For eons, we’ve accepted that humans have five senses: sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell. But when I was listening to the radio recently, I heard that scientists believe there are additional senses, including the sense of time (They can just try to prove that one when we’re in the journaling zone, though, can’t they?). While I’m open to respecting the “new” senses, I know for a fact that the five basic senses get me through the day. My favorite? Touch.
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| Jane explains 11 textured mediums in Art Lesson 8, including glass bead gel. According to Jane, this medium gives her mermaid “an underwater feel.” |
It’s hard to resist tracing my fingers across things when I’m out and about: brick walls of the buildings downtown, ferns hanging over baskets, and interesting fabrics that my friends fashionably wear. I’m even known to ask permission to feel people’s dreadlocks, but that’s another story.
Using our sense of touch to connect with the world around us is just one way to better understand it. But our eyes are also capable of appreciating textures, and that’s where Jane “Danger” Davenport comes in. Her newest Art Lesson is Tactile and Textured Mediums, (included in the 2014 Art Lessons compilation!) and in it, she offers 11 mixed media art techniques using different mediums. Use her findings to create textured backgrounds, or add dimension to the main focus of your artwork.
Below: “I like to make things as beautiful as possible (Tweet this if you agree!), which is why instead of plain swatches I have created a special test page in my journal with a garden of poppies as the background,” says Jane. “The background is not only decorative, it also allows me to experiment with how the mediums react to other products.”
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In addition to describing the various textured mediums, Jane suggests creating a journal page (or even an entire journal) dedicated to testing the results of each medium. This way you’ll have an easy reference as you incorporate these mixed-media art techniques into each of your projects. She also advises, “Be aware of what texture mediums may do to your drawing tools. Avoid using gel pens, brush tip markers, and fine technical pens across rough and gritty surfaces.”
Good point. I’ve had to throw away too many of my favorite pens after using them to write or draw on uneven surfaces. I hope this tip saves you some frustration. Click here to download Art Lesson 8: Tactile and Textured Mediums, and tell me what your favorite mixed-media texture is!
Sensing good things for you,
