Recently I have been working on a expending my series of flower mixed media  paintings, here is a small selection:

I like hellebores flowers, so graceful…I learned on Wikipedia that most species are toxic and have been used a medication. An overdose of medication containing hellebore has been suggested as a possible cause of the death of Alexander the Great.

Mixed media painting demonstration:

So here is a mixed media painting, acrylic and pastels on canvas, 24 x 24 inches, and here are the steps I took.

I start with a pencil drawing on my canvas, not too detailed as it is not going to be visible under several layers of acrylic anyway.

As I often do, I am starting with a layer of acrylic in opposite colors. The flowers are going to be purple so I used some yellow and the background will be mainly green so I used a bright pink.

All those layers might be visible at the end only in some scrubbed areas and along the edges.

I am a Blick Art Materials affiliate and I receive a small compensation for sales. That does not effect in any way the cost of the purchaser’s order but it helps me keeping the content of this blog free.

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Amsterdam Expert Series Acrylic Sets The well-balanced sets are chosen from Amsterdam’s full range of 70 genuine artists’ colors, formulated with high concentrations of authentic, non-fading pigments. These heavy body paints are exceptionally durable and flexible due to their 100% acrylic resin formulation. – Expert Series Set of 12

But working with layers helps me build rich colors and exciting edges. Here adding a cold blue with acrylic.

I now start adding the local colors, working with purple and pink on the flowers.

I apply a black background, that will show also only on some edges.

Adding more light with a glaze of white acrylic mixed with medium.

Still adding layers of acrylic, trying on different color compositions.

Adding another glaze of white acrylic.

Adding glazes of yellow acrylic and painting a white layer on the background.

Now I want to try different possibilities with pastels. The advantage of using pastels at that point is that if you don’t like something you tried, you can just wash it away with a sponge.

I am a Blick Art Materials affiliate and I receive a small compensation for sales. That does not effect in any way the cost of the purchaser’s order but it helps me keeping the content of this blog free.

Prismacolor NuPastel Color Sticks NuPastels have a rich, creamy texture that blends and shades easily. Frequently used in advertising layouts, NuPastels are stronger than ordinary soft pastels, which means less breakage and easier cleanup. Use them to create broad strokes and fine lines.

I am working on edges, using pastels in different ways on the canvas: blending them with a stiff dry brush, mixing them with water and mixing them with medium.

I like the colors now but I would like to show some of the underlying layers by scrubbing of some areas of the painting.

I am using a scrubbing sponge, alcohol to help remove some of the acrylic and lots of water.

This process gives me interesting textures and complex colors, especially on the flowers.

I want to add more of the light blue around the edges and want to work in a more watery way. I am using a drop dispenser with very watery acrylic and gouache

This gives an interesting effect.

Helleborus Orientalis, mixed media on canvas, 24 x 24 inches