Birdsong by Seok Yam Chew

This is lovely Seok! Do you hand paint some of your papers before cutting/tearing? I can see you've used some newsprint and the used stamps add interest too. Is the tree painted on to the collaged background or is it collaged on? So many questions but I am really interested to know how others work in collage. Whatever method, the outcome is great!

Lovely work i like these mixed media/college paintings very much seok.

Thanks very much, Christine and Dennis! Christine, yes, for some colors which I cannot obtain in the right values and tones, I hand paint the papers with the liquid acrylics, then tear them up. In particular, I'm always creating my own greens. It seems that whatever media I use, greens are always the bane of me! I also used some fabulous gift wrapping paper which came compiled in books and which were reproductions of 18th century English designs. I bought the books years ago from the Victoria and Albert Museum on a whim and the papers in there were so pretty I could never bring myself to use them until now! As for the tree, I painted the entire trunk with Garnet Gel from Golden to create the textures, then when the surface was dry, I painted over the textured surface with liquid acrylics. I've also covered tree trunks with Fibre Paste from Golden, then painted over the dried surface and that works well too. It's what I love about collage - no rules! As for the stamps, they were a little too high key for the backdrop, so I glazed them with a very thin layer of diluted acrylic background color to knock them back.

A delightful collage Seok, really LOverly.

Sorry lovely I mean't ;)

How true Seok, no rules, that is what appeals to me too! I use my fluid acrylics to paint on Khadi paper which is great for tearing and have bought some lovely hand made papers from the Paperchase flagship store in London. Take a look at the website of a Scottish artist, Dawn Maciocia, she explains her technique and I have found her work inspirational, I think you would too.

Interesting to read how you produce your collages Seok, they are something special and a joy to look at.

Gorgeous colour Seok and love the addition of the stamps here!

A real beauty! Wondrful colours and so many details to discover...... You have such talent.

Creativity let rip! Oh dear. I must get out more!!! Lovely, again.

Very, very interesting to read about your technique, Seok and what a beautiful result. Love it!

I've never made a collage - at least, not since leaving school one or two (ahem) years ago... I'd like to see this in the flesh, with the light playing on its textures and the gel.

A gorgeous bird Seok! Very interesting to read how you made this one. I love everything in it, the shapes and the colours and all. We had a collage day at our Tuesday painting this week and nobody did anything near as good as this. Well done! There is no end to your talent!

This is gorgeous Seok. I love the combinations, and the little purple flowers in the background really caught my eye. Reading about your methods, I can appreciate how much work and forethought must have gone into producing such a beautiful image. But well worth the effort.

Thank you very much, Carole, Val, Louise, Avril, Gudrun, Mia, Robert, Satu and Sharon, for taking the time to comment on my painting! I very much appreciate your kindness. Christine, thanks very much too for your recommendation of Dawn Maciocia's website. I took a quick look last night, it was phenomenal! I'll definitely visit her website again for inspiration.

Stunning Seok!! So interesting to read your methods.

Thanks very much, Fiona!

Lovely! I like the orange and purple colour combination and the collage works so well too Seok!

hi seok lovely painting and always interesting to see how you do it. by the way have you seen the work of Singapore artist ng woon lam, its very good.

Thanks very much, Dennis!

Sorry I missed this when it was posted. Another lovely piece of work.

Thanks very much, Julie!