Be Green

Mixed-media artists are known to save everything from labels, old envelopes, magazines, scraps of paper, things we pick up off the street, etc. Yep, ephemera. All that transitory written and printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved. Enter the mixed-media artists to reuse almost everything imaginable. Sometimes you may get carried away and glue everything down at once. If you end up with a busy background and need to tone it down or unify it, here are a few ways you can do so.

TECHNIQUE ONE: Wash It

Tie all your elements together with a gesso wash or a paint wash.

Step 1

Thin your gesso or paint with water to your desired consistency.

Step 2

Paint a thin layer of watered-down gesso or paint over your dry collaged surface. One coat will usually do the job; you want the collage to show through.

Step 3

Add interest to the gesso layer by splattering water on it, letting most of the water dry, and then blotting the remaining water.

TECHNIQUE TWO: Fog It

Create a foggy surface over the collage and make it mysterious with a faux encaustic layer.

Spread a layer of matte gel over the surface of your ephemera-collaged surface. When the gel is dry, you can continue to work the surface as desired.

TECHNIQUE THREE: Crackle It

Give your art a crackle finish that allows you to see the layers underneath.

Step 1

Spread a layer of white craft glue over your dried collaged surface.

Step 2

While the glue is still wet, paint acrylic paint onto the glue. Do not mix the paint into the glue—just float a layer of paint on top of the glue.

Step 3

The glue and paint will crackle when they dry, and you will be able to see your collage through the cracks.

POSE

Darlene Olivia McElroy

This piece started with a collaged surface of ephemera layered with gel transfers and charcoal sketching.