This month on Technique Tuesday we are focusing on our favorite mixed media products! In today's video, Jess created this beautiful mixed-media snow scene on her layout that has been covered in one of her favorite mixed-media products, acrylic paint! She created layers with a stencil, metal and chipboard embellishments, and art pebbles then covered them with paint!

 

 

Watch the process video below to see how this page was created from start to finish!

 

 

 

 

Products used:

Posted by Jessica.

The A Cherry on Top store is a treasure trove of inspiring art journaling supplies! It was fun to play with some of those great supplies in my mixed-page art journal. This kind of book (which you can make yourself; I bought mine from a bookbinder whose work I love) is often called a junk journal. Turning the page to confront new papers (in this case, music paper and black paper) is part of the challenge and enjoyment of this form of art journaling. 

Here are a couple of journals that include a mix of mixed media, black, kraft, canvas, and more paper.

   

 

I gathered my supplies: collage medium, texture paste, paint, papers, tissue collage-paper, rub-ons, stencil, and sequins. My first step was to apply paint to both of these very different substrates to unify the spread and make it easier to work on. Initially, I used the new Lost Shadow Distress Paint from Tim Holtz (perfect for backgrounds!), and then later in the process, I added white paint and bits of pink here and there. 

 

My first layer included a large floral rub-on design from 49 and Market (I love the scale of the designs on their 12x12 rub-on transfer sheets). I added some butterflies from the same sheet to the right side of the spread, and in the final version, this layer just peeks out as a bit of color and butterfly shape. The x’s below my large floral image is also created with 49 and Market rub-ons (from one of the small sets), and so is the fancy lace image under the words “floral dictionary” on one of my papers. 

 

 

The black butterflies that appear throughout the spread are Dina Wakley's collage paper. I love the way it looks a bit different on the two sides because of the different base papers. My sentiments--“open your heart to joy” and “look for the beautiful”--fit the vibe of my project. They are cut from an older Dina Wakley collage sheet. My papers come from a wonderful new set of papers from 49 and Market designed just for art journalers. I love this paper pack! The designs are varied, vintage, and so pretty! I also appreciate how thin the papers are because they are easy to collage and layer. I tore the papers and punched the edge of one with a doily punch, and then I layered them on both sides of my spread.

 

Finishing touches include sequins, which I always love. They add texture and reinforce the color story of the project. I could pull out the gold in the rub-ons, for instance, with the gold sequins. I also put white texture paste through a stencil (this one is from Echo Park) to brighten the spread and add more texture. Finally, I stamped with Lost Shadow distress ink around the edges. This adds a subtle bit of additional detail. With art journaling, we simply trust the process and don’t always know where we are going, but I could quickly see I was gravitating toward nature imagery and the idea of looking for beauty in plants, flowers, and butterflies.

 

---

Jil Larson

Hello everyone, I’m Jil Larson, a new member of the design team. I’m excited to share my projects with you! I’ve been scrapbooking and art journaling for many years now. I first started memory keeping when my nieces (now in their 20s) were little girls and I was looking for a way to tell stories about them and the art they created. From there, my love for this wonderful hobby grew and developed. As a life-long diary and notebook lover, I’ve also recently been enjoying creative play in sketchbooks and journals.

See more from Jil on her Gallery, Instagram, and YouTube.

Posted by Jessica.

 

I love birds, watercolor, and daily art challenges, so the Instagram challenge Birdtober hosted by Andrea Holmes in conjunction with Inktober was a natural choice for me last year, and I’m participating again this year. The goal is simple: follow the prompt list, paint a bird each day in October, and hashtag the posts with #birdtober. Practice is crucial with watercolor, and so these challenges are a great way to develop skills and get to know both the media and one’s own style. The improvement happens slowly and intermittently, but the process itself is a joy!

 

 

This October I’ve equipped myself with Daniel Smith watercolors from A Cherry on Top Crafts and am also using a small set of Archer and Olive watercolors. My favorite paintbrush, an 8 round Silver Black Velvet, is also now available at ACOT. This brush holds a fine tip so well (even after lots of use!) that it’s the only brush I need. My sketchbook is a landscape A5 with watercolor paper, but when I first started participating in these challenges, I just used a sketchbook with mixed media paper.

 

My tips: start with a pencil sketch and reference photos of the bird of the day. I like to observe closely and correct my drawing for angles and proportion, but I’m aware that I will see errors in the final painting and simply learn from them. This is really just a quick sketch—I spend 30 minutes to an hour or so on each painting, and lately, I don’t even get started until late in the evening. Still, learning to draw is important to me, so that initial pencil sketch gets some careful attention before I turn to my watercolors.

 

Because I’m doing the painting quickly, I don’t allow drying time between layers usually, or if I must, I just wait a few minutes and then go back in with my other colors. As a result, a lot of mixing occurs on the paper. In the video, I give examples of creating an iridescent black with blues and greens and suggesting texture with granulating colors. I also use white bleed-proof ink for highlights. That tiny highlight in the eye brings the bird to life!

 

Finally, when you post your work on Instagram, check out other artists’ styles. We all approach these bird prompts differently with varied styles in varied media. Don’t compare your work with others’ if you can help it, but do learn from what inspires you! As I say in my video, I don’t paint every feather or add a lot of textural detail, but I love to examine and admire the art that does. It’s also important to me to learn about birds as I work through the prompts. They’re fascinating creatures, and I feel like I draw closer to each of them through my sketch and watercolor rendering. To follow my journey, see my Instagram account: reson8ed.

 

 

---

Jil Larson

Hello everyone, I’m Jil Larson, a new member of the design team. I’m excited to share my projects with you! I’ve been scrapbooking and art journaling for many years now. I first started memory keeping when my nieces (now in their 20s) were little girls and I was looking for a way to tell stories about them and the art they created. From there, my love for this wonderful hobby grew and developed. As a life-long diary and notebook lover, I’ve also recently been enjoying creative play in sketchbooks and journals.

See more from Jil on her Gallery, Instagram, and YouTube.

Posted by Jessica.

[Read More]  0 comments

[Read More]  0 comments

[Read More]  0 comments

[Read More]  0 comments

[Read More]  0 comments

[Read More]  0 comments

[Read More]  0 comments

[Read More]  0 comments

[Read More]  0 comments

[Read More]  0 comments

[Read More]  0 comments

[Read More]  2 comments