Technique Tags: Aquatints

I’ve been playing with my Aqua Tints by Spectrum Noir (super awesome liquid watercolours) and have been inspired by Sheena Douglass to create my own set of technique tags.  A lot of these were suggested by Sheena on her colouring DVD and YouTube channel but I have added some other techniques from here and there.  I’d like to keep adding to this page when I do more!  The tags used are Craftwork Cards Essentials Tags.

From left to right: original colour, mixed with white (opaque goache), mixed with black (tint)

Mica paints: mixed with silver (more silver), mixed with gold (less gold)

Mica resist using Sheena’s stencil with gold and then washing colour over

Pastel layers using two layers of pastel blocks allowing to dry in between layers

Using glycerine and cut ‘n’ dry foam to blend colours

Salt technique: add salt to wet colours and leave to dry

Brayering: two colours added one at a time with brayer, also distress ink around edge

Gesso surface: colour painted on top, also flicked water to create faux bleaching

Sponging with kitchen sponge

Cling Film wrinkles with silver

White stamping top layer

Marbling by dragging through colours but needs to include white

White top layer over coloured layer

Art Journal: Never Judge a Cat (with Mixed Media Cats’ Eye)

My brief this time was ‘your favourite animal’… as a bit of a cat lady that was easy.  Whilst mesmerised by my cats eyes I wanted to know how realistically I could recreate a cat’s eye on paper.  Their eyes look as though they are made from layers of cosmic realms with crackles and encapsulated in a crystal clear top layer.  Having practised in my art journal I know I’ll by doing this again.  I’m very satisfied with the results.

Ingredients for the Eye

• Pebeo High Viscosity Acrylic in Raw Sienna and Iridescent Gold
• Pebeo Vitrea Black Liner
• Pebeo Vitrail Lightener and Orange
• Pebeo Moon in
• Pebeo Prism in
• One Step Crackle Medium
• Faber Castell Pitt Pen #169
• Aqua Tint #33
• Ranger Glossy Accents

Ingredients for the rest of the page

• Pebeo Black Gesso
• Pebeo acrylics: iridescent gold, dyna paints #’s 353 356 357
• Transparent vitrae liner
• Faber Castell white Aquarelle
• Stamps: Craftwork Cards More Than Words and Alphabet (paw print was from a free magazine gift)
• Cosmic Shimmer embossing powder in Ivory
• Stickles glitters
• Chipboard and plasma letters from Craftwork Cards

 

I love the amazing depth of the specialist paints for the eye and the two-tone colours of the letters!

Art Journal: In My Own Little World

This journal entry was came from a challenge to do a self portrait… yikes.  Well I drew something resembling my younger self (I went for a childhood portrait because I wanted to go for bright garish colours which happened to resemble my favourite childhood colour combination).  I urge anyone to have a go at doing a self portrait without trying to get it right because to result should still look quite cool and if in doubt add big eyes!

Ingredients

• Faber Castell Gelatos
• Spectrum Aqua Pens
• Distress Ink Vintage Photo
• Faber Castell Pitt Brush Pens
• Pebeo acrylics
• Paper doilies
• Paper by Craftwork Cards Fab Fabrics
• Liquid Pearls
• Stickles
• Stencil by Sheena Douglass
• Texture Stamps by Crafters Companion

Did you know you can also paint with liquid pearls?  Check out the lips!

Art Journal: Wishes are the Magic in our Heart

So to front my art journal chapter on wishes I wanted to use my Tim Holtz saying stamp.  I tried to keep things fairly basic with this one as I just wanted to play.

Ingredients

• Pebeo white gesso and gel medium
• Acrylic paints in blues and greens
• Pebeo Dyna paint in blue green and iridescent gold
• Pebeo high density texture paste
• old book pages and a flower punch
• Stencil: Dot fade by Tim Holt, Distress grid by Memory Box
• Stickles in greens and blues
• Distress inks in greens and blues and Archival Black ink
• Gelatos by Faber Castell in grey and black and metallic mint green

Tutorial: Miniature Paper Tile Mosaics

You will need:

• Chipboard
• Printed paper off cuts: I used Fab Fabrics paper pad by Craftwork Cards
• Double sided heat stable sticky sheet: I recommend Ranger Wonder Tape Sheets
• Embossing powder: for a grout/cement look go for Distress Embossing Powders Pumice Stone Effect, Grey
• Ranger Glossy Accents, Clear
• Optional die cutting machine and die cut shapes, or just use scissors

What to do:

1. Remove one side of wonder tape sheet and attach to chipboard
2. Cut or die cut your chosen shape
3. Remove final backing paper from tape and adhere small cuts of paper
4. Pour embossing powder over the chipboard and rub into the gaps
5. Heat emboss
6. Add glossy accents to the paper pieces