Trashy Trashy Poppies - steps for floral collage demo

12x12 mixed media collage on matboard with steps outlined below (media used: watercolor, gouache, ink, newspaper, paperback novel pages, yellow rice paper, cocktail napkins, giftwrap, doily, decorated craft paper).  Matte medium used to adhere collage elements by coating front and back with 1" flat sponge brush for housepainting.  Design based on 2012 painting "Trashy Poppies".

 Reference red and orange poppies reproduced on 2006 calendar for Wyoming Watercolor Society above.

 All paper has now been stuck and flattened.  Small round paper doily has been used many times as a stencil; you can see its different paint colors.  I've outlined in black Tombow brush pen the poppies and leaves and stems.  Cocktail napkin had a black background with its own flowers so we shall see if this works!  Gold fleur de lis design is on some of the paper scraps.  Yellow rice paper is bright! What a mess of trash we have here now.

 Begin to paint poppy petals using watercolors and if not strong enough, will use gouache.  If that isn't working I'll get acrylics.  Main top poppy has both watercolor and gouache; the reds start to bring it to life.  Stems and other greenery is put in.  It is easy to lift paint since the matte medium is on top of collage.

 Close up detail of large main poppy bloom with its dark center of indigo and carbazole violet for a mixed black.  Some of the yellow pre-printed flower is visible now through my first paint layer; I don't want it to overpower the poppy.  Periwinkle blue plus UB and white gouache is added around the poppy.  I'll glaze over the top yellow (top left) so it is not so prominent.

 With this step, darks are laid in with indigo, ultramarine blue and quinacridone burnt orange for a heavy dark.  I'm even able to pick out areas for negatively painting stems as you can see in this detail.  I'll leave the napkin flowers alone.

Darks were finished, blues added around the composition, referring back to original poppy design.  Centers were put in with mixed black on lowest flowers.  Blue glaze was added lower right for balance.  I lifted out lower left petal so the word SUMMER is more visible.  The gold and white giftwrap shines softly giving the composition an elegance for all the trashy components.  Such fun on a Sunday afternoon!  This is the finished work in progress of mixed media collage Trashy Trashy Poppies 12x12.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.