Mixed Media Canvas... and a technology fail (for now)

I slaved over this project for a few days... longer than I expected it to take.
Then I slaved over the video so I could post it on my YouTube channel and use it as my Design Team Application for Faber Castell Design Memory Craft but the technology in my life decided it was not going to cooperate so after three attempts at editing the video I missed the deadline... oh well there is always next year.
If anyone is willing to sponsor a completely new video recording system, then all donations will be gratefully accepted and used... just putting it out there to the universe LOL.

Anyway...
In lieu of a step by step video tutorial... for now I wanted to share some pictures of the finished project... my first but definitely not my last altered canvas. I will attempt to edit the video once more having downloaded an updated version of my software... so fingers crossed it works this time. If I'm successful (and you will probably hear the hoops and hollers of joy) then I will update you with the link... if not, then I guess I won't. (You all know that right about now it's personal... it's me or the software and I'm not giving up just yet!!)

The canvas is 6" x 12".

Background colouring done with Faber Castell Gelatos - Peach, Guava, Lavender, Bubble Gum and Earl Grey blended together into a random pattern.

Heat embossed over the top with VersaMark ink and Detail Black Embossing Powder from Stamp Effects using the KaiserCraft "Crackle" clear stamp.
Edges all inked with Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Walnut Stain and Black Soot.

Torn corrugated cardboard, lightly painted with Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber - Snow Cap.

The sentiment (my own creation) was stamped onto white cardstock scraps which I had coloured using the same colour combination of gelatos. It was stamped with Archival Ink - Jet Black using Hero Arts Basic Upper and Lower Case Peg Stamps.

The words were all cut out individually then edged with a Tombow dual tip pen using the brush end before being adhered in place with Glossy Accents.

The polymer clay torso from Kimi at Unique Scrappiness was washed with a mix of gelatos and water.

The flowers from I Am Roses were all coloured in one of the following techniques:

• Gelatos with water to create a water colour - painted
• Gelatos with water in a spritzer bottle - misted
• Lindy's Stamp Gang - misted

The twisted stems are chenille pipe cleaners covered with florists tape which was then rubbed with Faber Castell Gelato - Chocolate and misted with Lindy's Stamp Gang Mists - Cadbury Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Truffle.
The tag was a "Luggage Tag" from Jillibean Soup. This was scrunched up and distressed with Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Walnut Ink and Black Soot.

I included some Steampunk Metal Charms from Faith at Artistic Creationz. They were painted lightly with Faber Castell Gesso which was wiped off with a baby wipe before it had dried.

And finally close up of the two sides showing the embossing wrapping completely around the canvas... easier said than done, but well worth all the effort.

I really love the end result of this project. All the stress and technology EPIC FAILS... aside, it was well worth it and I can't wait to find the perfect spot to put it, so it can inspire me every time I look at it.

Art Journal Page

It's been a while since I did anything in my Art Journal so I did a very quick page that I really love.
It's simple.
It's bright... you may need sunglasses!!
It was inspired by two of my favourite Mixed Media Artists who's blogs I follow religiously... the ever charming Donna Downey who I have told you before I love and the totally off-the-wall but who thinks like me which is quite scary Aaron from Imperfect Impulses. I have been watching their respective channels a lot lately and both have almost a take it or leave it, it is what it is, I'm no perfectionist style of Art Journalling which I love and which encourages me to give it a go, because Lord knows I am far from perfect especially with my art journaling!!

I started with a gessoed page as my blank canvas.
I had been playing with my Faber Castell Gelatos earlier in the weekend to colour my flowers and they were still on my desk, so I picked out a few colours and just proceeded to completely cover my page. For this I used - Lime which I blended with Green Tea and Red Cherry which I blended with Bubble Gum.
I coloured the two green first, then repeated the exercise with the red and pink.
When the page was entirely covered, I spritzed water over the page and using a paint brush blended the two pairs of colours together, starting with the greens.
When all the gelatos were blended I sprinkled water using my hands over the page. The green had almost dried naturally by then, so the water did not have much effect on it, but on the red/pink, the water pulled up the colour so when I dried it with a roll of paper towels, the colour lifted allowing the white gesso to show through giving like a bleached out look in spots across the red and pink.
As I rolled the paper towels over the entire page, some of the red and pink came off the paper towels onto the green in the texture of the paper towels. The transference of colour, while not planned, looks really good... so I must remember to try that again (on purpose).
I dried the page with my heat tool, before drawing some lines with black Indian Ink which I allowed to drip down over the green.
I then left the page to dry naturally.

 The completed page... though I should add a date somewhere to be really completed, not that I've done that on any of my other pages, but I guess I need to start somewhere...

I really like the "bleached" look from sprinkling water on the still wet gelatos, letting it sit for ten seconds or so then drying the page with the paper towels to lift off the colour where the water was dripped. You can also achieve something similar by misting water over a stencil or template. 

Some of my drippage. Alas I don't have a dropper, so I had to improvise (as we Kiwis do) and I made do with the refillable ink well of a Parker Calligraphy Pen from back in the day when I was teaching myself calligraphy. It was a bit awkward and not the easiest thing to control, but it did the trick. It'll have to do until I can afford to go and splurge on a dropper!!

Just a little close up of the transference of ink and the texture from using the paper towels. Unexpected... but good.

I know it's a really simple page, but I like it and that's all that matters. I tried some new products, some new techniques and improvised where I didn't have the tools to do the trick... but isn't that what art is all about!

Swap - Altered Flowers

So carrying on from yesterday's post about the altered chipboard letters for the "My Favourite Things" embellishment swap on Artistic Creationz website... I've also added as one of my other embellishments some flowers I have altered/coloured to match the chipboard letters and ribbons included in each participant's bag of goodies.

Now I have to confess, I wasn't planning on sharing these... why, because you are probably sick of me extolling the virtues and raving about how much I love my Lindy's Stamp Gang mists... and I don't want everyone switching off because you are sick of my raving or just jealous because you want some too. And especially as I posted about some altered flowers earlier in the week as well. But these flowers just turned out so well that I just have to share them and also because I did something a little different this time... some more experimenting with some of my supplies.

I originally thought about misting the colours on for a change but let's be honest, two toned roses just look so much more natural. Yes the Lindy's Stamp Gang mists are two toned... but I wanted to kick it up another notch before I put them away for a few days. So I pulled out my Faber Castell Design Memory Craft Gelatos and my Portfolio Series Water Soluble Oil Pastels to see if they would play nicely with the Lindy's Stamp Gang mists.

And the answer is an emphatic YES!!

I just love these even more than I loved the last bunch of flowers I coloured... and I didn't think that was possible.

So here are the altered/coloured flowers for the swap. Once again I've taken with and without camera flash photographs so you can see the difference. The only other thing is that this time I used Ivory not White roses from I Am Roses.

Don't they just look stunning!! 

Left - Base colour was a light blue oil pastel with Lindy's Stamp Gang Tiffany Lou Blue dripped on the edge of each petal.

Right - Base colour was a dark blue oil pastel with Lindy's Stamp Gang Buccaneer Bay Blue highlights.

Left - Base colour was a Faber Castell Gelato in Guava with Lindy's Stamp Gang Witch's Brew Purple on the edge of each petal. This is definitely one of my favourite colours - I love the blue shimmer in there.

Right - Base colour was a mix of dark grey and black oil pastels with Lindy's Stamp Gang Screamin' Banshee Black which also has a deep blue shimmer to it. 

Left - Base colour was Faber Castell Gelato - Butterscotch with Lindy's Stamp Gang Golden Doubloons for accents. Without the flash it almost looks creamy... but with the flash you can definitely see the beautiful golden colour that it really is.

Right - Base colour was Faber Castell Gelato - Chocolate with Lindy's Stamp Gang Dark Chocolate Truffle on the tips of each petal. 

Left - Base colour was a mix of Faber Castell Gelatos - Lime and Green Tea with Lindy's Stamp Gang Freaky Franken-Lime for on the tips of the petals. This is also one of my favourites because that green is so luscious and intense.

Right - Base colour was mix of Faber Castell Gelatos - Guava and Bubble Gum with Lindy's Stamp Gang Cotton Candy Pink on the tips of each petal to accent. Unlike the altered letter yesterday, you can really see that gorgeous pink colour on the flower here.

Left - Base colour was Faber Castell Gelato - Blood Orange with Lindy's Stamp Gang Hag's Wart Orange for total yumminess. This would have to be my favourite colour combination of all of them. I really love this orange!!
Right - Base colour was a mix of Faber Castell Gelatos - Red Cherry and Chocolate with Lindy's Stamp Gang Cadbury Milk Chocolate on the tips of each petal as an accent.

I only have a few Faber Castell Gelatos at the moment which is why I had to use some of the Portfolio Series Oil Pastels, not that they didn't do the job equally as well. 

There are a number of lessons to be learnt from all of this experimenting - 

• Don't be afraid to mix up your products and tools to get the effect that you really want
• Don't be afraid to use scrapbooking, paper crafting and mixed media art products on other types of projects, rather than just their originally intended use
• Don't be afraid to drip your mists, or add water to your gelatos and oil pastels to turn them into a paint so you can colour or alter items for your projects
• And finally don't be afraid to do something different to what everyone else is doing... it's your art, so you can do whatever you want with whatever you want!