Turn what most consider bits of trash into a painting that'll turn heads.
Take yourself on a journey!
- Go for a walk around your neighborhood and pick up things you find along the way (interesting things from nature, bits of paper, etc.)
- Use items you find in a store (flyers, postcard announcements, empty sugar packages. etc.)
- Venture out into your backyard in search of flat objects similar to what you would find when walking through your neighborhood.
Here's what you'll need:
- a 4x4 or 6x6 piece of stretched canvas or piece of canvas board
- acrylic paint
- gel medium
- sponge brushes
- interesting letters and text clipped from a magazine
- newspaper
- containers of water
- paper towels
The Process:
- cover over the entire piece of canvas with one solid color
- using the gel medium, affix a "large" object to the lower left hand corner
- tickle the edges of the found object with a complimentary or matching color to the background paint
- using the gel medium, layer another smaller found object over the large one (placing it slightly above)
- tickle the edge of this found object with a completely different color (suggestion: yellow or white)
- smudge another color of paint around the edge of the entire piece
- using the gel medium, affix the interest text or letters to the upper right area of the piece
- tickle the edges of the letters or text with the same color paint as you used in the first found object's edges
- continue layering smaller objects (tickling their edges with different color paints) until you feel there's enougn coverage)
- once all the paint is completely dry, cover the entire piece with one or two layers of gel medium to seal the entire piece together
What do you have?
A found object painting! Starting small is best if you don't have a lot of experience working in this capacity. Once you build your confidence, you can work your way up the scale. There's a lot of opportunity for experimentation with paint and color with these pieces, so be sure to take advantage of that.
Where can you find other found object painters?
The copyright of the article Project Planner in Mixed Media Arts is owned by Jennifer Hollowell. Permission to republish Project Planner must be granted by the author in writing.
