I've become more and more intrigued by Mixed Media and have watched dozens of videos by various artists. What I like about the concept is there is no right or wrong - kind of like stamping. And there are as many styles as there are artists. Again, just like stamping.
One artist I keep going back to is Cat Hand. She has done a series of YouTube videos called Mixed Media Morsels. Each video shows a specific technique, which she explains and demonstrates, and then does a small page for a mini art journal.
As I've been watching these videos, I've been wanting to dive in and give it a try. I don't need specialized equipment - I already have tons of cardstock, inks, markers, etc. Well, I did go to the local art supply store and bought gel pens in various colours. And a white paint pen.
Many mixed media artists use magazine pages, book pages, anything made out of paper, really. So when I was working on some stamping projects the other day, and they weren't working out as I had pictured in my head, a lightbulb went on and I knew it was time to salvage my efforts by trying some mixed media.
And this is what I did:
I started with a piece of Stampin' Up! Whisper White cardstock. First, I did a watercolour wash using the background stamp of the same name, inked with Peekaboo Peach and Pumpkin Pie inks. Then I used another background stamp - retired, but a favourite - called Sunflower, and inked it with Crushed Curry and Cajun Craze. Not good.
For inspiration, I went to YouTube and Cat Hand's Mixed Media Morsels series. I'm sure she intended that anyone following along would start with #1 and work through them in order.
Not me. I jumped to #21 - Doodling. Using some Prismacolor Markers I had, I just coloured in each petal of the sunflower, alternating yellow, orange and purple. The cool thing is some of the stamped design and original colours show through.
The middle part was coloured with yellow, orange and red. Using lids of various sizes off markers, I stamped some random circles with Stampin' Up Basic Black Archival Ink.
To highlight each petal, I outlined them with a Krylon White Paint Pen and used a black gel pen to outline just the tips of each petal. The little white dots are done with the paint pen.
I was really liking it so far, but the background watercolour wash didn't do anything for the flower. So, I just coloured it all over with a blue marker. I love how some of the background still shows as shaded areas!
To give some more interest to the background, I used one of the masks from the Seasonal Decorative Masks collection in Stampin' Up!'s new Holiday Catalogue and sponged some Whisper White Craft Ink to make the dots. Flipping the mask over to wipe off ink left on the mask makes a really cool reverse pattern.
To do the doodled border, I used a purple gel pen and just did a scribbly-looking double line. The words are from the Thoughtful Banners stamp set, stamped on Whisper White CS with Basic Black Archival Ink. I used Tombow Multi-Purpose Glue to adhere them and used the black gel pen to outline each word and do the scallop detail.
I really had fun doing this! And I have several more of these failed sunflower designs to rescue from the trash. Next time, I'll do a before photo.
You've certainly taken the "no tv" hardship and worked it into something truly positive. What a great way to use your "not quite good enough for that" pieces and turn them into such a work of art. Love your journey into Mixed Media Gail, looks like it will be a lot of fun for you! Awesome.
ReplyDeleteThanks Penny! It really is a lot of fun. And I'm trying to use as many of my SU products as I can. No reason why they won't work for this. And I seem to accumulate a lot of stamped images that, for one reason or another, I never do anything with.
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