Surround Yourself with Friends--A Mixed Media Canvas

Good morning! Today I have a canvas project tutorial to share with you. This is one of my personal favorite projects--it was fun and easy to do. Let's get started!

To begin, I used an 8 x 10 canvas board covered with a light coat of gesso. I used several shades of blue paint (including the one in the kit) and a brayer to lightly spread the paint around.

Next, I laid down a stencil and used the liquid chalk ink from the kit to create a light background pattern.

Using stencils, spray ink, and distress paints I created a few layers on the background.

I went around the edge of the whole board with gold Gelato and rubbed it in with my fingers. Then, I added a little bit more texture with spray ink and stencils.

Using the dropper in my sepia ink, I loosely sketched in some tree branches. I did this by just starting at the edge of the canvas and slowly dragging the dropper across the canvas. You can squeeze more ink out to make the branches thicker, or just spread sections that are already thick to add thinner branches.

I set the canvas aside to dry and pulled out a sheet from the vellum book in the kit. Using the new Dina Wakley stamps (which I LOVE!), I stamped the bird images then colored them in using a mixture of the oil paint crayons, oil paint medium, and watercolor crayons. I wanted a very soft blended feel.

Since this has a very springtime feel to it, I thought I'd make the tree sort of a cherry blossom by adding some paint through a circle stencil along the branches.

I fussy cut the birds and attached them to the canvas using matte medium. Then I added some colored glitter paste to the birds just for a little extra sparkle and texture. I also put a quote from my stash.

And here is the final product!

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A set of cards and another simply stencils idea

Hi there! Today I´d like to share with you a few quick cards I created using some pieces I had left over from my previous project.

I had mixed some light blue molding paste together for the second art journal page and since I had some paste over I wiped it onto a piece of white cardstock and used it for the "hello" card. I also sprayed some "New Sprout" spray ink over the masked paper to make it more colorful. Then I just fussy cut it and glued it down on a card base, added the stamped sentiment and some black color splatters and the card was all done. 

For the bird card I used a piece of vellum paper. I first placed the vellum over a dry embossing folder, then rubbed/scratched with oil pastel pens over the paper to get the pattern onto the paper. After that I just stamped a bird (Dina Wakley "Scribbly Birds") with black Archival Ink onto the vellum, fussy cut it and glued it down onto the card. The rest I just doodled onto the card. 

For the 3rd card I again took a piece of vellum paper and made the pattern as follows:

I first colored a layer with different oil pastel color tones pretty randomly. 

After that I colored a second layer with a black oil pastel pen on top of the other layer, placed a leaf stencil (by The Crafter´s Workshop) over the layer and scratched with a sharp plastic tool the black layer off around the stencil lines. Then I just repeated this phase as long as I had the pattern I wanted. After that I just wripped the paper quite randomly around the edges and glued it down to a card base and stamped a sentiment. Fast and easy and reminds me of my first grade art class lection at school :). 

Hope you have enjoyed this little "Simply stencils" idea and get inspired to try it out yourself! Have fun!

xoxo, Sanna

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"Simply Stencils" - Art journal pages with the May kit

Hi there! I had a great time playing with the May kit and here are two art journal pages I made (warning!! long and photo heavy post coming up :)...):

btw. these are my first "simply stencils" May projects, but I have a feeling there will be some more coming up :)...

Here are a few details on how I created these two pages. Lets start with the upper one first:

I first covered the paper with white gesso, let it dry and then went on by applying the Fresco Finish translucent paint onto the page (Beach Hut & Pumpkin soup from the kit - more colours on the store). After the paint was dry I sprayed some "New Sprout" spray ink here and there.

 I then applied some black artist oil pastel color onto the mask that comes with the kit and placed the mask over the page. Next I just used my finger for rubbing all the color from the mask onto the page.

 

After that I used some Dina Wakley mixed media stamps with blue Staz-on ink (April kit) and Hero Arts shadow dye ink (cup o´ joe) for stamping random images onto the background.

I then took a piece of vellum book paper that was in the kit and dabbed some fluid chalk ink over it. I just love the soft look these inks create on the vellum. Then I let the ink dry properly.

After the paper was dry I stamped a few stamp images with blue Staz-on ink onto the vellum paper. The stamp is by Dina Wakley (from the Scribbly Birds set).

Next I just glued the vellum piece "into" the typewriter and added some doodling and ink splatters.
Here are some detail photos:

Here are some step-by-step photos of the second page:

I again used the Fesco paints and a green oil pastel pen for the background.

Next I used the pastel peach chalk ink for creating flower patterns.

Then I mixed some molding paste with the blue Fesco paint to create a light blue paste and applied it over the stencil using a palette knife.

Then I went and outlined the flowers with a black Copic brush pen.

After that I took a dry embossing folder and placed a piece of vellum paper over it and then scratched some green oil pastel colour onto the paper. This way you can "copy" the pattern onto the paper. I remember using this technique with coins and a pencil when I was small :). I then used this piece for creating a typewrite sheet for my page. As you will see on the main photo, I later changed the colour to yellow, as I didn´t quite like the green rose pattern.

Here are some close-up photos of the second page. As you can see I´ve also added some oil pastels over the flowers to create more depth and separated the two background colours from each other by creating a doodled leaf pattern.

 There are also some black and white doodled accents here and there on the page and I have outlined the stencil pattern with a thin black pen for more contrast.

Have fun with your May!

xoxo, Sanna

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