Energy Boost

Get your art all worked up. No need for aerobic classes, special clothes or music with a strong beat. This is the art-technique version of an energy boost that will give your artwork tone. Let’s stretch those art muscles now.

TECHNIQUE ONE: Try Them All

So many wonderful transfer techniques layer well. Try a paint technique or two placed between the layered transfers, or try multiple surface techniques for that depth and change of energy.

Add an interesting paint technique. Here we used a textured paper as a stamp.

Layer on additional paint techniques. Here we used a pencil eraser stamps pretty polka dots.

Apply clear gesso or another absorbent ground to any areas of the surface that you may want to draw on.

Add hand-drawn decorative elements as you desire. A Conte crayon adds a swirl pattern, which we sprayed with a workable fixative.

TECHNIQUE TWO: Mix It Up

If you already have a wonderfully layered background, you may want to add a stencil image on top. The mix of veiled layers against a flat image creates a wonderful contrast, like sweet and sour, smooth and rough, delicate and tough. The unexpected contrast is so perfect.