeeze out a 1/2 tsp (app) of orange....add a touch of blue...and then add white a bit at a time until you have the value you want.  Mix it thoroughly on your printing plate with a palette knife before brayering.  Burnt Sienna is simply a "grayed down" orange.

Of course, I printed this color some time ago and had it stored in one of my gallon size baggies.  And that is the best strategy.  Printing the rice papers and designing the piece need to be separate events.  My design decision was to emphasize the horizontal bands in the lower half of the piece and add a bit of it in the top portion to create an echo. One edge of the rice papers has a straight cut and the other side was torn. I also flipped them...with the torn edge up in some places and the straight edge up in others. This creates more interesting edges and shapes throughout the piece.

After I cut and laid them where I wanted...I began to adhere each one to the support. I then lifted up an edge on each one and deconstructed by pulling the print up. This technique left a residue of the paper while revealing some of the previous layer. It creates a very integrated and ethereal look.  I also dipped by "gloved" finger into water and smudged a bit of the color around.  (Even though I sprayed it once,  thicker areas may still lift and so you will see the staining of some of the surrounding areas with that color.  I then dried all of that with a hair dryer and sprayed with Krylon Spray Acrylic Coating and dried it again. (Spray outside)  After all of that, I took a photo and that is what you see in (image 1).

My next move was to bring some more dark values in the bottom portion and add to the complexity by introducing a pattern (created with a commercial texture stamp and stamped into the ink after brayering on the printing plate.) Again I wanted to emphasize and reinforce the horizontal bands in the bottom half of the piece.

You can see that the straight edge and torn edge helped to create an interesting interplay with what was already there. I also added some plain rice paper strips to conceal and tone down some of the middle values created by the text in the first layer. I again dried the piece thoroughly....sprayed with acrylic coating and took a photo. That is what you see in (image 2)

You will notice that I've been very careful not to conceal the dynamic shapes in the upper half of the piece...while creating a very textured and woven look in the bottom half. And that's what you will want to do when designing your piece. Choose carefully the parts that you want to preserve and leave them alone.

This piece will now have all day to dry before adding additional elements. And that is the ideal way to create mixed media. It insures that each phase is "bone dry" before going to the next step. It also gives you a chance to pray about the next step and study the image. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Psalm 23" (Draft 2)

(unavailable)

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." (Psalm 23:1) In a more contemporary translation, this same verse reads..."Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need." This is a very assuring and calming truth from scripture. 

The word Shepherd has become the focal point of the piece. The final size of this piece has become a 10" x 10". Squares are good because the orientation can go either horizontally, vertically, or both. Since yesterday, I have created horizontal bands to contrast with the vertical bands. The same alternation technique was used and condensed, but by making them shorter and having them go through the upper center of the piece, they lay the foundation for the layering of other horizontal bands.

After adhering these shorter and more narrow strips, I then adhered some plain rice paper in varying heights and widths across the first layer of horizontal banding. Since the first layer of lettering is peeking through in various places, I decided to add a bit more of text on top of the plain rice paper, creating another layer. However, I did not like a solid mass of text, so after adhering them to the support, I deconstructed by slipping a palette knife underneath each piece and literally ripping it off. It now looks more subtle. 

I left all of this to dry overnight and then prepared the surface for lettering this morning with (2) parts water to (1) part gel matte medium and brushed app. (5) coats of this over the entire surface by holding a hair dryer in my left hand and brushing with my right hand. (The heat is necessary to cause the medium to adhere to a slick surface.)   I then practiced my brush lettering several times and then wrote with White Bleedproof White Gouache (WN brand) over my horizontal band of tone on tone. Using white on white creates an ethereal look and can still be seen without conflicting with the lettering that will be added today. 

At the moment I am contemplating white versals, but that could change during the course of the day. The great news is that it is easily wiped off of this surface should I change my mind. I have made a new rule for myself. I no longer write on surfaces I can't correct! And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Ninguna Condenacion" (Draft)

(draft only)

"There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1) This is a draft of Part I of "Ninguna Condenacion" (means "no condemnation" in Spanish). I am giving you a sneak preview of the first of two companion pieces for an upcoming Easter Exhibit at Hill Country Bible Church NW.

Process is so important and most people enjoy "peeking" into someone's else's process and thought patterns. So you can see (if you look closely) that I have not completed the second word of Roman Versals...condenacion. The process here involved writing the same phrase in Spanish and English in the background with a Speedball C-5 nib and White Bleedproof Gouache (Winsor Newton). As I have said before, this brand does not crystallize like Dr. Martin's brand so it has become my favorite and is available at Jerry's or Asel's Art Supply here in Austin.

You might remember that I did this same combination of lettering styles in a smaller posting earlier last week in preparation for this larger piece. So after the background expressive lettering was completed, I sprayed the surface with Spray Acrylic Coating (3x)....drying in between. I then left it overnight to dry. (This same process could have been done with line work, gestural marks, or drawings rather than lettering.) 

This morning I prepared the surface for lettering again with (2) parts water to (1) part gel matte medium and then practiced versals. I wrote the final letters on tracing paper with a black pen and laid it over the background lettering to make sure I was getting the optimal overlay. I then placed another sheet of tracing paper with a scribbled area of a 3B graphite pencil underneath the tracing paper with the letters and rewrote the monoline romans to transfer it to the surface. You could also use Saral Transfer Paper or Graphite Paper, but it leaves a heavy line and smudges that then have to be removed. My experience has been that it is far better to make your own transfer paper than use the commercial kind. You can also use white or any color of watercolor pencil to create a different color transfer. Using a very sharp pencil will also ensure a thinner line and less chance of smudges. 

The techniques I have just explained can help you create several layers of lettering or other types of imagery simply by spraying the surface (3x) and then preparing the surface to receive more line work. You are essentially creating a new surface with the previous layer completely protected. And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.