Using pen and ink, the artist creates a more illustrative effect on watercolor backgrounds. Laying in areas of color as impressions of shapes for the background, the artist then adds relevant details to the various color impressions to create something recognizable such as flowers, leaves, branches, or parts of the human figure.
Abstract art is developed through a series of steps with mixed media. Beginning with a substrate of wood, canvas or heavy mat board, the artist covers the surface with gesso. When the gesso is dried, textural modeling materials such as Golden Molding Paste and Crackle Paste are applied to create interesting surfaces. When these are dry another layer of Gesso is applied. Next, layers of Creative Color (watercolor bricks) are applied to form abstract images. The underlying texture gives a direction to the effects produced by the color layers on top. Many layers are used to get the effect and the density of color desired. Once the painting is finished, watercolor fixative is applied. The last step is to apply a coat of matte medium to completely seal the painting. These paintings are generally placed in frames and not placed under glass.
ArtRage is the artist’s favorite tool for digital painting. This iPad app has many wonderful tools for creating art not only with brushes, pen, pencil, bucket fill, marking pen, crayon and airbrush, it also includes ways of transforming the functions of the tools according to known applications such as with the watercolor tool where one can select wet on wet, wet on dry and the width of and brush pressure can be selected easily. Using ArtRage, Susan draws with a stylus in Figure classes to capture a model’s likeness. She often works from existing photos to create an artistic impression. As a design tool, she explores beginning sketches for portraits. Finished projects often become the basis for printed photo cards. The potential for the ArRage iPad app is limitless and one of the most enjoyed treasures in Susan’s artist creative tool pack.