Mixed Media Project's

Hello mixed media lovers.  This is a long post, but bare with me.  I rarely share personal stuff, so I"m going to make up for some of that in this post, teehee.   My daughter, Nicole, visited us (she's away at college in FL) back in June and we had a wonderful time crafting together.  I treasure these times with her now that she is an adult and lives so far away.  They grow up so fast, don't they.  

 She is a sweet, loving, funny, crazy, quirky, energetic young women who is passionate about changing the world by becoming a teacher, teaching in inner-city schools, and reaching children who need to know how much God loves them.  And these qualities often shine through in her art as well.

I am so proud of  the young women she is becoming and how she celebrates life with all that she has!
YOU go girl!!

She is a full-time student and works part-time, so she doesn't get to create as much as she would like to.  She loves arts and crafts but has never taken any classes.  She loves to re-purpose things and we never knew what she would find at a second hand shop and bring home to turn into "art".  She just see's things that inspire her and goes for it.    Often she is inspired by a bible verse, song lyrics, meaningful quote, or something that is going on in her life.  She loved the piece I created as a result of taking Roben-Marie Smith's online class back in April and wanted to give it a try.  (You can check out my project HERE.)  She created a couple of projects and wow!  I was so proud.  She has never taken mixed media classes, so it really does show you how awesome Roben's class is.  I don't want to share all the step by step instructions, since Roben's class is still up for sale, but I will share a few photo's of Nicole as she was building her canvas.

  

Roben's class is "Art Journal Conversion" and you can read more about it HERE.

It involves lots of spray inks, stencils, gesso, modeling paste, doodling.  All the things you have probably used before as a mixed media artist.  What was different for me is the way Roben builds layer upon layer creating so much depth in the background.  I love here style and loved the class.  And it was a steal for $24.99.  The only thing I didn't own, and had to add to my supply's was oil pastels.  I got a set for about $10.  You can check out Roben's blog and projects on her blog HERE.

She used the same techniques to alter a journal cover

   

Add because this post is all about my daughter and her art, I am going to share a few more pieces she has created over the years.  Not always the best photo's (she took them herself) and often her idea of a good background was the grass in the backyard, teehee.  I hope you see something that inspires you!  

She likes to take models from magazines, adhere them in her art to use as a base, and then paint over them. This one makes me laugh, it says "How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being"

   

 This is one of her cats.

" He who accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it"  "I have a dream that for little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judges by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."  "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"  MLK, Jr.

"But hold on to what you believe ... in the light ... when the darkness has robbed you of all your sight"

"I know my call despite my faults and despite my growing fears"

  

"Tonight I'm going to bury that horse in the ground"

  

I thought this one was an octopus at first, teehee.  But it's a mouth with words coming out of it.

"There's nothing else we can do.  We have to speak about the things we've seen and heard"

  

  "For we can not but speak the things from which we have seen and heard"  Acts 4:20

This is a series of 3 long canvases.  Across the bottoms of the dresses "I'm tired of striving to be, who You already say that I am.  I am Yours"  "All I know is beautiful in me is You.  Every good thing, every true thing.  Beautiful in me is You".  It's so wonderful and encouraging  to know there are young adults out there who are not consumed with this world, and desire to serve God.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

If I do not love, I am nothing.  1Cor 13 1-3

Not just your art, but your life and who you are is an inspiration to me my sweet girl!

Live, laugh, love!  Mom

Gina K. Designs - "Stars" with gesso

For this ensemble, I decided to focus on CAS and gesso.  The stamp set is "Stars" by GinaK Designs.  Isn't that star border die so cute!!  It's by Sweet n' Sassy.  It comes as a combo with a heart one as well.  

The large star is from a stencil.

thanks for stopping by!
Melisa

You can check out all of my Gina K. Designs Projects HERE.

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Project Details

Card #1

Rock Star - 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

All Stamps : Gina K. Designs "Stars"
Kraft Paper : Papertrey Ink
Patterned Paper : Cosmo Cricket 6 x 6 paper pad
Ink : Tsukineko Brilliance Red Rocket
Gesso
Star Stencil : Art Minds by Michaels

Dry brush on gesso where you want to stamp sentiment.  Trace large star on patterned paper with a stencil, trim, and adhere to card front.   Stamp stars, trim, and adhere to card front.  Stamp sentiment.

Card #1

Card #2

God's Promises - 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

All Stamps : Gina K. Designs "Stars"

Kraft Paper : Papertrey Ink

Ink : Tsukineko Brilliance Red Rocket

Gesso

Star / Scallop die : Sweet n' Sassy

Dry brush on gesso where you want to stamp sentiment.  Cut star / scallop borderwith die and adhere to card front.  Stamp stars, trim, and adhere to card front.  Stamp sentiment.


Card #3

Good Friends - 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

All Stamps : Gina K. Designs "Stars"

Kraft Paper : Papertrey Ink

Ink : Tsukineko Brilliance Red Rocket

Gesso

Star die : Sweet n' Sassy

Dry brush on gesso where you want to stamp sentiment.  Cut star / scallop border with die and adhere to card front.  Stamp stars, trim, and adhere to card front.  Stamp sentiment.

Mixed Media : Creative Dreams Art Journal Cover

Hello mixed media lovers.  Today I'm sharing the cover of my "Creative Dreams" art journal.  I've shared some of the pages from inside it in the past.   I finally finished the cover.  I'm really into these colors right now.  These are the colors I"m using  to decorate my studio right now and this book is sitting up on one of the shelves.

You can view all my mixed media journal pages HERE.  I have more pages started, just need to finish them up and will share later.

I started by covering the outside of the book with gesso.  The background was created by adding paint (aqua and green) and gesso til I got a distressed look that I liked.  

I LOVE using tissue paper in my art work.  I used some green polka dot tissue paper by Pink Paislee across the bottom.  I used yellow and pink tissue paper but didn't have any orange, so I sprayed white tissue paper.    I cut strips of each color, then rolled them horizontally, and then twisted each strip.  Then I used white glue and wrapped the twisted strips into circles to create the flowers. 

The stems and leaves were hand cut from green patterned paper.    I used a Sketch and Wash pencil to distress / add shading around outside edges of leaves, stems and some of the flowers.   I used a oil pastel crayons by Crayola.  I use the really cheap ones,  from Hobby Lobby, and I have a 24 ct Portfolio set as well.  They run about $10 and I ordered mine online from Amazon.  I used them to add shading to the leaves and on the background around the flowers.  You have to do your doodling (Pilot G-2 07 - Walmart) before using the oil pastels.  

"Creative" - I used a stencil
"Dreams" - rub-ons
"Dream Big"  - hand written, inspired by a doodling online class I took from Stephanie Ackerman

Inside pages
I adhere 4 or more pages together with gesso.  Then gesso all the pages and inside cover front and back.
The gesso is wet so the pages warp a little, but it's an altered journal, and I thing that just gives it character.

Some of the pages peel apart a little using the gesso to adhere them together.  Again, I like that look, so I don't worry about it.  

I have also started another one by altering a calender book.  I will share that one in the future as well.





I want to tell you about a new (looks like it started up in April)  blogozine I found that has lots of Mixed Media / Altered type projects and posts with technique tutorials.  Looks like they are hosting 2 challenges a month.  You can find them by clicking on the RAQ 1 and RAQ 2 tabs along the top of the blog.  And if you like to right "articles", then it looks like they have calls as well.  You can find out more about becoming a contributor to their blogozine HERE.  I love monthly challenges because it gives me lots of time to plan.  I'm off to work on my scrapbook project for RAQ 2 !!!

Thanks for stopping by!!
Melisa


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Fabulous Mixed Media Classes I have taken

Christy Tomlison - She Art 44.95
She Art 2  $44.99
Your Living Canvas $109  (purchased this one, but haven't had time to watch it yet)
Junelle Jacobson - The Art of Wild Abondonment  $44.99
Roben-Marie Smith - Art Journal Conversion $24.99
Stephanie Ackerman - Doodle, Too!  $35
Sue Pelletier - Burlap and Paper Clay $35

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Challenges

4 Crafty Chicks (thur) - circles

Paperplay (thur) - recycle (I used and old book to create my altered journal)

Wags and Whiskars (fri) - favorite color combo (this is my favorite color combo right now.  I'm actually creating an entire shelf of altered items for a shelf in my studio using these colors!)

2 Sisters (sat) -  In the Garden

Unruly Paper Arts (monthly) - Dear Diary (this is the cover of an Altered Joural)

Catered Crop (sun) - distressed ( I used ink, paint, and a Sketch and Wash pencil to achieve my distressed look on the cover of this altered journal / book)

Mixed Media Art Journal Project

I finished 2 more pages in my art journal today.  So much fun!  I started with color inspiration from the Color Throwdown challenge blog and added the scripture from this weeks Word Art Wednesday challenge.

1. I started with 2 gesso coated book pages.  I used a thin layer so that the words were visible.

2. Scribble some blue (#47 Lyra Aquacolor) over the background and then brush water on to spread the paint.

3. Lay stencil (I used a circular medallion from Layers of Color) and sponge on purple watered down acrylic paint over the openings on the inside of the medallion and very lightly around the edges. 

4.  Pounce on watered down yellow acrylic paint over sequin waste (punchanella). 

5. Smear on some green paint with finger.

6. Spray with Work Fixative and dry with heat gun.  May not have been necessary, but before I started layering more color, I wanted to set what I had already added.

7. Roll on brown ink (Brilliance Pearlescent Chocolate by Tsukineko) using Jumbo Rollagraph Stamp Wheel with the Floral Flourish image around edges and in a few area's in center. I didn't want the full image, so I rolled lightly. You could use any type decorative stamp, but I like that the Rollagraph makes it easy for me to lightly roll and get a partial image. 

8. Wipe brown ink around edges. I used a little water on my fingers to smear it.

9.  Apply white acrylic paint with bubble wrap.

10.  Stamp Stampendous Music Score  on watercolor paper multiple times with water resistant ink (I used Palette Noir and then ran the heat gun over it a couple of times just to be safe).  Brush watered down white acrylic paint over some of the music score images (for picket fence and flower centers) and yellow watereed down paint over the rest (for sun). 

11. Hand cut fence and sun pieces.  Scribble around edges of all pieces with brown #59 Neocolor II crayon and smear with ZIG H20 Brush.  LOVE these brush's!  They come in different sizes and I just wipe them off on paper towels in between colors.

12.  Tear green patterned paper and adhere along the bottom of pages.  Only adhere along the bottom edge so you can slip the ends of fence and stems in later.  Use brown watercolor crayon around edges of grass.

13. Adhere fence and sun.

14. Cut flower #1 / heart flowers from purple patterned paper. Brush on yellow watered down yellow paint onto watercolor paper and cut flower #2.  Cut all flower centers from the white music score paper created earlier.  Cut leaves / stems from green patterned paper.  Add / smear brown watercolor crayon around edges of all pieces. 

15. Print scripture and cut into tag.  Tear one end.  Add / smear brown watercolor crayon around edges of tag.  Adhere tag to page and add bow.

16. Adhere stems, leaves, and flowers.  Before adhering leaves, crumble and crease.  Adhere ends of grass to page.  Embellish with buttons.  Doodle.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Melisa

See all my MIXED MEDIA TUTORIALS HERE

See all my MIXED MEDIA / COLLAGE PROJECTS HERE

See all my ART JOURNAL PROJECTS HERE

View all my Faith Art projects HERE.

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Linked to :

http://www.uncommondesignsonline.com

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Challenges

Color Throwdown

Word Art Wednesday (wed) - Psalm 28:7

For Fun (wed) - tags (handmade tag with scripture on it)

Little Red Wagon (wed) - spring

Crop Stop (thur) - buttons and bows

Lily Pad (fri) - flowers

Crafty Emma's (sat) - paper piece

Inspiration Emporium (montly) - watercolor

Sketchbook Challenge (monthly) - open