Mixed Media Artist

Just like for every other topic that interests me, I've been collecting tutorials and glorious examples of mixed media and collage work into a Pinterest board.  It is titled (surprisingly!) Mixed media + collage   :-)   The work is mostly, but not entirely, paper based.  Really, I've included everything that catches my eye that isn't pure fabric!  There are already plenty of boards there for fabric, including Art quilts, Quilting tutorials, Hand embroidery, Crazy quilt details, Fabrics transformed, Fabric + fiber art, Crochet, and more more more!

Hunter's Moon Cyndi Lavin, 2018 Alcohol ink and India ink In the process of fooling around with alcohol inks , I started looking for other substrates that would work besides the ever-present Yupo paper, freezer paper, and glossy photo paper (I know there are many more!), and I came up with glossy book or magazine pages.  Since most glossy magazines have gone to thinner paper these days, books seemed like the best bet. Venice Cyndi Lavin, 2018 Sure enough, I tore out a few pages from a coffee table book that I'd been planning to use  forever  to do  something , anything!  The inks worked really well.  Obviously, the patterns and colors underneath show through to some extent, so you never quite know what you're gonna get.  But isn't that the case with alcohol inks anyway? :-) Originals and prints of Cyndi's work for sale This post contains affiliate links: Dick Blick Copyright 2018 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resol

You can never have too much inspiration.  I think the only downside for me is that very occasionally I just don't know which of my idea strings to tug on next, but that is something I put into the box of good problems to have.  As long as it doesn't make me freeze up!  If you missed it, I've also got a Pinterest board simply entitled Photo inspirations , with macros, cityscapes, landscapes, and seascapes. 

Spring Synapses Cyndi Lavin, 2018 This alcohol ink piece gave me a chance to experiment with several methods of adding details to a background. The background was first created by starting with 91% rubbing alcohol all over the page.  I dropped small puddles of analogous alcohol ink colors into the plain alcohol and allowed them to spread and mix and mingle.  In a few areas, I directed traffic, but mostly I just let them do what they wanted. When it was dry (which doesn't take that long!), I added several layers of embellishments.  I started with India ink , which does not reactivate the alcohol inks.  My favorite is the waterproof black India ink which I can apply using small pipettes .  Aiming directly at the center of the small puddle, I used a straw to forcefully blow the ink outwards in all directions. After my initial ink splots were dry, I added more smaller tendrils with a fine point black Pitt Pen .  Pitt Pens are India ink based, so they also do not

Rain Cyndi Lavin, 2018 I'm not completely satisfied with this alcohol ink landscape, but it's my best so far!  I've clearly still got a lot to learn. I started at the top and let each layer almost dry before adding the next.  Some of the sections (like the middle right side blue), I worked on texture with plastic wrap.  I added small drops of additional ink to some sections to create the pebbled effect.  For the sky, I took an old credit card and dipped the edge in rubbing alcohol.  I think I like the sky and the muted sun the best of all the sections. The tree was the final addition, after everything was thoroughly dry and I had a chance to think about it for awhile.  I added the tree with a fine point Pitt Pen , my favorite pen to use for tiny details.  Pitt Pens are India ink based.  You could also use alcohol based markers like Permapaques .  I'm still mostly using the alcohol inks that I made myself ( tutorial link ), but I've also started suppl

If you're anything like me, you find photo images very inspiring to browse through when you're looking for your next idea for a color palette, composition, or even theme.  I've put together a Pinterest board that has several sections: Macros and close-ups, Cityscapes, Landscapes, and Seascapes. 

Hydrangeas Cyndi Lavin, 2018 ...but not much less frustrating!  I would say that at this point, I've got about 33% control and 67% luck.  I am still using mostly my own homemade alcohol inks (tutorial at the link), but I've supplemented them with some brand name metallic inks and an opaque white . I've tried both India ink and alcohol-based markers like my beloved Pitt pens  or Permapaque markers to add details after the painting dries, and I really like both about equally.  It just depends upon what exactly I want to add.  In the Hydrangeas piece shown above, I wish that I had used white ink markers instead of the black.  So in the next piece, I experimented with white. For Spring Frenzy, I started with some plain alcohol on the page, and dropped ink puddles into it.  I covered it with plastic wrap and and allowed it to dry completely.  The wrap is what made the lines and the appearance of texture. To the dried background, I added drops of White Ind