Easy BACKGROUNDS for Mixed Media Art - Day 2 (Creative Elements Challenge)
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- Опубликовано: 31 мар 2023
- The creative task for Day 2 is to paint a quick background or two in no more than 10 minutes.
🎨 5-DAY Creative Elements Challenge 🎨
🌿 Access the supply list 👉 geni.us/INKCd
Quite often, when I am short on time, I head to my studio and paint a few backgrounds without thinking about the outcome of the painting. If you have multiple sketchbooks, it's fun to lay them all out and drag, drip, and move paint across all the different pages. You can see a great example of this at the end of the video. So freeing!
For this demo, I am working in watercolour, but I use a very similar approach to painting backgrounds in acrylic. Of course, there is no right or wrong way to paint a background! You can use one colour or several, go light or dark, include marks or keep them minimal, and so on.
I'd love to see your approach to painting backgrounds and will definitely be heading over to the hashtag #creativeelementschallenge to soak up all the inspiration!
Music Credit: Out West by Alsever Lake (via Soundstripe)
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🌻 Hello there, If you're new around here, I'm Laura Horn, an artist based in the Adelaide Hills. I teach online classes on how to paint abstracts and botanicals in acrylic, watercolour, and mixed media. If you are looking for a weekly dose of creative encouragement and inspiration, press subscribe!
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I find myself returning to this so many times. Firstly because it helps when im stuck and secondly, I just enjoy watching you use your brushes etc. I think when you are going through a stuck phase you also go stiff! You forget how to flow with your brushes and tense up far too much. Thank you for keeping this video available. My dad died on Christmas Eve and the grieving process isn't happening how I expected.
So true, it can be difficult to get unstuck! Sometimes I feel like my sketchbooks or some of my more "playful" techniques do feel a little bit like doing stretches, getting back to the routine of things. I am so sorry about your father, I hope you continue to heal 💖
I'm so sorry your Dad died at such a special time of year. I hope art is helping you heal. I often say that art is my salvation and I hope that proves true for you.
@@LibbyRal thank you for your kind words 🤗
Two gorgeous backgrounds. I love the freeing movement of your brush marks. Spencer is gorgeous 😍
Thanks so much! 😊
Thank you Laura 🎉
Lovely!
Pretty backgrounds.
I love your backgrounds, and I'm glad to see mine is not the only cat that drinks my painting water! : )
My cat drinks my paint water too LOL!
I have to keep our cat outside until after I’ve disposed of the paint water
Incredible work
I’m enjoying your loose style of art
It's very pretty and inspiring. Excellent for further additions later.
Excellent exercise
Beautiful ❤ lovely and easy idea to save the time.
Fabulous! Thanks so much
Getting some luscious backgrounds ready for mark making! My spirit needed this😅. Great to see Spencer! 🐾 He's so handsome. ❤
Yay! Thanks Jillian, glad it was the spark you needed. And yes, Spencer is a handsome fella with the attitude to match 🤣
Very lovely!
Thank you! 😊
I enjoyed this very much. You make it look so easy and beautiful 😍. Thank you 😊
🖌️Lovely! I enjoy making backgrounds for later use! I like your choices of color!
Inspiring as always
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it 🎨
Laura, this actually works! I spent a day deciding on colors and then did this challenge today. It actually took less than 10 minutes. I'm so happy with the end result. I'm still pretty new to watercolor, and while I'm decent at doing a semi-detailed main subject (like a bird on a branch, for example), I've never done a background before. I usually hold on tight to my drawing skills to make up for my watercolor skills. This was so freeing. I can't wait to do more. Thank you so much.
😁 Aren't they fun?
You popped up on my you tube feed. Very inspirational. Thank you. Love your sketch book. I have just filled a cheap one i got and have invested in the one you showed. Thank you.
excellent as usual xxxxx
Thanks, so useful.
Such gorgeous backgrounds, you make it look so very easy. thanks so much!
Thank you! It's been many years of splashing paint around :)
I found to choose a color pallet before starting was extremely helpful. It seems like such a simple thing, maybe even logical, but I've never thought of doing it. I always just went with intuition.
Glad it was helpful!
I always find that extremely helpful in my process as well! I have been using Sarah Clark's color palette catalog as a starting point! There is a link in my latest video if you are interested 😉.
Thanks. Can't wait to check your channel out 🙂
Cool Inspiration! Thank you ❤
You're so welcome, thank you for watching!
Goodness I love your art, I want to try it all 😊❤
Hello from Québec, Canada! Love the way you use your brush - with a lot a freedom! Thank you for the ideas! ✨😃💟🖌
You are so welcome! I love loose brushstrokes, it’s fun to just flutter the brush around 🦋
Lovely! Im having a go at doing this digitally as its late at night, it's interesting using the techniques in a digital form
That's a great idea! Have fun with it 🎨
Thank you so much Laura, I really really enjoyed watching you creating those backgrounds and seeing your beautiful and stunning cat too. I’m really really impressed with your creative ideas I’ve subscribed and given you a thumb’s up too. Please stay safe and well too
Wow. Such a freeing experience. Love the idea of having a paint combo in mind. Spencer is a cutie. Also side note: I adore your top. That’s my kind of style of clothing. Looks pretty yet comfortable. Blessings.
I would love the colors you used for videos. It's always fun to see them swatched out and maybe a future purchase. That Buff ? and burgandy are amazing and would like to add them to my collection. TIA. Very much enjoyed the video
Good evening 🤗 Laura 🌹 I enjoyed this prompt alot I made my own journal pages and did 4 Colour Palette pages and today I did 6 Background pages looking forward to Mark Making next hope you had a great weekend ☺️🌹💌🖌️🎨🦄🤗
Thanks Linda, you've been creatively busy! Glad you are enjoying the challenge. I had a lovely weekend at my kids sports. Back at it today 🎨
Now this is my kind of painting, I often find my self doing it quickly freely, different movements and unusual tools. I don't care to paint with strict rules. 😅
💖
I love the bravery of keeping in white space 😂. I don't have that kind of bravery 😅. I do so love your pages though!!!!!!❤
New subscriber! Lovely
This was so interesting, I almost think I can do this!
You absolutely can 🎨
New subscriber here.... love your videos!
Usually I struggle more with the backgrounds as with the paintings. Your approach is so free and beautiful , the backgrounds are beautiful neither boring or too busy. I would appreciate a lot if you could inform the names of the colors you used for the today`s backgrounds. I know the choices should be individual, however one of my preferred colour now is this dark pink or muted red . If you have time, please tell me the name. Thank you and have a happy Sunday.
Thank you so much! The dark red is a beautiful colour by Daniel Smith called Naphthamide Maroon ❤️
I loved this video Laura and look forward to more like it. Can I ask what kind of watercolor sketchbook you use? I love the size and paper.
If you look in the description of the video and 'more' info there is info for supplies.
May I ask the sketchbook you are using, is that the 140 lb or 95 lb watercolor paper sketchbook? I truly enjoy watching your channel. Love your art and the way you explain things.
Laura, I love your channel and artwork so inspirational. Can I get some advice please. What tape do you buy. I have so much trouble with the tape tearing my paper. I have tried using a hairdryer, I use 300gsm paper. Is there a time limit that I should leave the tape down. Such an issue for me. Help
Hello from Arizona! It's coming on Summer to your Autumn🏜️ I love the idea of just putting down some backgrounds like you've done in this video! Actually I did a couple similar in a small sketch book and came back to them yesterday and with a fresh eye made a couple pages I really love and most of the work had been done a few weeks ago. Can I please ask you what that beautiful red color is that you used in today's video. I NEED that color😂 have a good weekend!💥❤️
Brilliant! It’s such a liberating way to work! And yes, that deep red is stunning, it’s Naphthamide Maroon by Daniel Smith.
Thanks Laura! Im so happy to of found your RUclips! My style of art is similar to yours and just watching how you work is helping me to hone my style as well. Im learning how to mix loose abstract with detailed doodles and I'm working on not having to explain what I come up with. Im learning to be relaxed in/with my art if that makes any sense🤔😊looking forward to looking at your past videos and to your new ones as well. I truly appreciate your time and effort that it takes to make videos and teach!🤗❤️🥰
Hi Laura: Can you recommend the specifications for the paper in a sketchbook that holds wet media? In terms of weight (gsm), whether it's textured or smooth? I don't think the sketchbooks you use are available in the US, but it would be very helpful to know what to look for in ones available Stateside. Thanks!!!!
Love your question! It does come down to personal preference, but I'll tell you what I look for. If I really don't want the paper to curl at all, I will go for a heavy weight approx 300 gsm paper. Sketchbooks like this are more expensive and have less pages, so with that said, 200 gsm is a good compromise. I like sketchbooks that have watercolor paper in them as I use quite a bit of watercolour or fluid acrylics. As far as texture goes, I prefer a slight texture, i.e. medium/light grain cold press. If it's too textural, it's difficult to use pens on. And finally I look at the colour of the paper with my preference being off-white, but not too creamy. These are the kind of things I look for. There are also factors such as the size and type of binding. I'm not to fussy though and enjoy trying out different styles. Hope that helps!
Hi Laura - can I ask if you put water down over the entire page first or only in small sections?
I love this video and I would love to know, what colour is, the one on the top, on the right side of the page. It is so geourgeus! Thanks Laura🌸🌸🌸
Thank you, Marisa, I agree it's such a beautiful colour - it's Naphthamide Maroon by Daniel Smith 💓
@@LauraHornArt Thanks so much!
Hi :) I signed up to get your elements challenge videos via email. I have not started yet but I have been watching them so far as I need some inspiration to kick start my art practice again.
I had a couple of questions, I noticed you paint on both sides of your sketchbooks and wondered how you go around this if you wanted to sell the original design/creation if it has work on the back? Would you photograph it and just create digitals from it?
How do you stop yourself getting too precious over your design making? For example, it's experimental but then you think you know how you want the end piece to look but are afraid to ruin it?
I look forward to watching more of your videos :)
The colors I like are mixtures of different colors. I have a have a hard time knowing what to combine to make those colors. Is it just experimenting and guessing or is there a method of knowing what to mix?
Hi Sage, there is a bit of both! Experimenting is always good but it is also helpful to understand the basics of colour especially the impact of warm & cool colours on your mixes and the helpfulness of earth pigments. I cover it in more depth in my Confident Colour course.
Inspiring! Could you please tell me what tape you're using. I'm on a limited budget and hoping it's just cheap masking tape, but that may ruin the paper. Thanks so much for sharing all of this.
Hi Elise, I am using an Australian brand of tape called X-Press It, another option is the Scotch Delicate Painter's Tape. Both aren't very expensive.
@@LauraHornArt 🥰 Thanks so much. I'm in Canada, so will look these up.
So funy ! Witch sketch book do you use ? It seems very adapted to art Journaling …
Thanks Florence, I am using the Hand Book Journal Company Watercolour Sketchbook, it's 21cm x 21 cm square. Great for mixed media!
@@LauraHornArt Which weight of paper did you use for this? Their 140lb or 95lb?
Starts at 3:31
I very much, like, this idea... I love "watercolours"....I hated the use of GESSO , anyways!!!! I hate those old brown papers, layering on ugly looking "filthy" GESSO!!!! This should "revolutionize" my ways of "journalling"!!!tenx for giving me new ideas, dear....ur an "angel"!
You're so sweet, glad you like the idea and I hope this idea serves you well! Happy painting and creating! 😊💖
Thankyou Laura! ❤ This is probably going to sound like a silly question, but how do you decide what colours to put where on the page? I guess it’s intuitive……..🙄
Hi Tricia, not silly at all! Where you place colour, the size of the area, and what is next to it, all has a big impact on the overall composition. I often do studies and thumbnail sketches to experiment with different options. You will see a version of this in Day 5!
@@LauraHornArt Thankyou Laura - I’ll be sure to watch. Getting past that blank page is an overwhelming problem for me - then over thinking it and not being able to do anything. If only there was a ‘magic formula’ to get started 🤔
I hear you, it can be so hard getting started. I will think about any videos I can make here to help with that, you might also want to check out my Permission to Play class from the Creative Blend Art Program. That's a good one for getting past blank page overwhelm.
@@LauraHornArt Thankyou Laura - I’ll check it out 😊
Hello Laura which pens did you write your doodles white and black Pens ?
I usually use Posca paint pens for my doodling over the top of painted pages. I like the fine ones for little details.
@@LauraHornArt thank you for your reply...🙏🏻
Have you ever used Sumi (墨）?
No I’ve never tried.
Do you need to prep the surface of your pages?
No prep required, as long as you are using watercolour or mixed media paper that has a reasonable weight to it (e.g. 200 gsm/74lb), you can work directly on the surface.
How fun. Just a little suggestion, turn down the music when you talk so we can hear you 100%
Gosh don’t let him lick that water……
It is fresh water, but yes. I do shoo him away and don’t encourage him to drink it. Usually he doesn’t come up on the dining table at all. It’s only when I’m art making that he gets a bit curious.
It’s not just the water but licking the paint on the edge of the glass; so many paints have toxic ingredients. PSA to everyone - don’t let your pets near your paints. That aside, I did enjoy the video, thank you, Laura.
@@sandrift noted! Thanks for the info.