Two more index card done!
I drew the fungi then coloured them with the Chameleon Color Tones and Color Tops pens. Cogs have appeared in the background once again – gotta have a lil bit of steampunkishness!
I’ve used 3D Crystal Lacquer on the fungi caps and on the stars in the background.
I’m liking the slightly bigger format of the index cards compared to ATCs.
This morning, I woke way too early and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I decided to do some more ACEOs/ATCs – two sets of four this time!
I’ve spent the last four or five hours creating this set of four ACEO/ATC cards. It’s been a while since I did any mixed media work, but I felt the need to get a bit messy.
Each card measures 2½” x 3½” (approx. 6.5 cm x 9 cm) with the substrate being some fairly thick Kraft card.
I started by using some yellow Frog Tape to hold the cards together so I could make the background at the same time.
I started by applying PaperArtsy Fresco Paints to the kraft card until I had a finish I liked. The colours I used were Cheesecake, Rose and Sherbet.
The next step was to add some Windsor and Newton Modelling Paste through a couple of stencils (one was the dot fade stencil by Tim Holtz, the other a mini dragonfly stencil by Creative Expressions).
Once the modelling paste was dried, which I hurried along using a Tim Holtz Heat Tool from Ranger, I watered down some Alchemy Waxes from Imagination Crafts (white gold, tulip and apple green)and used a paintbrush to colour the dragonflies. I then used the wax and a piece of Cut and Dry Foam from Ranger to apply some of the waxes over the dot patterns.
Once I’d finished applying the wax, I wasn’t happy with the result on the dragonflies, so I used Daler Rowney System 3 acrylic paint in Rich Gold to re-colour them. I was much happer with the results, especially the dragonflies that I’d coloured pink/red.
The next step was to have a furtle through various coloured diecuts I have in my stash. Every now and again, I spend a day cutting out various die cuts (mainly cogs, flowers and foliage, but sometimes other things too) and then colouring them to add to my stash. It saves on time when I have the urge to do some mixed media work. It also makes use of my rare urges to do die cutting, which I find a very tedious process.
After a good furtle, I found some cogs that would work on two ACEOs that had just the dots on the background. I couldn’t find anything I’d want to add to the dragonflies; I was just happy with them as they were.
The die cuts were applied with Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic Glue from Creative Expressions, then some Vintage Photo Distress Oxide Ink with a wet brush was used to add shadows.
I used a Quickie Glue pen from Sakura and Gold Superfine Embossing Powder from WOW to add some gold dots and to areas where there was no embossing paste. Following this, I edged the cards using a piece of Cut and Dry foam and black Archival Ink from Ranger.
I then chose some words from the Tim Holtz Chit Chat stickers and glued them down with the Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic glue, and used a damp brush and a China Black Inktense pencil from Derwent to add shadows around the stickers.
The very final step was to add some sparkly gems, and they were done! Once all is dry, I can add my information to the back and so on, and I have some ACEO cards to use on other mixed media projects or in my art journal.
Over the past week I’ve been keeping myself artfully busy learning a bit more about Autodesk Sketchbook Pro and how it works for me; you could say I’m building up a relationship with it.
For now, I’ve been drawing LOTS of mandalas! I’m keeping them back from t’internet as I hope to publish them (some are already spoken for by the Colorist app), and other people asked if I was going to make some available for purchase. So, I’m building up a collection of them for that purpose – either with a publisher, or I’ll self-publish if necessary. I’ve also done a couple more small mandalas that work nicely as designs to be coloured and made into greetings cards, kind of like digital stamps.
Talking of digital stamps (digi stamps), there are some ideas rattling around my noggin that I’d like to try out, so there’ll be more news on this later on no doubt.
It looks like I’m going to be doing a colouring book of spooky templates in the near future, so if anyone has any ideas for ‘spooky’ or ‘eerie’ then feel free to share!
I also have a few ideas for written books rumbling around my noggin; however, it’s really hard for me to do something with them as I doubt myself so much, think they’re silly ideas, and so on. The ideas aren’t wholly in my noggin, I do have notes on them on the ‘puter which need tidying up…but I’m finding it difficult to do this because of all my self-doubt and self-criticism. I just need to keep saying to myself, ‘But you have recorded these ideas so they are there for you, so you have made progress).
A week ago, I finally had the hedge at the front of the house removed, as well as the back garden completely cleared. My garden is tiny, but it’s amazing how much space was hidden by the cotoneaster and forsythia! I do have some clean up to do, but there’s no great rush on that. I also need to consider what to do with the back garden.
The process of getting this done has caused me great anxiety, but there was an ah-ha moment when I realised that some voile panels in the windows in my front room would help me to feel ‘safer’ and more ‘private’ while letting in daylight. For a long time I’ve hid behind curtains; well, I still am, but at least I can see out through the voiles even if people outside can’t see in! Why I didn’t think of this a long while ago, I don’t know, but thank goodness I did!
I’ve done a couple of anti-stigma talks for Time to Change Wales, and I’m seriously wondering if I’m really making any difference as my story is so bland and ordinary … after all it’s not a dramatic tale to tell, and I really don’t think it’s anything people haven’t heard/seen on TV on the soaps and so on…so I’m really feeling quite downhearted about that at the moment.
I know it may very well pass, but at the moment … it’s difficult….my therapy? Art of course!
Yesterday, I posted a picture of this mixed media work. I thought it was most probably finished, However, as I looked at it, there was something not right about it, something, or somethings, missing. I didn’t know what.
When I woke up this morning I knew what to do, kind of. So, after searching through my stash of bits and bobs, I sorted it.
I think it is now finished, apart from some shadows around the cogs which I can’t do until the glue has set.
Much happier with it now.
Back to playing with mixed media today, and this is the result…
It’s around 8″ x 6″ in size and 300lb Smooth watercolour paper by Daler-Rowney is the substrate.
First, I coloured the paper using Distress Oxide inks, with a light spray of gold mica mixture.
Once that had dried, I added the diamond motif and text to the background using texture paste through stencils. Once the paste had dried, I used a rich gold System 3 acrylic paint from Daler-Rowney to paint the texture paste.
Yesterday, I had used embossing folders with my Big Shot from Sizzix to emboss coloured card which I then added metallic and iridescent colours to. The dark red-brown layer of cogs is part of one of these papers. Behind it, there’s a piece of patterned paper. Both have had their edges roughed up (distressed) and then inked using black Archival Ink from Ranger.
I next chose an ACEO or ATC card from my stash to act as a focal point. I also firtled through my stash of steampunk diecuts to find some cogs and a clock dial to add to the background.
The diecuts were all made from kraft card and I used Distress inks to add the base colours of a rich blue, an intense blue-green and a red-brown before dry brushing metallic and iridescent acrylic paints from Liquitex over them to give the appearance of old metal.
Finally, I assembled everything together in an arrangement that pleased me. I used a Payne’s Grey Inktense pencil and a water brush to add shadows, and finally a few sparkly gems (I can’t resist the use of sparkle!).
I thought I’d finished, however, the postman brought me a box that contained some Foamiran sheets I’d ordered a couple of days ago, and I just had to have a go at making some flowers. You can see one of the flowers on the mixed media piece.
The flowers are quite easy to make. I die cut flower shapes from the Foamiran. I then used a couple of Faber-Castell Gelatos and a damp baby wipe to apply colour the the front and back of the flowers.
Next, I used my heat tool to warm the foam so it curled up a little and then shaped the petals before using hot glue to stick the layers together to make fluffy flowers. Finally, I used an alcohol marker to colour some clear gems in so they complemented the flowers and attached to their centres.
I think I’m going to be making more of the flowers, they are easy to make, if a little fiddly given the current manicure I’m sporting. Next time my nails are done, I’ll make sure they are kept fairly short!
This one is mostly finished. I need to add shadows around the elements and some shiny patterns to the layers I think. Oh, and the hole in the tag needs something added.
The fungus I drew and coloured myself. That was enjoyable to do! In fact, the whole thing has been satisfying.
I’ve decided to do my best to be brave and confident and use my own drawings and designs in my mixed media work. The poppy seed heads and the ‘zentangle’ patterns are drawn by myself.
The inchie with the quote on – creative journey – is milky as the Glossy Accents on the tile hasn’t dried yet, but it will dry clear and glossy.
Here’s a list of the media I used:
I’ve come to a standstill on this one. I don’t think it’s finished but I don’t know what is missing.
The focal point is a small sketch I did of a Romanesque bird; I used coloured pencils on coloured paper followed by Pitt Artist pen. I also ‘distressed’ it with Distress Inks and water spray. It is a very, very sketchy drawing, but I feel I need to be a bit more confident in using my own drawings/art in such mixed media art.
I just don’t know what else this needs, though. I’ve tried out the idea of using wire spirals wrapped with finer wire and beads, and that doesn’t feel it would work, not unless it’s one of the first things I make and use. Flowers don’t work, neither does foliage…
So, I’ll leave it be for a while and come back to it at a later time…sometimes that’s the best thing to do.
I’ve spent some days preparing backgrounds, die-cutting some items for my stash, drawing and just ‘being’.
I started this one yesterday, but finished it today…well, I think it’s finished!
No quote or words on this one…yet. Maybe something will come to me, or maybe someone will suggest something…feel free to message me if you wish to suggest something!
I’m really enjoying this, perhaps a bit too much as I’m not focusing on what, perhaps, needs focusing on. However, it is true that a change is as good as a rest!
It’s a nightmare trying to photograph these pieces of artwork as they are so metallic and iridescent, but hopefully you’ll get a fairly good idea. I’ve tried to scan them, and for the ATCs it’s a no go, and the scan of the other image isn’t any better than the photo.
The ATCs have been so much fun to do, especially as I’ve been collaging and playing with texture, and gears…gotta try a little steampunk-ish type stuff every now and again!
Media used :
Angela Porter 