Mixed media workshop

Mixed media workshop

Today I’ve spent the whole day at a mixed media workshop. Mixed media is outside my comfort zone, not something I feel confident with but today turned out to be the most fun I’ve had in ages.

The task was to make a ‘book’. Its not actually a book in the conventional  sense of the word, it’s a length of good quality cartridge paper, about 46 x 7 inches folded to make 6 equal pages of roughly 7 x 7 inch.  These ‘pages’ are folded to concertina out on themselves and make a free standing ‘book’. Once finished the thick cardboard covers are added to the front and back. And that’s about it. 

Once the thing is actually constructed the fun begins, there are no rules except have fun. Originally I planned on a forest theme but before I had finished the first page I decided to expand the theme from simple forest to all encompassing natural environment.

We used lots of little bits of paper to make coloured and textured marks and then left the paper to dry. Once dry they were ripped, torn or cut into random shapes and stuck onto the pages of the book. To this was added bits torn from magazines, bits of tissue paper and in my case a couple of very small drawings ripped from a little sketch book I carry. 

Then paint was added, sometimes thick, sometimes a wash and sometimes applied with a sponge or comb. I didn’t always stick to that order of doing things and after a while this little book of mine took on a life of its own. I finished off mine by doing a few doodle like drawings and emphasising some of the sketch book drawings. 

I felt a bit rushed and I think I would have been happier with the end result if I could have taken a bit more time, but that doesn’t really matter because I’ve already decided to make at least one more and this time take my time and make a better job of it.

Anyway……………here is my little mixed media book, I would appreciate your feedback because this isn’t the sort of work I usually do and I’m still not too sure about it. But regardless of the result, oh I’ve had a fun day  

I’m already thinking about how I can progress from the basic idea. I’m thinking next time I could incorporate bits of fabric, maybe embellish with beads and/ or buttons. I think maybe next time I will make it so that it opens and closes vertically rather than horizontally, that way it could be opened and hung on a wall lengthwise. 

I thought maybe I could figure out a way to use a button and loop fastening to close the book but also use the same  loop to hang the book from a wall. There are so many ideas buzzing around in my head I just want to get started on the next one.