Adventures In Mixed Media Textures

Technique 1: Sculpted Background

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Materials:

• Artist's canvas or gesso board in size of your choice
• 1 jar of Golden Hard Molding Paste
• A palette knife
• Large Color Shaper

Step 1

I am assuming that your canvas is primed before you begin. If not, paint it with at least 2 coats of acrylic gesso.

Apply Hard Molding Paste to the surface of the canvas in short strokes with a palette knife. In this step you're trying to create a texturized foundation which will become partially covered by the subsequent layers of molding paste and additional elements of your composition. You can cover all four sides of the canvas with Hard Molding Paste if you're not planning on framing your artwork.

Step 2

In desired areas, spread very heavy layers, about 1/8 to 1/4" of Hard Molding Paste. This will be a foundation for the decorative elements that will be developed in the subsequent step. For right now, just determine an overall placement of those elements and apply Hard Molding Paste.

Step 3

Using the tip of your palette knife and/or color shaper begin to draw in the heavy layers of wet Hard Molding Paste. Try to write with the color shaper or just make doodles, it is your artwork, so experiment and have fun with it! Once finished, leave your artwork to dry overnight, it must be hard to the touch before you can continue to manipulate with it.

Your new background is finished! The rest is up to you — turn it into a painting, add some unexpected collage elements, embellishments, more gels and pastes… embrace the possibilities.

'Untitled'
Acrylics and Mixed Media on Canvas, 16x20
Tatiana Kuzyk

In this finished piece, I used numerous paint colors, glazes and gel mixtures until it became completed.

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