Beach Music

Are you ready for some fun in the sun?  I know I am, so I was happy to see the mood board my fellow DT member Irena Stefanova chose for the May challenge at Mixed Media World.  Sand and surf, sunshine and denim, this mood board will inspire you slip into your summer cutoffs and grab a tube of Cerulean Blue!

My memories of the ocean come to me in waves of sound, so I decided to create a piece called "Beach Music'.  I began by laying down some background texture: gesso, shelf liner and modeling paste. I had just recently watched this video by the wonderful Keren Tamir in which she demonstrated stamping on modeling paste.  Inspired by this technique, I used an old rubber stamp with various sizes of dots to press 'bubbles' into the 'surf'.

Color came next.  I started with DecoArt Acrylics to establish the color base and then applied Lindy's Stamp Gang Sprays and Paper Artsy's Infusions to the wet acrylic paint.  While my canvas was drying, I began working on my embellishments.  The frame was weathered using DecoArt products: Americana acrylic paint, 1-Step Crackle Clear Glaze and white Antiquing Cream.

I treated the tag and the cardstock for the 'Beach Music' title with Distress Oxides and aged the edges with Distress Ink. The cheesecloth, sheet music and art stones were tinted with the leftover oxides and inks on my craft mat. I tore a strip from some denim fabric and frayed the edges before gluing it around the outside edges. Jute was then wrapped around the denim layer and adhered.  

Lindy's Flat Fabio in 'Sidewalk Chalk' provided the 'sea spray' to my denim sides and the top of the canvas. My goodies, including the beautiful seashell, were arranged and attached to the project.

One last detail: a tiny starfish relaxing on the beach...in a bottle cap.

I hope you enjoyed our little outing to the seashore.  And also take a trip to YouTube and subscribe to Keren Tamir's channel by clicking here.  Trust me, she has so many great tutorials to share!  

See you next time!

Leslie

Product List

DecoArt Americana Acrylics:  'Desert Sand', 'Vintage' Chalky Finish, 'Renaissance Brown' Dazzling Metallics

DecoArt Media:  'Titanium White' Antiquing Cream; 1-Step Crackle Clear Glaze

Paper Artsy:  Infusions in 'Royal Blue', 'In the Navy' and 'Sleight Blue'

Lindy's Stamp Gang Sprays:  'Clam Bake' Starburst; 'Sidewalk Chalk' Flat Fabio 

Ranger:  Distress Ink in 'Vintage Photo' and 'Clear'; Distress Oxides in 'Vintage Photo' and 'Faded Jeans'; Adirondack embossing powder in 'Denim'

Prima:  Art Basics Modeling Paste, 3D Gloss Gel and Art Stones

Ken Oliver Crafts:  PEGz Stamp Set 'Uppercase Alphabet'

Canvas, white gesso, shelf liner, dots rubber stamp, denim, jute, cheesecloth, sheet music, fish net, frame, cardboard, cardstock, bottle cap, sand, starfish charm and a seashell

Sneak Peek: ZenGecko - A Doodle in 3D

Today I want to share with you my latest canvas I have created especially for the Mixed Up Magazine Blog!

My Mom and Dad followed the Black and White Guide to Parenting.  My Dad was the no-nonsense father who 'tried' to lay down the law: his house, his rules.  But when Commander Serious left his parenting shift at 8 a.m. to go to work, Officer Fun, my Mom, took over!  

So let's talk about color!  Mom wanted to paint the bathroom.  My Dad, rightly concerned about what this could entail, informed her that the walls had to be white.  Mom followed his orders, but he had said nothing about the ceiling!  I kid you not, she painted it fire engine red (gloss enamel) and glued a decorative strip of black pom poms along the entire perimeter at the top of the walls.  My friends and I thought it was the coolest bathroom EVER!  Dad?  Not so much...

The next color explosion happened in my bedroom.  Mom let me pick out the wallpaper for an accent wall: white daisies with bright yellow centers on a sea of neon green!  She then informed the paint mixing guy to match the green color for the paint.  Holy Electric Limeness - it was so AWESOME!

My canvas, like the rooms in my childhood home, morphed into something wildly unexpected. This is ZenGecko - A Doodle in 3D.

When I initially started this piece, my intention was to use my favorite color palette of browns and blues with a domed focal point in the center.  So, how did I end up in Funkytown, home of the ZenGecko?  

The answer is my Grandma's old yarn. Intrigued? I would love to show you my creative process!  Pop over to Mixed Up Mag for more.

Sneak Peek: The Lock and Key

...NEWSFLASH...

A month or so back there was a crazy-huge development in my little life:  I was launched into space and OVER THE MOON!  So if anyone has reported me missing, look over the moon - you'll find me there!

What's she babbling about now, you may ask.  I'll tell you: my big news is the wonderful opportunity I've been given to be a Contributor/Blogger for Mixed Up Magazine's new blog!  I can't even begin to tell you how exciting this is for me to be working with Katy Leitch and her incredible team of artists. I am so thrilled and honored and, yes, over the moon!

To see my post, additional photos and a tutorial for The Lock and Key, head on over to the fabulous and fun blog at Mixed Up Magazine.

See you there!

Leslie

Field Poppies

My Mom always made sure poppies bloomed in our backyard, for they were in remembrance of her father, my grandfather, who fought in World War I.  I miss seeing their vibrant blooms, standing out so proudly in the shade of the apple trees.  Why have I not cultivated them in my own backyard?  I vow to make this happen. And in the meantime, I would like to share with you "Field Poppies".

Before I became hopelessly diagnosed with an extreme case of Mixed Media Syndrome, one of my many art explorations was watercolour.  Given that the April challenge prompt for Mixed Media World is 'watercolour', I dragged out my supplies and got to work.  

I began with strips of masking tape on a cutting surface and roughly sketched out my poppies. I cut around my sketch with an exacto knife and positioned the mask on cold pressed watercolour paper.  

After a wash of salt water, I laid down some Qor watercolours with a bit of sap green in the Windsor Newton line. I quickly pressed a sheet of crumpled plastic wrap to the surface and set it aside to dry. This is a simple technique for interesting watercolour backgrounds. Upon drying, I removed the plastic wrap to reveal my 'fractured' base. The poppy mask was then taken off and I was all set for the next step.  

There are several ways to achieve a watercolour effect, so rather than painting the poppies in my Qor watercolour paint, I decided to use my Tombow markers.  Choosing several different shades, I outlined my design and began 'pulling' the colors across the petals with a wet brush. Each petal was worked separately and allowed to dry before beginning an adjacent petal. After drying, my project morphed into Mixed Media when I created the centers of the poppies out of 3D Gloss Gel, Mini Art Stones, Ink and Embossing Powder.

Next, I gessoed and stenciled a pattern onto an 8 x 10 canvas.  More texture followed in the form of old lace and thread.  Before adding my poppies watercolour, I added my muted green background to contrast with the color pop of the flowers.  

Once the watercolour painting was adhered to the canvas, I began gluing the embellishments: seeds, beads, painted screen, sticks and the wording pieces.  As a final touch, I sprayed tissue paper with color and made petals for the foreground flowers.  How fun to introduce my watercolour paints to my mixed media supplies!  I'm sure they'll get together again soon.

Have a wonderful bloom-filled day and join the creative fun at Mixed Media World!

Leslie

Product List

Qor Watercolour Paint:  'Burnt Sienna', 'Quinacridone Gold Deep', 'Viridian Green', 'Ultramarine Blue'

Windsor Newton Watercolour Paint:  'Sap Green'

Arches: Cold Pressed Watercolour paper, 140 lb

Tombow Markets:  837, 845, 847, 885, 905

Prima:  Art Basics Modeling Paste, 3D Gloss Gel; Art Ingredients Micro Beads Black

Paper Artsy:  Infusions 'The Sage'

Deco Art: Chalky Finish Acrylic Paint 'Primitive'

Folk Art:  Acrylic paint in 'Brushed Metal Bronze' and Antique Metallic Copper

Lindy's Stamp Gang:  Starburst Sprays in 'Ponderosa Pines Olive', 'Rusty Lantern Lime', 'Frozen Jack Frost', 'Autumn Maple Crimson', 'Bougainvillea Fuchsia', 'Burnt Umber'

Ranger:  Distress Stain in 'Vintage Photo'; Tim Holtz Idea-ology 'Small Talk'; Dylusions Square Stencil

Miscellaneous:  8 x 10 canvas, white gesso, Silver Black Velvet #8 watercolour brush, watercolour wash brush, cling wrap, tissue paper, masking tape, nails, diagonal lines stencil, old lace, beads, thread, hemp, poppy seeds, coriander seeds, screen, flower book page, sticks

An Evening in Tuscany

Buongiorno!

I have a great travel companion - my imagination - and today we are going to Italy!

---

I was getting ready to make a housewarming gift for my daughter when I saw that the March Challenge for the Fabrika Decoru Blogspot  was Italian Mood.  I decided this would be a perfect theme for a bit of decor for my daughter's new home. During a 'supply mission'  to my local thrift store, I came across a broken olive wood serving tray.  I immediately envisioned that it could become a window overlooking a Tuscan vineyard.

The first step to this 'conversion' was to create the faux stone walls.  I tore pieces of cardboard and glued them onto the tray, leaving open areas in between for my 'mortar'.  Texture was applied next with Fabrika Decoru Paste (which has wonderful little marble particles in it) followed by the initial coat of stone color.  The inner frame work of the window was gessoed and treated with Prima's White Crackle paste.

Once the crackle paste had dried overnight, I was ready to add color to the inner frame of the window. I lightly painted a mix of brown, copper and cream and then applied DecoArt Media Antiquing Cream which was rubbed back and gently buffed with a soft cloth.  

Next, I began working on my embellishments.  I had been given a mini champagne bottle to alter which was the perfect size to place on my 'window sill'.  However, the label was all wrong -   I needed an Italian wine label, of course. So, to lend authenticity to the theme, my husband and I shared a bottle of Montepulciano D'Abruzzo.  Such are the struggles of the creative process...

I removed the champagne label, adhered the red wine label and then applied tissue paper, crackle paste and a few micro stones to the bottle.  Twine and braiding were also added.  The vibrant color on the bottle, grapes and flowers was achieved by combining Fabrika Decoru paint and sprays and highlighting with the new Art Alchemy wax in Rose Gold.

The backdrop was done on wet watercolor paper using Fabrika Decoru for the sunset sky and a mix of Paper Artsy Infusions and Dr. Ph Martin's Bombay ink for the rolling hills.  I tore 'hill-shapes' from the paper and layered them against the sky for a feeling of distance.  This backdrop was then adhered to a foamboard before securing behind the window frame.

I cut a wine cork into circles using a serrated knife and glued wood letters to spell 'Italy'.  This was glued onto my piece along with the other prepared embellishments using Prima's 3D Gloss Gel.  The final touch were the vines which I gathered outside my own front door where they grow on the stone of our house (5,375 miles away from Italy).

Thank you for joining me in 'Tuscany' this evening. 

Arrivederci!

Leslie 

Product List

Fabrika Decoru:  'Aventurine' Chameleon Spray, 'Chocolate with Bronze' Metallic Spray; Metallic Paints in 'Brass', 'Olive' and 'Blackberry'; White Texture Paste with Marble Particles

DecoArt:  Acrylic paint in "Antique Gold', 'Warm White', 'Grey Storm' and 'Desert Sand'; Antiquing Cream in 'Raw Umber' and 'Green Patina'

Prima:  Art Basics Modeling Paste and 3D Gloss Gel; Art Alchemy Métallique Wax in 'Rose Gold' and 'Bronze Age';  Art Extravagance White Crackle Paste; Art Ingredients 'Copper' Micro Beads

Paper Artsy:  Infusions in 'The Sage'

Dr. Ph Martin's Bombay Ink:  'Grass Green' and 'Sepia'

Folk Art Acrylic Paint:  'Pink Flash'

Miscellaneous:  Gesso, broken olive wood serving tray, masking tape, cardboard, foamboard, watercolor paper, small bottle, tissue paper, wine label, wine cork, wood letters, twine, braiding, glass grapes, silk flowers and vine pieces

I was inspired to create this piece after seeing the theme and colors for the March Challenge at Fabrika Decoru.