Tag Archives: #mixedmedia

Day 2 – 2019 Creative Gathering

Day 2, 2019 C.G., 8 x 8, acrylic & pen on Arches 140 lb. cold-pressed paper. © 2019 Sheila Delgado.

Several months ago I bought a snake plant. I have been a doting plant mother, eager to watch new leaves grow. They seem to grow quickly at first, then they sort of rest for a bit. And before I realize it, they are the same height as older leaves.

In day 1, I used a honeycomb stencil. I thought it was perhaps too soft. On today’s piece, I think it is too dark. Tomorrow I should get it just right. Ha ha ha. There is white pen outlining some of the circular shapes on the top left and right. It shows up more in life. I also used it to define the line of the table.

I am so inspired by the work of Janet Bradish. She has taken part in previous 30-day challenges, and each day I could not wait to see her piece. She often uses patterns in her paintings. Her blog shows her work for the challenges. Great textures!

The Creative Challenge group is 73 members strong!
Thanks to everyone for making it a success. Your enthusiasm is awesome!

Bee Paper Bouquet

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Bouquet In Blue. 6 x 9 in. watercolor & pen on Bee Paper. 140 lb. cold pressed paper. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

I learned first hand, one of the qualities of this paper. Then found a YouTube video that demonstrated the same trait. Bee paper grabs the paint.

I’m not sure if I have used this paper before. I have a pack that I could swear was marked clearance. I thought because they were going to stop carrying it. But I found it is still for sale on the Michaels website. This paper is an odd size, 6 x 9 inches. It is:

140lb/300gsm
25 sheets
100% cotton
Acid free and archival
Cold press surface
Internally and externally sized

So it grabs the paint. What does that mean? Once you lay the color down, you can’t move it. On a high quality paper, you can go back into an area with water to soften edges, or move the pigment. I did this intentionally, but for example, the bottom right and top left of the table have hard edges. As opposed to smooth blends.

Having said that, I found this paper allowed me to blend smoothly. More so than I would usually want. You can see this throughout the piece. The background is two colors, and it is very hard to see where one begins and the other ends. I was working very quickly, and I am sure that helped.

The area where I discovered the difficulty was in the flowers. The front facing blooms. I added Burnt Sienna over the Cad. Yellow to mimic a two-toned petal. I wanted the second color to soften and spread along the entire length of the petal. Instead I ended up with a petal that was half yellow and half sienna. Chunky Monkey.

I was so intent on smoothing the petals, I forgot to scan the “before”. It took several attempts. And though I did manage to get a few smooth transitions, it is clearly visible that those blooms are darker. The side view buds are clean Cad. Yellow.

There is a texture to this paper. This video shows you better than I can explain. The grain did not show up in my painting or the scan. Very surprising that the paint did not settle and highlight it. I opened the scan up at 300 ppi in Photoshop, and still could not see it.

I was in a hurry to paint and I did not tape down the paper. I worked very wet and the paper only curled a bit on the top and bottom edges. Not bad at all. Terrific actually!

I found that I really enjoyed this size. It’s not too big, and not too small. It’s juuusst right. Ha ha. I was very comfortable with it. Blah, blah,blah. That is my long-winded way of saying I am surprising pleased with this paper! I am very happy with this piece.

Bee Paper sells a variety of products including journals. mixed media and pastel paper. I’d really like to try one of their journals.

Enjoy!

5, 6, 7, 8! Who Do We Appreciate!

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#5 of 30. 3 x 3 in. mixed media on canvas. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

#6 of 30. 3 x 3 in. mixed media on canvas. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

Mini canvas, gesso, palette knife. Watercolor, Jaune yellow, green-gold, turquoise. Indigo Pitt pen, white paint pen. Texture sheets, fan brush, fingers.

Needs… something. Yellow.

#7 of 30. 3 x 3 in. mixed media on canvas. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

#8 of 30. 3 x 3 in. mixed media on canvas. © 2018 Sheila Delgado.

Painted seven tonight. Three are OK. Two are hideous. (Not shown here) I am cringing just thinking about clicking the post button. But the work is done. Hours put in towards my 10,000. I did have fun. I am really enjoying my new palette! YAY!

Part of the “getting things on the walls” project was this huge canvas. It has had a few lives. The last was partly covered up with ugly, muddy, leftover colors. Finally, I covered the yuck. Didn’t think I had enough Naples yellow so I added some white.

I still don’t know what I want to do with this canvas. And I have been thinking on it for three years, at least. A floral? A Mingus? An abstract landscape? Have to say, I really like it this way. Ha!