Surface Treatment Workshop - week 11

Now we are on week 11 - drawing grounds and I'm finally glad to be up to date again!

Creating a drawing grounds means preparing a surface on which you can draw, paint, make marks or add additional colour over, perhaps, collaged, textured or uneven bases.

Examples of drawing grounds are clear gesso, gels and matt mediums and they work by sealing layers and providing a bit of "tooth" to a surface in preparation for creative design.

I created a simple collaged base using pieces of old artwork torn up and randomly placed.
Then I chose to use matt medium gel as my drawing ground which I applied in several thick layers over the top of the collage. I cut it up into six pieces ...

some details from three of the pieces

Next I applied a little shimmering copper acrylic and then more gel so that my drawing ground was ready to take paint, pencil and oil pastel, etc.  I added a few loose mussel shell shapes using different media.

collage with cut up prints, bubble wrap, acrylics, shimmering copper acrylics

Golden matte medium gel, drawing and painting mussel shells with acrylics and watercolour

printed papers, gel medium, copper shimmer acrylics, more gel medium, mussel shell painted with acrylics and watercolour pencils

collage with vintage baby in a bunny outfit, papers, artwork, gel medium, acrylics and salt

mixed media collage with printed papers, cut up artwork, silk, chiffon, metal foil, vintage sewing paper, acrylics and matt medium gel then using a watercolour wash to fill in

detail - collage using prints from week 1 of the Surface Treatment Workshop as well as metal foil, silk, sellotape transfer and vintage sewing paper

detail - collaged prints

mark making with sellotape transfer, acrylics and watercolour wash with salt

collage, prints, gold chiffon, silver foil, hand dyed silk,
painted bubble wrap, copper shimmer acrylic, matt medium gel and mussel shells in watercolour pencil

mussel shell texture with salt

collage with bits of tag from last week's STW, monoprints and sewing paper

mussel shells in watercolour pencil and scratched into

waxy textured tag, copper shimmer, sewing paper and sequin

That's the six little square pieces done … albeit a little curly around the edges … but they will flatten out when I glue them in my dedicated STW sketchbook.

Finally, I had a tag left over from last week so I applied some gelli printed tissue paper over the tag

then covered with Golden matt medium gel as a drawing ground.  Next I added some white paint, then, when dry, I practised a little freeing up exercise

"four bottles"

Loosely drawing using crayon, oil pastel and artist pen with my left hand looking at objects instead of the artwork

Mark making with oil pastel and artist pen

Evelyn and I are both looking forward to week 12 of the Surface Treatment Workshop.  We will be playing with gold leaf and I always enjoy a bit of bling!

Thank you for reading and happy weekend x