I would like to add further dimension to my work. How can I combine watercolour with mixed media?
Watercolour need not be wishy washy and pale; you can achieve vibrant colours with an imaginative use of pigment, and exploit the transparency of the medium to get beautiful effects. But what if you want more substance and texture in your work? What if you love the richness and depth of oil paints, but do not feel confident enough to try a new medium, or simply do not want to spend the money needed to buy a whole box of new materials?
In ‘Fruits of Experiment’ I outlined some of the ways in which you can begin to explore the use of watercolour by taking a theme and trying out various techniques. Faced with these problems when looking at my own work I began, almost by accident, to experiment with mixed media, and a whole new world of possibilities opened up. What started with a few tentative additions of tissue paper onto a less than vibrant watercolour to liven it up, led me to try out many different ways to produce the effect I was hoping to achieve.
Stage 1
Stage 2
The joy of mixed media lies in its variety. Almost any number of different materials can be combined to give exciting and unusual effects. Using the same starting point as in ‘Fruits of Experiment’ – still life – and carrying on from where we left off here, Stages 1 to 3 show the progress of the painting Luberon Harvest (opposite). In Stage 1 I applied a loose and varied wash over the whole of the paper, not concentrating on any detail, but having in mind where the various elements of the composition would be. Allowing this wash to dry, I began to piece together the picture, using both transparent watercolour, and opaque acrylic. The finishing touches were made with soft pastels. I tend to use a heavyweight 300 gsm (140 lb) rough watercolour paper for my work and find this surface both robust and exciting in texture. Because of the roughness of the support, the pastel marks fragment in a lovely loose way, adding a sparkle to the piece.
Finished painting: Luberon Harvest
mixed media, 15 × 15 cm (6 × 6 in)
Provençal Table
mixed media, 12.5 × 12.5 cm (5 × 5 in)
Many combinations of different water-based painting techniques can be used with varying effects. Try the vivid, luscious colours of water-based inks together with watercolour and acrylic or gouache; use wax crayons or candles as resists to repel the watercolour in certain areas. Even the felt-tip pen, considered by some to be just for use by children, can add an interesting final touch to a mixed-media painting. I often make use of the various gold and silver pens that are produced to put richness into a composition.
Another dimension altogether can be achieved in your painting when you try your hand at the exciting medium of collage. A freedom and looseness is introduced to the work simply because it is very hard to tear paper in a completely controlled way. I let the torn shapes guide me into a painting, taking me on an unknown journey of discovery. Suddenly all is fluid, nothing proscribed. The excitement of laying torn pieces down on the support, discovering what the resulting patterns and shapes suggest and composing the painting as you go along, with no idea of how the final painting will look, can be stimulating and fun.
mixed media, 12.5 × 12.5 cm (5 × 5 in)
In Provençal Table (opposite) I began with a heavyweight terracotta coloured paper, which dictated the mood of the picture before I applied any paint. I often use coloured supports for this reason, and allow some of the paper to show through in the finished piece. Using no drawn lines, I began by applying torn pieces of paper, using a variety of art papers and tissues, and even some of my favourite wrapping paper.
To work with collage necessitates a magpie mentality. I collect any interesting papers I can find, filing them in a specially made plan chest in individual colours, so that they are at hand when I start to work.
Once the first layers of papers were stuck down using an acrylic matt medium, and allowed to dry, I began to define the pears and jug with acrylic paint. A final sprinkling of glitter, and the painting was complete.
A word of warning here: once collage is applied with acrylic medium, the nature of the material is such that a waterproof barrier is created, so to apply watercolour over this will not be possible. If you want to create a mixed-media painting, using watercolour and collage, you should always finish all parts of the watercolour sections of the painting first, before any paper is applied. This does not apply to acrylic paint, of course, since it is compatible with the medium used as an adhesive, and can be painted at any stage. Acrylic can be watered down considerably, so that it handles like watercolour.
The use of collage can take you along exciting new paths, with little idea of what the final destination will be. Try to create a painting using the minimum of paint, watercolour or acrylic, and see how the application of chosen pieces of paper can make you look at colours and shapes in a new way.
In Golden Pears I began as before with a coloured card, this time a deep blue. The card colour led me to selecting blues and harmonizing purples, which I layered until I was satisfied that the background was complete. A fragment of wrapping paper with gold lettering helped to introduce the colour of the pears, which I layered with ochre, gold and yellow papers. The outline round the pears was achieved by leaving some of the blue card visible in order to define the fruit. A minimum of paint marks was used, spattering with a toothbrush to give the spotty surface on the skins of the pears.
Pears and Blue China
mixed media, 20.5 × 20.5 cm (8 × 8 in)
Instead of using larger, random pieces of paper to form the basis of a mixed-media painting, a more deliberate approach can also be used. In Pears and Blue China I tore very small, almost mosaic-like pieces of paper, for the foreground, background and pieces of fruit. Using the same method of outlining the pears as before, I built up their surface gradually, introducing a blush on the fruit. In this way I ‘painted’ with the paper, and the end result gives the appearance of brushstrokes. Acrylic paint defines the china, while the lace cloth was created using pastel crayon. A final overlayering of coloured tissue to the left of the painting, and on the jug in the background, gives an impression of a sudden burst of sunshine, illuminating the table setting.
Pears and Paisley Cloth
mixed media, 40.5 × 40.5 cm (16 × 16 in)
The support on which I paint is very important in helping to create the mood of the final picture. But where I took the paper or card and layered with collage and watercolour in the earlier examples to create texture and depth, in Pears and Paisley Cloth I used a different approach. Starting with smooth card, I layered on to it newspaper, scrunched-up tissue and various textured papers, applying them as always with acrylic medium, in order to create a heavily textured surface. This was left to dry completely and then coated with a layer of white acrylic gesso. When the gesso had dried, I used acrylic paint, more collage and pastels to create the painting. The resulting appearance of the painting is more subtle than the earlier collages, with the means of creating texture not immediately apparent. This method is also particularly effective when used with soft pastel, which breaks up and fragments as it passes over the rough surface.
This way of preparing the painting surface gives more freedom and possibilities than before. Try experimenting with using scrunched-up plastic or bubble wrap to press into the wet gesso to form marks, or use a roller for an interesting feathered effect. Plastic netting, such as that used for citrus fruit, can be stamped into the gesso for a useful texture for roof tiles, fish scales, or whatever takes your fancy. The more you experiment, the more ideas will come to you. Take notes of how you get different effects, to use as reference later.
An armoury of different techniques and ideas should be building up in your sketchbooks now, ready to be used when you start to compose more adventurous watercolour paintings.