Aussie Scrap Source

mixed media: stamping and printmaking

 

Chris used the Donna Downey foam tree stamp and a couple of different stamping techniques to create this canvas with the fabulous quote from one of her favourite books 'The Help'.

 

To create the background for this canvas Chris cut some strips of old cardstock and placed them in a 'ray' onto the canvas and inked inside the ray shape using Tim Holtz Distress inks.  Continue with the ray shape around the canvas until the entire canvas is filled with different coloured rays.

 

Chris used the 'kissing' technique to stamp the foam tree onto her project.  Chris has inked in white for this example to show the technique more clearly, but has used walnut ink on her project.  First ink the foam tree stamp and then using another stamp (for this project Chris has used Designer Woodgrain by Hero Arts) 'kiss' or place the woodgrain stamp on top of the foam tree stamp.  As you can see the ink has transferred onto the woodgrain stamp leaving it's imprint on the foam tree stamp.  Wipe the woodgrain stamp clean and then repeat over the entire foam tree stamp.  You are now ready to stamp the foam tree stamp onto your project and your foam tree stamp will have a lovely woodgrain finish to it.

She then wanted to create some circle patterns for behind the branches of the foam tree stamp.  So she used the 'kissing' technique again, but this time she used a couple of different Sizzix Textured Impression folders to create a pattern.  She first inked up the scallop background stamp and stamped it onto white cardstock, she then inked up the textured impressions folder and stamped the scallop background stamp onto it and stamped directly over the original scallop background image she had stamped.

 

Chris wanted to create some interesting leaves for the tree image she had stamped onto her canvas, so she stamped the foam tree stamp onto some 7Gypsies tissue paper using white ink and then cut around the leaves slightly on the inside edge of each leaf and  then adhered them to the canvas on top of each corresponding leaf.  Cutting them slightly on the inside edge then allows the original stamped leaves to act as a border around the new white tissue paper leaves.

 

 

Chris had some 'negative' leaves from using the EK Success Gerber Daisy punch on another project, they were perfect for adding as leaves for this project.

And lastly Chris printed the quote onto cardstock with her computer,  hand cut the letters and went over them with glossy accents and placed onto the canvas.

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Nic Howard has long admired Finnabair’s mixed media artwork and has been incorporating a similar style into her own work for a few months now.  For this framed piece she has started with a tag, adding Prima resist canvas pieces, metal trinkets and layers of patterned papers to create her base.  Layers of gorgeous embellishments in the way of Prima flowers, leaves, trinkets and other little bits and pieces complete a  cluster for the centre. 

The piece is coloured with sprays of Tattered Angels GlimmerMist (in favourite colours Jazz Blue and Key Lime Pie) with a splash of Black Magic for the middle, giving it a grungy look and adding depth.  Finishing details were given to this tag by using Prima Musicale stamps without using an acrylic block.  Pressing the stamp into the Stazon ink and adding the music note stamp all over the background was easy enough to do as the stamps are flexible, Nic has just pushed it into the areas she wanted it.  The note “Play On” was stamped on a scrap piece of paper finishing off a perfect piece for the middle of a plain white frame.

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Iris considers her stamps to be one of her best investments for her craft. Among her favorite brands of stamps (and the ones she has most of) are Hero Arts Stamps. It provides her with a wide variety of designs from vintage, to whimsical, to background collages. In this layout, Iris used a collage stamp to create a background for her page, and also used a heart cling stamp to create a textured embellishment.

 

 

Iris primed a raw canvas with gesso and then sprinkled some Pearl UTEE on top of the canvas while it was still wet. She melted the UTEE and while the UTEE was still wet, she pressed a heart shaped rubber cling stamp on the wet UTEE.  Note:To protect the stamp, she first coated it with embossing ink to make sure that the UTEE will not stick to the stamp.

After the UTEE has cooled, Iris then rubbed metallic wax pigments on the raised surfaces.

 

To create the background, Iris dabbed two colors of acrylic paint on the stamp and immediately pressed the stamp on a white card stock. The texture of the paint gives the stamped image a very beautiful and dimensional look.
Note: To protect the stamp, make sure to wipe off the excess paint from the stamp.

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Jill adored working with a combination of the Clings Trees of the Season combined with a variety of mists to enhance their "story".  She created a series of cards to show how easily you can change the feel of the cards by simply changing their colour.

 

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mixed media readers entries: altered photos

We’ve got some beautiful examples of mixed media layouts in general this week and some stunning altered photos in particular – thank you to everyone who sent in the breathtaking projects below.  Agnieszka has sent in so many beautiful pages during this series, and this first one by her has so much textural relief and detail that we loved.  So congratulations Agnieszka – this week’s prize pack winner!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

mixed media: altered photos

This week the design team has come up with some ingenious ways to alter what should be the main focus of a scrapbook layout – the photo!

We invite you to be inspired by our design team and the projects below and perhaps try some photo altering for yourself – on cards, layouts, canvas or whatever!  In return we've got a prize pack to give away - if you want to give it a try we’d love to showcase them in a blog post next week.  Please try to use Aussie Scrap Source products where you can.

Email pics of your altered photo projects to [email protected] by next Tuesday 2nd October for a chance to win one of our fabulous prize packs!

 

One of the key elements in this piece of mix media is the photo Leeann says. It plays an important part of the finished look. To achieve a mix media balance Leeann has used a stamping technique on her photo. This provides textural illusions at the same time. Notice how the stamping continues off the photo to blend in with the artsy background.

 

 

Step one:  Start preparing your mix media background, swiping paint, stamping with bubble wrap, stamps, wax crayons, gluing tissue paper down.
Print out photo and adhere to background.
Using the Martha Stewart glue and sealer decoupage, apply a small thin coat over the photo onto the page.
Allow to dry.

Step two:
Squeeze a blob of black paint onto a scrap of cardstock.
Use a thick sheet of cardboard and swipe the edge through the paint.

 

Step three:
Now repeatedly stamp the edges on and off the photo.

Step four:
Finish off by stamping a grid like pattern off the photo.
This help to unify the two together.

 

 

Kim has added texture to her photo by printing it onto canvas photo paper and then distressing the edges of the photo by pulling the threads in the canvass. This is a simple but effective technique to add texture and interest to your photos.

 

 

Step 1 - Print photo onto photo canvas paper following instructions provided with the paper.

Step 2 - Trim around the photo leaving a small border

 

Step 3 - pull threads in the canvass paper with a sharp tool to give a distressed edge.

 

 

 

As you can see from her layouts above, Louise has taken a very simple approach to altering her photo. She has printed the photo out in black and white and then coloured in the flower using water colour paint.

mixed media collage–readers projects

 

We thank Agnieszka Bellaidea for this first stunning page.  She writes: I love mixed media idea and as you can see I like to play with mists, paint, gesso, stencils, structural paste, paints, oils etc. I add layers of papers, lace, chipboards etc.

 

Jo Richardson tells us the story of this fabulous layout.  The collage background for this layout evolved from a napkin.  Firstly, I adhered the patterned layer of the napkin onto cardstock with gesso, then I added some  of the plain white layer of the napkin by bunching and scrunching with layers of gesso.  This formed some crinkles in the background and some flowers to which I added some jewels.  I also covered some chipboard with the patterned napkin and added some simple embellishments of flowers, lace and leaves.  The layout is bordered with washi tape.  Another fun challenge and a layout that came together quickly.

We loved her fearless experimenting, and have decided to award her our coveted prize pack for this week!

 

And finally thank you to Natalie Elphinstone for this brilliantly layered page.  She wrote: I wanted to share a layout I made using a collaged background, using My Mind's Eye, Echo Park and Jenni Bowlin products. It's such an easy and fun technique to layer up lots of bits and pieces into a background - it adds heaps of colour and visual interest. Thanks for this wonderful series.

mixed media: collage

Layered and collage styled backgrounds are an integral part of the mixed media genre. 

We invite you to be inspired by our design team and the projects below and perhaps try some techniques for yourself – on cards, layouts, canvas or whatever!  In return we've got a prize pack to give away - if you want to give it a try we’d love to showcase them in a blog post next week.  Please try to use Aussie Scrap Source products where you can.

Email pics of your collage projects to [email protected] by next Tuesday 25th September for a chance to win one of our fabulous prize packs!

 

To create the collaged background for her layout, Sue started with a piece of cardstock and covered it with adhesive.  Sue then cut the MME papers into different sized rectangles and adhered them in a random fashion onto the cardstock. 

Sue then used a paint dauber to apply a white coating over the top of the page.  This helped blend the layers together.  Sue added texture by stitching around the edge of the pieces of paper, in cream thread. Sue cut out polaroid images from the MME patterned paper and mounted them onto chipboard before adding her photos to the top.  MME doilies and Prima embellishments, completed the pretty page.

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Collage is a mainstay of Danielle's mixed media art, and she loves pulling it into her scrapbooking projects now and then. Combining layers of tape, book paper, ephemera / paper elements with paint and ink is a natural progression. The paint creates a unified look despite the various elements involved, and the end result is a warm kind of arty patchwork.

 

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mixed media techniques: masks & templates – readers’ art

 

Thanks to Mel Godfrey for sending this canvas she has made as a gift. She writes: I am thrilled to have only recently been introduced to masks and stencils and have made a couple of projects since. The one I am entering in the draw I made for a very ill friend who has had many ups and downs in the last 12 months. 

Congratulations Mel for being this weeks winner.  We love your heart!

 

 

Alicia Redshaw sent in this lovely canvas.  She writes:  Please find attached an image of a canvas I created using texture paste, masking, washi tape and paint, etc.  I am posting more images and information about my canvas and how I created it on my blog.

 

 

Thanks to Cassandra Bright for sending in this vibrant journal page and writes that she created this She Art using a Prima Donna Downey Hollyhocks mask.

 

 

Jo Richardson wrote about her happy page above:  I had a lot of fun creating this layout.  I used the crafters workshop 'ledger' and 'art is' templates to create the blue text using paint and texture paste.  I also used a variety of stamping, embossing and painting on the background. 

 

 

We thank Linda Langes for sending in this beautiful project.  She writes that she has used a few different masks to create the background – harlequin; spot and flourish.  We love the layers and different textures.

 

 

And finally we thank Tatiana Yemelyanenko for sharing this lovely art journal page, which features several layers of masks.

mixed media techniques: masks and templates

Masks are one of the best ways of creating texture and background interest on a project.  There’s a massive range of designs, shapes and styles and a whole load of mediums to use with them, from texture paste to inks, mists and paints.

We invite you to be inspired by our design team and the projects below and try some new masking techniques for yourself – on cards, layouts, canvas or whatever!  In return we've got a prize pack to give away - if you want to give it a try we’d love to showcase them in a blog post next week.  Please try to use Aussie Scrap Source products where you can – we’ve got Crafter’s Workshop templates as well as ones from Art-C, Prima and others.

Email pics of your own masked projects to [email protected] by next Tuesday 18th September for a chance to win one of our fabulous prize packs!

 

Masks and stencils add so much detail to any mix media project. There is so much choice and so many awesome ways to use our masks. Leeann Pearce shares a favourite way that we all like to use especially for those that like to add texture at the same time. If you take a closer look Leeann has used the crafters workshop – harlequin template with some texture paste.

 

First things first are creating the background by building the layers up with tissue and paper then paint.  Once the background has been created gather together your supplies - mask or stencil of desired design, texture paste, coloured paint and pop stick for mixing.   Mix a small amount of paint with texture paste in another pot.  Arrange and place mask on prepared canvas and then randomly spread the coloured paste over the desired area of mask.

 

Lift mask to reveal pattern.  Allow to fully dry.

 

Add more layered detail by stamping,rub-ons and rubbing wax crayons over the dry raise texture paste.

 

Add more layered detail by stamping,rub-ons and rubbing wax crayons over the dry raise texture paste.

 

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Suz Doyle is enjoying creating projects that are completely unlike her usual style in these mixed media challenges.  Here she has layers of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mists and Chalkboard Sprays over her Crafters Workshop template and finishes it off with one of her favourite quotes.

 

The striking ‘relief’ effect was achieved by using the template with a layer of gesso over the first glimmer mist sprays and allowing to dry.  Although this page started life as the rainbow you see above, Suz later decided to build up the layers of green and blue tones from her Chalkboard mists, so that there’s only a hint of the original colour in the finished piece.  The beauty of the gesso layer is that it absorbs the mists differently to the cardstock, and so even though the blue and green chalkboard was evenly sprayed over the whole page, the mask pattern remains clearly defined.

 

Suz replaced the template once the layers of gesso and mists were dry once again and painted a last layer of gel medium.  She then sprinkled microbeads and seed beads through the template to further enhance the jewelled effect.  She kept some uniformity in her pages to link them with her earlier ones by using the same Prima canvas alphas on each.

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Kim Arnold has used a variety of masks and techniques to create this layout.  Firstly she has inked over a 6x6 inch ledger paper mask from the crafters workshop in both the top left and bottom right corners.  Secondly she has misted over a compass mask in the bottom right of the photo.  Finally, she has created her title by creating a mask with letter stickers and then inking over the top.  When the stickers are removed, she was left with a masked title.  Kim has used the beautiful new Clippings range from Basic Grey, which has a very eclectic feel to its paper range.  Perfect for mixed media projects.

 

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Finally Jill van Iperen adored the Prima Damask Mask and used it to "rust" her journal. She used a combination of Distress Ink and Acrylic Paint to enhance the vintage feel of the Teresa Collins Vintage Find Jounal covers.

 

Jill carried through the aging of the pages throughout the journal and used it to carry a theme throughout the journal.

 

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mixed media techniques: surfaces

In mixed media, as in scrapbooking and cardmaking, we’re happily not confined to just using our mediums onto paper, cardstock or patterned paper.  There’s a host of other surfaces out there waiting for arty touches, and our design team explores just a few of them here.

 

Sue Tonga adores the 7 Gypsies tissue paper and has used the different designs on several layouts previously.  The Life Collage tissue paper is Sue's favourite.  Here she used a gel medium to cover a piece of artisan (or bracket) shaped chipboard.  The tissue is very easy to work with and Sue says you can wrap the edge around the chipboard to achieve a neat finish.

To soften the look of the tissue paper, Sue sprayed a layer of Iridescent Gold glimmer mist over it and completed the look by stitching around the edge in pink thread.  The tissue paper covered chipboard piece has created a great focal piece for Sue's layout.  Sue used MME's gorgeous Lavender Collection to complete her page.  The soft pink tones complement the tissue paper perfectly.

 

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One of the most versatile surfaces for scrapbooking is canvas. It can be used as is, misted, painted, molded, made into flowers, etc. etc. For this layout, Iris took a few sheets from the Prima Mixed Media Book and used it as a base for her page. The canvas sheet has been misted to show the resist. She unified the look of the page by adding  a few prima flowers and leaves which were also made from canvas. This materials is both beautiful and full of texture. So for your next project, why don't you try gating some canvas materials and have a go at building your background and embellishment clusters with it.

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Chris has declared the Tim Holtz Kraft Glassine Papers as her new favourite surface to play with!  Here is what the man him self has to say about Kraft Glassine "this product is one of those cool and amazing surfaces that are unlike anything else you've ever seen before.  At first glance some think it's wax paper, but it definitely is not.  This is a coated semi-translucent kraft paper that can do some pretty incredible things."
As Tim says, this product is quite unique.  Chris was able to print straight onto the surface with her ink jet printer.  The one thing about using this product is to heat set each medium you use on the product. 

 

To create the fabulous edging on this frame Chris crumpled up the Glassine and then straightened it out and bunched it together to create a frilled effect.  It gives the appearance of a faux leather or suede.  Chris also heat embossed the white spots onto the glassine and then ran them through her cuttlebug using Memory Box spiral flower dies.

 

Tearing the Glassine also gives such a cool torn edge look.  There's nothing this product can't do!

 

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Chris crumpled the kraft glassine again for using on this card, then flattened it out and adhered it under the embellishments.  It gives such a great textural effect!

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mixed media techniques: paint techniques

 

Iris created this wonderful piece of art from a block of 6x6” wood!  (and some fabulous techniques and beautiful embellishments.. )  Read on to learn about her process.

 

 

Iris has been playing with paints and inks for a while now, and she believes that a good project will always start with a good base. If you want to make sure that your mediums will blend nicely on your surface then you have to make sure that you prime your surface to get it ready for all the materials you will load it up with as you build your project. For this piece, Iris used a 6 x 6 block of wood. It was very rough so she used a thick coat of white gesso to prime it. She layered the gesso using a palette knife making sure to get a good coverage but not exactly aiming for a smooth finish. She likes to leave scrape marks here and there for texture.

 

As soon as the gesso has fully dried, Iris then applied several coats of Tattered Angels glimmer mists. She sprayed the mists close to the wood to get a nice saturation of colour on specific areas. She then allowed each colour to dry before adding more. This way, you will see different layers of colours and you will avoid getting a muddy colour which sometimes happens when two or more colours of ink blend in.

 

Next comes the texture. Iris simply mixed three types of mediums to get a varied texture throughout the surface of the wood. She used a palette knife and the Crafter’s Workshop Punchinella template to apply the mediums.  Let the mediums dry completely before moving on to the next step.

 

This is a result of combing several colours of Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze over a chipboard piece that was texturized with gesso.

 

Iris used the Tattered Angels Glimmer Glam here for a touch of colour and fine glitter.

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Paint is like a magic ingredient for mixed media, with a wide variety of types, densities and colours to choose from. Whether it is a touch of watercolour paint or layers of heavy-bodied acrylic, paint can add depth and interest to a project. As for paint techniques, the sky is the limit - so to speak - but there are certainly a few methods that can give you a great starting point!

 

For this small piece, Danielle layered a variety of paint styles on an Art-C Canvas Blank. The first step was to cover the background with a variety of marks in a couple of colours. Stippling and sponge brushes, both coarse and fine, were used to add colour in layers, allowing the acrylic paint to quickly dry in between. A thin layer of tissue was also added at one point to create extra texture.

 

With the top layer of paint, the sponge brush was twisted as the paint was applied to the canvas, creating a swirly circle each time. The colours also blended together with this effect, which can be quite fun!

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Janine explored a lot of different techniques with Paint Daubers in this layout to create a fun mixed media page that pops with delicate colours from the Crate Paper Little BoPeep range of papers.

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mixed media: shapes - reader’s challenge

We thank Robyn Wood for sending us images of this wonderfully original canvas. Congrats Robyn – you win this weeks prize pack!

 

Robyn shares a lot of details about her process too which is fantastic. She writes: For this piece I used a Crafters Workshop stencil (mini pomegranates) to provide the ‘shapes’. Here is a little more detail:

· The base is a 7” x 5” flat canvas which was covered with tiny pieces of ripped dictionary paper. Once dry this was painted with a wash of pale blue/aqua/white acrylic paints.

· The stencil was placed on one side of the canvas and spritzed with marmalade glimmer mist – I towelled it off a touch to lighten the colour.

· Each of the ‘pods’ was outlined & embellished with a white Molotov marker.

· Extra dimension (and ‘shape’) was added with a Tim Holtz chicken wire stamp.

· My ‘She Art’ girl was paper pieced using Bo Bunny papers – the butterflies on her skirt tie in nicely with the stamped butterflies & tissue tape.

· A couple of Tim Holtz Papillion butterflies were stamped & coloured & bent a little so that their wings are sticking up.

 

 

Chantelle Huizenga sent us this beautiful layout this week.  She writes:  I’ve included shapes into my page by using punches and die-cuts which include: circle punch EK Success, My Minds Eye banner die-cut, MS doily punch, MS butterfly punch and also CW stencil mini harlequin with texture paste.

 

 

We thank Faygie Fellig for this eye catching layout with super creative layering and textures.

 

 

Finally, Rebecca Cameron sent us this wonderfully soft page. She writes:  As you can see Louise Nelson has inspired the ink circle around the photo. The line of torn squares was inspired by a Sabrina Ward Harrison artwork.

Such wonderful work ladies – thank you.

mixed media techniques: shapes

This week we’re looking at ways of incorporating shapes into your mixed media projects and scrapbook layouts – from diecuts and punched shapes to epoxy and Art Parts. 

Check out the inspiration provided by our fabulous design team below and then, send us images of your own projects inspired by repetitive or scene-building shapes.   Please try and use Aussie Scrap Source brands where you can – we’ve got amazing Sizzix and Memory Box dies, EK Success and Martha Stewart punches and lots more. 

In return we've got a prize pack to give away - if you want to give it a try we’d love to showcase them in a blog post next week.

Email pics of your textural techniques to [email protected] by next Tuesday 28th August for a chance to win one of our fabulous prize packs!

 

 

 

For the shapes mixed media challenge brief Louise got to create with the versatile Epiphany range of products; and it is these she has taken her direct inspiration from. Louise chose to use one of the range of self adhesive buttons. The round buttons coordinated perfectly with one of her favourite Crafters Workshop templates.

 

Louise took direct inspiration from the shape of these Epiphany buttons and used the circle design to inspire through the whole creative process of her layout.

 

Using gesso in a mist bottle Louise first sprayed a combination of funky circle patterns on to her background.

 

Then using The Crafters Workshop circle explosion template and Tattered Angels chalk Chalkboard glimmer mist, Louise created an 'explosion' of circles over the top of the funky gesso circle pattern.

 

This is how the background looked after drying. It is just the perfect complement to the Epiphany button embellishments.

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For the Shape challenge Chris has used Studio 490 Art Parts.  Art Parts are thick, durable paper board surfaces designed exclusively for altering.  They are sturdier than other thinner chipboard and will not bend or warp.  Chris embossed some of the Art Parts with American Crafts Zing Gold embossing powder with a glitter finish.  She also used Strano Ribbon Stiff to adhere some scrunched up 7Gypsies tissue paper to the house shapes.  Chris created the background by stamping different shaped background stamps with black Stazon and then blended Ranger distress inks over the patterns.

 

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Kim has used a simple circle punch to create the textured background on this 8x8 inch mixed media canvass.  After punching the circles Kim has inked the edges and then randomly glued them to the background.  Once all of the circles were attached, Kim has placed some stars punched from offcuts of cardstock onto the background and then misted the entire background with a copper mist, creating a subtle star design in the background.

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According to wikipedia, mixed media, in visual art, refers to an artwork in the making of which, more than one medium has been employed.  Most commonly, art using a combination of paint, ink and collage techniques, are referred to as mixed media.  Sue Tonga does not consider herself a mixed media artist but she does like to include different mediums in her scrapbooking layouts.  Sue has created this stunning layered page, true to her signature style, incorporating patterned papers, hessian, tulle, stitching, sequins and beads. 

To create the main part of the layout, Sue cut a piece of paper 6 inches x 12 inches and used a die-cutting machine and a heart die to cut negative space in an even pattern, across the length of the paper.  Next, Sue adhered a piece of hessian to a piece of cardstock (the same size as the patterned paper) and then adhered the die-cut paper over the top.  Sue then added lots of stitching, sequins and beads to create a visually stunning feature.  To fit with the mixed media theme, Sue chose scrapbooking embellishments that were made from a variety of mediums.  For example, Sue used Hambly transparency to create a photo mat, a metal Prima trinket and a stunning beaded and sequined bird vine from Prima. 

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mixed media: texture - reader’s challenge

We thank our readers who have sent in a heap of wonderful projects to inspire us all this week. Congratulations to Belinda Spencer who will receive a prize pack for this stunningly textured mini album..

 

Belinda Spencer shares this stunning mini album.  She writes: 

Here's my entry for your Creating Texture challenge.

1. I applied torn pieces of book paper with PVA glue to the cover. I sanded all around the edges and inked with Antique Linen Distress Ink.
2. Next I applied acrylic paint in a few places and then stamped into it with a damask rubber stamp.
3. Once that was dry, I applied gesso randomly across the surface varying the thickness. I blasted it with a heat gun to get a lovely bubbling effect.
4. Next I sprayed on some Suede Glimmer Mist and dried with the heat gun.
5. I swiped a Walnut Stain Distress Ink inkpad across the surface to accentuate the texture.
6. Lastly, I added all embellishments.

 

 

‘Inchies’ are a great way to add texture and detail.   Dale Tiernan writes of this colourful card: The textural elements are the squares that the letter stickers are on.

 

 

Jenni Kylmakoski sent in this amazing triptych.  She writes:  This time I tried to get rid of old chipboard letters. I used them to make a background. I painted with gesso all over the canvas and then sprayed with Dylusions. With gesso, the effect of the colour is smoother, otherwise (lower right ) it is darker and you get nicer effect. I utilised back ink to get contrast to lower left canvas.

 

 

We loved Peg Hewitt’s layout as well. She writes:  I love adding texture and a bit of mixed media to my pages. Your post on this inspired me to go and play :-)  For this page I stitched fabric to the backing card then painted gesso over a stencil. Once dry I added some spray mists to highlight the pattern and blend in the photos.

 

 

Rebecca Cameron gives us lots to look at in this clever page.  She writes:  Currently I have been experimenting a lot with creating backgrounds so I have plenty of bits of paper lying around. On this layout I have ripped up sheets of paper that I had applied texture paste to through masks. I also pressed the excess texture paste onto paper so I had a negative image of the mask. Texture was also added using snowflakes cut out of paper, paint that was layered and lots of mists including white ink spritz from a mister.

 

 

We thank Sharmaine Kruijver for this super texture-filled tag.  She wrote:  I’ve used a few layers of book paper on top of the tag. I’ve then misted and painted the paper.
I’ve also added some texture to the chipboard using texture paste and layers of paint.
Finally I’ve added texture to the tag with a painted paper doily, which I stapled on to the tag.

 

 

And finally this really pretty canvas from Wendy Antenucci who writes:  Here is a canvas I created using something new for me - wire!  I used molding paste, inks, stamps, and sprays to create my background.  Here is a blog post I created with more pictures and instructions.

mixed media series: creating texture

At its most basic level, any time you layer products on a project, you are creating texture.  But real textural backgrounds or projects are the ones you want to run your hands over as well as your eyes, where the feel of the project is as much a part of the experience as the visual one.

We invite you to be inspired by our design team and their projects below and try some new textural techniques for yourself – on cards, layouts, canvas or whever!  In return we've got a prize pack to give away - if you want to give it a try we’d love to showcase them in a blog post next week. 

Email pics of your textural techniques to [email protected] by next Tuesday 21st August for a chance to win one of our fabulous prize packs!

 

 

Jill van Iperen creates breathtaking canvases using wonderful layers of mixed media.  See the process below she uses to create the above beauty. 

 

Creating texture is simply a matter of creating many layers.  Experiment with your stash of products: trying tearing your papers, adding some journaling blocks, some flowers and perhaps try adding some fabric and ribbon.

Jill works through multiple layers and then covers them all with a selection of paints, inks and gesso.

 

Once the background paint is dry, Jill adds colour to her artwork.  Colour helps to highlight the many layers on your creation.  By adding some microbeads, glitter or even sand, subtle textures can be created highlighting the subject of your creation. 

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Jane says that creates this fun textured background is very a quick and easy to do, it’s also a great way to use your Washi tapes. Any embossing folder will do but the more intricate the design the more difficult it will be to see when the texture paste is applied, so the larger designs works best.  As always, the best advice is to just experiment and have fun!

 

Cover the front of a card with a collection of Washi tapes in random patterns, lengths and directions.

 

Trim away the Washi tape from around the edges and emboss the piece with an embossing folder.

 

Swipe texture paste over the piece using a small spatula and let it dry. If any tapes start to roll up or move just push them back down with your finger.

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Finally, Suz Doyle has created an array of texture in this mixed media canvas, from the chipboard ‘window’ she has covered in texture paste and ink, to the gorgeous Memory Box dies that form part of the background.  She has used Carta Bella “Beautiful Moments” 6x6 papers to create the base and built upon these with layers of gesso, ink, masks, stamps, glitter and more to create the finished look.  The beauty of this kind of technique is that you really don’t have be scared of going ‘wrong’ – if you don’t like something, just paint over it!

 

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mixed media resist techniques - readers challenge

Thanks to everyone who sent in amazing projects for this mixed media resist challenge.  Congratulations this week to Chantelle Huizenga who shared with us this delicate but perfectly defined resist images on her layout!

 

We loved Chantelle Huizenga’s layout which showcases the wet embossed resist technique perfectly. She wrote: I’ve created this LO and used the emboss resist technique – I’ve used white embossing powder. Once the image was heat set, I’ve misted over it with October Afternoon mist and then also stamped a script stamp with ink.

 

 

Belinda Spencer sent us images of these two breathtaking projects.  She writes:  Please find attached my two projects using the crayon resist technique. This is a favourite technique of mine as it is so cheap and easy and gives a fantastic result.

 

 

Jodie King sent us these beautiful tags.  She writes:  These are a couple of tags I made recently.  First  I stamped using a background stamp with off-white paint as the base layer, then applied some Distress Inks (the paint resists the ink) before stamping with Stazon and adding a few other elements to finish

 

Sharmaine Kruijver writes:  Attached is a tag I made using the clear embossing technique.  Love that you are doing the mixed media blog posts and encouraging people to try new things.

mixed media series: resist techniques

We’ve had such a positive response to this new mixed media series, we thought we’d turn it into a readers challenge!    Our design team has included some stunning projects below using several different resist techniques – there's heaps of different ways you can use resist techniques in your projects from wax crayons to clear embossing areas of your page, and even tie dying as Leeann shows below.

We've got prize packs to give away - if you want to give it a try we’d love to showcase them in a blog post next week.  Email pics of your resist technique project to [email protected] by next Tuesday 14th August for a chance to win one of our fabulous prize packs!

 

 

For Leeann mixed media is made up of so many amazing layers using so many techniques at the same time. One technique that Leeann shares with you from this piece is Resist! Which when you think about it, there are so many ways in which you can use this technique. Leeann shares an old favourite tie dying using coloured dye sprays on fabric.

As you can see the first part of this artsy piece is all about making up that first layer. From there we continue to build each of the layers up using an assortment of paint, printed tissue paper, decoupage mediums. To help create texture an assortment of sponges, stippling brushes, bubble wrap and masks are used also in a layering type fashion. The finishing details are using black and white pens to highlight images and words along with using rub-ons very randomly.

 

Leeann want to show you how she created her first layer. Using this tie dying technique. Immediately  you can see how the resist works. Simply by scrunching and tiring the fabric  with hair ties it has restricted  areas of the fabric from the dye thus acting as a resist.

Using SEI orange tumble dye on a damp piece of calico.

Leeann added a small amount of SEI green tumble dye by simply twisting areas of the fabric and then sprayed.

 

The end result and the base for Leeann's artsy piece of she art!

 

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Janine had so much fun with this Mixed Media page. You can see her process below.

 

First she layered lots of scrap paper and then a layer of gesso.  Once that had dried she then used the negative from a butterfly die she had cut out and pressed on tinted embossing pad.

 

Then she covered it with white embossing powder and heat set. This gives a beautiful glossy embossed image on the page.

 

This acted as a resist for the layers of paint and Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist she applied afterwards. Here you can see the pink paint already down as well as the wet Aquamarine glimmer Mist, it looks like it is bleeding into the embossed area at this point.

 

You just had to press a damp cloth over the embossed area after each colour application to ensure that the resist effect came through. As you can see here the mist is still wet, but once dry you still have the embossed butterfly showing through very clearly.  Try and only wipe off over the embossed area as you will take off a bit of the mist off the rest of the design if you wipe too vigorously past the edges as the gesso underneath is also a partial resist to Glimmer Mist.

 

Janine then went on to add some texture paste through a Crafter Workshop template and add more colour over the top.  Finally she added another layer of embossed masking right on top using a Prima brick mask.

 

 

 

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Can you remember this technique from school? It was fun then and it can be just as much fun now :)
For this layout Louise has drawn simple heart shapes with a white wax crayon on a white background. To highlight this resist pattern she has sprayed Tattered Angels Chalkboard Glimmer Mist over the hearts, due to the waxy surface the mist is resisted.

Louise has also been using this technique in a recent Tattered Angels Design Team blog post here.

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Finally, a heads up for the mixed media challenge next week – it’s all about Texture.  Get your stash together – techniques we’re looking at include dry embossing, texture paste, modelling clay, molds, beads, glitter.. the possibilities are endless!

mixed media series: finishes/patinas

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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