Collage Painting Made Easy!!!

Good morning everyone! Melissa here, sharing my Eastern inspired collage painting using products from the April Frog Dog Studio Mixed Media kit and Amazing Clear Cast Resin from Amazing Crafting Products.

When I first received this month's goodies, I immediately fell in love with the gorgeous, vibrant tissue papers included in the kit. The bold jewel tones reminded me of the far East. Right away, designing a beautiful and colorful elephant came to mind. This painting may seem a bit complex, but in reality it was really easy to do. Especially given that the products in the kit all work so well together. It made designing the color scheme so easy. This project was actually done on the back of an old cutting board that my sweet mother in law picked up and brought to me, knowing I could turn it into something :)

To begin, I covered the back of the wooden board with white gesso. I have found that doing these collage type paintings work best on a hard surface like wood or canvas board. Then, I began to cover the piece with the tissue papers, randomly ripping and collaging them together, pressing them into the gesso and adding some matte medium over the top.

Next, I used the StayZ On ink pads from the kit to add some bold color in the empty spaces and over the top of the collage by just rubbing the ink pads directly onto the surface. I blended using a paper towel. (one of my favorite blending tools!)

I brushed on some matte medium and dusted the painting with the mica flakes from the kit. In the second picture you can really see the shimmer it adds (not to mention the texture!)

Now for the super cool part!! I went online and found a silhouette of an elephant and printed it out. Simple shapes work best for this type of project. I cut it out and placed it directly onto the collaged background. You could attach it with a little bit of blue painters tape, but I just held mine down in place (mainly because I was too engrossed to get up and actually find the blue painters tape!)

I chose a color that seemed to coordinate well with the overall background (Teal by Golden) and starting from the elephant shape, I brushed on the paint in an outward direction all around. Once I had established the outline of the elephant, I gently (using a brush and my fingers) continued to fill in most of the background. I wanted a little bit of the red ink so show through, even adding a bit more in some places.

Next I added a bit more of the blue ink from the kit, as well as some stamping (using the new Dina Wakely stamps from Ranger) to the background. Then, I mixed my Clear Casting Resin in equal parts to seal the project and create a glassy finish. I applied the resin fairly thick, with a small palette knife.

Right after pouring and spreading, I tossed in some more of those lovely mica flakes into the resin. I love how those flakes shine through the clear resin!

And here is the finished product. I wish pictures could convey the depth of the Clear Cast Resin and layers in the piece!

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