Art Journal: The Family Tie is Like a Tree

I have taken a card which I recently made and turned it into an art journal page firstly because there were some really cool techniques involved and secondly to share with you how I can adapt cards for art journal pages and vice versa.  Included in this page is a simple watercolour background using Spectrum Noir Aquatints, colouring using watercolour pencils (Aqua Blend by Spectrum Noir), foiling technique using mixtion relief and a masking tape tree painted with Pebeo acrylic paints.  All of the stamps are from Sheena Douglass A Little Bit Sketchy range and work together beautifully.

Ingredients

• Aquatints by Spectrum Noir
• AquaBlend Pencils by Spectrum Noir
• Black Gesso by Pebeo
• Acrylic Paints by Pebeo
• Mixtion Relief and Gold Foil by Pebeo
• Modelling Paste by Pebeo
• Drawing Gum by Pebeo
• Archival Ink in Black and Watering Can by Ranger
• Stamps by Sheena Douglass: A Little Bit Sketchy (multiple A6 stamp sets)
• Masking Tape

Here’s the original card:

Mixed Media Canvas for Sheena Douglass

This is a mixed media canvas that I created for the designer Sheena Douglass.  The end result was really beautiful with all of its shiny parts and especially the mermaid whose tail catches the light beautifully.  I made it through to the 2nd stage of the recent Design Team Call out for Sheena Douglass and even though I wasn’t picked in the end I still wanted to share with you my makes and how I made my final round canvas featuring stamping, die cuts, stencilling and lots of Pebeo mixed media-ness!  The canvas had lots of super shiny elements thanks to the foiling and the Dyna paints.  For my samples that were made in the first round please scroll down past the video and past the ingredients list…

Ingredients

• Gesso in White and Black by Pebeo
• High density modelling paste and modelling paste by Pebeo
• Crackle texture paste by Golden
• Stamps by Sheena Douglass (mermaid and cracks)
• Stencils by Sheena Douglass (pop dotty and equalizer)
• Dies by Sheena Douglass (wild rose and day of the dead)
• Embossing folder by Sheena Douglass
• Acrylic paints by Pebeo (including Dyna colours)
• Gelatos by Faber Castelle
• Foil Gilding sheets by Pebeo (green and silver)
• Drawing gum by Pebeo
• Perfect medium by Ranger
• Archival ink in Watering Can by Ranger
• Spectrum Noir alcohol pens (skin tones)
• Mixtion relief by Pebeo
• Aluminium tape
• Black card

Here’s my three makes from the first round:

 

Day of the Dead Mini Canvas (click for blog post and video)

Savannah Family Card – I’m planning on making this into an art journal page so make sure you’ve subscribed to my YouTube channel.

Faux Leather Embossed Altered Box – click for the blog post

Mini Canvas: Day of the Dead

These mini canvas boards are great for experimenting ideas in smaller formats before going big!  I’ve attached ribbon to the back so that it hangs.  This picture has been created using some of the stamps and flower die from Sheena Douglass’s Day of the Dead collection. 

Ingredients

• Black Gesso by Pebeo
• Acrylic Dyna Paints by Pebeo
• Stamps by Sheena Douglass (Day of the Dead collection)
• Black Archival Ink by Ranger
• Mixtion Relief and Black Vitrail Liner by Pebeo
• Vitrail, Fantasy and Prisme paints by Pebeo
• Gilding Sheets by Pebeo
• Archival Ink in Tiger Lily
• Sparkle coloured gel pens
• Shrink plastic
• Printer paper
• AquaTints by Spectrum Noir
• Black Ribbon

Art Journal: London

The techniques featured in this art journal spread was inspired by this month’s tag feature by Tim Holtz – namely the tissue tape resist.  The background was created using homemade spray ink with Aqua Tints.  I put texture medium through some stencils and then later caught it with gilding wax (I’m still waiting for shine-o-vision and sparkle-o-vision to be invented!).  The phrase written onto the postcard reads “Of all the places I have ever been – I have never known a place like London”.  Scroll down for a list of ingredients and close up photos…

Ingredients

• Spectrum Noir Aqua Tints (I didn’t have any distress ink sprays waaaaaaaaahhhh)
• Tim Holtz Distress Inks
• Tim Holtz Tissue Tape
• Stamps: Cityscapes and London by Stampers Anonymous / Tim Holtz
• Post card stamp (unknown origin)
• Ruler and Stars stencils by Tim Holtz
• Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Heart Charms, Photobooth, Memo Pin, Mini Screw Brad
• Archival Black Ink by Ranger
• Antique Gold Gilding Wax by Pebeo
• Pitt brush pen by Faber-Castell

Art Journal: Forever Yours

I’ve had a play with Sheena Douglass’s latest stamp range Day of the Dead to create this spread.  The focal point is the watercolour effect created by stamping with distress ink and then blending the ink with water to create shading.  Additional colours were then added from Spectrum Aqua Pens.  The sentiment which comes in the set “Siempre Tuyo” translates to Forever Yours.  As for the background, acrylic dyna paints were stamped before the aquatints to create a resist.  Scroll down past the video for ingredients and additional photos…

Ingredients

• Watercolour card by Crafters Companion
• All stamps by Sheena Douglass (Day of the Dead) – including the stamp and die for the paper flowers
• Wild Rose die by Sheena Douglass (just the leaves)
• Distress ink in Pumice Stone, Mowed Lawn and Peeled Paint
• Spectrum Aqua Pens
• AquaTints by Spectrum Noir
• Pebeo Dyna paints
• Black Archival Ink by Ranger
• Pebeo Gilding Wax in Empire Gold
• Liquid Pearls and Stickles glitter in various colours
• Vintage Bronze Ultra thick embossing powder by Cosmic Shimmer
• White pen by Sakura

5 Background Techniques with AquaTints Volume 1

Following on from my previous post 5 Background Techniques with Distress Inks, I am pleased to demonstrate another medium for you – Spectrum Noir’s AquaTints.  You’ve probably seen me using these here and there in my art journal videos but in case you are unsure these are a liquid watercolour ink in a variety of colours!  They are super pigmented and also include a silver and gold mica paint.

Techniques featured in this volume:

1. Washed Watercolour Blend
2. Mica Spray
3. Chalk Paints
4. Faux Bleaching
5. Mica Resist

1. To create a good washed background use a wide flat brush, a watercolour cardstock and spritz the card with water first.  This is called wet-into-wet.

2. Using a small spritzer bottle add colour and a little water.  To create a mica spray take a pinch of either the gold or silver mica paint.

3. Create any sort of background and then use water to create a faux bleached effect.  In this example I lifted up a large circle which could be a moon and I splattered water drops from my fingers.  You water from a paint brush gently so as not to damage the paper’s surface and use a watercolour card to ensure that it will let go of the pigment. 

4. You can mix AquaTints with white gesso to create a chalk paint.  Just remember that the colour will be paler than when neat.

5. Stamp with the mica paints and allow to dry fully.  Wash over with your colours and they will resits the mica.  In my attempt I don’t think I let it dry enough as there is some smudging when I brushed over with my brush.   I used two colours to create a streaky finish.

Art Journal: The Dawn Will Break

For this page I’ve gone all Sheena Douglass with her range of stamps and her techniques with aquatints.  It seems to be getting colder lately so I thought this lovely quote would cheer me up.  The northern lights effect is very vibrant in real life and the dots of stickles make the sky look like it’s twinkling with stars.

Please enjoy this speed video of how it was made and a list of supplies used can be found below…

Ingredients

• Stamps and stencil by Sheena Douglass
• Spectrum Noir AquaTints
• Pebeo drawing gum
• Pebeo white gesso
• Spectrum Aqua pens
• Archival Black Ink by Ranger
• Stardust stickles glitter glue
• Distress inks: Pine needles, Smoked Hickory, Black soot
• Warm Grey and Black pitt pen by Faber Castelle
• Wasshi tape

Art Journal: Someone’s Reason to Smile

Spritzed background with Spectrum Aqua pens using Tim Holtz spritz tool.  Stencil and texture paste background and Pebeo gilding wax.

Ingredients

• Pebeo high density modelling paste
• Stencils: Tim Holtz, Sheena Douglass, Memory Box
• Tim Holtz spritz tool
• Spectrum Aqua Pens
• Distress inks: hickory smoke, black soot
• Idea-ology: Found Relatives photo, rub ons, film tape ribbon, mini paper clip
• Pebeo gilding wax: empire gold
• Archival black ink
• Alpha stamps: Craftwork Cards and unknown
• White pen
• Liquid pearls: gold
• Stickles glitter: gold
• A cat?

 

Art Journal: If Only I Could Write It

This spread is shimmery and has ultra shiny gold accents thanks to Pebeo's Gilding Wax.  The quote is about all the things that happen in my life (good and bad) that I wish I could get round to writing about... but it all happens so fast and continuous!  The only idea in my mind was to play with a way to colour over texture medium.  Scroll down for close up photos, speed video and list of ingredients.

Ingredients

• Pebeo white gesso
• Stamp: Tim Holtz School Desk
• Stencil: Tim Holtz Lace
• Tissue tapes (collected from Hobbycraft)
• Distress inks: Victorian Velvet, Wilted Violet, Tumbled Glass and Broken China
• Pebeo Modelling Paste
• Spectrum Noir Aquatints (inc. Gold to make a purple/gold mica spray bottle)
• Alphabet stamps (various)
• White and gold ribbon
• Pebeo Gilding Wax: Empire Gold
• White Gel Pen
• Black Archival Ink 

 

Art Journal: Be Bold

Aiming for a “bold” theme I was inspired by the Inverse Silhouette art journaling over at super talented Neil Burley’s blog.  Originally I wasn’t going to stamp on this page but there was a gaping space in the corner that needed filling and that’s how the space theme developed.  I found it easy to cut the letters out like windows as this guaranteed a neat edge and no wobbly painting whoopsies.  Materials used are below the video…

Ingredients

• Spectrum Noir AquaTints – Brights set and Silver (essentials)
• Pebeo Black Gesso
• Scalpel
• Gloss Gel Medium
• Craftwork Cards Plasma Alphabet Templates
• Pebeo Empire Gold Gilding Wax
• Stamps – Sheena Douglass A Little Bit Magical
• Perfect Medium ink pad and Ivory Embossing Powder
• White gel pen
• Liquid Pearls – Platinum
• Stickles Glitter – stardust

Art Journal: Our Mind is a Constant Voyage

I do like this one it could be one of my favourites but I'm not sure if that's anything I've done or just the fabulous quote.  I also like how I included a simple tag to a page as part of the quote made it interesting.  Long words are achievable with a hyphen!  Hurray!  There is a lonnnnnng list of materials used for this one so please scroll down for details and photos.  At the end of the video you see me adding some stamps but I didn't like how it came out to I stamp onto book paper instead and voila!

Ingredients

• White Gesso
• Decoupage papers
• Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap
• Distress inks: Old Paper, Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo
• Manilla Tag
• Homemade ink spray (Aqua Tints in a mister bottle with a little water)
• Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Stamps Classics
• Faber Castell PITT brush pens
• Clear stamps from my stash of random stamps
• Black Archival Ink 
• Liquid Pearls: Brass
• Thick reclaimed Twine
• Old book paper
• Stencils – Memory Box and Dot Fade by Time Holtz
• Pebeo modelling paste
• Brass charms from stash
• Alpha stamps by Craftwork Cards
• White gel pen and Black spectrum noir
• Distress texture stamps – Sheena Douglass
• Thick Embossing Powder by Cosmic Shimmer – Vintage Bronze
• Gilding Wax by Creative Expressions in Vintage Green Gold

Art Journal: In Every Sunshine There is Hope

This was briefed as “a time of the day” and my favourite has to be sunrise in the morning.  Aquatints were the best choice for getting a nice background down.  I then used stencils by Sheena Douglass to build up a line of trees that the sky could shine through.  At first I wasn’t sure what to stencil with and thought about modelling paste, acrylic paint, etc.  In the end I remembered I had these nice embossing powders that are sort of black but one shines green and the other shines red making a lovely effect for this. 

Ingredients

• Aquatints
• Distress inks: Gathered twigs and wild honey
• Stamps (script and cracks) by Sheena Douglass
• Twinkling H2o in Pearl Gold
• Stencils by Sheena Douglass
• Embossing powders by Cosmic Shimmer in malachite and volcanic aurora

  The pearlescent H2O for the sunrays catches the light.

Art Journal: My Life in Art

My challenge today was “your favourite colour” but I don’t really have a favourite.  Sometimes it’s purple so I went with that and also I wanted to include a cheeky picture of me.  This layout features Aqua Tints, gelatos, distress ink, modelling paste, gilding wax, liquid pearls, liquid glass, papers by Craftwork Cards, stencil by Sheena Douglass, clear hologram embossing powder by Wow and more.

The sparkly hologram embossing powder creates a resist from the water colours but stamping with distress ink instead of embossing ink accents the purples in the sparkles.

I am liking this liquid glass but I still like glossy accents.

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