Mini Canvas Fun with Twinkling H2Os and Alcohol Ink

Hello creative souls...today I'm going to share my third project created from the June Kit. I had so much fun creating this mini canvas, these small canvases rock and I'm going to add them to my collection of MUST HAVE products. So let's get started!

PREPARING CANVAS

When I prepare a canvas I want to create as many layers as possible...it adds depth and interest to your creation. Since these are small canvases adding just the paper pattern to it is perfect.

ADDING COLOR

For the next step of adding color I had to create a new sample as I lost the photos of the original canvases. This will not go to waste as I already see the sample in another project. Further down this post you will find tips on working with Twinkling H2Os.

ADDING DESIGN

I love this step...I call it my stash buster step! Working on projects such as this really helps use up all those wonderous things that you bought yet haven't used. The 3rd photo is from the actual completed mini canvas project.

ADDING TEXTURE

Let your imagination go on this...look around the house to see what can be used for this step. I never throw away any plastic cards as I'm always looking for something to scrape paint or modeling paste on {pssst....a little birdie told me that you will see some of these products popping up in future kits}.

ADDING EMBELLISHMENTS

Another stash buster using remnants from other projects...fabric flowers, brads, wood shapes, etc. The 3rd photo shows my completed mini canvas project on top of my sample canvas....hmmmm...that might work.

LUMINARTE TWINKLING H2Os

When I first tried TWINKS years ago I wasn't overly impressed...then I took a class and learned the most 

important step which I'm sharing with you now. 

The only problem is now I need all the TWINK colors!

Let me just say that this June kit is fabulous...I had more fun creating my 3 projects with it. For this project I used 7 of the 8 products. I love the fact that I had at my disposal everything I needed...no running to the store or ordering online...they were all here in this kit!

Thanks for stopping by and allowing me to share with you. Stay tuned for the July Kit...I can't tell you anything but it is fabulous! 

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How To Create a Mini Mixed Media Canvas

Hello everyone, Melissa here with a tutorial on how to create a mini mixed media canvas using items from our June kit.

Step 1-ink the canvas. I used Dylusions spray inks (Lemon Zest, Pure Sunshine, and Post Box Red) and the red alcohol ink from the kit, then used Ranger Alcohol Blending solution to let it all drip and run together. This product is great to use with the alcohol inks!

Step 2-Using the exclusive Frog Dog Studio stencil, I applied modeling paste with the edge of an old credit card to create a raised texture on the canvas.

Step 3-Thoroughly wet a paint brush with water and dip it into the Sparkling H2O. Cover the entire canvas. It colors the modeling paste nicely, and adds another layer of color to your background.

Step 4-Using the paper twine, secure the end on the back side of the canvas with a glue dot, then wrap it around the edge of the canvas a few times, ending at the back and securing that end with another glue dot.

Step 5-I created the flower using a technique learned from Christy Tomlinson. Take a coffee filter and use stencils and spray ink to add a pattern to it. Then, using gel medium (mod podge will not work for this) attach the coffee filter to a piece of foil. The foil is then moldable, which makes it really fun to work with. I cut the pieces into petal shapes and assembled them into a flower, using gel medium to attach it to the canvas. Then I took some of the paper twine and wound it into a circle to create the center of the flower.

Step 6-I tore off bits of the sewing pattern and attached those to the canvas for some added visual interest. I also added a little bit of stamping using a patterned stamp and StayZ on ink in black. I dotted on some of the Sparkling H2O on the sewing pattern to tie it into the background.

Step 7-While all of that was drying, I set it aside and started on the little easel. I used the blue alcohol ink to color the entire thing. One thing I love about alcohol ink is that it dries very fast. When that was done, I covered a small area with some white gesso. This is where I used some little letter stamps to stamp out a quote that I like. I am addicted to letter stamps, you can get them in all kinds of fonts and look great in your art journal.

And here is the final product and some close ups:



Thanks for stopping by! Melissa

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Love Canvas

 Hello artsy divas! Rita Barakat here with my first post at
Frog Dog Studio!

Woot!

I love the idea of a Mixed Media kit because you always
know you are going to get something (hopefully) that you''ve never worked with,
or something you've wanted to work with but haven't picked up yet.

I also love challenging my self to use EVERYTHING in the kit. This was the result!

That's my baby girl (a couple if years ago)and she looks darling on this little canvas!

 First impressions:

This was my one thing in the kit that I thought,
"what am I going to do with that?"

Now that I've used it I am thinking,
"COOL! What else can I use this on? 

 The process:Tear a piece of the pattern big enough to cover your canvas

crinkle it up into a ball and flatten it back out (see the wrinkles?).

Use *heavy gel medium to adhere it to the canvas, tucking in  any edges underneath.

*The reason I prefer using heavy gel medium on my projects is you you get full coverage

and it is not runny & messy like glue. Once it dries you can paint it
sand it whatever- it's not going anywhere! I like this for pictures on projects too, because there is not bleeding or distortion of the image.

 Then I used the gel medium to adhere my picture and letters into place.

 And I added more texture ( I know its hard to see but I promise its there) by using the stencil

to add random triangles over the piece with the gel medium. I am using the gel medium

because I know later I am going to use alcohol inks and they like a non porous surface.

 

I used the blue and green Alcohol inks over the entire surface,
once dry, I added the twinkling H2o watercolor paint in various places.

I also used the inks on the twine.

 Here is a close up!

I love all the wrinkled texture form the pattern!!!

And I love the saturated color!The darker spots are where there was no gel medium!

 I cut these angel wings out of the plastic sheet enclosed and
used gold alcohol ink (not in the kit) for polka dots! I added 

a little crown - it was silver, changed it with the alcohol inks.

***

 I hope you enjoyed this project, I know you will love this kit!

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How to create a textured art journal page

Hi Everyone! Melissa here, with a tutorial on how to create a textured page for your art journal. I have many art journals that I work in. Some are for trying new techniques, others are themed, one is for a year long project that I am working on...but my favorite journal is my "play" journal. This is where I just let loose and have fun. I come to this journal with no expectations, no real plan as to how the page will turn out.

Play is good :)

I should probably go ahead and tell you right now that this page did not start out as a journal page project. I was working with the thin canvas with the intention of just working the canvas, but as it happened, I just wasn't thrilled with how it was turning out. So I will spare you the extra 15 steps that this project started out with :)

The first thing I did was color the canvas with alcohol ink from the kit. I mixed up a slightly darker shade and dripped it along the top, spraying it with Alcohol Blending Solution to help it run. After that was dry, I used the Twinkling H20 by wetting my fingertip, dipping it into the pot and smearing it around on the canvas. Then I inked the edges with Distress Ink in Vintage Photo and laid the little chipboard bird on to see how I liked it.

In the next step, I selected the letters from the kit and chose to use the word "hi". I covered them with some scraps of patterned scrapbook paper from my stash. I then inked those edges also, and used the alcohol ink to color the heart to use with the letter "i". At that point, I thought the blue was a little dark on the canvas, so I lightened it up a bit with a light blue paint dabber. Then, the paper twine was added around the edge as a border. The last step for the canvas was to go over everything with some more of the Vintage Photo Distress Ink so it all blended together.

Now at this point I decided to turn this into a journal page, so I started by adding some texture to the blank page using Mod Podge and the dress pattern paper (which I LOVE!). I put the Mod Podge down on the paper first, and just laid the dress pattern randomly and wrinkly all over the page, never minding if it tore or got wrinkled, that's what adds the great texture! I also tore up some bits of patterned scrapbook paper and glued them down. Then I brayered over the whole page just to get everything glued down well.

The next step was to add some bits of vintage style washi tape. I just placed them randomly on the page. Then I went over the whole page with the Vintage Photo Distress Ink (to help blend in with the canvas) and really highlight the wrinkles in the page. After that I added the Twinkling H20, using a watercolor brush in the center of the page. I also used a light green Caron d'Ache NeoColor 2 crayon to tie in the color from the canvas to the background.

I'm a big believer in reusing items whenever possible, so for the background I used some Prima Flowers packaging (which is really lovely), and a tag from Seven Gypsies. I tied some of the paper twine from the kit onto the tag and also used some random bits of it around the bottom half of the page, securing it with glue dots and some mini staples.

The last steps included securing the canvas to the page using Golden Heavy Gel medium and adding finishing touches. The gel medium works fantastic for attaching bulkier items to your canvases, and it's something I recommend always having in your stash. The blue paint dabber was used again randomly on the page, to also help tie in from the blue of the mini canvas. I added a bit of lace that was hiding out in my stash and a couple of Prima flowers and the project was complete.

And a few close ups:


Thanks for allowing me to share my project tutorial with you--happy creating!!

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