Sandrine Pelissier’s 4 Tips for Trying Out Patterns

Patterns are a fun addition to any design, but they can be very time consuming to create, especially for large projects. Before committing to an idea, it is nice to be able to visualize how a color or a pattern will look so you can more confidently apply it to your work.

Save yourself time and trouble by trying out patterns and colors before making them permanent on your artwork with easy techniques from Sandrine Pelissier. (All artwork and photos by Sandrine Pelissier.)
Save yourself time and trouble by trying out patterns and colors before making them permanent on your artwork with easy techniques from Sandrine Pelissier. (All artwork and photos by Sandrine Pelissier.)

Here are four techniques for trying out patterns and colors to see if they work.

1. Use Tracing Paper

Because of its translucency, tracing paper can be an artist’s best friend when it comes to auditioning designs for artwork.
Because of its translucency, tracing paper can be an artist’s best friend when it comes to auditioning designs for artwork.

I find tracing paper very convenient for trying out designs. You can make a few quick copies of your drawings and then use colored pencils, felt-tip markers, or ink to try out different ideas.

A variety of color media work well on tracing paper.
A variety of color media work well on tracing paper.

The test drawings often end up being an interesting work of art by themselves.

Don’t toss your test drawings of patterns---they can work as stand-alone art!
Don’t toss your test drawings of patterns—they can work as stand-alone art!

If you like some of the designs you’ve drawn on tracing paper, you can also mount them on thicker paper with acrylic medium, as I did with this self-portrait.

Turn your test runs into unique backgrounds for mixed-media art.
Turn your test runs into unique backgrounds for mixed-media art.

The tracing paper might wrinkle a bit when you mount it on paper, but you can make the texture part of the design by painting over it with washes.

2. Use Transparent Plastic Sheets on a Painting

Transparent sheets are perfect for trying an idea on a painting or a drawing without having to touch the artwork. This works especially well with paint, but won’t work with dry pastels, colored pencils, or any medium that needs some tooth to adhere to the surface.

Among the different kinds of transparent sheets you can use are Mylar® and Dura-Lar®. Simply place the paper on top of your painting and brush paint on top. Use a paintbrush to apply acrylic paint to the surface of the Mylar and Dura-Lar.

What you see is what you’ll get when using transparencies to test ideas.
What you see is what you’ll get when using transparencies to test ideas.

You can also use the plastic to try on patterns using a marker or a dip pen.

Try out detailed designs created with dip pens or markers.
Try out detailed designs created with dip pens or markers.

3. Make Pattern Samples on Paper

Paper samples are fun to make, and you can always reuse them in a collage project. Placing them on your design will help you see if a color or a pattern will work or not.

Even a small pattern sample on paper can let you see if the design will be a good fit.
Even a small pattern sample on paper can let you see if the design will be a good fit.
Creating several paper samples offers lots of options for adding patterns on things like clothing.
Creating several paper samples offers lots of options for adding patterns on things like clothing.

Small paper samples are also a quick way to audition patterns on a large piece before committing to draw them.

Working large? No problem---even trying out small samples of patterns is helpful.
Working large? No problem—even trying out small samples of patterns is helpful.

4. Use Dry Pastels

Dry pastels are awesome for testing colors on any acrylic painting or waterproof surface.

Try a dry medium like pastel directly on a waterproof surface.
Try a dry medium like pastel directly on a waterproof surface.

Trace contours or color an area with pastels, see how it looks, and take off the pastel with a wet cloth so you can apply paint instead.

Your finger is the only tool you need to smudge colors onto your surface.
Your finger is the only tool you need to smudge colors onto your surface.

To cover a large surface, smudge pastels with your fingers. As long as the layer underneath the pastel is waterproof, you will be able to wash it off once you decide on a color.

On the painting below left, I tried a shade of blue for the vase with pastels but didn’t like how it looked. I washed it off and finally decided to use a lighter green, below right. (Paintings are from Painting Imaginary Flowers: Beautiful Blooms and Abstract Patterns in Mixed Media.)

Sometimes you don’t know if something will work until you try it---and these techniques make the process painless!
Sometimes you don’t know if something will work until you try it—and these techniques make the process painless!

Do you have any techniques you’d like to share for trying on ideas for your artwork? Let us know in the comments.

Sandrine Pelissier is originally from France and has been living in North Vancouver, Canada for the past 20 years. Her work has been collected and exhibited extensively in Canada and internationally. Many of her paintings have been published in art books and magazines, including The Artist’s Magazine, Watercolor Artist Magazine, Acrylic Magazine, and International Artist Magazine. Sandrine is the author of Fearless Watercolor for Beginners: Adventurous Painting Techniques to Get You Started, and Painting Imaginary Flowers: Beautiful Blooms and Abstract Patterns in Mixed Media, both from North Light Books. See more of Sandrine’s work on her website.

Get more great techniques from Sandrine about adding visual texture to your artwork with dip pens in this guest blog post!


Sandrine is our Artist of the Month for October! Check out her new book and videos for fun, innovative techniques in mixed-media art.

Categories

Blog, Mixed-Media Painting Techniques, Mixed-Media Techniques

About Tammy Jones

I'm the online editor of Interweave Jewelry and Cloth Paper Scissors. I love making metal and metal clay jewelry, enameling, mixed media, and collecting and creating with found objects. I also enjoy knitting, paper crafts like card making and scrapbooking, cooking, traveling, beachcombing, and snow!

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