🎨 ART NOUVEAU Revival: Modern MIXED MEDIA Techniques 🖌️

I'm really excited to share my newest painting with you, which is inspired by Art Nouveau, a style which I'm very passionate about. If you're not familiar with it, it's an art style that was popular at the end of the 19th century. And it's characterized by its intricate compositions, pastel colors, romantic motifs and flowing lines that are heavily influenced by natural forms. I've actually created a YouTube video about this style a few years ago. And recently, I revisited this style again for some of my last artworks. Now, one of the most known artists associated with this style is, of course, Alphonse Mucha, who was a prominent figure within the movement. His posters, particularly those for the actress Sarah Bennard, are some of the most recognizable examples of Art Nouveau. However, Mucha himself did not believe his work was representative of the Art Nouveau style. He often referred to it simply as Mucha style. Nevertheless, today, he is one of the most known artists associated with it. When I saw his paintings in person for the first time at a museum in Prague, I truly fell in love with it. Mucha's paintings encompass everything I admire about Art Nouveau. But what matters to me just as much as being inspired by the past is to add a modern touch to it. Therefore, my artwork is my modern interpretation of the classic Art Nouveau beauty. In traditional paintings, you often see more voluptuous women, as that was the beauty standard of that time. For my painting, though, I went for slightly different looks that might remind you of Ariel from The Little Mermaid or maybe another Disney princess. After deciding on a motif to paint, I start with painting the striking red hair by mixing Cadmium Red and Opera Rose to give it even more vibrance. Then, I move to paint the blue tones by using Cerulean Blue and Cobalt Turquoise. I also carefully sealed a few highlights on the dress with Schmincke Masking Fluid so that I could easily paint over them later. In creating this painting, I use digital tools such as Midjourney, Photoshop and Get Image AI to prepare a reference image. Turning these digital concepts into traditional paintings, especially when using my watercolor and mixed media technique, is extremely challenging but also incredibly rewarding. I also don't just write a prompt into the AI. I often further more refine my references. Here, for example, by replacing the model's hand with my own and by adding color lilies, some of my favorite flowers. For me, this flower has an ethereal, almost mysterious beauty, which I think complements the overall theme of the painting. Did you know that the natural habitats of some color lilies are swamps? I don't know why I am so fascinated by swamps. Maybe because they are so eerie, yet romantic and beautiful, so I cherish everything that reminds me of them. I think colors add a mysterious touch and fit perfectly into the composition, given their swamp origins and the painting's aquatic theme. Painting the face was particularly challenging at this small size, especially on the Hahnemühle watercolor hot pressed paper, which has a strong color lifting quality. In order to avoid smudges, I need to be very careful when I layer paint. A typical aspect of the Art Nouveau style is its thick and thin contour lines, which are achieved with a fine detail brush. Also, the frame required meticulous attention and turning the paper to get straight lines. Then I continued with the face. To capture the minute details, I switched to gouache. I prefer using gouache for this because it gives me so much more control and allows me to correct mistakes easily. It was also helpful in adding highlights to the hair and dress, as well as refining the flowers. The color combination of warm and cool tones with these reds and turquoises brought a beautiful and harmonious feel to the image. Towards the end, I incorporated hatching techniques with color pencils and added some splatter effects with watercolor. These touches helped to enhance the details and gave off a painterly impression in my opinion. I named this artwork Elysio Aurum, which loosely translates to gold of Elysium in Latin with a poetic interpretation. If you're now inspired to create your own Art Nouveau painting, my live painting class Paint Like the Greats might be exactly what you've been looking for. Over a four-week journey, you will paint your own unique Art Nouveau masterpiece with watercolor and mixed media. Plus, you get access to exciting bonus material, such as two video lessons about how you can use AI and Photoshop to create stunning references for your art. You will also get personalized feedback and become part of a supportive community in our private Facebook group that continues to support you beyond the duration of the course. Visit my website to learn more and join and check out the incredible work my students have already accomplished. I can't wait to welcome you on board. Just follow the link in the video description. Now, this painting has already sold, but if you're a fan of collecting mini prints, magnets and stickers, you're in for a treat this July on my Patreon page. The Art Nouveau painting featured in this video has been transformed into a beautiful, shimmering sticker for my Patreon postcard collectors. Hurry up to get these before July ends! Speaking of Patreon, if you're curious about the complete painting process of Illusio Aurum and the materials used, you can find them on my Patreon page as well. In addition, my patrons gain access to an extensive library of over 200 painting videos and tutorials, providing a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. I hope you didn't mind this long-winded housekeeping at the end of the video. To make up for it, I wanted to show you some of my references that I have made prior to painting this one. I often end up with many more references that I could possibly paint in my life and then I'm torn between which one I should paint next. So I thought I would ask you guys to decide which of these references I should paint for my next Art Nouveau painting. Let me know in the comments which one you like the most and why. See you in the next video, bye bye!