Experimenting with Mixed Media

Exercise 3

For this exercise I decided to focus on a new range of objects relating to the current situation of the pandemic. I looked at placing a mask, toilet rolls and hand soap at an angle near my sink when experimenting with what my composition could be for my first attempt at this exercise. With a good variety of textures in there, I could explore a range of interesting media and their effects, and create a unique drawing.

For my first attempt I looked at incorporating non-traditional media such as my 9 year old sisters felt tip pens and dipping ink, utilising it with more traditional media such as liquid watercolour. I found that the felt tips and liquid water colour worked well to create the metallic reflective texture of the tap. Fir the tap I kept my strokes straight and loose, but still blurred together, which contrasts with the outlines I created with dipping ink for defining the tone on the toilet paper. With each piece of media being introduced into my drawing I found my technique changed slightly. With dipping ink I was more in control and rigid with my strokes, I created harsher lines. I found the white wall in the background worked well to incorporate negative space within my work and give a focus to the objects in the foreground. However, I feel its a bit too bare and could make the drawing look unfinished.
Moving forward I kept this in mind progressing on to my second attempt at the exercise. I chose a darker area to set up my Still Life with artificial lighting coming from above and behind.

For this attempt I kept my incorporation of dipping ink but also tried colouring pencils and a medium I haven’t used before, oil pastels. I found that the different mediums didn’t blend as well as in my prior attempt as they all are very different (wet, dry and oily/thick). Thus the different areas where I change media stand out and apart from the rest of the drawing. I think the difference is obvious with the change between the brown ink wash background and the introduction of oil pastels in the toilet paper.
Again I found my technique changes with each medium, I found I really like working with oil pastels best. They made a big change from what I have used before and had a paint like quality I really liked. it blended well together and worked great for capturing the tonal qualities with colour. The coloured pencils didn’t really work or blend into the drawing that well, so I ended up applying some ink cross hatching to link it to the rest of the image and tie it together a bit more.

Final Thoughts

I found this exercise a difficult one to put together, as I struggled trying to make the variety of media work well effectively as a piece. I think the variety of media worked well together in my first attempt, but I wasn’t entirely happy with the composition I chose, there wasn’t a main focal point and it seemed a bit all over the place. I much prefer my composition in my second attempt, but it still needs some work. although I don’t think my choice of colour and media work well together, I did enjoy the process of discovering a the medium of oil pastels. I found they work well to show and express tone in blocks of colour that you can continue to mould after putting them onto paper. I would want to explore this medium further as I continue to the next exercise and what effects and atmosphere I could create with the bold paint like strokes I can create. I would like to further develop my compositional skills moving forward, in order to create interesting and well put together drawings. I am happy I explored the ideas of combining media, but I am not sure it is something I’d use for an assignment piece. It did however help to see how my techniques change and differ when I use different pieces of media and to focus on these changes. It was useful to see how a variety of media can make, change or break a drawing. And this process will be kept in mind moving forward as I think about my composition, colour and choice of media.