Techniques
What are Pastels?
Pastels are wonderful creamy sticks of vibrant color. They are mostly pigment, and one of the most enduring media there is. It does not fade, yellow, flake or crack. They are usually in a stick figure, dry and fabulous!! I use my pastels on fine sanded paper very similar to sand paper from a hardware store. My sanded papers are acid free and archival. The sanded paper grips the pastel, allowing multiple layers of color.
Mixed Media Techniques
My whimsical mixed media landscapes begin with a sketch on paper. I then put tracing paper on a wood panel and draw the sketch again on the tracing paper. The tracing paper is then cut into all the individual pieces of the landscape. At this point I decide on a color palette and begin painting watercolor paper and adding texture with paint patterns and stenciling. The tracing paper patterns are used then on the painted papers which I tear into the shape needed. The sky is painted with acrylic and then all the painted paper landscape pieces are collaged unto the wood panel.
With my mixed media florals and animals I often use recipes, dictionary entries, old maps, sheet music, bingo cards, etc to collage as the underpainting. Multiple layers of paint patterns are then applied. I then draw my main subject with ink, then paint either with acrylic paint or watercolor markers.
