Mixed Media with CitraSolv Collage

Hi ya’ll.  I’m delighted to be a guest designer on the TCW blog today!  Today, I have a fun, mixed media collage project to share!

When I started this project, I’ll admit it, I had absolutely no end result in mind.  What I did have, however, was a newly created batch of CitraSolv papers – and I thought it would be fun to modify them with the gorgeous new TCW Winter 2019 stencils.

For those of you new to CitraSolv art – you essentially douse the pages of a National Geographic magazine with CitraSolv cleaner and it dissolves the ink on the clay-based paper to produce a beautiful, muted result.  It’s messy and fun!  You can read more about this process here.

The first way I modified the papers was to use the TCW stencils to “lift” the remaining ink.  I simply used a paper towel that I dipped in CitraSolv, then wiped over the stencil to remove the ink.  This cleanser is pretty powerful, so wear gloves!  And, if you are sensitive to smells, you may wish to wear a mask.

I created a bunch of collage papers with this technique using these fabulous Rebekah Meier designs:

 

I also used TCW Marcasite Silver Modeling Paste with the same stencils to modify more CitraSolv papers.  I LUV the Marcasite paste!  It’s a great, creamy consistency and the color is between black and grey – with a beautiful shimmer.  The pictures just don’t do it justice.

Now that I had a bunch of collage papers….what to do with them?  I decided upon a mixed media painting with a super simple color palette to complement the muted tones of the collage papers.  I used acrylic paints in Prussian Blue, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold, white, and black to mix up the following hues:

To start the painting, I taped off the sides of a watercolor sheet, then applied some Prussian Blue paint and black paint all over with a damp brush.  Once it was dry, I applied TCW Silver Gesso with a  damp cosmetic wedge, then wiped off the excess with a baby wipe.  It’s hard to tell from the picture, but the silver gesso gives the background a beautiful, shimmery depth.

Next, I added the CitraSolv collage papers.  I used TCW Matte Gel Medium to glue each piece down, then used TCW Clear Gesso on top.  Then, I layered paint, more collage pieces, and the occasional line of a Neocolor II crayon.  The following images show the progression of the piece with each new layer.

I finished things up with a few detailed marks with my Neocolor II crayons, and then finally, removed the tape around the edges (which is always the most satisfying part).

I’m happy with the result, and may make a few more – I do have plenty of collage pieces left!! Hope you enjoyed this post and that it gives you some inspiration!

UPDATE:  I created a few more paintings with my leftover collage bits!  You can check out the details on my blog: https://amyscardobsession.wordpress.com/ 

Cheers and happy creating,  Amy

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