Painting Imaginary Flowers: Beautiful Blooms and Abstract Patterns in Mixed Media

by Sandrine Pelissier

Overview

Discover a fresh, fun approach to painting unique flowers!

Forgo reference photos and discover a more organic and joyful way of painting! With its friendly step-by-step format, Painting Imaginary Flowers features a simple, three-stage approach to creating flowers only you can make...

   1. Drop in color (ink, watercolor or fluid acrylics) to create abstract backgrounds full of beautiful textures and "blooms."
   2. Just like spotting shapes in the clouds, search for shapes in your background that suggest blossoms and leaves. Paint around them and watch the flowers emerge!
   3. Add patterns in pen to create a lovely, faux collage effect.
With plenty of mixed-media techniques throughout for building up luscious texture and color, even beginners can achieve happy results. Ten demonstrations show the versatility of this approach—from large-format pieces, to work in a series, and even Zen doodle landscapes. Never again will you be stuck for ideas or dependent on a photo. Every flower you paint will be unique, personal, and fresh from your imagination!

Let your imagination blossom!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440351556
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/18/2018
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.40(d)

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

gathering materials

Surfaces for Painting // Demonstration: Mounting Yupo Paper onto Board // Mediums You Can Use // Making Art Is Fun, So Enjoy the Process

Surfaces for Painting

There are many surfaces you can choose to paint on. My favorites are canvas and Yupo paper mounted onto board. Even if you already have a favorite surface, experiment with new ones once in a while to see what effect a different surface has on the way the paint behaves and on the finished look of the painting.

Stretched primed canvas

If you choose stretched canvas that has already been primed with gesso, you can start painting right away.

My personal preference is to work in a square format; 12"x 12" (30cm x 30cm) is my preferred size. Occasionally I will work on larger flower paintings, but the vast majority of my paintings are done this size.

Unstretched raw canvas

Try painting on unstretched canvas. Some painters don't mind painting on a piece of canvas that is flat on a table while others prefer to first stretch the canvas on stretcher bars, which provides spring and tautness. You may decide to paint on it unstretched and have it stretched only if you are pleased with your painting. One advantage of working on unstretched canvas is that you can easily stack and store your paintings, stretching them only when you want to use them.

Raw canvas requires a coat or two of gesso to prime it prior to painting on it.

Fluid acrylic and alcohol on canvas

Canvas will accept watercolors, acrylics and inks. Due to the woven texture of the canvas, the visual texture of the background is usually subtler, and the colors are less vivid than they are on smooth surfaces like Yupo paper, stone paper or Claybord.

WATERCOLOR PAPER

Watercolor paper and fluid acrylics

You can paint on watercolor paper with fluid acrylics. Bright and vivid colors are often easier to achieve with acrylics and inks than with watercolor paints.

Finished paintings on loose watercolor paper can be framed for protection and display, or you can mount watercolor paper onto a board and varnish the finished work so that it hangs more like a stretched canvas.

In Madrid • Acrylic and mixed media on watercolor paper 12" × 12" (30cm × 30cm)

Watercolor paper and watercolor

You can also paint on watercolor paper with watercolors, of course! You will usually get a softer effect with watercolor.

In Nanaimo • Watercolor and mixed media on watercolor paper 12" × 12" (30cm × 30cm)

ALTERNATIVE PAPERS

Yupo paper | Yupo paper is a synthetic paper made of polypropylene. It has a smooth, toothless surface that works well for visually textured paintings. You can use Yupo paper as is and frame your painting as you would a watercolor painting, or you can mount it on board and varnish the finished painting so it looks more like a stretched painting. (See Mounting Yupo Paper onto Board later in the chapter.)

Mounted Yupo paper

Before working on Yupo paper, I recommend you clean it with a tissue and a bit of rubbing alcohol to remove any skin oils that will repel the paint.

Stone paper | TerraSkin stone paper is a combination of mineral powder and a small quantity of nontoxic resin. It feels similar to Yupo paper, but it's a bit heavier and works wonderfully to create abstract textures. As with watercolor paper and Yupo paper, you could frame your painting on stone paper or mount it onto a board.

Alcohol-based inks on stone paper

You can get some great textures on stone paper. Here, a few drops of bright pink alcohol-based ink have been added to a light yellow acrylic wash. I kept some of these shapes to make the flowers you can see on my finished painting In Victoria.

Inks and graphite on Yupo paper

You can paint on Yupo paper with watercolors, acrylics or inks. Textures are more obvious on Yupo paper as the surface is very smooth, and the paint dries only by evaporation, so colors turn out bright and vivid.

In Victoria • Acrylic and mixed media on stone paper 9" × 7" (23cm × 18cm)

CLAYBORD

Claybord panels and cradle

Claybord by Ampersand is an art board covered in kaolin clay. It is a beautiful smooth surface to paint on and works well with any kind of liquid paint. The clay absorbs some of the water, making the drying time shorter than on Yupo or stone paper.

Claybord panels are sold in art supply stores as flat 1/8" (3mm) panels or as cradled panels of various thicknesses.

Alcohol-based inks on Claybord

Alcohol-based inks on Claybord will give you textures similar to what you would get on either Yupo or stone paper, with the advantage of drying faster as the layer of clay on this surface is absorbent.

DEMONSTRATION

Mounting Yupo Paper onto Board

When working on paper, you have a choice of framing your painting or mounting your paper onto a wood board. I usually choose the latter option because I like the direct contact with the paint (versus having it behind glass) and the minimalist look of the display.

If you choose to mount your paper onto board, you can do so before painting, but you can also do it after the painting is done. If you are mounting a finished painting, be extra careful not to damage the painting while mounting it, especially if it is done on Yupo paper, as it could scratch easily when you are smoothing it down.

WHAT YOU NEED

box knife or craft knife

brayer

cradled board

gel medium, heavy or extra-heavy

paper to be mounted

rubbing alcohol (optional)

scissors

stiff brush, medium

1 Cut the Paper

Start by cutting a piece of paper that is about 1" (2.5cm) bigger than your board on each side. This extra space will allow you to center the paper easily.

2 Brush on Gel Medium

Apply the gel medium to the board with a stiff brush in a thick layer. Pay special attention to apply enough medium on the sides and corners, as those are the places where the paper is most prone to lifting from the board.

3 Position Your Paper on the Board

Center the paper on the board with the excess as even as possible on the sides.

4 Make Sure the Paper Adheres to the Board

Gently use your hands to apply pressure and rub over the entire surface, adhering the paper to the board. Work from the center to the sides.

5 Remove Air Bubbles

Use a brayer to get rid of air bubbles, but don't push too hard on the brayer. Excessive pressure might move all the gel medium to the edges and cause ripples.

6 Let the Board Dry

Leave the board to dry upside down on a clean, flat surface. You can add weights on top if you want to. Let it dry overnight. Don't worry if some of the medium oozes out around the edges; it will be trimmed off later.

7 Trim the Sides of the Board

After the medium has dried, trim the excess paper off the board using a box cutter or craft knife. Hold the blade at a 45-degree angle to avoid scratching the paper or nicking the sides of the box.

Note: I prefer to trim the paper after the painting is finished to avoid paint running off the edges and staining the board. If you do paint on a trimmed board and it gets stained, you can try removing the stains with sandpaper.

8 Clean up Your Painting Surface

If you're using Yupo paper, clean the surface gently with rubbing alcohol to remove any fingerprints before you begin painting. Skin oils will repel the paints or inks.

Mediums You Can Use

If you're adventurous, you might enjoy using many different mediums on the same painting. This is what I like to do, too. I've compiled a list of mediums I have experimented with here, but this is in no way an exhaustive list. I encourage you to try any mediums you think could work.

The most important thing to remember when mixing different mediums on the same support is that oil-based mediums should always be placed on top of water-based mediums. But as you will see, almost everything I list here is water based, so the order does not matter unless you use the oil-based Sharpie markers. Additionally, if you wanted to add oil pastels, they should also be used last, as they will act as a resist and you won't be able to paint over them.

For some mediums, like watercolor or alcohol-based inks, you might need a fixative to prevent them from lifting in subsequent layers or when finishing the painting. I will specify when this is the case.

MEDIUMS FOR PAINTING THE BACKGROUND

Fluid acrylics | Fluid acrylic is a great medium to use on canvas or paper. Any brand will work but you might have to dilute the paint with a bit of water if the consistency is too creamy.

Fluid acrylic has been specifically designed to be used in a liquid form. I don't recommend diluting regular-bodied acrylic in water, because when you get over a 50 percent water-to-paint ratio, the paint loses its binding properties and can lift off when painted over.

Full-bodied acrylic paint, white | You'll need white acrylic paint for painting in the negative space after deciding what you want to keep or not on your painting. My favorite is Titanium White by Stevenson, but any brand will work.

Depending on the brand, white acrylic paint will be more or less translucent. You can overcome that issue by painting a few extra layers if you feel that too much of the under layers are showing through your paint.

Full-bodied acrylic, various colors | At some point in the painting process, you will have the opportunity to paint or glaze over some areas of your painting. Depending on the opacity of the paint you are using, you might have to dilute the paint with a bit of water or with acrylic medium.

Acrylic inks | The difference between inks and acrylic paints is sometimes blurry as some inks are also referred to as fluid acrylics. Inks are very fluid and work well for the techniques in this book, whereas paint labeled as fluid acrylic might have the consistency of cream. Check to see if the ink is water resistant. If it's not, you might need to spray a fixative after painting.

Watercolors | Watercolor will work on paper as well as on canvas. However, you will need to spray a fixative over the work if you are working on canvas, so the paint doesn't lift up as you work on the next layers. Using watercolor results in softer colors than acrylic or ink.

MEDIUMS FOR ADDING TEXTURE

Rubbing alcohol | Rubbing alcohol works wonderfully to add texture to a wet paint wash. It will work with watercolor, acrylics and inks on both paper and canvas.

Alcohol will repel the paint and form, what is known as a fisheye. Because alcohol is colorless, the visual textures you get will be of the paint color, only a bit lighter.

Alcohol-based inks | You can substitute alcohol-based inks for alcohol to make textures on your background. The textures you get will be of the ink color. Different brands sell alcohol-based inks. I like Piñata inks by Jacquard and Copic marker refills.

Depending on your surface, you will get more or less intricate textures with alcohol-based inks. They will be more obvious on smoother surfaces such as Yupo and stone paper than they will be on canvas.

MEDIUMS FOR DRAWING AND OUTLINING

Graphite | Graphite can be used to outline shapes and also to draw patterns. Drawing patterns with graphite works especially well on smooth surfaces such as Yupo and stone papers.

Art Stix | Made by Prismacolor, this is a stick-shaped drawing medium equivalent to a colored pencil core. It works well on all kinds of surfaces to outline shapes. You can usually purchase black sticks by the unit in the drawing section of an art supply store, or you can buy a set with a few colors. You can also replace them with colored pencils.

Watercolor pencils | You can use watercolor pencils to add texture on top of your abstract background. They also work well to color over painted areas. You might need to use a spray fixative to prevent them from reactivating, especially if you're painting over them with lots of water in subsequent layers.

Pens and markers | You can use pens and markers to add intricate elements and designs to your paintings. They will work on both paper and canvas although they tend to dry faster on canvas. Make sure that the brand you are using is archival and acid free. My favorite pen is the Sakura Pigma Micron brand.

Oil- and water-based paint markers | Sharpie has a line of archival, acid-free markers specifically designed to be used in art. They come in water- and oil-based form. I like to use them to add white patterns in my paintings.

Dipping pen and ink | A dipping pen has become one of my favorite tools. It's a bit trickier to use than a marker at the beginning, but it has the advantage of letting you draw in any color you can mix. It also works great with watercolors. (See more about using a dipping pen in Chapter 4.)

TRYING OUT COLORS

Sometimes it's easier to make a decision about color if you can see how it would look directly on the painting. Pastels are great to use as temporary color so you can try different ideas before committing to paint. If you use any mediums that can lift with water, it's important to spray the entire painting with fixative before using pastel.

This technique works on canvas only. The absence of tooth on Yupo, stone paper or Claybord makes using pastel too difficult, and watercolor paper is too fragile for this technique.

In these example I wanted to see whether I should paint the vase blue.

1 Apply the Pastel

Using dry pastel, draw over the area you want to test.

2 Spread the Color

Spread the pastel with your fingers. Wear a glove if you don't want your fingers to get dirty.

3 Assess Your Painting

Now that you can see how the painting would look with the new color, decide if that's what you want to paint. You can also keep the pastel by spraying it with fixative, but know that fixative will darken the color significantly.

4 Remove the Pastel

If you are not happy with the result, remove the pastel with a wet paper towel. If desired, try another color, repeating as many times as you need to.

In this case I decided to go with light green for the vase instead.

TOOLS

Protective covering | It's a good idea to protect your working area with either cardboard or a plastic sheet, since you are going to be working with liquid paint, spraying water and adding drops of alcohol or inks. You might also apply medium and varnish to finish your painting.

Assortment of brushes | You will need a few brushes to apply paint, mediums and varnish. Flat brushes are my favorites as they are very versatile. You can use them flat for larger areas or on the side for details. You might also need a few thin round brushes for details and filling out small areas in patterns.

Droppers | Droppers are useful any time you want to move or dilute paint or add drops to your paper or canvas. I also like to use them as painting tools (as shown later in Chapter 5).

Spray bottle | You will need a spray bottle to help the paint move on your paper or canvas surface. Alternatively, you could brush your surface with plain water before adding the drops of paint, but I like the control I have with the spray bottle and how easy it is to spray more water while painting, if needed.

Spray fixative | Spray fixative is useful when painting in mixed media. It will fix any medium that could move when painted over, like watercolor or watercolor crayons, and will prevent smudging if you spray it before finishing your painting.

Varnish | If you want to finish your painting with varnish, I recommend buying a varnish that is suitable for both water- and oil-based mediums so you can be sure it will be compatible with whatever you use in your painting. My favorite is Gamblin Gamvar varnish because it is a liquid and, therefore, easy to apply to any surface.

Miscellaneous | You will also need a container for water, paper towels, baby wipes if you use them, a paint rag if you prefer, and an apron or smock if you want to avoid getting paint on your clothes.

Making Art Is Fun, So Enjoy the Process

LET GO OF THE PRESSURE OF OUTCOME

We already have the pressure to be efficient and competitive in many areas of our lives. Painting should not feel that way. Instead, I see it more as a wonderful portal for self-expression and improved well-being.

It took me some time to accept it, but it's fine not to like all the paintings we make. It's fine to throw some away, and it's fine to go out of the studio after a day of painting without anything to show for it. This is not wasted time — it's practice!

Rather than focusing on the outcome, I like to focus on the process and enjoy simple things like the physicality of moving watery or luscious paint around, the relaxing effect of drawing patterns and the luxury of taking some time to make art.

(Continues…)

---

Excerpted from "Painting Imaginary Flowers"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Sandrine Pelissier.
Excerpted by permission of F+W Media, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---

Table of Contents

Who Are You Becoming?, 6,
01: Gathering Materials, 8,
02: Painting an Abstract Background, 30,
03: Let Your Imagination Do the Work, 50,
04: Make Your Paintings Stand out with Patterns, 68,
05: Finishing Your Painting, 92,
06: What Can You Try Next?, 100,
Gallery, 130,
Index, 140,
About the Author, 142,
Acknowledgments, Dedication, 142,