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The Merged Layer
The Merged Layer
The Journey Through the Noise Usually, we think of a portrait as a destination—a finished face. But mixed-media artist Lydia Broderick treats the face as a map of accumulated experiences.
She works in a style called "Abstract Realism". She doesn't start with a perfect sketch; she starts with chaos. She builds up a "loud" background of conflicting colors and textures, suggesting that our identity isn't smooth—it's a complicated journey of different layers, memories, and "noise".
This workshop explores Phase 1 (Materiality) by focusing on dissolution and depth. We are creating a surface that is so rich and chaotic that the subject matter has to "fight" to be seen, mirroring the way memories or figures fade into the background of a journey.
Workshop Objective
Workshop Objective
To use mixed media layering (wallpaper, sand, stencils, texture paste) to build a complex surface, then integrate subject matter using dark paints and negative space reveal techniques in the style of Lydia Broderick.
Required Materials
Required Materials
Source Imagery: multiple angles of your subject matter
Surface: A3 heavy weight paper
Media: Wallpaper scraps (vintage/patterned), Sand/Grit, Texture Paste, Gesso, Acrylic Paint (Dark colours: Paynes Grey, Umber, Prussian Blue), Spray Paint (White or Off-white).
Tools: Stencils (lace or geometric), Palette knives, Sandpaper, Rags, Sponges.
The Three-Step Process
The Three-Step Process
1. The Excavation Site (Surface Build)
Action: Collage torn pieces of wallpaper onto your board. Don't cover it evenly; leave gaps BUT work to the edge - dont just plonk it in the middle!
Texture: Mix sand into your texture paste and apply it patches
Stencil Relief: Place a stencil down and swipe texture paste through it to create raised patterns.
ALLOW TO DRY
Tissue Paper: use PVA glue to apply scrunched up tissue paper to areas
Use watered down paint and rags to stain your surface and then drag thicker paint over areas with scraper to emphasise texture.
continue to add layers with stencils and spray paint [be selective and dont over due it]
Distress: Once dry, use spray paint to lightly mist over areas, then aggressively sand it back. You want a surface that looks "ruined" or aged before you even start painting.
Cut your paper into an A4 and 2x A5 pieces
2. The Shadow (Subject Integration) [do this 3 times using a diferent viewpoint each time of your subject matter
Action: Draw your subject matter (figure/portrait) onto this chaotic surface using a brush and dark, fluid acrylic paint (e.g., watery Paynes Grey).
Technique: Do not paint a solid "sticker" on top. Instead, paint the shadows and leave the highlights as the raw wallpaper/texture showing through.
Concept: The figure is made of the environment. If the wallpaper has a flower pattern, that flower becomes the skin of the figure.
3. The Push and Pull (Glazing & Stenciling)
Action: Once the dark figure is blocked in, use a semi-transparent glaze (white paint + water) to push the background further back, leaving the figure bold.
Layering: Place a stencil over parts of the painted figure and sponge a light colour through it [or spray paint]
Result: This creates a "ghosting" effect where the figure appears to be behind a screen or fading into the pattern. It disrupts the image, making it feel fleeting.
Level 3 Success Criteria (AS91446)
Achieved Successfully builds a mixed-media surface and integrates a recognizable subject using dark paint.
Merit Shows control over positive and negative space. The subject utilizes the underlying textures (wallpaper/sand) effectively as part of its form, rather than just covering them up.
Excellence Demonstrates sophisticated integration. The layering of stencils and glazes creates a complex visual depth where the figure and ground are inseparable, perfectly capturing the theme of "dissolution" or "memory."
Critical Reflection / Thinking
Critical Reflection / Thinking
How does painting only the shadows (and letting the wallpaper show through) change the solidity of the figure?
Does the stencil pattern act as a decoration or a barrier/cage for the figure?
How does this technique relate to the theme of "The Daily Commute" (figures blurring into the background)?
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