Tutorial: Mixed Media Art ‘Royal Decay’

I’ve been doing a daily art journal project this month (which you can keep updated with over on Instagram) and it has encouraged me to start being more adventurous so that I don’t spend every day making the same work. One of the pages I made, I ended up really liking and so I expanded the process I used, to make a stand alone piece.

If you are interested to find out how I made it, read on.

You will need:

• Your surface (I am using canvas board)
• Acrylic paint in colour of your choice (I am using cadmium red)
• Black acrylic paint
• White Gesso
• Pages from old book (preferably thin pages)
• Gold leaf
• Stencil (I am using Crackle by Prima Marketing)
• Craft knife
• Paint brush
• Palette knives

Firstly, mix the two paints (I like to use cardboard if I have some lying around to mix my paint on, but anything will do). Make sure you don't mix too much. Instead, allow some of each colour to remain unmixed and some colour mixed in different amounts. Apply the paint to canvas board. Use the paint mixed and unmixed to create variations in colour. The aim is to create depth of colour, rather than just flat colour.

While the paint is wet, stick one or two sheets of paper on the canvas board. (You don't need to be too careful about arrangement as you will be peeling some of it off later). Just make sure you put enough on to cover most, but not all, of your image.

When the paint has dried, peel the paper off. If you need to, use a craft knife to get under the edges of any loose paper to make it easier to get it off. Most of the paper should stay stuck down, so you just want to get off the parts that aren't stuck down as securely.

Next, get a little of your paint mix on your fingers and rub over your image. If you are working on a thin surface like paper be careful, but on something like canvas board it doesn't matter. The goal is to distress the paper as much as you can, so that it starts to rub off in places. Do it in patches and use your fingers to apply various thicknesses of paint over the paper.

Wait until the paint has dried and then place your stencil over your image. The stencil I am using is Crackle, but you can use any you already have. Ideally your stencil should be one that will create interesting texture in your image. Use the gesso over part of the stencil: I like to use palette knife to apply it. I have to admit to not being very well practiced at applying the gesso, which means some of it seeps underneath the stencil. If this happens to you as well, don’t worry, it doesn't matter!

When completely dry, apply a little more of your paint mix. Try using a slightly lighter mix (i.e. more colour, less black). Apply with a brush or your fingers, which ever you prefer. Then, as before, put book page over the top and allow to dry.

Once again peel paper off (less should be stuck this time if you have applied less paint). Again put some paint over top and rub. I like to use a darker tone this time and corrugated cardboard to add a little texture to paint. Add just one sheet of paper and allow to dry.

This time, after peeling off the paper (only a small bit should be left) use the gesso and stencil again. Try to use the stencil around the edges of the image this time. If your gesso has also seeped underneath the stencil, try printing with it in places. Allow to dry fully.

When it is dry, rub paint over the stencilled gesso and paper with your finger. Try and do it thinly if possible to allow as much texture to show through. In one place add a thicker layer of paint and for the final time stick paper over the top and allow to dry.

When it has dried, get a small amount of gesso (a pea size) on a palette knife or piece of cardboard and scrape a thin layer over most of the image. It can cover the paper and should remain patchy. Wait for it to fully dry.

Next, once it is dry, pull the paper off and use a palette knife to scrape paint over the gesso and some of the remaining paper. Use a small amount of paint to stick gold leaf in patches over the image. You can use a small paintbrush to paint over the gold leaf or to break it up a little and distress it.

And that is complete! When the paint has dried, your image should look a little something like this. If you follow this tutorial, I’d love to see what you create with it. Use the hashtag #madebyciara over on instagram so I can check your creations out!