Calm is Desirable in Life

When we play in our art studios wonderful things can happen!  A good place to start playing with mixed-media techniques is by creating backgrounds with paste. This metallic background was created with Creative Mediums applied with a palette knife. Creative Medium adds texture and dimension to pages in a variety of ways.

Time: 45 minutes + dry time

Level: Intermediate

Directions:

1. On a blank journal page, apply Creative Medium Metallic Bronze with a palette knife in a random pattern and let dry. Applying Creative Medium with a knife as you would spread frosting on a cake—working the texture to achieve the desired thickness. Layer Creative Medium Iridescent Blue with a palette knife in several places and let dry. The intense shine from the Creative Medium is shown in the photo.
2. At the top of the page, drip StazOn Studio Glaze in Cactus Green. It will dry to a deep semi-translucent Cactus Green color.
3. Make circles in different sizes using StazOn Studio Glaze in Orange Zest down the left size of your paper. Take the irRESISTible Tuxedo Black Pico Embellisher and trace around the Orange Zest circles. The textured created in this project is amazing. Use the irRESISTible Wedding Dress Pico Embellisher and create a pattern of dots on the background.
4. On white cardstock hand-draw a lotus flower shape. Covered the lotus flower with Creative Medium Iridescent Blue paste.  Let dry. To add dimension use Gothic Purple StazOn Studio Glaze with a light touch to the wet lotus flower shape.  Let dry. Use the Gothic Purple StazOn Studio Glaze and shade the outside edge of the page. Let Dry Shade around the lotus flower and add a stem with a black artist pen.  Create a checkerboard pattern on the lotus flower stem with irRESISTible Wedding Dress embellisher. Mount the sentiment on the page. Note: I recycled words from a magazine.

 
Supply List

Imagine crafts featuring Tsukineko:

irRESISTible Pico Embellisher: Wedding Dress, Tuxedo Black

StazOn Studio Glaze: Gothic Purple, Orange Zest, Cactus Green

Creative Medium: Bronze, Iridescent Blue

Memento: Tuxedo Black

Palette Knives:

Other: Faber-Castell Black Pitt artist pen

Miscellaneous: Mixed Media journal, favorite adhesive, heat gun, white cardstock, pencil.

Joy

I feel like I've been thinking about this spread forever. In fact, it went through a period of time I absolutely hated it, then it came out on the other side with a colorful journal page.  I love the end project! I layered spray inks, scrapbook paper, beads, molding paste and rubber stamping to create this dimensional and highly textural page.  

I created this page for the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge 'Dimension'. I created dimension with folded paper, flowers and seed beads. 

The background was created by first using molding paste through a mini tile stencil. I then sprayed the paper with water and spray inks. Adding the water first allows the inks to blend.  I stamped the script stamp with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.   

                                             

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Dimension

More Mixed Media Challenge - Yellow (April)

Make My Monday Challenge - April Showers Brings May Flowers (Monday)

Butterfly Flutterby

We are going to create this quick and simple mixed media card using the 'Scrape Painting' technique. This technique can be used for many cards, art journal pages and canvases just by changing the color, stencil and main focal image.

Time: 1 hour + dry time
Level: Beginner

Directions:
1. Trim white cardstock to 4 1/4 x 11 inches and score at 5 1/2 inches to create a top folding card. Cut an additional piece of white cardstock at 3 3/4 x 5 inches. Cut blue cardstock at 4 x 5 1/4 inches. Cut a piece of silver cardstock at 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches.
2. Apply a small amount of Teal Zeal irresistible Pico Embellisher on a craft mat and dilute with water. Use an old gift card and drag it though the dilute ink.  Quickly scrap the ink over the surface of the cardstock measuring 3 3/4 x 5 inches, leaving the edges white.  Apply additional layers as needed. Let dry.
3. Place a honeycomb stencil on the right side of the card and sponge with Azure StazOn ink. Let dry. Ink a splatter stamp with Azure ink and stamp over the honeycomb pattern.
4. Cut the mixed media card base about 3/4 quarters of the way down (refer to the photo). Paste the silver cardstock between the two cuts on the backside leaving an 1/8 inch gap. Affix the decorated layer as in the reference photo. Affix the butterfly to the card base. Rub the card base with an embossing buddy to eliminate the static and moisture. Emboss the sentiment in the upper left corner with VersaMark and sliver embossing powder. Emboss the center of the butterfly and the antennae with VersaMark marker and silver embossing powder.

Tip: Have you ever needed a specific color of a pearl or crystal, and the ones you have just don't fit? All you need is a permanent marker and the pearl or crystal.  It is best to color them on the plastic backing before affixing to the project. Let dry. Fro this project, I created three silver pearls by coloring them with a silver permanent marker.

Supply List

Imagine Crafts featuring Tsukineko:

• irRESISTible Pico Embellisher: Teal Zeal
• StazOn Ink Pad: Azure
• VersaMark: Ink Pad, Marker

Other:

Stampin Up: Sincere Salutations stamp set, Butterfly die cut and pearls, Ranger silver embossing powder, Silver Galaxy marker, Faber-Castell 101 stencil collections.

Miscellaneous:

Craft mat, water, heat tool, splatter stamp, adhesive, paper cutter, old gift card, sponge and cardstock in white, blue and silver.

Directions with photos available on the Imagine Crafts blog here.

Crafting from the Heart - Anything goes (M)

Crafty our Passion - Anything goes (M)

Make My Monday - Butterfly (M)

Simon says Stamps - Butterfly Beauty (M)

Cell Theory

Art journaling can be one of the most rewarding forms of art. I love sitting in my studio thinking about color, texture and photos/images.  Today's art journal page was created from a black and white photo I found in a magazine. 

Look around you: you probably already have the materials you need to get started making a collage.

 To create the background I started with Apple Green, Jack-O-Lantern and White acrylic paints. To help with blending the paint together a tip is to spray the background paper with water.  Apply the paint with a wet paintbrush. 

Use a KaiserKraft diamond background stamp with StazOn Azure ink randomly on the journal page.

                                  

The magazine photo was adhered using a glue stick and smoothed out with an old gift card. I then added scraps of reinforcement labels which can be found in the office supplies stores.

Mix molding paste with Pool Blue acrylic paint. Apply the mixture TCW mini cell theory stencil with a platte knife, let dry.  Apply 7Gypsies rub ons randomly and then glue silver twine on the photo to give the impression of the steel cables.  Creating pages from unexpected materials will provide plenty of inspiration to fill your art journal!

Challenge I participated in:

Craft for the Craic- Anything but a card, Friday

Simply Papercrafts for all Occassions - Anything goes,Friday