Slanting Lines and Shapes To Create Movement in Mixed Media Art

Sometimes all it takes is a slight shift of some of your shapes to create the suggestion of movement or energy in an otherwise still collage.  You will see that I tilted the large greenish- grey shape on the left to add some oomph to the composition. It doesn't take much to accomplish an important variance in the orientation of shapes and lines. If I had slanted too many shapes I would be back where I started from with a monotonous composition. It is the importance of surprise that matters. Also important to note is that once I made this change, everything else seemed to feel quite right.  

Using Honeycomb Packing Material For Printing in Mixed Media Art

One of my students introduced me to Honeycomb Boards or packing material in our last Mark Making class. I was so excited about finding a new texture maker, that I had to beg her for a piece for my own work. This versatile corrugated pad is a light weight packing supply which is used as protective cushioning for many industries. The Honeycomb generally has a flat piece of heavy paper on the top of it. You will need to peel the top layer off to expose the Honeycomb and cut a small portion of the packing material to print or stamp with. Apply paint directly onto the Honeycomb with a brush or dip it into a paper plate with paint and then proceed to print or stamp the Honeycomb onto your art work.

Mixed Media Tip: Work On Top Of Large Sheets of Drawing Paper to Catch Spontaneous Marks And Paint Layers

It really is true that sometimes the palette with a mixture of the day's paint caked on can appear at times to be more interesting than the work in progress. The same can be said for the glorious accidental spills and drips and strokes that appear on the under sheets or table coverings that many of us place down on our workspace before beginning a Mixed Media project. I always encourage new students to intentionally work on top of layers of paper.  My favorite paper to use under work is 18 X 24 Drawing paper (which comes in gummed pads at your local art store) or rolls of white paper (Restaurant supply companies). These wonderful painted papers can be torn and   used in collages or worked back into later as paintings and drawings without tearing.