Painting Fishermen in Mixed Media

I have been inspired by a painting of another artist to paint some fishermen. Unfortunately I am unable to decipher the signature, or I would give him/her credit. I loved the free and loose style of painting that the artists used and wanted to do something similar, but on a textured background. That is why I spend some time on showing you how to prepare the background before we actually start painting..

I start with a small Masonite board that has already been painted with Gesso to prepare the surface to accept paint. The board measures 20,5 cm x 15 cm.

I paint a thick layer of Dala Acrylic Gel Medium over the entire surface of the board.

I then crinkle up some tissue paper that was used in packaging a pair of shoes I bought. The paper actually has the brand of the shoes faintly printed on it, but I am not put off by this, as I will cover it completely with paint.

I spread the crinkled tissue paper onto the wet Gel Medium and then paint another liberal layer of Arcylic Gel Medium on top.

Then I crop the tissue paper to fit neatly on the board.

I then mix Dala Craft Paint White and Purple to get a softer shade of this beautifully intense color.

Without waiting for the Gel Medium to dry, I paint the board with my mixed color. If this makes you uncomfortable, you can wait for the medium to dry. It won't affect things adversely, but the Acrylic Gel Medium has been developed to mix with water-based paints and that is why I don't bother with waiting for it to dry. After painting this coating, I leave it to dry completely.

I then grab my Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Walnut Stain.

I use this to ink the sides of the board.

Then I lightly touch it to the top of the board. The raised edges, created when wrinkling the paper, is colored by the ink, while the grooves remain unaffected. Allow it a minute or two to dry. The surface is now prepared and I can start the painting process.

I use the brush tip Posca Marker in black to draw the figures free hand.

Keep your lines very loose. The trick is to mentally decide on a start and finish point for each line before you put the pen down. Draw that line and then do the same thing with each line in succession. But do NOT overthink it, and do NOT work slowly, or you will loose the desired flowing effect you are looking to achieve.

I use Dala Craft Paint in Warm Red, Duck Egg, Burnt Orange and Custard to paint the figures and their fish. Wait for the paint to dry.

I then reapply the lines with the Posca Marker to define them better. That concludes the painting! Easy and interesting, isn't it?

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