lonely autumn tree

"lonely autumn tree"
mixed media collage
18" x 18" x 3/4" solid aspen
(c) 2009 julie king

some of you asked if i would please show more details on how i create my mixed media collages. as i like to say, "ask and you shall receive." the top photo shows my "lonely autumn tree" finished except for paint on the outside edges. in the photo immediately above i've covered the board with layers of several different scrapbook papers and vintage sheet music, etc. i then rolled on several different colors of paint and added a wide variety of rubber stamps in chestnut roan color. the circles to the left were added with acrylic paints -- i just dipped different sized bottles into the paint on my pallet and dabbed the circles on. next i sketched out the tree and built the foundation by tearing tissue paper into small pieces and applying it with mod podge. i made it very bumpy for lots of texture and added an extra heavy coat of mod podge to the top of the tissue. i set it aside to dry for several hours. i want the tissue paper to be very hard.



i stamped some brown kraft paper with lots of different rubber stamps using dark brown ink. i tore the paper into strips and mod podged it down onto the tissue paper. i use a great deal of pressure to force the brown paper down into the creases of the tissue paper. i want the bark to be very bumpy and fissured.



i tore small leaves out of different colors of scrapbook paper and then used this rubber stamp to stamp across the leaves. i love the details and extra layers this creates.



here i added the leaves to the branches; i went for a very sparse look.



i like to use the edge of a pastel to sweep over the top of the bark so that it picks up bits of color. i used orange, brown and just a touch of deep teal blue. i used a bit of paper towel to smooth the pastel lines out just a hair.



i used an old small paintbrush to add chestnut roan rubber stamp ink around all the edges and then a cretacolor deep brown charcoal pencil to add an edge around all the elements.

although the top photo doesn't show it, i used metallic gold and bronze paint on this piece which give a wonderful shine in the light.

off to indiana to visit family today!