Iron Gate/Part 1

 Beginning a painting with watercolor and collage together.

Collage can be an effective way to add interest and texture, or even correct problems in a painting.

You can start with any painting you've done, but aren't satisfied with and feel safe in playing around with.

Or you can start a painting with the idea in mind that part of it is going to be collage, such as this one with the iron gate. This is a reference I took myself in Aurora, Indiana along the river.

I started with a sketch with the bare essentials, the stairs and the wall.

I didn't even draw in the gate, except for the large post.

I painted the background in cool colors and the steps in warmer colors.

Dried. Then put in the shadow part of the steps, painting over everything that

might become part of the gate itself.

When I got to the post, I just continued color into the post as I painted the steps.

For the lines that form the stones in the wall, I used the long side of a credit card. Just make a puddle of mixed colors, drag the edge of the card through it, and press it onto the line. It makes a nice, broken looking but sharp edge. 

 I drew the railings in and first went over the rails with water, pulling up the paint from the steps into it. This removes the hard edges of the steps from where you want to paint the gate railings. Bonus, I didn't have to paint around all the rails.

After that I painted the gate and other iron works, shown below.  But on this project, I'm going to collage them in.

I am also going to collage in the greenery growing in the cracks.

So this is what I have to prepare to complete this project. You can use just about any papers for collage, but I prefer rice paper, masa paper, and the insides of envelopes (that my bills come in) that have interesting patterns. For the railings I painted the pattern envelopes in indigo and black acrylic. When they dried, I spattered white and rust colored acrylic. For the greenery, I painted a variety of greens on rice paper and masa paper, and also on some blue envelopes. For stonework, I painted a variety of colors on masa paper. 

Masa on left/rice paper on right (kinwashi)

Inside of envelope painted green, spattered with white

Inside of envelopes painted with acrylic black/indigo blue and spattered with rust and white to give rusty look. (I painted the darks with acrylic (fluid) so that the paint would not run and smudge when applied onto the lighter background. The masa paper is painted with watercolor. 

These papers will be used in specific places on the painting to create interest and texture.

I plan to cut straight strips of  the black and blue for the railings, and tear other colors for the greenery and stonework. You can also use magazines, newsprint, origami, wrapping paper, and other things to add color and interest. I try to keep to light-weight papers if I'm using 140 lb watercolor paper as my base for the painting.

Below is a barn that started out as a failed watercolor painting. Most of the trees are collaged in with masa paper torn into small bits. The barn wood is also masa torn in longer strips. The roof is mostly masa, an the dark shadows are black strips cut from magazines. The chickens in the front are the inside of envelopes. The foreground and sky are watercolor.

Next week, we'll demonstrate how to apply the collage using an old flat brush and matte medium.