Creating a mixed media piece of art utilizing elements from nature allows for artists to stay in touch with themselves, as well as the environment around them.
Mixed media paintings do not always have to follow the same pattern or juxtaposing paints with found objects and ephemera. Consider collecting elements from nature to incorporate into your next mixed media painting. Here is a project to try:
Materials:
- Five different species of leaves, pressed ahead of time
- Pencil
- Sharp scissors
- Paint chip samples
- Twenty to thirty faux coins
- Paper cutter
- Straight edged ruler
- Painter’s tape
- Acrylic paint, thee different colors
- 8x11 canvas or larger
- Sponge or paintbrushes
- Thee to five buttons, various colors and sizes
- Stickers depicting quotations or definitions
- Stickers depicting a phrase or inspirational word
- Decoupage or gel medium
Instructions:
- Measure a frame around the canvas board that is between three and five inches wide the entire away around, and then draw a light line in pencil. Tape along the edge of this drawn line, cut off the edges to make a sharp corner.
- Paint the inside of the taped area with a light cream or another neutral light-toned color of your choice. Paint the outside of the tape a darker color, like slate blue, including along the edges of the canvas board for a finished look. Allow the piece to dry completely before moving on the next step. You can speed drying time through use of a heat gun or hair dryer.
- Using a brown tone, lightly dab a distressed finish along the inside edge of the tape against the light-toned neutral color. This will help add depth and dimension to this portion of the painting. Allow the paint to dry completely before moving on. Remove the painter’s tape.
- Apply a layer of decoupage or gel medium to the center portion of the painting. Add decoupage or gel medium to the back of each leaf, and then apply them to the painting. Create a pattern that is random, or structured. The choice is yours. Add more medium over the leaves to help seal the piece, and allow everything to dry completely.
- Embellish with button clusters, and stickers. Use another layer of medium to seal off these areas, as well.
- Cut the paint chip samples into one or two inch squares and attach them around the edge of the painting, either in a structured frame format or a random pattern. Add the faux coins to blank or random areas. Add a layer medium over the entire piece of canvas board to seal the work.
Variations:
- Tape off more than one framed area so multiple colors can be painted on.
- Create a random framed look, with various squares and rectangles placed at odd angles, and layer color and elements over them.
- Incorporate pressed flowers and grasses in addition to the pressed leaves.
The copyright of the article Mixed Media Painting With Pressed Leaves in Collage Art is owned by Jennifer Hollowell. Permission to republish Mixed Media Painting With Pressed Leaves in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
