At the last Urban Flea Market, I purchased a vintage license plate with plans to alter it in a Steampunk fashion. Well tonight I finally had a chance to work on it. I won’t have a full material list for this one as I got a little into the creative process and forgot to keep track. I did use a 6″ gear that I purchased from the Etsy Shop, Victorian Foundry. Isn’t it so cool!?!
Gears, vintage finds, and other embellishments were also used to create this Steampunk design along with DecoArt paints. Well, it is a late night but well worth it as I really enjoyed this project.
Here is a video demonstrating how to build layers with an Acrylic Resist technique that I picked up from an Andy Skinner video that I watched. The video (“Mixed Media Background Techniques”) was posted to YouTube back on 9/14/2014.
Love this technique!
Video:
Project photo:
Material list”
DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint – Cotton Candy, Antique Rose, Bahama Blue, Bluegrass Green, Lamp (Ebony) Black
DecoArt American Medius – DuraClear Gloss Varnish, Decou-page Matte
This Valentine’s Day Art Journal project is all about collaboration. I was super excited to be able to use the Goggle Girl “Crazy Heart” image (designed by Fine Artist Carrie Sue of Carrie Sue Fine Art Illustrations) as my focal point for this page.
I thought Crazy Heart would look best against a grunge backdrop of red and black. This background was created by using layers of “stencils and ink” along with “stencils and texture paste”. Color was added using Glimmer Mist sprays. Crazy Heart was adhered to a piece of patterned paper and then framed with washi tape. Just a few embellishments finished off this design.
Sharing a new project with you all that I just completed tonight while watching the Olympics. We enjoy watching all the Olympians compete and excel in their events. It is one of those times when you, of course, root for your own country while still being pleased when someone from another country does well. The talent of all these athletes are amazing.
A lot of texture on this page. I started by adding texture powder and sand to texture paste, then I applied this mixture to the canvas with a palette knife. Next I added book text and additional texture with smooth texture paste through a stencil. The canvas was then covered with a layer of gesso.
I then painted the canvas with a base layer of acrylic paint. Lots of steampunk elements (pre-prepped with gesso) were then adhered to the canvas until I liked the overall effect. Metallic acrylic paints were then used to paint and highlight the keys, gears, arrows and other embellishments. I then treated the entire canvas with a layer of satin varnish.
Materials used:
DecoArt Acrylic Paint – Bittersweet, Fawn, Honey Brown
My mixed media project tonight is all about being happy. I am super happy about being accepted into the DecoArt Helping Hand Artist Program!
This is a great program that will allow me to offer more Art Journaling, Card Making and Mixed Media Classes. So, a big thank you to DecoArt for this opportunity. To celebrate, I have created a Mixed Media project on a 10″ x 10″ stretched canvas titled “Happy”. Of course, using DecoArt paints and mediums.
Be sure to watch my upcoming events page as I will soon be announcing a new class that I will be teaching as part of a large regional event. Woohoo!
On Saturday, I spent some time looking for treasures at a local Vintage/2nd hand shop, Needful Things.
I loved the shop and the store owners were great to interact with. I also found several great finds; one of which was a little 4″ x 4″ chipboard album. I have been wanting to put together a mini art journal book and, when I saw this item, I knew it would work perfectly!
Project steps:
I painted over the cover with white gesso and then applied texture paste over a stencil (front and back cover).
After dry, I stamps with a script stamp in archival black ink (front and back cover).
Next I applied color with acrylic paint sprays until I achieve the look I was happy with (front and back cover).
To protect my work, I then applied a coat of clear matte varnish (front and back cover).
Stamp bird stamp on to pattern paper, cut out with circle die and adhere to metal rimmed tag.
For embellishments, I used several pieces from my junk jewelry collection along with a metal rimmed tag, metal bow and ribbon (front cover only).
Re-purposing and finding items second-hand is a nice way to stretch your crafting dollars (album was only $1) as well as being kind to the environment. It really is amazing what you can discover! I also find that it inspires me; as I walk through the store looking at items my mind is active, thinking of the ways I can use each of them. I often come away with a host of project ideas that I have to right down, so I won’t forget!
So, I would recommend that you take some time to explore your local Vintage, Antique, or Thrift shops to find some treasures for your next mixed media project!
So, January was a busy, busy month for me. Art Journal classes, Creativation, and other travels really kept me hopping! Although, I really can’t complain, because I had so much fun and really enjoyed the adventure of it all. Now it is time to get back to the things I have been putting off…like the bookkeeping and planning.
The project that I am sharing with you today is a Mixed Media piece done on a 8″ x 10″ flat panel canvas. I actually completed the project about a week ago and posted it on Instragram however, I wanted to get it framed prior to posting it here on my blog.
Finished and framed:
Unframed:
I think the frame really finishes up this piece nicely.
The frame I used was a slightly banged up frame that I got on clearance for only $2.50. I painted it with Gray spray paint (was dark brown) and then distressed it with some sand paper. I then sealed up the frame with a two coats of satin varnish. I am always checking out the discount bins at my local craft stores for items like this as they work great with distressed, steampunk, and even vintage projects. The additional scrapes and dents only add to the overall effect!
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