Speed Art Journal: Way Too Extraordinary

After taking a break from making art journal videos to knuckle down and finish my final dance teaching qualifications I’m pleased to say that I am back!  I really enjoy art journaling so I’m hoping I can get back into a regular routine for you. 

In this first video of the new series I’ve decided to demonstrate some of my colouring techniques with you as this will be my first video since becoming part of the Spectrum Noir design team.  This entire spread was inspired by my daughter (who micromanaged the different stages lol x)  (Scroll down for video…)

YouTube Partnership Changes

Before we get into it I have a few points to make:  firstly, my channel has been affected by the recent changes to YouTube’s policies and now all of my videos that I worked hard to make have become demonetised.  This basically means that I can no longer receive ad revenue (which was only pennies on my channel) but it was a very good incentive for me to carry on creating and sharing content.  It also helped me justify buying another art journal or replacing supplies that ran out.  In order to get monetised in the future I need to greatly increase the number of hours my videos are watched by people.  Each video takes several days to create, then edit the footage, produce the final video and give you the blog entry listing all the materials, etc.  If you would like to support my channel (for free!) then the best thing would be to subscribe to my channel and maybe watch a playlist or two on there from time to time.  This, as well as liking and commenting on my videos, lets me know that you like my content and that you’d like to see more.  Of course, if you’re a company and would like to sponsor me to make a video using your products then please get in touch too!

Voiceovers or Background Music

I’ve had a chance to reflect on comments made and there have been some occasions that people have said they would prefer a voiceover and/or more descriptions of what I’m doing to help them make similar artwork or learn from my techniques.  I am super happy to start doing voiceovers for you but I also know that other people prefer to have the background music as they find the videos quite relaxing to watch.  Therefore, for this video I’ve created TWO versions – one with voiceovers and one without.  To help me know which format you would like to see in the future please comment on the video that works best for you.

Materials Used

• Templates and Stamps from Paperbabe: Female Profile, Long & Fringe and Profile Face Stamp Set
• Spectrum Noir Colorblend Pencils
• Skin: Walnut, Saddle Brown, Vanilla, Peach, Cream and Linen
• Lips: Raspberry, Carmine, Peach
• Hair: Saddle Brown, Cider, Antique Rose, Peach, Vanilla
• Spectrum Noir Aqua Pens: Sandstone and Blossom
• Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pens: Starry Sky, Blue Topaz, Moonstone, Rose Quartz (lips)
• Spectrum Noir Artliner pens in black:  Brush, 08, 005
• Spectrum Noir Metallic Pen: Silver Ingot
• Ranger Archival Inks: Watering Can, Black, Red, Green
• Pebeo Decocreme Paints:  Pearl Violet, Matt Linen, Matt Royal Blue
• Texture Stamps by Craftwork Cards
• Cosmic Shimmer Flake and Glitter Glue
• Gilding Flakes
• Posca white pen
• Golden Gel Medium, Pebeo Drawing Gum, Pebeo White Gesso
• Tim Holtz Tissue Paper

Video WITH Voiceover:

Video WITHOUT Voiceover:

Which video do you prefer?

Pebeo Mixed Media Canvas Set “LUCY” 4 of 4

Inspired by the recent Sheena Douglass shows on Hochanda I decided to give some of my daughters old wall art a revamp as I had everything in my stash.  The canvases were originally Disney princess pictures from the pound shop but I covered them up with black gesso.  All mediums used are by Pebeo plus a few bits and bobs from my crafty stash.  Here is a video on how I made the fourth and final canvas “Y”.  This has an under the water theme and I love the shells, sand and Punchinello.  This one was my personal favourite.

Scroll past the video for photos and a list of materials used…

Ingredients

• Pebeo Black Gesso
• Pebeo Modelling Paste
• Punchinello
• Shells (from a hobby store) and play sand
• Pebeo Mixtion Relief
• Pebeo Foiling Sheet in Green
• Pebeo Fantasy Prisme paints (in a green and a blue)
• Pebeo Dyna paints (2 of the blue/green colours)
• Glue
• Transparent Mixtion Relief (Pebeo makes one but I’m not sure what brand this one was)

Here is the finished set!  I love how they each have been made using the exact same techniques but each one has a completely different theme to it.

Part 1 “L” / Part 2 “U” / Part 3 “C / Part 4 “Y”

Pebeo Mixed Media Canvas Set “LUCY” 3 of 4

Inspired by the recent Sheena Douglass shows on Hochanda I decided to give some of my daughters old wall art a revamp as I had everything in my stash.  The canvases were originally Disney princess pictures from the pound shop but I covered them up with black gesso.  All mediums used are by Pebeo plus a few bits and bobs from my crafty stash.  Here is a video on how I made the third canvas “C”.  This one is covered in cogs and is actually Lucy’s favourite one in the set.

Scroll past the video for photos and a list of materials used…

Ingredients

• Pebeo Black Gesso
• Pebeo Modelling Paste
• Pebeo Mixtion Relief
• Pebeo Green Foil Sheet
• Pebeo DYNA paints
• Pebeo Fantasy Prisme Paints
• Sand paste made by mixing play sand in with the modelling paste
• Pebeo gilding wax in Empire Gold
• Cogs die cut from chip board
• Micro beads

Here is the finished set all together.  For “L” click here, for “U” click here.

Pebeo Mixed Media Canvas Set “LUCY” 2 of 4

Inspired by the recent Sheena Douglass shows on Hochanda I decided to give some of my daughters old wall art a revamp as I had everything in my stash.  The canvases were originally Disney princess pictures from the pound shop but I covered them up with black gesso.  All mediums used are by Pebeo plus a few bits and bobs from my crafty stash.  Here is a video on how I made the second canvas “U”.

Scroll past the video for photos and a list of materials used…

Ingredients

• Pebeo Black Gesso
• Pebeo Modelling Paste
• Paper flower embellishments (the ones without centres are Prima)
• Micro beads
• Pebeo Mixtion Relief
• Pebeo Gold Foil
• Pebeo Fantasy Prisme Paints in 2 colours
• Pebeo DYNA paints in 2 colours
• Pebeo vitrail glitter medium

Here is the set of canvases all together.  You can catch up on Part 1 here.

Pebeo Mixed Media Canvas Set “LUCY” 1 of 4

Inspired by the recent Sheena Douglass shows on Hochanda I decided to give some of my daughters old wall art a revamp as I had everything in my stash.  The canvases were originally Disney princess pictures from the pound shop but I covered them up with black gesso.  All mediums used are by Pebeo plus a few bits and bobs from my crafty stash.  Here is a video on how I made the first canvas “L”.  The buttons are a vey nice touch and the modelling paste really does hold them firmly in place.

Scroll past the video for photos and a list of materials used…

Ingredients

• Pebeo Black Gesso
• Pebeo Modelling Paste
• Random mixed buttons
• Pebeo Mixtion Relief
• Pebeo Gold Foil
• Pebeo Fantasy Prisme Paints in 2 colours
• Pebeo DYNA paints in 2 colours
• Pebeo vitrail glitter medium

Check back for the details on the other canvases.

5 Background Techniques with… Pebeo DYNA Paints Volume 1

What are dyna paints and why their own set of techniques in addition to regular acrylic paints?  Good question!  Pebeo’s dyna paints are part of the high viscosity acrylic paints that they do but are extra special – each one is made of a shiny pigment colour and a different interference colour, so when it catches the light they are effectively two-tone.  Even more magical is their ability to appear different depending on the colour of the background (i.e. white card vs. black card).  Until cameras and monitors become sophisticated enough to capture the shine I hope you will see some of the effect in the video, but believe me when I say that the effect is wonderful!  As with other acrylic paints feel free to pop on over to my acrylic paint background techniques as those will work with these paints too.  Click here for a full list of my technique pages.

Techniques covered in this issue are:

1. Simple blend
2. Stamping (on black surface)
3. Watercolour resist
4. Sponging (same two colours shown on black and white)
5. Gel medium tinting

1. These paints blend on surfaces very well and can take a lot of water to help with a smooth blend, not only do you end up with a blend of the base pigment but also the interference pigments too.

2. I have sponged two colours onto a background stamp before stamping onto black card to give this fabulous result.  Just remember to wash or at least soak your stamp as soon as possible.

3. I have stamped my background by sponging onto the stamp as before, but this could easily be any free hand paint on the background.  Acrylic will resist watercolours so I have washed over the top with aquatints.  You will still retain all the shine of the paints.  My personal favourite is stamping in a lighter colour and washing with a darker colour.

4. I’ve picked this technique to also demonstrate the difference between painting onto a black surface vs. a white surface by painting half the card with Pebeo’s black gesso.  Now you can see that the gold is actually green and the blue is actually pink in my example. 

5.  I wanted to test the effect out when mixed with gel medium.  This gives a different effect as now the colours seem almost pearly.  I’ve used a gloss medium for a high shine finished and both applied directly with a spatula and through a stencil.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and/or subscribe to my blog updates to get alerted to the next edition to this series.

5 Background Techniques with… ACRYLIC PAINTS V.1

Welcome to a new collection of background techniques – this time with Acrylic Paints!  For a full list of techniques head over to this page and keep an eye out for future releases.  I am using Pebeo High Viscosity paints.

This time we cover the following techniques:

1. Baby Wipe Blending
2. Stencil Lift (from Gesso’d Surface)
3. Streaks with Titanium White and Buff Titanium
4. Printing with any objects or textures
5. Scraping on

1. This is simple to do and blendability is dependant on the surface you’re using and the paints.  Make sure you rotate the area of the baby wipe to keep the colours clear.

2. Working on a gesso surface means that the paint lifts off much better but isn’t necessary.  I love this effect, even though the image is completely flat the depth of pigment in this paint gives it a 3D effect.

3.  You can take any colour and paint it on with hardly any blending by adding Titanium White and Buff Titanium (pale cream colour).  This will work with any colour for a background that looks impressive yet subtle.

4. There’s no need to buy anything to apply your paint just use whatever objects and textures that are in reach.  The top picture shows the objects dipped into two colours of paint at a time whereas the bottom picture shows each object printing in separate colours.

5. I’ve left a couple of sides of an old card straight and cut into the other couple of sides with different sized notched.  You can try different ways to scrape the paint across your surface.  It also adds texture.

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: Your Wings Exist

I’ve pulled together a few techniques for this art journal page.  All of the stamps and stencils used are by Sheena Douglass.  The background is created by lifting off paint using water splashes.  It’s hard to see in the picture but by using a metallic base coat the coloured washes on top have a sheen to them.  It’s quite a masculine look but I like that the angel wings soften it.  The rust effect is a nice touch and is created by using texture past and distress embossing powder.

Scroll past the video for list of materials and close up photos…

Ingredients

• Acrylic paints in metallic silver, metallic black, blue and green
• White Gesso by Pebeo
• Texture Paste by Pebeo
• Distress Embossing Powder in Vintage Photo
• Stencils by Sheena Douglass: Distress Grid and Pop Dotty
• Stamps by Sheena Douglass: Falling Feathers and Divine Inspiration
• Embossing Powder
• Perfect Medium and Archival Black Ink by Ranger
• Distress Ink in Vintage Photo