Mixed Media Canvas – Have Faith

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This article is written by Kim Kelley

For this month’s project I decided to try something a bit different on this canvas, instead of using products that were all the same color and style; I chose anything I found in my drawers and jars. Found some metal pieces, flowers of different sizes and some charms to go with the faith theme.

Kim Kelly collects many elements to make a mixed media collage canvas

Finished Project 1

Here is a list of what I used:

~ 8 X 10 canvas

~ White gesso

~ Spray mist by Lindy’s Shabby Turbine Teal, Mad Hatter Mint, Dark Chocolate Truffle, Opal Sea Oats

~Spray mist by 13 arts Pearl Brown Light

~ Spray mist by Smooch Vanilla Shimmer

~ Chipboard from Dusty Attic

~ Miscellaneous charms and flowers from stash

~ Glue gun

~ Finishing spray by Krylon

I glued them all onto the canvas with my glue gun and used gesso to cover all the pieces. I did not completely cover the canvas, just out a bit from each embellishment.

Kim Kelly steps through using many elements for her mixed media collage canvas

Gessoed Canvas

After a few hours of drying time I picked my mist colors, starting with a few shades of brown. At this point I realized I made a huge mistake, having not used the gesso over the entire canvas made the sprays puddle and not color the canvas.

Kim Kelly steps through using many elements for her mixed media collage canvas

Bad Spray

I dried off the wettest part and added more gesso. I used some that I watered down a little and

covered all the areas I missed. And after that dried I started in with my sprays. I really wanted a color palette that could complement any home décor, so sticking with browns I added some teals.

Kim Kelly steps through using many elements for her mixed media collage canvas

Chosen Sprays

Kim Kelly steps through using many elements for her mixed media collage canvas

Good Sprays

At this point my OCD kicks in and I start to question if I have added enough of one color or the other, if I need to add more embellishments, second guessing the color choices and even adding more of all the colors! Crazy, I know. Finally deciding it’s all good and making myself stop and just let it be!

I printed a saying that I am hoping will offer some comfort to a friend of mine. She has been going through a lot the last 2 months and I thought creating this canvas as a little gift may give her a bit of a pick me up. I attached the saying to the canvas with foam dots and sprayed a little of the mists so the saying didn’t look so bright on it. I added the vanilla shimmer which helped mix some of the colors as well as adding the shimmer.

Kim Kelly steps through using many elements for her mixed media collage canvas

Saying

Final step after all is dry is spraying a finishing spray over the canvas in its entirety. Using the spray not only protects the creation but gives it some shine. Here is the finished piece:

Kim Kelly steps through using many elements for her mixed media collage canvas

Finished Project 2

Life is short, do something creative every day!

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Kim Kelley is borderline obsessive about her crafting and her art. She loves mixed media art because you are free to go beyond your comfort zone, using your imagination and exploring an anything goes mind set. Kim loves to learn and explore new techniques and hopes that any art she creates leads someone to find their inner creative artist!

Sites: itsallaboutcrafting.blogspot.com and www.facebook.com/kimscraftyconcepts

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Mixed Media Art in the Round

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This article is written by Melanie Statnick

One of the things I like most about creating mixed media art is the numerous amount of different surfaces you can use to paint or alter. I thought the embroidery hoop was a fantastic idea and it steps away from the average square shape of the canvas.

using embroidery hoop as a framed canvas

using embroidery hoop as a framed canvas

Using a loose sheet of canvas fabric that can be found in most craft stores, I found this in with the scrapbook paper. Trace the inside hoop using a pencil. Gesso the inside of the circle and dry well. Paint shapes with acrylic paint, here I used Distress paint dabber, and I stamped images with Stazon ink pad.

using embroidery hoop as a framed canvas

Pick your favorite stencil and stencil in images and/or write words. Because your surface is primed with gesso you can accomplish the same effects as you would on a regular square canvas.

using embroidery hoop as a framed canvas

Dry well and spray with a matt finish. Flip your artwork over to the back side match the gesso circle you made. Push smaller hoop through the inside. Cut remaining fabric off.

using embroidery hoop as a framed canvas

You can see more about this Julie Fei-Fan Balzer’s Weekly Circles stencil here

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Melanie Statnick is a published artist/writer out of North Carolina. Melanie creates art daily from her private studio. Her style is illustrative and whimsy. Melanie’s artwork can be found in art galleries and shops extensively in NC with international private collections. Learn more about Melanie view her website at: www.melaniestatnickart.com

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Creating Mixed Media Hair Tutorial

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This article is written by Kate Palmer

Today I’m going to show you how to create interesting Mixed Media hair with depth and texture.  You can use this technique on canvas or paper and it results in a project that you want to reach out and touch – to run your fingers over the pattern and surface (well I do any how!)

Mixed Media Hair

What I used:

  • Lindy’s Stamp Gang Products:
  • Magicals mixed with Gesso for pastel background – Cheshire Cat Cherry and Tea Pot Purple
  • Magicals mixed with Gel Medium for hair base – Cheshire Cat Cherry and Tea Pot Purple
  • Magicals mixed with water as ink – Cheshire Cat Cherry, Tweedle Dee Denim and Tea Pot Purple
  • Starburst sprayed over background for subtle shimmer – Cheshire Cat Cherry and Down the Rabbit Hole
  • Magicals mixed with acrylic paint for face – Cheshire Cat Cherry and Tea Pot Purple

Other Products:

  • Martha Stewart Gesso – white
  • Golden Mediums – Glass Bead Gel and Fiber Paste
  • Stencil Magic Stencil – Floral Accent
  • White pre-gessoed canvas

To Create the Mixed Media Hair:
Sketch image onto your canvas
Mixed Media Hair

Colour the hair using Magicals (Cheshire Cat Cherry and Tweedle Dee Denim) mixed with Gel Medium to create a base layer.

Mixed Media Hair

I applied the cherry all over the hair and then added the denim to darken.

Mixed Media Hair

Once the base layer is dry, cover hair with texture paste, making sure to create loads of peaks and valleys as these will catch the colour and shimmer of subsequent layers.

Mixed Media Hair

Once the texture paste is dry, mix Magicals (Cheshire Cat Cherry and Tea Pot Purple) with water to create a sparkly ink and apply over the hair, make sure to be heavy handed and allow the mica to settle into the valleys in the texture paste and allow to dry thoroughly.

Mixed Media Hair

Using your finger apply a light layer of Inka Gold to the high points created by the texture paste, this picks up the texture and breaks up the colours underneath a little.

Mixed Media Hair

For the final step, you will need some Glass Bead Gel and a bold stencil.  Protect the face and apply the bead gel through the stencil onto the hair.

Mixed Media Hair

You will need to allow each section of bead gel to dry before applying the next.

Mixed Media Hair

Once dry, the bead gel takes on a wonderful glossy appearance and the clear beads pick up the colours from underneath and enhance the sparkle.

Mixed Media Hair

I really adore how this turned out, the hair in real life is truly a show stopper!
Kate

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Kate Palmer though perhaps better known as Sparkle Tart loved playing with mixed media and techniques.  Most of her work incorporates sparkly media of some sort, which is used on journal pages, canvases, scrapbooks or hand made cards.

You can see more of Kate’s work at Sparkle Tart or via Facebook – Keep It Simply Sparkly

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A Book with a Different Look

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This article is written by Kim Kelley

About a year ago I made my very first altered book, I had just found out my uncle Rocky was dying of cancer; was given just a few months to live, and I wanted to make something that might give him and the family a bit of hope. So I started playing around with a book I happened to have had two of and viola… a masterpiece was created…

Altered Book Art by Kim KelleyFirst try at an altered book

After that, I was hooked.  Since I enjoy going to antique stores anyway, going through bins and shelves of; well wonderful pieces of junk, I started searching around for books.  Looking for the heavy, hard cover monstrosities that will make fantastic art!

There are a few ways you can alter a book…altering page by page, making a shadow box of sorts, fanning pages, even cutting shapes out of the pages, but I chose to create a stand up, 2 opening frame display.

For this project I used Jacquard Lumiere paints in …. , harlequin chipboard pieces, some other chipboard pieces, bead texture, flake texture, texture gel, and a digital image from Rebecca Sinz named Wither purchased at www.sweetpeastamps.com. Oh and of course a book!

So to start, I find the middle of the book and pretty much break the spine by bending and wringing the book back and forth. If you could see my hands you would tell what to do. Ha-ha. Then I start to glue the pages together. This takes a little time because even though you are not gluing each and every page you do not want to skip too many, maybe every five pages or so. I used mod podge and made sure I got it right up to the spine of the book as well as right to the edges of the page. If there seems to be too many without glue you can always go back and add more.

Altered Book Art by Kim KelleyBending of book, start of gluing

Depending on the size of your book is going to depend on the size of your opening that you cut out. I usually go in about an inch from the edges, draw my lines where I want to cut and then cut down about halfway through the pages. You want to leave the showing page to have some writing.

Now bring out your gesso! I like to put at least two coats of gesso on both the cover and the inside, making sure you get all the cracks and crevices.

Altered Book Art by Kim Kelley

I usually decorate the cover side first. Even if the cover side may not be seen at all times you know someone will pick it up and look at it! I started with my palette knife and several texture mediums; spreading anywhere and everywhere, getting them spread around so that you can see and feel each texture style.

Altered Book Art by Kim KelleyOutside

You want to continue doing the same on the inside, trying to keep it away from the cut out portion. If some drips onto the cut out edge, that’s fine, but keeping the bottom pretty clean is good, so that when you add your image and/or saying it will adhere the way it needs to. I initially added drips and splotches of string gel and then had to cut out the bottom page. Live and learn! Ended up just using some mists instead to give some color to the inside page.

Altered Book Art by Kim KelleyInside

Once you get the texture the way you want it, you can start to add your chip board pieces. I added mine while the texture was still a bit wet, makes for adhering it a lot easier. I used both the outline of the harlequin chipboard and the little pieces that you take out. At this stage I also used my glue gun on the pages, giving both texture and strength to the book.

Altered Book Art by Kim KelleyChipboard

For some reason purple colors jumped off the shelf and onto my craft table, so I figured purples it shall be. I used Burgundy, Grape and Halo Violet Gold; alternating colors and brushes. After the purples dried, I also added black, misting with water and sponging some color off.  The chipboard pieces I colored with black and silver.

Altered Book Art by Kim KelleyPainting it up

Altered Book Art by Kim KelleyPainting it up 2

Altered Book Art by Kim KelleyPainted chipboard

I chose to use an angel for this altered book, I mean who couldn’t use an extra angel around their house. I printed my image twice so that I could make her wings pop out, colored her with Copics and then added glitter to her wings. I will add a scripture or poem once I know who this belongs too, just to make it more personal for them.

Altered Book Art by Kim Kelley Close up of Angel

Altered Book Art by Kim Kelley Finished Project!

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Kim Kelley is borderline obsessive about her crafting and her art. She loves mixed media art because you are free to go beyond your comfort zone, using your imagination and exploring an anything goes mind set. Kim loves to learn and explore new techniques and hopes that any art she creates leads someone to find their inner creative artist!

Sites: itsallaboutcrafting.blogspot.com and www.facebook.com/kimscraftyconcepts

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