Razors at 6:30 in the morning?

Since someone woke up a little earlier than usual today, I got an early start on painting. I was working on the ever-frustrating job of finishing up a mixed media piece. Dissatisfied with the textures on the painting (I went a little nuts with the tissue paper, and it made the whole thing look a mess), I decided to try a razor blade to shave off some of the layers. It worked, but was a little disheartening to have to take something apart like that. Still, it was a good lesson-- just like everything else in life, I need to be a little careful with the messes I create, lest I make more work for myself down the road.

A side note for this piece-- it's essentially a painting of sand, but the only place I used actual sand in the painting was to make the pink bucket.




"Citadel'
15 x 20
Mixed Media on Paper
(acrylic, tissue paper, pastel, sand)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Using Parchment Paper for Pastel

Image
Pastel is so versatile, I like to use it on a variety of surfaces.  One of my favorites is old parchment paper (courtesy of my late grandmother, who enjoyed calligraphy and creating her own Christmas cards).  I saved the paper partly out of a sense of nostalgia-- I still have some of Grandma's handmade cards on similar paper.  I also saved it so I could try the pastels on it, and it's become one of my favorite surfaces when I want to achieve a "scratchy" look to my pastels or focus on heavier drawn lines. If you're looking to try soft pastels on this type of paper, I have a few tips based on my experiences with pastel and parchment paper. "Spring Field" 3.25 x 5.25 inch pastel on parchment paper Click here to view more details Tip #1: Smear with caution!   Whereas pastel paper is made to hold lots of layers of pastel, parchment paper is not.  I usually stick with a lot of broken color and smear carefully with a paper towel over my finger (basicall...
Read more

When Old Tricks Become New Tricks

Image
        "Approaching" 5 in x 6.75 in mixed media on paper In 2004, I signed up for my first official art class on a college campus.  I'd already been teaching public school for a few years, and needed to renew my credential. To do so, I needed to take some post-graduate units.  To my surprise, I was informed that those units could be in any subject!  I decided to go ahead and explore a life-long love that I'd never spent much time learning in a classroom: art classes. My grandmother was a painter, so thanks to her I'd spent plenty of time making art.  When I chose my first "real" art class, I picked one called "The Magic of Pastel Painting."  I knew I loved to play around with oil pastels.  I assumed the class would teach me how to use them properly. To my surprise, the materials list didn't include oil pastels-- instead, it said to bring soft (or what we sometimes called "chalk") pastels, along with a special type of paper.  I p...
Read more

Inspired by Light (Pastels on Canvas)

Image
"Morning Glow" 12 x 16 Chalk Pastel on Flat Canvas Email nicolehilsabeck@yahoo.com if interested in purchasing Been trying to get back into the daily painting routine, which for me either means a small painting a day, or a larger painting spread over two days.  It's a bit of a challenge with the growing belly and a very inquisitive firstborn, but I was lucky enough to get a little extra inspiration from an odd source: Sunday's eclipse. We have beautiful views of the canyon and hills behind us, and I watched the light change on this hill as the sunlight waned throughout the course of the eclipse.  I noted how the normally stunning lights and shadows on this hill were blunted by the general darkening (as opposed to the usual sunrise or sunset glow).  I thought I would be a little more appreciative of those lights and darks and try a painting of the trees and hills the next morning. I completed this painting in several steps, having struggled a little recent...
Read more