Negative Space Painting with Gelatos

Diana Trout here today with Negative Space Painting. If you're scratching your head right now, read on. NSP is easier to demonstrate than explain.

The supplies I used for this piece

Canvas board 6" x 8"
Pastel Gelatos
Glaze
Metallic Gelatos
Texture Gems
Awl (or other tool for scratching)
Paint Brush
Pottery Sponge (or cosmetic wedge)

Begin by creating a patchy background. I'm using the lightest of the Pastel Gelatos because I was thinking of a Fire Opal. No need to make a pattern on the background. Fill the canvas (or page) with color. I spread the color out with a damp sponge. For the best results, fill in the entire canvas. I added marks by scratching through the Gelatos with an awl.

You might use stencils as well.

You can see the scratches above. Let this dry and then put a couple of coats of Glaze over it. While Gelatos remain re-wettable, they do dry to the touch. Let the Glaze layer dry thoroughly.

It's time to begin the negative space painting. I used the Metallic Gelatos. They are super shiny and fun! (See my video linked at the end of this post for a swatch test.) You can use any shape you'd like or draw anything at all: leaves, flowers, house. I started with the Metallic Mint Gelatos and then, since I wanted the pastel shapes to really POP! I used darker colored Gelatos, like the Gold Champagne and Iced Chai.

You can use various tools to spread the Metallic Gelatos around: a potter's sponge, paintbrush, the dense foam sponge and your fingers (just make sure to keep them clean). You'll have no problem retaining the pastel shapes since they've been preserved with the Glaze.

A range of values and most importantly Dark and Light make your piece really sparkle. I used a PITT Artist Brush Pen to draw around around the circles. I didn't want a solid line so I followed the pen with a wet brush. PITT pens are permanent but if you catch them while they are wet, they will run. Yum