Welcome to a new series our design team is preparing based on many of the marvellous mixed media products and techniques that are so much fun to play around with. Each week we’ll bring you a new technique and lots of different examples from our design team to get your creative mixed media juices flowing!
This week we’re focusing on background textures and patinas.
In her wanderings around the internet, Suz came upon a brilliant and simple crackle glaze technique that doesn’t require any fancy materials. Start by either painting a base layer on your surface with acrylic paint. (Alternatively you can skip this step and use coloured cardstock, a strongly patterned paper– or as Suz has used here, one of the American Crafts glitter paper sheets for some extra sparkle!)
Cover with a thickish layer of white craft glue, and brush all over your page.
Straight away, before the glue dries, paint over the glue with a different coloured acrylic paint. With some crackle processes you have to be careful to not work the paint too much, paint in the wrong direction or other fussy things – the only thing you have to watch here is just to paint with a light brush so that you don’t disturb or blend the paint in with the glue layer as you apply the paint.
Leave to dry or speed up the with a heat gun or hairdryer, and watch as the cracks appear and the base colour pops through!
Suz then distressed the paint finish a little further and added subtle smudges of colour with Distress Inks. She punched a mixture of lilac and pink-toned hydrangeas and added to the depth of tones with Glimmer Mist.
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Louise Nelson used one of her favourite techniques with gesso to create this layout background. Louise applied the watered down gesso with a mist bottle and allowed it to dribble down the layout. Louise then over sprayed with Tattered Angels Chalkboard glimmer mist.
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Louise also enjoyed creating this 'embossed' like effect with the gesso and masks. She first applied gesso over the Studio Calico mask to create a bubble pattern. She then used a foam roller to apply another layer of gesso over this masked pattern. The application of Tattered Angels chalkboard glimmer mist adds subtle highlight and colour to this pattern.
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Danielle used a variety of woodgrain patterned papers to create a warm patina tinted with pink. Basic pva craft glue was swiped down the background paper to add a slight gloss finish in some areas, and October Afternoon Sprinkles spray inks add tints to the woodgrain. Glimmer Glam contributes glittery highlights, and woodgrain alphabets have also been used to follow the theme through.
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