At the end of the last term our studio work was assessed and the 'cut and paste' effect in my work (like the one below) was mentioned. In my feedback, it was suggested that I do some further research into technical methods, to find a way of losing the rough edges and incorporating transferred images into mixed media artworks seamlessly. I agreed that this was a good idea, and that's what I've been researching this week.
I began by researching the techniques used by the Contemporary Fine Artist, Donna Martin. She created the beautiful piece below and it is a good example of a mixed media artwork that has incorporated transfer techniques flawlessly into a mixed media composition.
I watched a teaching video from her course 'Ethereal Encaustics' and in it she gives the tip of sanding off the edges of the transfer, just a little, to help incorporate the image into the background. This helps prevent the transfer from standing out too much. (https://ivynewport.com/ethereal-encaustics).
I also noticed that she hides some of the edges of the transfer, by applying modeling paste over them.
(If you like her work you can see more of it on http://donnamartinfineart.blogspot.com.)
Finally, an application of acrylic paint (thinned) over the whole surface completely hides the edges of the transfer. This technique really 'pulls the whole thing together I realized after watching these videos that my biggest mistake was using watered-down inks instead of paint. The problem was that the ink soaked into the surface, whereas, paint coats the surface and adds another layer to the work, hiding whatever is underneath. This is what I'll do next time.
I feel happy that my research has solved the problem and helped me understand where I went wrong, I can't wait to get into my studio to start afresh!
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