Good Day to You! Thanks for visiting Orange Spiral Arts! My mission is to inspire you to express yourself through art, writing, photography, or any other form of creative expression that calls to you! You and your creativity matter!
For today's Mark Making Monday post, I'm going to share the idea of making marks as an under layer using colored pencils, pastel pencils, or other drawing media that you may have hanging around.
Supplies to Try:
- CarbOthello Pastel Pencils by Stabilo
- Colored pencils (neon, regular, and try different brands to find your preference)
- China Markers Wax Pencils
- Acrylic and/or Tempera Paint
- Catalyst Silicone Mini Blade
Getting Started: The Under Layer (drawing)
Have a large piece of drawing paper, along with your drawing and painting supplies, nearby.
Begin playing around with different pencils on the sheet of drawing paper. Make designs, marks, scribbles, or whatever feels good to you in the moment.
Continue playing with different materials to see how they feel and work on the paper.
The purple smeared areas are created by drawing with a CarbOthello pastel pencil, then rubbing the line with a finger.
After your paper is filled with marks and doodles, it's time to paint.
Layer Two: Tempera and Acrylic Paint
TIP: Use a fan brush to create marks and patterns with paint! (pictured below)
TIP: Try painting or spreading paint with a Catalyst Mini Blade. The result you get is much different than working with a paint brush. (pictured above)
TIP: Tempera paint tends to have more transparency than acrylic paint. It's fun to play with the back and forth layering that occurs by using both types of paint on one piece of paper.
Layer Three: White Paint (doodles and dots)
Painting with white paint on top of slightly wet tempera or acrylic paint is fun! Sometimes the white will mix and blend with the wet paint from the second layer. In drier areas, the white really pops forward. The variation is what pleases the eye.
That's it! You're done!
Now you have a fun piece of painted drawing paper that can be turned into: collage fodder, handmade cards, art journal pages, an art journal cover, or gift wrap!
I hope you enjoyed this edition of Mark Making Monday! If you did, I'd love to hear what you liked in the comments below.
Summary:
Playing with doodling and drawing, using colored pencils or pastel pencils, etc., is a great way to get started on your blank paper. Every mark you make, or doodle you draw, takes you deeper and deeper into the process of creativity. Being creative is good for you! It helps to reduce stress, slows your breathing, and brings you into the present moment.
Painting on top of those doodles and drawings is fun, too! It's interesting to see what ends up peeking through from that initial under layer. Although an outsider might not notice your marks from the under layer right away, they definitely add a lot to the overall painting. Nice work!
Happy Creating!
Blessings,
Briana
