A Walk In The Woods With Tiffany

This was a watercolor in a previous life.  I painted my cousin’s girl Tiffany from a photo I took at my parents old home. There were flowers and a window in the background.  However when I finished I noticed that I spent too much time and attention on the flowers and window. It totally took the focus off Tiffany. The choices were to throw the painting away and start over or try a new technique I had read about but hadn’t tried yet. The technique called for gluing a thin layer of specialty rice paper over the painting and then when that dried painting over it. I had to go to a local art store to find the rice paper and I bought an assortment.  Tearing the paper into pieces I reluctantly glued it to my painting, some pieces even went over the girl’s hair and blouse as you can see.

This is where I pulled out my nature journal.  Every artist should have a nature journal.  It’s a place where you draw and paint little nothing things that are of interest. I had mushrooms, wildflowers, cool looking bugs and feathers, as well as rocks. These I drew around the edges and I created with paint the illusion of an edge where Tiffany’s portrait stopped and the nature drawings began.  With the use of shadows painted on, some of the flowers and things almost look 3D. I think the painting was saved and even changed into something more charming than before. Now it isn’t pure watercolor. Now it is mixed media collage.

What do you think?