With digital images, you can layer almost anything over anything, and you can adjust the translucency by minuscule percentages and back again. With physical layers, it’s much harder.
One way you can add texture is by using printing. This diamond/spiral pattern is from some plastic texture plates designed for this purpose. I also used these for a background pattern when I created the paintings which are the background of the book covers, and also of the current outside border of this website. This blue paint is over a printed thin silk from a tiny baby-sized ornate Indian top.
I touched up some of the spirals with more blue paint, both to create more variety and interest, and to help me get over my fear of drawing and painting. The darker blue florets on the bottom are from a cocktail napkin. Cocktail napkins are great for collage work, because they can have bold patterns, but the paper is comprised of super-thin layers that disappear when you adhere them with translucent acrylic medium.
I think the beaded ribbon bedecking the cover is from the same baby’s top that the background fabric is from. I love orange and blue as a color combination for these. It’s so bold and interesting.
