How to use different mediums in the same painting

Artists recognize that different mediums achieve different effects. However, if you take a good look at a photograph, or the scenery around you, you will notice that different aspects resemble different light and color sensations. It makes sense then that to achieve the variety we see in real pictures, we could use different mediums. I have found that if you get creative and avoid a purist standpoint, it is possible to create an impression using different kinds of paints in the same painting.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• watercolor block paper
• watercolor paints
• large container of water
• acrylic paints
• a colorful photograph
• oil paints
• somethings to mix paints in (palette or an ice cube tray works great in a pinch)
• paint brushes

1. Areas of watercolor Decide where you want to use watercolor and apply that first. It works great for soft background light, still water, and spaces of sky. Use the watercolor anywhere you want transparent, luminating, solid color. Look at your photograph and identify areas where you want to create this effect and then apply watercolor there in your painting. In the painting shown here, I used them for the background light in the cafes, the sky, and the dark/first layer of water in the base of the fountain and the base of the fountain itself. While watercolor works great for very light colors, use oils or acrylics for the whitest of the white. The watercolor technique of leaving white areas blank looks uneven when you are using the multiple mediums. Anywhere you want a very dark but flat space, use thick, dark watercolor. In this painting, it was used for the darkest solid parts of the fountain. In general use watercolors where you might be doing a lot of painting over them or details on top of them.
2. Use oils for glossy or textured areas Look at your photograph again. Identify any areas of texture, especially dark ones. These areas call for oils which will literally pop off of the page, unlike the flat watercolors. In this painting, I used black, red, and green oils for the leaves of the trees to give them a "rough" appearance with the sensation of movement. For small, very white areas, such as the street lights in this painting, you can use oils or acrylics. Any dark, glossy areas should also be painted with oils. You should not plan to cover areas of oil with lots of detail as with the areas of watercolor.
3. Follow these general guidelines but experiement and find out what works the best. Be creative and don't be afraid to mix. For more examples of mixed media paintings/drawings see www.derbyka.etsy.com Look at your photograph and observe the details. For these details, you will want to mix watercolors with some acrylic or gouache to achieve varying levels of transparency. The more acrylic added, the more opaqueness you will have. If you want it to be more transparent or colorful, use more watercolor and water. You can use this mix over the watercolor or the oil (AFTER they have dried), but you will need a higher ratio of acrylic over the oil and do not expect to get smooth lines over rough oil. Paint layers of greater opaqueness over more transparent layers. Use light colored acrylics, especially white, mixed with water and colored water colors. A high level of transparency is good for water spray or reflections as illustrated in the spouts of this fountain painting. For completely white areas you can use acrylic instead of oil if you wish for faster drying. Lower transparency mixes are good for large, light-colored, detailed areas (such as the large house in this painting).

Tips & Warnings

• Let watercolor and oils dry before you add watercolor/acrylic mixes on top
• For watercolor/acrylic mixes, you might need stiffer brushes than straight watercolor brushes.
• Oil paints will be less manipulable on watercolor paper than on canvas so have a plan before you start
• You can go more opaque but not more transparent - Always try less transparent first, let it dry, and if it not opaque enough, add another (perhaps more opaque) layer.
• do not leave areas white as in pure watercolor, use straight acrylics or oils for bright whites at the end.