Build up your canvas with more than just paint.
"Mixed media" is a mysterious term to many beginning painters. Using various types of materials on your canvas is a liberating approach to painting, and allows you, as an artist, to make use of different tools and techniques than if you were simply painting a pure watercolor or oil painting. Whatever materials you use, beginning with an open mind and a willingness to experiment are essential ingredients to embarking on this craft.
Instructions
1. Use a large brush or palette knife to smear gesso across your canvas. Allow the gesso to be very thick in some places so that it sticks out and has dimension. Allow some areas of the canvas to be bare if you desire. Use your palette knife to etch into the gesso or to build ridges on the canvas for added texture. Allow the gesso to dry when you have finished.
2. Apply acrylic or oil paint to the gesso-covered canvas. As you are painting, be sure to work with the textures you have already built into the gesso. For example, if you have etched lines into the gesso, make these indentations also work as a part of your painting by adding dark pigment to the indentations or making them a part of a shaded area. Allow the areas that stick out to remain light or of a paler color so that their texture and height are emphasized. Build up certain parts of the canvas with thicker paint, and allow other places to be bare or only thinly covered.
3. When the paint is still wet, apply feathers to the painting in the places you desire. Make sure that the feathers stick well to the paint. Paint over them if desired or if needed to secure them further. Include only a few feathers of different shapes and sizes to add softness and volume to your canvas. Do not use too many.
4. Sprinkle chalk or chalk pastel dust over select spots of your canvas, making sure that the paint is still wet before you start. Choose the color of your chalk dust carefully to be sure that it will add contrast or highlight to your composition. Do not sprinkle the dust over the entire canvas. Choose areas you wish to be more matte and dry or crumbled-looking. Allow the canvas to dry on a flat surface when you have finish applying the chalk dust.
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