If you know me, this shouldn’t surprise you. I finished most of my homework and now I am creating more pieces in my favorite category, trees. The instructions are to work any other ideas, don’t let the outline limit you and add to it freely. So that’s what I’m doing. I wanted to try another collage with the acrylic skins. I was thinking of doing a pheasant but then I looked at one of the skins and saw a tree. So a tree it became.
This is the tree after I cut it out. I used a grey and green skin that had a tree trunk shape and one branch that I saw from the paint pouring. I cut those out and then added roots and more branches. It looked OK but it definitely needed some darker values in the tree. So I decided to add more paint. I glued it down first and then added paint on top.
This is after adding some darker paint for more contrast. Now that I am looking at it on the computer, I am wondering if I need to change the background color slightly at the bottom to make the tree feel more grounded. It kind of seems like it’s floating. What do you think?
Then I decided to use one of my sketches of an aspen branch. I enlarged the design on the copier and then cut out a branch from purple paper. The skin I was going to use was green and purple so I thought a purple branch would be perfect. From a distance, it doesn’t even look purple now. Sorry for the quality of the photos, it’s getting really dark here early in the afternoon and this branch was really hard to photograph.
Here’s a slightly closer view. This one took a long time cutting out and pasting down all the leaf bits and the branch. But I really like the result. I am also learning what works for gluing down the skins and what causes them to bubble up.
And I finally finished a notebook cover I had been working on for over a month now. It has probably 8-10 layers of paint and then a transfer of the leaves from a laser copy.
I filled the notebook cover with a range of value painted paper from yellow to red violet. I’m sure that it won’t stay that way but I needed some paper in the notebook cover. The insides and back of the covers are painted too. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend.
Ruth Lane Art 
I love the tree and don’t think it looks like it’s floating. It reminds me of cypress trees. The notebook is great, too. The colors are wonderfully intense and have nice depth.
Thanks Marilyn! I guess it could be a Cypress. I didn’t have any inspiration source. Just cut out the tree I saw in the paint. Multiple layers help with the depth on the notebook.
I love the tree! Fabulous bark. If you are worried about floating, maybe cut it from the bottom through the lower roots?
The notebook is so lovely and the aspen branch is pretty – I like the purple branch with the colour of the leaves.
This paint technique produces such wonderfully interesting pieces.
Thanks Lyn! The poured paint skins definitely add interest. Thanks for the idea about cropping the tree piece. I haven’t decided if I will change it or not.