African Painting

Base of the African painting

• Cut out your support in the size you wish (here 20cm x 20cm) from the cardboard.

• Take 2 or 3 paper towels.

• Tear them into pieces.

• Put the vinyl glue on the support.

• Put the pieces of towel, at the bottom, adding relief to the support.

• Gently dab with a damp paintbrush, covering all the support using this technique.

• Apply several layers of paper towel, alwats dabbing it with the damp painbrush to amke everything stick together.

•  Add a layer of gesso onto the whole thing to make it stick together.

• Let it dry overnight outside.

Paint the background of the African painting

• Put a layer of acrylic paint that has been slightly diluted in water to cover the whole of the support. In the example below, cadmium yellow has been used.

• Leave to dry properly.

•  Add a very diluted acrylic wash tint. In the example, it's carmine red.

• Throw on a few drops of liquid aquarelle of different colors (here red ocher, Sienna, yellow ocher and sepia). 

• Spread them around using a wet painbrush.

• What should result is a base full of relief ans nuances of color, that you should leave to dry properly.

Border of the African painting

• Spread a light layer of gesso around the edge of the support with a large and flat paintbrush.

• Trace patterns and shapes into the paint using the back end of a paintbrush.

• Let it dry.

• Leave the border white: the inks will run a bit as they are drying.

• Apply a layer of watercolor ink or a diluted acrylic wash (in the example a mix of Earth of Sienna and sepia) to the border. 

• Emphasize the relief using a bit of gesso on your finger and applying it to the border.

• Leave to dry.

• Decorate the support : paint, collage etc.

• Protect your picture using a frame.