I was feeling like doing something a bit more fun with a simple still life subject and wanted to experiment with mixed media and in particular integrating collage and a very shiny finish.

White Coffee, painting with acrylics and mixed media on canvas

Here are the steps I took:

After painting a simple under-painting with acrylic I start adding pieces of papers with acrylic medium

Here I am done with that layer of collage and will start applying acrylic paint to unify the collage pieces.

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.

Liquitex Acrylic Mediums Gel mediums are ideal for extending a heavy body paint, to create impasto, relief, or sculptural effects. – Gel Medium, Gloss

Here I added acrylic paint.

I found the acrylic layer I painted to be a bit too flat, so I want to add some transparency and drips. For this I will spray the painting with water and alcohol. Alcohol helps taking off the acrylic once it is dried.

I am using a sponge to scrub the paint off.

Here I start taking off some paint.

I want to finish result to have a “white on white” appearance so I am glazing some white acrylic mixed with medium on top of the painting once it is dried.

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.

​

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

The glazed painting, once again I want to add more transparency.

So I am scrubbing off a bit of that glaze again.

I want to add more definition to the cup, so I work with pastels now.

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 also trace some contours with a pencil before fixing everything with a workable fixative (Krylon)

Next step is adding some very watery layer of white acrylic to add “watercolor like” patterns on the surface.

I also add a bit of blue ink into the wet acrylic layer.

The finished painting. I will now add a very shiny finish with resin

Here I am applying 2 layers of epoxy resin to give the painting a thick shiny and smooth finish.

The finished painting. White coffee, 24 x 24 inches