After Cynthia's workshop, I have become addicted to doing backgrounds. This is another one that I did using a painted canvas. The yellow background was created using Golden Paints on canvas board. I brushed some watered down fluid acrylic paints on the background and allowed them to dry a little. I then sprayed the canvas with a bit of water and wiped some of it off with a rag. I then stamped writing on the background using Espresso Adirondack dye pads. After all of this dried, I used gel medium to apply the little bits of ephemera, dabbed very lightly areas of Cobalt Teal Golden acrylic paints (you can use your rag to wipe it off a bit). Lastly, using sequin waste, I dabbed some watered down gesso over the sequin waste which created the little circles of white.




As a rule I always take pictures or scan in my backgrounds for further use. Because I could not scan this background in, I photographed it. Using photoshop I add various elements to create the final background.

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I am really hung up on doing backgrounds. This particular background is being done on a canvas board. I started out by applying a layer of molding paste. After letting this dry overnight, I applied two layers of gesso over the molding paste. After this dried, I then applied a wash of yellow ochre. I added some texture at this point using a sea sponge with Quin Nickel Azo Gold. Once dried, I added a couple of ephemera using gel medium. I then washed the whole canvase using Quin Nickel Azo Gold. I added touches of Cobalt Teal with a baby wipe (my newest favorite tool) and applied some Burnt Umber around the edges of the canvase using a paintbrush. I stamped a word image using a Adirondack stamp pad (Expresso, I think). I applied some texture by using Titan Buff through sequin waste. I am partially done with this canvas so check back again to see where I go from here.

These are canvases I painted today although the photographs aren't that great....the sun was going down when I took the pictures so I waited too long. I will take new pictures tomorrow.

Background 1 (the bottom image) was done using Golden's Yellow Ochre and Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold with a paintbrush. I am not done layering yet so the next layer I will most likely be a cool color such as blue.

Background 2 was done on a canvas board which I had gessoed first. I then applied a glaze of yellow ochre (Golden) and then spot colored using Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold. Then I added with a baby wipe touches of Turquois (Phthalo) and Quinacridone Magenta. I added darker touches of color with a paintbrush which I then patted with a baby wipe. I save all of these baby wipes as they can be incorporated into other artwork.

Background 3 (top image) was done on a stretched canvas. I had used this canvas before but did not like the way it turned out. The texture was achieved with molding paste on which I used dry wall tape. I had also applied some vellum using gel medium which immediately buckled giving another great texture. Before painting, I applied two layers of white gesso. Once the gesso dried, I applied a mix of acrylic glazing liquid and Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide as the base of the painting which I then highlighted with Quin Nickel Azo Gold. I then used a baby wipe to add touches of Cobalt Teal and Dioxazine Purple all over the canvases.