Stamps, collage and image transfer in Easel by Zaweba

Not every mark has to be painted. Printmakers press shapes onto paper, collage artists glue things down, mixed media artists transfer photographs onto canvas. Easel by Zaweba brings these into the same studio as the paint, with stamps, collage and image transfer.

Stamps

Stamps come in four kinds: rubber, potato, leaf, or an imported shape.

Rubber stamps give crisp, repeatable prints, good for patterns, borders and decorative motifs. Potato stamps are the oldest printmaking trick of all. They have a softer, more uneven print with lots of charm, ideal for children's projects and folk art style patterns. Leaf stamps print the veins and outline of a real leaf, lovely for botanical prints, autumn cards and natural textures.

An imported shape lets you stamp any design you like. That opens the door to logos, custom motifs and repeated elements of your own.

Ink the stamp, press, lift. Vary the pressure and the amount of paint for prints that look handmade rather than identical.

Collage

Collage in Easel uses tissue, newspaper, fabric, coloured paper or a photo. Each material brings a different look.

Tissue is thin and translucent, so colours glow through it. Layering tissue is a traditional way to build soft, rich colour. Newspaper adds text and texture, a staple of mixed media art since the early 20th century. Fabric brings pattern and a tactile feel. Coloured paper gives clean, flat shapes, the look of a cut paper illustration. A photo can be collaged in to combine photography and painting.

Collage works well with paint. Lay down collage pieces, then paint over or around them, letting some show through.

Image transfer

Image transfer is the mixed media technique of moving a printed image onto a painting surface, so it appears as part of the paint rather than stuck on top. Transferred images often look worn and textured, with gaps where the transfer didn't take, which gives them a vintage feel.

It is useful for journals, layered art pieces, and any work where a photograph should feel like a memory rather than a print.

Stamps, collage and transfer also work well together because they all add something from outside the paint box. A painted picture with a single collaged element, such as a scrap of newspaper behind a figure or a stamped leaf in a corner, often looks more interesting than one that tries to do everything with a brush. Think of them as accents rather than the whole picture, at least at first, and build up from there as you get a feel for each one.

A mixed media workflow

Here is one way to bring them together on a card or journal page. Start with a background wash in watercolour or acrylic. Collage a few pieces of tissue and newspaper. Add an image transfer of a photo. Stamp a pattern around the edges. Finish with pen lines, a little gold leaf or a white gel pen for highlights.

Choose a surface to suit. Card, cartridge paper or a gessoed panel all take mixed media well.

Keeping a collage coherent

Mixed media can easily become a jumble. Choose a limited palette and repeat colours across paint, paper and stamps so the parts feel related. Leave some quiet areas. Decide on one focal point.

Remember that the reference photo you use for tracing is never merged into the painting, while a photo you collage in is part of it on purpose. Easel by Zaweba keeps those two uses separate, so you always know which is which.