Mixing It Up: An Intuitive Approach to Creating Abstract Art

In this two-part workshop each participant will develop a composition working with collage and mixed media using various techniques and materials.

Session 1: We will work with acrylic, ink, charcoal, oil pastel and collage.

Session 2: We will integrate techniques working with cold wax, oil, and collage to form a final composition (or compositions). Participants will learn the basic expressive and intuitive techniques of mixed media collage that will guide them through the creation of a work of art with the compositional elements of shapes, line, layers and texture. The Instructor will demonstrate various collage methods and textured applications.

Participants will explore techniques using a variety of tools and processes (e.g., adhering miscellaneous materials, like old drawings, paintings, fabric, burlap, used canvas, found objects, and incorporating mono-printing.

Participants will find inspiration from life, nature, studio set- up and working from sketches and/or photo references). The instructor will oversee and guide each participant through the overall process.

Instructor will provide students with the following: Acrylic Mediums, Cold Wax Medium, freezer paper, and paper towels.

Materials Provided by the Student:

1. PAINTING SURFACES

12 x 14 (or larger) canvas or wood panel (recommend back stapled canvas)

Heavy paper - e.g., watercolor paper (Arches 140 or 300 pound recommended)

Sketch Pad

​Spiral-bound Aquabee or Canson mixed media sketchbook

This is a high-quality acid-free paper can be used with variety of media and can be painted​ on.​

​Choose size 9 x 12” or 11 x 14”

2. ACRYLIC PAINTS

Use your own discretion as to your own needs:

I recommend Professional Grade Liquitex tubes, Nova acrylics and Golden products, including Golden fluids. Suggestions:

Cadmium Yellow Light or Medium​Phthalocyanine Blue (green shade)

​Cadmium Orange​Phthalocyanine Green

​Cadmium Red Light (warm red)​Ivory Black

​Pyrrole Red (cool red, or your preference)​

Titanium White

​Quinacridone Magenta​

​Ultramarine Blue​

​Choose additional colors to add to your palette according to your preference:

Yellow Oxide (Ochre) Quinacridone Red

Burnt Sienna Acra Magenta

Burnt Umber​ Paynes Gray

Sap Green or Green Gold​ Brilliant Blue

Hookers Green​ Dioxazine Purple

3. ACRYLIC MEDIUMS (Supplied by Instructor)

Matte Medium ​

Matte gel (medium to heavy recommended)

4. BRUSHES (for acrylic application)

Choose a variety of sizes – Larger brushes are better. Minimum of 3 brushes

Suggested: #2 #3 (round), filbert #5 #6#7, flat #8 or #1; 2” inexpensive flat brush for gesso and varnish

5. OIL PAINTS

Assorted tubes (suggest Windsor Newton or Lukas): cadmium red, cerulean blue, indigo, cadmium, yellow, cadmium orange, Naples yellow, magenta, blue green, turquoise, titantium white

Host or Publisher Artists Council