Brusho and collage techniques WIP

JayJay365UK · #1 02-13-2012, 02:46 PM

Hello again! I thought I'd start a new thread here with a Brusho WIP I'm doing. I had a pretty good day and a very good start with this one.

I'm working on a Windsor and Newton canvas board, 18 x 14".

Last week I bought something wrapped in tissue paper, got very exited with the tissue paper and decided to see what Brusho would do on it. So this is preparation for something not yet decided. I painted a streak of silver enamel here and there on the tissue paper as a resist, then sprinkled and sprayed the various brusho colours over and here's the result:

JayJay365UK · #2 02-13-2012, 02:52 PM

I don;t know how to continue the same page/thread without replying to myself, so here's the next bit! LOL.

The tissues were various colours, I decided to use the cool and earth colours for what I had in mind. I still have a gold enamel/yellow greens reds to use on another project, but I didn't want it in this one.

Subject - yesterday I was looking through a book I have on Celtic Britain and came across a good photograph of a burial chamber, so I scanned that into my computer and printed it out, then enlarged it and printed it again. The enlarged photo was traced onto the canvas in pencil, then I stuck it to the wall for reference.

JayJay365UK · #3 02-13-2012, 03:03 PM

....then I mixed up some PVA washable adhesive with a bit of water and started tearing and ripping the tissue and sticking it onto the canvas. I thought, with brusho being a waterbased media, which when wetted again after drying will carry on going/working/reconstituting, that I was going to end up with a soggy muddy mess... However, although it did start to move a little bit, it still retained the brightness of the individual colours as I slowly put it onto the board.

Well after that, in spite of the thrill of actually doing my first ever collage with a mostly uncontrollable medium, I completely lost the sketch!

So I used a cut out of the photo and just stuck that on on top (I'm not fussy and this is an experiment anyway!)

So I ended up with a background of brusho+silver traces of enamel and an overlaid photograph....

Then I carried on pasting pieces of tissue over and around the photograph and was wondering what I could do about that photo once it had dried on.

JayJay365UK · #4 02-13-2012, 03:08 PM

The brusho carried on working a bit underneath the photo (just a printout on plain typing paper btw) and it bled through onto the photo and gave me some special effects - and this is what I ended up with!

Now I need someone to tell me what to do next! LOL!! Do I need some more brown on the left hand side to balance it up? Do I need shadows? A tree, perhaps to the left hand side?

Any ideas, criticisms, etc gratefully received. Of course, I will probably overdo it and end up with mud.

Thanks for bearing with me so far!

JayJay365UK · #5 02-15-2012, 03:11 PM

Update: took it along to my local art club and let the other members look at it today. Yes, it needs some more brown at the bottom and the other side to balance, and a bit of light letting in on the opposite diagonal to the light bit on the right hand side, was the verdict. Anyone have any more thoughts? Thanks in advance

dougmccallum · #6 02-15-2012, 03:16 PM

JayJay, not sure what else to do with it since it depends on what you are trying to achieve. Since the photo has light from the front left, you might add a hint of shadow on the right side of the stones. I was also going to suggest that the light in the center of the stones should be darkened but the more I look the more I like it as is. It draws attention to the area framed by the stones. I don't think it needs anything on the left.
Doug

JayJay365UK · #7 02-15-2012, 03:36 PM

Thanks for that, Doug!

I'm just trying to 'ground' the photo really - at the moment it looks like it's 'floating' and I was after a sky-stones-ground type landscape effect, I think!

However, a lot of peeps at the art club said it looked fine just as it was, so not a lot of help there!

Really appreciated your take on it. All comments will be considered!

JayJay365UK · #8 02-18-2012, 05:58 AM

Hi, now grounded a bit and areas highlighted/darkened in places.

The photo isn't good, the colour has washed out at the bottom, it's a lot better in real life! The chamber looks as though it's grounded on bedrock now. LOL! Be interested to hear what you think.

I'm intending to just add a few details with a line pen, and add a bit more silver to the 'tree'.

Also posted in the WIP section.

JayJay365UK · #9 03-02-2012, 06:22 AM

I'm calling this one finished!

I overlaid a lot more tissue to the sky, this time sprayed with silver enamel before putting the brusho onto it as the dolmen had got a bit lost with dark colours behind it.

Highlighted the foreground with silver and black pens.
Highlighted bits of the 'tree' with brown ink.
Quite pleased with it overall!

dougmccallum · #10 03-02-2012, 10:03 AM

I quite like your final result. It has a starkness to it that I find appealing. The contrasts work quite well.

Doug

JayJay365UK · #11 03-02-2012, 12:18 PM

Thanks Doug!

How are your tiles coming along? Can't wait to see the finished article!

dougmccallum · #12 03-02-2012, 01:06 PM

Got some color added but not really enough to show yet. Hopefully I'll have time this weekend to get some done.

Doug

**Brenda Y** · #13 03-02-2012, 08:50 PM

Wow -- wonderful texture and contrast!!! Calling it done was a good call -- it IS finished and with flair!!

JayJay365UK · #14 03-04-2012, 04:52 AM

Hi to you both - and thank you for your comments! Yes I'm really pleased with the way this one turned out myself! I've put it in the gallery bit, just to see what others think.

Dcam · #15 03-08-2012, 06:06 PM

What you do with texture and mixed media is really interesting. Such creative results.

Derek

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