Staining Tissue Paper to use in Collage

Here is a video I just released demonstrating how to make stained tissue paper in small quantities. In 2011 I did a post about staining tissue papers in much larger quantity, taking up a lot of space to make full sheets. Read it here and find some useful links. This video shows a more compact version.

You need palette paper (or use freezer paper); white tissue paper (I use Blick); fluid acrylic paints - transparent colors give you the best results; water, brushes.... I think that's it.

Stone Stack #6,  9x12"

Stone Stack #7, 9x12"

Stone Stack #8, 9x12"

Stone Stack #9, 9x12"

I used the resulting material in the collages above. These are very simple studies in which I am focusing on scale, value, and arrangement of elements.

You can find the pieces available as prints or products here.

3'x3' Canvas finished!

I finally finished "Scaled Up #1".  The process is discussed here and here.  I wanted to see what would happen if I tried to scale up a small piece (10"x10") into a large piece (36"x36").  It was an interesting journey. 

"Scaled Up #1", acrylic, graphite, collage on canvas, 36"x36"

I will be putting this piece up in my gallery along with other larger works on canvas, as soon as I get a group of them ready for the photographer. I am updating my online gallery, but it is open for business in the meantime. However, if you can't live without the piece, it is available now for $2550, which includes shipping to anywhere in the US.

Scaled Up #1

$2550. USD includes shipping to USA

Just for fun, let's take a look at the same image in gray scale:

Scaled Up, desaturated

Works pretty well, I think.  I am reluctant to say that a piece has to work in black and white in order to work in color.  For example, some of the colorfield painters' work depends on values being very similar.  See my post about that here.  However,  value range is one thing to look at if your piece is not working.  Here is a previous stage of Scaled Up, which I discussed in this post, along with its desaturated version:

Desaturating the piece in Photoshop was just one way to get a fresh view of the piece.  And just for kicks, let's look at the original piece on which this is based, which is called "Grid #7":

Just another look at the piece.  I think the black and white version could us a little more black.  But I like the actual version.  It is 10"x10", acrylic and collage on panel, and is available in my online gallery. 

Thanks for visiting!

Scaling Up - the easy way

I did two posts last week on the project of Scaling Up.  The goal was to see what happens when I try to scale up one of my paintings.  The goal isn't to accurately reproduce the piece at a larger scale.  "Scaling Up" was a starting point, am idea to work with. As you can see from the second post, it did indeed send me in a new direction.

If you (or I) really want the piece accurately reproduced, you can buy a print of it at a much larger scale on Fine Art America.  My work on Fine Art America is scanned at very high resolution so they can produce a good quality print much larger than the original.

You choose the size, up to 48"x48"/120cmx120cm for this one.

 You can also choose the material and framing style:  a matted, framed print; a simple print on paper, or have it printed on acrylic or metal.

Here it is as a matted, framed print.

THANKS for all of your comments and suggestions.  I'll keep going on this.

Scaling Up

In art, size matters.  Scale is part of the vocabulary of a piece, and it contributes to how the viewer relates to it.  Scale determines to some extent how the artist relates to a piece in the process, and so  influences the outcome.  I've been asked if it's possible to just take a piece and copy it on a larger scale.  Yes, of course you can do that, but something gets lost in translation.  Scale relates to the size of your tools, your body, your gesture, as well as to your materials. 

That said, I have loads of paintings I'd like to try on a larger scale.  I would like to work on a larger scale in general.  I see my work on a computer screen or in a slide show, and think: I wish that were 4'x4', or even bigger, rather than just the 10"x10" it is.  So... I took a 10"x10" piece, and tried to "copy" it at 3'x3', just to see what would happen.

This piece is 10"x10", and it's one of my favorites.  It came at the end of a long day and a long process, at the point where I was covering over big swaths of intricate collage and paint. 

This is a snapshot of the 3'x3' copy, not a good photo or scan, but that is only one reason it looks washed out and flat.

 Some of the differences are obvious:  texture is missing from the larger painting. The values are not right, and so far I haven't been able to come up with a substitute for the calligraphy.  I notice that depth is much more difficult (for me, at this point) to achieve in a larger piece.  Hmmm.... even if I got the scale of all the shapes correct (which I didn't), I have to figure out how to get more push-pull.

I will keep working on it as an exercise.  The goal is not to reproduce the original piece, but to see what will happen, see what I can learn, from trying. Any tips on working at a larger scale are most welcome!  I'd also be interested to hear of your own challenges with this.  Thanks for visiting.