Mixed Media Demonstration – Acrylic Paint and Collage

Explore the realm of mixed media art with Terry Honstead’s tutorial on acrylic painting and collage. This guide offers a blend of techniques and creative insights, making it ideal for artists seeking to expand their repertoire, especially beginners eager to delve into mixed media.

About Terry

My art is about life. It expresses what I feel about people, places, and experiences around me. In order to create a painting, I need to feel a connection with a subject and see what that subject means to me. I need to see and feel every detail of it.

When I immerse myself in something that I want to paint, the idea for the painting becomes clear to me. Because I start painting without knowing exactly how it will turn out, as I put those first colors on the support, I am always nervous about what I am doing, because I do not know where I am going with it.

But as I continue, one technique or color leads to another, and I just know how to move on. If it feels right, I can continue. If not, I have to set it aside until I am inspired to go on…

You can learn more about her and view more of her work by visiting the Websites below:

https://terryhonstead.wordpress.com/

https://terry-honstead.artistwebsites.com/?

Acrylic Collage Demonstration

Step One

I am using Multimedia Artboard for this piece. I started out finding some pictures and papers that I wanted to use. The diamond pattern, the stripes, and the snake pattern came from tissue paper that I found. I added some musical notes from a music book with a copyright from the early 1900’s. The pictures were from some I found in the public domain. I cut what I wanted and “glued” them onto my 18 x 24 Artboard. I also use watercolor paper and canvas at times. Any of them will work. I glue the papers on with matte medium if they are very lightweight (like the tissue) or with soft gel gloss if they are heavier (like the paper with grass in it ). Then you need to let your paper dry. I usually dry mine over night so as to be sure it is very dry!

Step Two

After coming back to my painting, I first put on some acrylic glazes over the whole page. ( here I used Sap Green Hue, Quinacridone Crimson, and Quinacridone / Nickel Azo Gold) When the glazes were dry (you can dry them with a hair dryer), I added some thicker paint with a large piece of cork with the green (the cork is about 3 1/2 in. in diameter. I also used a small wine cork for the smaller circles. I applied Violet Oxide with a pallet knife on top of a piece of gridded plastic. and removed the plastic right away. Be sure to wash the plastic immediately after using it on one spot, and before you put it in another spot. You can use other found objects to stamp paint or use as a stencil. I often use things such as card board, bubble wrap, plastic wrap, gauze, etc. At this point, I decided to put some found objects on the papers to add more texture. I used gauze, skeleton leaves, and eyelash yarn. Again I let it dry over night

Step Three

I decided that I didn’t like the bright red colors (the Alizarin Crimson) of the painting so I put white gesso over some parts of the painting to tone it down. Once that was dry, I put a glaze over the whole painting with Quinacridone/ Nickle Azo Gold.

Step Four

Once the gold glaze was dry, I did add some spots of violet oxide with my pallet knife on various areas to bring out that color some more. Next I had to decide what the subject of my painting was going to be. I decided on a mother and baby giraffe. I tried to draw it on, but found I could not see the picture at all, so I drew it on with white paint instead. I also put in the black for the eyes and nostrils. When “drawing” this onto the painting, I used some of my found objects that were three dimensional, to use as parts of the drawing. (See the dark line of the mother’s mouth)

Step Five

Next, I used Titan Buff to tone down the white of the areas between the spots. Also begin to use Raw Umber along the outside of the animals so as to differentiate the animals from the background, fading it as you go further from the animals.

Step Six

Continue to darken the outside and build up the colors in the animals

Step Seven

I decided I needed to add some color to the background to help differentiate it. I put several glazes of Turquoise (Phthalo), while still continuing to add more details to the giraffes

Step Eight

Continue to darken and add details until you are satisfied with the result. Don’t forget to sign your painting.

Terry Honstead’s tutorial provides a clear pathway into mixed media, demonstrating how collage elements can enhance acrylic painting. Key techniques include layering, texture creation, and color blending. As you apply these methods, remember that art thrives on experimentation. Each piece is an opportunity to learn and grow. Keep practicing for those new to mixed media, and don’t be afraid to try different combinations to discover what brings your artistic vision to life. Find more acrylic painting lessons, tips and techniques here.