Monday 30 March 2015

A Souvenir

My Friends...
New Monday = new inspiring artwork by my Team! :)
Today we have Monika who created a breathtaking cover for her new art journal. Book Art at its best!!

And speaking of my Team - I hope you haven't missed this amazing post they prepared sharing their thoughts and inspirations about their favorite products. The girls did such a brilliant job!
Will you share your product pick with us? :)

http://tworzysko.blogspot.com/2015/03/just-one-product.html

And now get ready to be amazed... :)


Hello!
Today, I'd like to show you a cover of my art journal with lots of textures, embelishments and colors.
I had so much fun creating it!

My new art journal is a vintage book that I bought a while ago. It was waiting for two months before I decided to finally alter it.


First - as always - I reached for Heavy White Gesso but this time I had to apply three layers of it - it turned out that the originally red cover of my book kept staining. Finally, I gave up and decided I will be ok with a slightly pinkish color - I often use it in my works, so why not?! ;)

I added some paper tapes and a new stamp from the Old Town set.


After drying, I added all the metal elements (including Mechanicals) some of which I cut into pieces (for example the flowers).
Once again, the best product to glue all these trinkets turned out to be Soft Gloss Gel.


Then I reached for Micro Beads (Bronze & Copper) - first, I was applying them rather carefully but later on, when I got the feel of them - I was more brave to use these beautiful tiny elements.
As for the color, I used one of my favorites among Finnabair's latest release - Mica Powders in Pink and Teal.


I added some freehand stamping with Messy stamp and a couple of drops of Old Paper Distress Ink.


I decided to place a clock face on one of the caps and added even more Micro Beads and some gold Silks paint.



Finally, a layer of Clear Crackle Paste (I can't stop myself from using it...) and I left the whole piece to dry.



I hope I inspired you to create your own art journal covers.
Hugs!

Monika

Materials used:

Sunday 29 March 2015

The joys of assembling and collaging - "Treasured"

Hi again, I hope you are having a great weekend!
I'm back to my studio, working on some "ultra secret" projects, which unfortunately will need for the reveal for the next couple of months! This is just amazing how long it takes from the planning process, through the early stages and samples to the final effect... Working that much in advance is not my strongest side and my only light in the darkness is I really believe this will be cool  stuff to play with! But shhh now, I can't say any more!

Today I'm coming back to the very beginning of the year, the first class i was teaching this January - "Treasured" Collage made for Art Venture 2015 in Anaheim. That was a great event with so many students and teachers in one place - if you will ever have a chance to go, you should seriously try it! Loads of fun!


Those of you who were interested in my Classes for 2015  will notice this project didn't finally make it to the final group of  officially launched classes. I'm not sure if it was a right decision - some of the places I'm visiting this year were asking about this particular collage, so who knows? Maybe it will show up here or there some time in the future?

Project is based on the creative use of Elementals 12 x12 Resist Canvas (Stripes) - my beloved Mechanicals and of course - Art Basics in a combination with Art Ingredients.



You can see some of Art Basics Modeling Paste in the background, nice coat of Art Basics White Heavy Gesso and finally touches of Mica Powders and Micro beads bonded with Art basics Soft Gels. Fun way to work with any found objects you my find in your collection!


This kind of project which is a balanced mixture of  assembling and painting is the quintessence of everything I love in the creating: freed om of choice, re-purposing, changing the unwanted, not pretty items into beautiful, eye catching compositions. What can be better than that? ;)

I wish you all a wonderful creative time - and please check the blog on Monday to see our next Creative Team project - inspiration is waiting!!!
Sending hugs

Friday 27 March 2015

Just One Product

Hello, Friends!
My beautiful Creative Team prepared a very special post for you all today!
As the girls have been working with my products for some time, I had an idea to ask them what would be the one project that is their favorite, that is always at hand on their desks.
They didn't hesitate and gave me their answers really quickly. :)
So today they are sharing their faves! A really inspiring read!

{ STAMPS }

How can you not love Finnabair's stamps (especially the new range of Cling Stamps)?!
I have chosen to use my stamps on fabric and on primed canvas board, just to see how they would perform.
I have also used 3 different techniques: 1. with archival ink, 2. with Distress Ink and water, and 3. with embossing ink and powder.
All these stamps worked beautiful on these different surfaces and the media I used.


Using a light weight piece of calico , I painted it first with a layer of Art Basics White Gesso and then stamped with Archival Ink, the beautiful figure stamp from Finns “Don’t Forget To Fly” set.
The second piece of calico I did not prime first, just left natural and used the little “Messy” script stamp from the Clear Stamp range, it gave a nice soft effect.
I also used another Clear Stamp with Distress Ink and then misted with water around the edge of the canvas board. The last stamp I used was the Doily stamp, which was embossed in white.
 


I love Soft Gel for its multiple functions which I can put into use. This is an essential product in each of my projects.
Soft Gel is white in a jar, but becomes completely transparent after drying. It's water-based and permanent.
There are two different kinds: Soft Gloss Gel and Soft Matte Gel. To tell you the truth, I use the one which I find in my stack first. :)




Why do we need it? Here are some uses for Soft Gel:
- It is a great base and sealer for different paints and sprays
- A very strong adhesive
- A medium for image transferring
- Easily mixed with a variety of pigments



I used Soft Gel to create this tag. I love using alcohol inks, but they do not work on paper.
So first, I covered the tag with some paste and then sealed it with Soft Gel. The surface became nonporous and a perfect base for alcohol inks.
All the elements are glued with Soft Gel, especially I like using it with Micro Beads and other Art Ingredients.



The title is also created using Soft Gel. I covered a piece of paper with it, then added some glitter. After drying I used Sizzix die to cut out a word.



I really love all the Texture Pastes from Finnabair, but here I'm showing you the perfect background paste for so many different projects.
It's creamy, light, and so easy to work with. You just apply it like frosting to a surface and it does all the magic!

I let this crackle overnight due to the thickness of the paste. A thick layer gives big cracks and takes longer to dry, and a thinner the layer creates smaller cracks and dries much quicker.


On a tag or layout, the thinner layer is perfect. On this canvas, I was going for a more dramatic look, so I layered it on pretty heavy.
When dry, you can add paints, sprays, inks, whatever you want to accentuate the cracks and add color to the surface. This shows the beginning of the layers of color with a few sprays of Walnut Ink.


Stamped images are so stunning on top of the crackle. The possibilities are endless. It's just the beginning of a whole lot of fun!!!



Modeling paste is all about texture, texture and texture again. :)
What I love most about the modeling paste is the dimensional effect you get.
It is a perfect match for all kinds of stencils. 
You can create your background and build your project. The raised areas created with stencils add some fabulous interest to the project. Modeling Paste is a must have product!


I'm crazy about textures but we need to mention that Modeling Paste is also a perfect base for creating custom-made pastes. You can mix it with all Art Ingredients or with colored mediums such as inks, water based paints or pigments.



It wasn't easy to choose just one product but I finally decided to talk about Clear Crackle Paste as recently, I keep using it more and more often.
Why? I love adding a vintage feel to my works and there's nothing better than delicate crackles on different kinds of surfaces.

Why the clear version of the paste? It's simple really - it allows us to see all the layers and colors underneath.


Clear Crackle Paste is really easy to apply, even when you want to have a thicker layer.
And the thicker layer, the more expressive and beautiful crackles in my opinion. Then you need to leave your work to dry for a couple of hours to get the best result.
When I want my crackles to be more subtle, I apply a thin layer and dry it with a heating tool.


And my favorite trick - whenever I use any colored mediums like mists, water-based paints or even tea and coffee - all the pigments stay un the crackles and make them more vivid and emphasize the beautiful texture.



And now it's my turn to praise my favorite product. :) Stencils signed by Finn distinguish themselves by both design and quality.
I’m under the spell of their versatility, they can do any background, be one of the layers or serve as a finishing touch.
Their patterns are far from sweet daisies, but this is the thing I adore in them the most. All these cogs, nets, broken wires and distressed harlequins make them a perfect choice to use in a bit mechanical and shabby piece.



The stencils are thick which makes them not only perfect for applying pastes or gels, but it also helps when cleaning. They have perfect sizes for both large and small projects. I appreciate them for the fact of not being transparent at all. Looking through their opaque and grey surface at the work beneath is a pure joy as it lets me choose a perfect place to put the media on. They don’t let mists leak through and perfectly stay in place.


You may also use them as a stamp on a damp and thick coat of modeling paste. Anything more to wish for?





Let's talk about Mechanicals, the perfect stunning metal accent to your projects. I love them and use them on nearly all my mixed media projects.
They are very versatile and when used as an embellishment either raw or painted they look 100% fabulous.
I have included a photo which will show you 6 of my Finnabair Creative Team projects which highlight a few different ways I have used them in the past. To me these are always a 'must have' product, always making your projects shine.






Black gesso is a primer just like its white cousin. What made me choose Black Gesso before the white one is that the darker one is a more recent find.
I’ve been dreaming about the product for some time and when a jar of magic arrived I was so eager to try it out. And the product didn’t leave me cold, quite the opposite! It’s got a lovely, creamy texture and it has more tooth than the white one. The end result is lovely matt and almost chalkboard style.


Black Gesso creates an ideal base for pastels, crayons and more and makes the colors seem brighter. It’s also a great base for Mica Powders to show off their shine and lustre.
It’s also fun to work “the other way around” – bringing in touches of light instead of shadow. Finnabair's Black Gesso is heavy body so you can also apply it through a stencil and use it as a dimensional medium.

*  *  *
Didn't I tell you this was going to be an amazing read? ;)
We all hope you got inspired to try new things and create some Art with us.
Of course, the question is: what is your ONE product? Did you find your favorite yet?
We hope you'll share your picks and if you have any questions, my Team is here to help.

Hugs,

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