All Other Ground - a collage, part one

All Other Ground
Cyndi Lavin, 2016

When I started with this collage, I had absolutely no idea where it was going.  Each step seemed to just suggest the next one to me, although at the time I didn't know what the end game was.  Not until it was finished did the idea come to me from the old hymn, "All other ground is sinking sand."

As soon as I thought of that phrase, the point of the collage seemed obvious to me.

I've included information on the colors and shapes I chose, but you should chose what you like best and just use this tutorial for its techniques rather than to make a duplicate.  Make something meaningful to YOU!

Materials & Tools

Watercolor paper, cold press

Golden Acrylics:
Titian buff
Quinacridone violet
Sap green
Dioxazine purple
Quinacridone gold
Burnt sienna
Raw sienna
Carbon black

Walnut Ink spray:
Eucaluyptus
Terra cotta

Matte Medium
Gesso
Water
Rubbing alcohol

Foam brushes
Cutting mat
Box cutter
Clear ruler

1. Glaze paper with Titian buff.  While still wet, add patches of color.  Allow to dry.  Spray with inks (I used a vegetable bag as a stencil).  Allow to dry.  Top with a layer of matte medium and allow to dry completely.

2. Add a light coat of gesso and spritz with water.  Spray with alcohol to create a foamy texture.  Allow to dry completely.

3. Add matte medium to back and allow to dry completely.  Tear up.

4. Paint a piece of watercolor paper with golds, browns, and blacks.  Arrange torn pieces on top and adhere when satisfied.  Add a bit of matte medium to stick them in place and press with an iron to fuse the medium from step 3 to the brown background.

5. Use diluted dark brown or black around each torn piece to blend them in.

6. Cut a window in a piece of scrap paper the size you want and Cut out pieces that are about postcard sized.

Part two, next week!

Copyright 2016 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.