Brave Girl Canvas

I have been a long time fan of Melody Ross and her various online classes.  I love her style and the meaningful messages she sends through her art.  I set out a few weeks back to create a canvas that embraced a little bit of her style and some of her teachings and this is what I created. 

 

 

 

 

I loved using a different color palate than I usually do.  This took me outside of my typical artistic output right away, but it was perfect for the project. I used lots of embellishments I had on hand, and I created my own with the use of letters, tissue paper and scraps. 

 

 

 

 

There are many layers in the background that made for lots of texture.  I used stencils along with gel medium and gesso to create lots of interest.  To bring some of my layers back out and outline my collage elements, I used pencil and even permanent marker to color the raised parts and make marks around certain shapes. 

 

 

 

Here is a close up of one corners of the piece so you can see all the wonderful layers. It is not perfect!  There are some things that I would have considered mistakes or issues in the past.  I have learned to embrace these imperfections as that is what makes it my own.

 

I hope you liked what I shared today!  It is so nice to be back in the land of inspiration again!

 

Cheers,

 

Rhea

 



 











Let it Snow Box

This was actually posted on the Graphic 45 blog a few weeks ago, but with the holiday it got lost in the mix!  I thought with the approaching winter storm here in Michigan, (expecting 6-8 inches overnight) that I would post this cold little scene.

I started off with a large staples Matchbook Box.  A base layer was made with the washi tape.  

I used the new paper line Time to Flourish.  I absolutely love the color combo and how everything blends well with the icy snow covering everything.  The texture is from opaque flakes from Liquitex.

The chipboard was sent in one my my first design team packages from Graphic 45.  They are from Gina's Designs.  I covered them in stickels glitter long ago while prepping when my creative mojo was thin.

In order to keep the palate clean, I colorized the foundations feet with white Vintaj patina.  

A little peek inside the shadowbox.  I always love the element of depth in my work.

I had to use a life line and connect with a crafty pal to consult on my landscape.  So here is a shout out to Nichola at Pixie Hill.  I just adore her and her artwork too!

Off to be sure I am ready for for the winter storm!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Fall Journal with Texture Tutorial

Fall is certainly my most favorite season ever.  For some reason, it just really inspires me.  With this in mind, I set out to create a fun Fall Journal to record my thoughts, memories and maybe even a few poems.

I will be sharing a few techniques along the way today as well.  On the cover you can see some great imagery from Alpha Stamps. For a full list of all the goodies I used from Alpha Stamps you can go right here. Another easy addition to this cover are French Country stickers from Graphic 45.

I love this cute little tiny oak leaf garland.  Also notice the great texture I got by layering stencils.  Here I used matte medium with my honey comb stencil and then aged it once the medium was dry.

Here you can see the detail of leaves I made with glossy card stock, alcohol inks and the tattered leaves stamps from Tim Holtz.

I started by choosing a few warm colors of ink.  I dropped them on the glossy paper and then blotted with a ink dabber doused with blending solution.

This is a few of the papers I made.  I did not mind that I still had some large spots on the paper, it ended up adding great interest to the finished leaves.

Here are the leaves after stamping them with permanent ink and then fussy cutting them out.  I am always happy when I can create my own embellishments from what I have on hand.

This tag below highlights the amazing texture you can get from using the different pastes that are now on the market.  Here I chose to use molding paste along with my stencil.

I started out by layering with my spray inks and stencils.

I then added layers of stain and inks. It helps to water down the stains before swirling the tags in the color.  I don't mind when my inks smear either, it adds interest to the piece.

 Another way to add a layer of color is with an ink pad and an ink applicator. This way it provides a softer and more reliable pattern.

Here are a bunch of my tags after playing with my inks and stencils. Notice I have gone back and added inks or stains to most of the edges of my pockets and tags.  This adds a great frame to any element.

Once there is a base layer of color and pattern, I take it a step further and add more texture with the paste. An inverted spatula works really well for this.

I like to use deli paper when I am doing this type of work.  I can mess up a sheet and easily clean up my spot with a quick toss.  Be sure to clean up your stencils promptly after applying pastes through them!

After the paste is dry I add more ink or gilders paste to provide yet another design element to the tag.

I am looking forward to curling up with a nice warm drink and journaling this past fall season.

I have entries planned for my recent Upper Peninsula vacation...

Perhaps a few fall poems...

And maybe even a doodle or two...

I hope you enjoyed this rather lengthy post of my Fall Journal filled with fun texture.

Cheers,

Rhea

A new art journey

Recently I have made a profound connection in my artistic process.  Sometimes I need a prompt.  Whether it is a challenge, a swap, an article or a blog hop, these triggers really do help me when I am creatively stuck.  With that thought in mind, I luckily joined up in a round robin style art swap in my Kindred Souls group at the last minute.  I am so excited to be participating with a group of such talented artists.

 

I am a sucker for the steampunk look and with Valentines day on the way, I decided to combine the two and create a "Time for Love" journal.  My hope is that participants will add their own take on this unique mashing of classic art book themes. 

My focal here was made from 10 Second Studio sheet metal in Rock Star.  It was embossed with the gear pattern, sanded and then I edged it out in black tape.  A light buffing of copper gilder's paste added another dimension to the focal.  I added some metal bits, being sure to layer and follow the rule of odds.  Odd numbers of embellishments are more pleasing to the eye!

The wings are grungeboard and they were colored with both picket fence and the silver metallic distress stain. I finished them out with a bit more gilders paste as well as some stickels for a bit of sparkle among the grunge.  

The inside pages consist of heavy chipboard and the book was bound with a Cinch.  It really is easy to do and you get such a professional look. Each participant will have thier own page to alter in the chosen theme.  

On the back I repeated the same texture as the front.  Here you can see some of my fatal flaws too.  Because I had so much texture the stamping really did not take and I have really "hard lines" that are not very attractive.  Thus they are on the back of the book!

Here is a close up of my letters and a bit of the delightful texture.  On the letters, you guessed it, gilders paste.  In the background: lots of layers: silver distress stain, stamping, more gilders paste, molding paste, modge podge, tissue tape...

Stay tuned to see the work I do in the books of others.  I see several more creative and helpful art prompts in my future!

Cheers, 

Rhea

Sweet Sugar Skulls and Texture Tutorial

Recently I made some delightful replicas of sugar skulls.  The base of  these pieces has a really nice crackle texture, which was achieved with a fantastic product called Kroma Crackle. It is a product that is hard to find, but Alpha Stamps was able to source it.

In this post, I will break out each step to achieve the texture, once I have covered that, the decorating is on you.  Yes, I know it is hard to see the crackle effect, but with so much good stuff from Alpha Stamps, I could not help decking these gals out!  You will see some testure close ups later in the post.  There are lots of great supplies from this tutorial for your very own projects here.

And here are a few more cuties!

To start off, I gave my pieces a good thick coat of gesso.  This helped to give each piece a bit of tooth and made for a good white base to work off off.  Tip:  Use a good artist quality gesso.  There are some really affordable ones out there, but I would pass them by, because you just don't get good coverage with the cheap stuff.

Once you have your gesso down and it has dried, it is time to paint.  Choose the color you want to show through the crackle.  Again, here, white was the best choice for me.  Now the manufacture label advises to use high quality acrylic paint.  I followed suite and used Golden Titanium White, but I have to say I have used this stuff with cheap acrylics and it worked just fine.  

Of course I did not realize I missed painting a few spots on the teeth until I wrote this...  That is a good artistic tip by the way, if your wondering how composition is going on a project, take a picture and look at it.  You will be able to see right away if there are areas that need to be edited or spots that need a bit more embellishment. I can't tell you how many times I need to re-shoot images for my blog because the photos revealed scale issues, glue blobs and all kinds of errors. 

Now it is time to get crackling.  Add a layer of Kroma Crackle to your dry pieces.  The thicker you apply, the larger your cracks will be. You will notice in the picture above that the smaller skulls appear to have color changes.  I think that the product reacted with Masonite in some way.  I did not mind because I was going to be getting them all grungy anyway. 

Please note, this product does take a long time to dry.  There is an "instant" way to crackle that has been made famous my Michael deMeng as outlined here.  I have yet to try it out for a silly reason, I always forget to buy Elmer's school glue...

Here is a close up of the crackle texture on a different project I am working on.  This is a book and the only base I have on this is gesso, I totally forgot to put the acrylic paint on it...but it still worked!  You will notice in some areas, where it was perhaps too thick, the crackle is curling.  It is possible that some of the texture could come off, therefore no matter what, you need to use some sort of sealant at this point.  Use dry brushing with layers of paint to add color.  Or on the book below, I used spray inks.  Again, you would not want to use too much of anything thick as you would lose that yummy crackle.  

The next step is to seal with something pretty fluid as you don't want to lose all of your hard work.  The manufacturer advises to use acrylic fluid medium.  I watered down regular gel medium and it worked just fine.  I also got creative with sealing on the book pictured above as you will see below.   

It occurred to me that there had to be another way to seal the crackle.  I have been on such an UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel) kick, that I thought this may be the answer and indeed it was!  I added lots of layers of clear embossing powder with a bit of gold embossing powder sprinkled in as well.  Now I wonder what this little book is going to turn into...stay tuned in to find out.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial on texture.  My intent is to always inspire and share my love of good fun products with you.  I hope I achieved that goal today!

Cheers, 

Rhea