ART
TECHNIQUES
Collage
and Assemblage
The terms, collage and assemblage come from the French
words coller, to stick, and assembler, to bring together. A gathering
and arrangement
of materials on a flat or three-dimensional surface, glued or otherwise
affixed defines the method. It lends itself to a wide spectrum of creativity,
as any type of paper, fabric, plastic, bead, metal, leather, photograph,
printed material, paint, leaves and other natural objects, and innumerable
other found and historical items may be utilized. The possibilities
for combining, arranging, and layering images are endless.
In general I use the following steps:
- Select a canvas or heavy paper as a ground
- Apply a base color of acrylic paint for the background
- Create texture
- Add one or more secondary paint layers, partially covering
the base coat
- Affix images with matte medium
- Blend the edges
of the images with the background with paint or other medium
- Add three dimensional objects
- Further texturize and paint, and add
detail
Encaustic (Hot Wax)
The medium is a combination of melted beeswax and resin, and becomes
paint when pigment is added for color. Encaustic in Greek, enkaustikos,
means to burn or to heat. The heating of the medium itself, and of
each layer as it is painted, is the key to crafting and painting with
hot wax.
I employ this method:
- Make the beeswax and resin medium
- Choose a solid ground such as plywood
- Glue on an absorbent surface
to the ground, such as paper
- Heat the medium in an electric skillet
(sometimes I use just pure beeswax)
- Heat a metal palette with a selection of pigments on it and a
small amount of medium. Combine the medium and pigment on
a brush
- Paint onto the
ground. Medium with or without pigment can also be poured on.
- Fuse
the first layer, and every subsequent layer, with a heat gun
- Dip any imagery
into the medium and quickly place on the ground, iron or fuse
- Scrape,
incise, or imprint
- Repeat any of the above to create a layered
effect (alternatively to the last three
steps, I paint the medium onto a three dimensional object
which I then fuse to the
ground)
- Buff, if a finish with more luster is desired
Acrylic Painting
Acrylics are a water-based emulsion (acrylic resin, water, and pigment).
I use the thicker paste (opaque) and thinner liquid paints (washes),
both in a normal palette of color, as well as metallic and interference
paints. I frequently use thickening mediums, and occasionally modeling
paste.
This is how I work with acrylic paint:
- Have an image in mind, including
the basic color choices
- Paint a layer of matte medium onto the paper or
canvas ground
- Mix the original colors
- Apply opaque paints and create the imagery, leaving
some areas unpainted
- Incorporate any collage materials by painting matte medium onto
the back of the
item to be collaged and onto the canvas where it will be placed
- Add texture
with gel medium or modeling paste, then scrape, scratch, or abrade
- Layer
by using a wash
- Use techniques
of spraying with water, spattering, stamping, or dry brushing
- Add
more opaque or transparent paint
- Finish with details
- Seal with matte medium
Body Casting
A mold is the pattern from which a casting is taken.
In my work, the body acts as the mold, and a casting of that body part
is made by using
a silicone-based product or plaster. This cast then acts as a mold
when I press paper pulp into it, which then becomes the final cast.
Below are the steps involved in making a body cast:
- Prepare the
model’s
skin by covering body hair with mineral oil or Vaseline.
- For
a face mask, cover the scalp with a cap and place straws into the
nose for breathing
- Pour or paint on a silicone product quickly and
thickly before it dries and tamp down
to avoid bubbles. If plaster strips are used, wet them a few at a
time and place
down over unexposed areas, rub the strips to release the plaster, repeat
until the entire area is covered, and create three or more layers for
strength
- Regardless of material used, be sure the model can get out
of the cast
- When the material is dry, slowly remove the cast
- If plaster was
used, seal with varnish, dry, and complete the sealing with wax,
which is water repellent.
Paper Making and Casting
The easiest, most
archival, strongest, and lightest weight paper casts are made from
abaca.
Here is how to
create paper casts:
- Purchase abaca
which comes in thick multi-layered sheets
- Soak the sheets
in water, pull apart the layers, and shred by hand
- Place the shredded
paper and water into a blender and blend until smooth
- Pour enough
of the pulp mixture onto a paper-making screen. If the screen is
floating in a pan of water it will make the process
of spreading the pulp evenly
easier
- Lift the screen
out of the pan and place over an absorbent surface. Use a sponge
to remove all of the excess water from the pulp lying
on the
screen.
- Flip the
screen over so that the paper pulp, now in a rectangular shape,
is on top of felt. Sponge off water from this side of the paper pulp.
- While
the paper pulp is damp, place it into the cast. Tap it down well
so that it will
conform to all of the details of the cast. Repeat until three or
more layers have
been laid down
- Allow it to dry
completely which may take as long as two weeks, depending on the
thickness. Putting the cast into the sun or a warm room speeds
up the process
- Carefully remove
the dried paper cast so that no cracks will appear
- Coat the cast with
matte medium, encaustic, or other product for extra durability
Other Techniques Used
Photography
Gilding
Faux Finishing
Printmaking
Oil
Painting |
