Stencils used in either Mixed Media, Paper Crafting, or Decorative Painting

I love stencils!!!  I can’t tell you how much I love them.  Why wouldn’t you want to incorporate something into your painting that requires very little effort from you and is so versatile?  Part of my “art hoarding” compulsion is my rather large box of stencils which sit right next to my painting table on the floor.   I want them easily accessible and naturally have to keep them where it is easy to just grab one.  I warn my family to watch where they step when they come into my painting area; otherwise I am not responsible for anything that might occur.  LOL.   I should post that on the door. 

 

As I mentioned in an earlier post there are a number of really wonderful stencil companies on the market right now.  A number of Decorative Painting artists have moved into the area of stenciling, Laurie Speltz, Tracey Moreau, Renee Mullins, and Patty Rawlinson to name a few that I have personally had experience with and their stencils are all fantastic.    Did you know that there are other companies that are specializing in stencils, many of which only sell stencils?    Two of my favorites are Crafter’s Workshop and Stencil Girl.  Like the stencils I mentioned above they are made out of a very durable material which will hold up to repeated use and clean up very nicely.  These companies work with a number of artists in the art world to design their stencils and offer an incredible selection. 

 

Stencil Girl is owned by Mary Beth Shaw who is an author and published artist, many of you may have heard of her.  She works with a wonderfully talented group of artists to design the stencils that she offers on her website http://stencilgirlproducts.com/  There are a wide variety of stencils that she carries from stencils to help you draw a face to random patterns for backgrounds and in a wide variety of sizes.  I have a number of her stencils and love them all but one of my personal favorites is the Spider Web Stencil.   They are high quality and will hold up to repeated use and you might just find something that you can’t live without.  I know I have a number on my wish list right now. 

 

Crafter’s Workshop is another of my favorite stencil companies.  They too have an incredible assortment of stencil designs and I often find myself adding the new releases to my wish list and counting my pennies until I can order.  http://www.thecraftersworkshop.com/The_Crafters_Workshop/Home.html  One stencil that I recently used on a canvas is a 6”x6” sized template called Mini Busy Bees and it was darling.  I can see myself using this one frequently.  Take a look at their border stencils, all I can say is AMAZING!!!  Whether you are a painter, card maker, journal enthusiast, or a crafter you are going to find stencils that you just can’t live without.  I’m sure you too will be adding to your stash and causing your family concern over your “art hoarding” tendencies. 

Jump for Joy Angel Wood Pieces

They're Back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  These quality wood pieces are so worth the wait, the quality of these is amazing!  I have been so thrilled, overwhelmed, and grateful for the response to these little characters and I have the wood pieces back in stock.  I couldn't believe that these angel wood pieces sold out so quickly, if they sell out again I can easily get them back in stock.  No Worries, my supplier is amazing! 

Watch for a new Christmas Ornament set that is ready to be out on the market and think..... Santa, Mrs. Claus, and Mr. and Mrs. Elf.  There is a bit of a theme going on here.... Couples.  LOL.  Seriously these are a mix of paper piecing and painting and they are so adorable.  Can't wait to share them with you and of course I will carry the wood pieces for the set.

Jump for Joy Frankie and Spring Erik Stamp Card Samples

During my last post I mentioned that I was busy on Saturday demoing my line of stamps at Memory Lane Scrapbooking for National Card Making Day.  What fun I had!!!!  Here are two additional cards that I made using two of my stamps.  My goal is to make a card for each stamp that I have, not quite there yet though.  LOL. 

This card uses Spring Erik and one of the sentiments, You're a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day!  I put this together on a watercolor card using  my Dylusions Sprays in the background, using clean water "ghosted" or lifted the texture in the background using a Dreamweaver's stencil.  Used Washi Tap on the base and stamped the border.  Behind Spring Erik you can see Gelli Prints cut out using my Spellbinder's Dies.  I colored Erik with Copic Markers. 

 Here you see Frankie colored with Copic Markers, the background colored using shades of blue Tombow Markers and washed onto the background.  I stamped texture using a variety of stamps from my Tim Holtz collection, cut out the shape behind the house using a Gelli Print and my Spellbinder's Dies.  The house I cut out of black cardstock and added Washi Tape to the  base of the card. 

You can see my line of stamps at http://www.treasuredtimesrubberstamps.com/products/our-stamps/hartman/ 

Fall Card Sample using Fall Erik Jump for Joy Stamp

Here are two cards that I did using Fall Erik from my line of stamps available at www.treasuredtimesrubberstamps.com I wanted these cards to have the look of a chalkboard and used my white Gel Pen on black cardstock, added Erik colored using Copic Markers.  Added some rub-ons and embossed the leaves.   I have been working on my lettering skills because I want to add more of my own art lettering to my projects and hand lettered both of these samples.

The background for this card is another stenciled background paper using a variety of layered Crafter's Workshop Stencils using a variety of acrylic paints.  What do you think?



Jump for Joy Stamps and Cards Aloha

Phew!!!  It has been a busy Fall for us and October is looking like it will also be a busy one.  I enjoy being busy but it also puts a crimp in my painting and designing time.  LOL.  Needless to say my blog posts have been sporadic. 

I was fortunate enough to  have been asked to spend some time Saturday at Memory Lane Scrapbooking sharing my new line of stamps on National Card Making Day with Stacy and her card making group.  It was a blast and what amazing projects those gals produced, what a talented group they are.  The cards they were making were simply inspirational. 

I had made a few samples of my cards to share with them and tried to "think outside the box" using techniques that they may not have been familiar with.  That was hard because I have seen the samples of the cards that they make and I was a little intimidated to say the least.  LOL.  I used background papers, made by me, which used techniques that I use frequently in my art work with layered stencils, my home made sprays, and Gelli Printing.  They all seemed very interested in the stamps and some of my techniques.  Most of you have seen my background stenciled papers so I won't share all of the ones that I used but you can access those in my archived blog posts.  However I did a new one to use with my Hula Girl Stamp.

This background began with spraying Dylusions London Blue, Vibrant Turquoise, Calypso Teal, and Pure Sunshine randomly onto the background.  I then sprayed clean water around to make the colors blend and blotted with a paper towel some of the areas that I wanted to be less vibrant.  I then sprayed clean water through my Crafter's Workshop Mini Punchinello stencil to "ghost" some images and blotted them with a paper towel.  A technique that Dyan Reaveley uses frequently with her line of sprays which you can see on You Tube.  Love her!!!!  This gave the background a starting point for texture.  I then chose some random paint colors, yellow, blue, and white and began to stencil using the Mini Punchinello to add more depth and texture.  When everything was dry I stamped my Aloha stamp onto the background randomly.  As I told the gals yesterday you could easily use what ever you have at home for sprays and could easily make your own with any re-inkers that you might have if you don't have the Dylusions brand of sprays. 

Here is the finished card and you can see the background as well as the layered background elements that I cut out using my Spellbinders Die-cuts and my Gelli Prints.  I thought it turned out really well and I was delighted with it. 

Tomorrow I will share a couple more cards that I did as samples using the stamps that I was really pleased with and had a great response from the gals at Memory Lane Scrapbooking.   Thanks to all of them for such a great day. 

You can view my line of stamps at http://www.treasuredtimesrubberstamps.com/products/our-stamps/hartman/ if you would like to purchase any of them.  I may be prejudiced but I think they are fantastic.  

Home-made Acrylic Sprays

Last post we discussed the joys of using purchased sprays and I do love them!!!!  But…..I also love using the sprays that I make myself.  So easy and inexpensive to do, use your acrylic paint and an inexpensive spray bottle.  Seriously that is it!!!  I would not use your more expensive misters that you purchase, the acrylic paints will clog up the sprayer mechanism and it’s an easy fix but….. Why chance it?  I use spray bottles that I purchase at my local Walmart which have a body mist in them and are found in the travel size, they are perfect for this purpose and cheaper than purchasing a more expensive mister.  I emptied the body mist out of them, you can save that if you prefer, I don’t like body mist so I just dumped it out, rinse it out fairly well, add a small amount of paint to the misting bottle, add cold water to thin, shake to dilute the paint, and spray test on paper.  Adjust your amount of paint depending on the color intensity that you want.  You can use these just like any other spray but the beauty of these is that once they are applied and set up they are permanent.  Depending on your purpose that might be more desirable to you.  If your mister clogs up, remove the sprayer from the bottle and place it in a cup of hot water and spray the hot water through the mister until it works properly and then replace it in your paint bottle and continue spraying.  Just a minor inconvenience!  If you have acrylic inks you could also use those instead of paint, but be careful using your alcohol inks as a spray.  Alcohol inks and acrylic inks are a completely different formula and please check out safety concerns before you spray an alcohol ink solution.  Just sayin!!!  Do your homework to stay safe when painting.  You can also purchase the empty travel sized spray bottles but I found that the spray varied in each bottle so test them prior to using to make sure you are happy with the resulting spray application. 

 

I have a rather lengthy description of this process and how I used these sprays to make background papers for cards or scrapbooking under my blog archives of February – March of 2011. 

 

As many of you know who follow me on my blog I love stencils!!!  Love them and use them regularly in my design work.  So easy and such a popular trend right now.  There are so many wonderful stencils on the market from companies that are specializing in stencil designs to artists that have manufactured their own line of stencils.  Some of these names you are going to be familiar with while others might be new to you but I have tested stencils from each company and can personally vouch for their quality:  Laurie Speltz, Patty Rawlinson, The Crafters Workshop, Kaisercraft, Christy Tomlinson, Prima, Stencil Girl to name just a few.    http://stencilgirlproducts.com/  http://www.thecraftersworkshop.com/The_Crafters_Workshop/Home.html   Why not combine your inks with these amazing stencils to make spectacular journal pages or add them to a background on either a canvas or a decorative painting project?  Have fun and share the result.

 Also another plus is that my family doesn’t hassle me about my art hoarding when I am using materials that I already own.  WaaHoo!!! 

Art Junkie? or Enthusiast?

I am a self-proclaimed art junkie, I admit it I love art supplies.  I love the colors, textures, and the potential; consequently to fuel my addiction I keep up with the trends.   Do any of you have this same dilemma?  My daughter even suggested, much to my dismay that my painting room was starting to resemble that of a hoarder.  Naturally (imagine my shock and annoyance) I suggested that I only needed a bigger space.  Do any of you have family members who would like to hold an intervention for you?  If so then we are in good company.  “Giggles and grins.” 

 

When I sat down to write this post the thought of that blank page staring at me was a little unnerving.   Those same feelings exist when I sit down to work on a journal page but being a can-do type of person thought to myself…. Then get rid of the white page!!!  Easy solution.  One new exciting trend in the art world is that of ink sprays, so cool and so many options to choose from.  The thought of quickly being able to get rid of that white scary space is liberating.  Being the art junkie that I am decided that I absolutely had to have a set of sprays!  But which ones to purchase?  Knowing that my husband and children would be calling an intervention specialist I decided that I needed to choose one brand and stick with it.  I started doing research and discovered this talented, crazy British woman by the name of Dyan Reaveley and her Dylusions line by Ranger.  She has a line of stencils, stamps, ink sprays, and a terrific series of You Tube videos for educational purposes.  That was right up my alley and I ordered the set.  Tried them out and loved them as well as loving her quirky nature and sense of style.  Check her out and see if you don’t just love her as well, I think that she would be a fun friend. 

 

Most sprays are water based which means that you need to do some planning if you don’t want to end up with muddy color applications; it also means that even when the sprays have set they may reactivate when you add subsequent layers.  Not a problem, just use a spray fixative in between your layers.  HMMMM!!!  Imagine the possibilities; this is the beauty and the frustration of spray application.   It also allows for the freedom to enjoy happy accidents occurring as you work.  Don’t like the random spray application?   Any of these sprays can also be painted with just like you would a watercolor.   I think that is brilliant! 

 

My next dilemma presented itself!  Dyan came out with new ink colors!  Oh No!  What to do?  Naturally I ordered them along with some of her stamps and stencils.  Oh well, my husband has been planning to build a storage shed out back, that should solve my current storage problem. 

Gelli Printing on a Cold, Wet, Rainy, Day

Got up this morning to a cold rainy day and thought that it was a perfect opportunity to play with my new Gelli Plate.  I received the larger 10"X14" sized plate as a gift, already owned the 8"X10", and really hadn't had time to play much with it, got it out and had a really fun afternoon.  The size is great especially when I used my Catalyst Wedge tools, the size allowed for really using the wedge tools in a larger space which had frustrated me on my 8"X10".  I had wanted more space to wipe the paint off and get some fun results.  I also tried a number of techniques that I had learned when I took a Carolyn Dube online class. 

I used a number of different stencils, paint, Catalyst Wedge Tools and white cardstock.  I actually am going to make some cards using my new stamps and really wanted something totally different to use as background paper and couldn't seem to find anything that appealed to me out of my stock of Gelli Prints that I've done in the past.  I wanted something different than I had in my stockpiled scrapbooking papers as well and think that I have a couple papers which will do nicely. 

Here I used a combination of Catalyst Wedge Tools and a stencil to prep the Gelli Plate.  Have you tried the Wedge Tools?  Fun stuff!!!

Adding a variety of paint colors.  You do not need a large amount of paint to use the Gelli Plate depending on the technique that you want to use. 

Assorted stencils used on this print.  Sometimes they turn out like you hope and other times they get printed over.  It is a crap shoot for me usually.  I try to plan my prints but most of the time they are either happy or unhappy accidents. 

I like this one and then added my Dylusions Sprays to the background to jazz the print up a bit.  I may even add more stenciling to it eventually. 

These were my happy accidents.  LOL.  I like these and added Dylusions Sprays to the background of quite a few of these with the exception of the one in the very center.  Maybe these will show up eventually in another project.  HMMMM!!!!! 

Another Mixed Media Canvas Displaying the Jump for Joy Characters

The little mummy also blends in with the canvas and I'm not sure I like her on this canvas.  If I were to do this again I think that I'd change my background colors for this character. 

What do you think? 

Another Mixed Media Canvas Displaying the Jump for Joy Characters.

Frankie kind of blends in with the canvas and I like it.  I don't see that as a problem but if you had concerns you could easily change out your paint colors for the canvas. 

Can't wait to hear your thoughts!!!

Check back later on to see the third character displayed on this canvas. 

Another Mixed Media Canvas Displaying the Jump for Joy Characters

 

Here you can see the Jump for Joy Witchie added to the mixed media canvas and I think the combination of canvas and witch is darling.  I used Sticky Tack to add the wooden witch to the canvas and it works brilliantly, that way I can change out my characters as I please but I could easily have hot glued the wood piece to the canvas or even painted her right on the canvas. 

 

What would you do with these characters?  How would you display them?

 

Check back later this week to see two of the other characters added to this canvas. 

Another Mixed Media Canvas for the Jump for Joy Characters

I just can't seem to stop designing these fun canvases and then love adding the Jump for Joy Characters to see how they will look and I love them!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm seriously considering doing some smaller sized canvases for example a 4"X4" or a 3"X3" or even smaller and using my stamps from Jody Stacy at Treasured Time Rubber Stamping to stamp the image and then then paint them.  When Jody gets my Christmas stamps finished I think these will be darling as ornaments and the size is perfect.  Can't wait to try this!!!!

This canvas is a 6"X6" gallery wrapped canvas and I first started with neon Deco Art Americana Paints and a variety of scrapbooking papers that I decoupaged onto the canvas.  The scrapbooking papers that I used were left over from another project that I did and they seemed to work beautifully on this canvas.  Then I started layering stencils onto the canvas in a variety of random locations.  These were new stencils from Mary Beth Shaw at www.stencilgirlproducts.com and I loved them. 

Spider Web Stencil L081 This is one of the best spider web stencils I have ever used.  The quality is amazing and I would recommend it highly.  I'm sure you can look at the canvas and see where it was used.  One of the best things about stencils is the ability to place the stencil on the area and so see how it will look once the paint is applied.  I love that about stencils. 

 

This is another Stencil Girl stencil and I love how versatile this one is, so many different uses in this 9"X12" stencil.   This is the Eights Stencil L130.  I would recommend this company very highly to all of you who love stencils like I do. 

 

Here are the photos of the finished canvas and as you can see I also added another of my faves, Washi Tape.  Tomorrow I will start sharing the canvas with the Jump for Joy characters added to it so stay tuned. 

 

What do you think? 

Tin Tooled Poinsettia Part 5

Use scissors to cut out each petal of the flower. 

Position the flower onto your surface and hot glue it to the canvas.  Cut out a piece of scrapbook paper for the center of each flower. 

This is obviously not the canvas background but instead a different background as I had already completed the canvas piece, this will give you the idea of how to position the petals to form the flower layering the smaller petals over the larger and hot gluing them into place. 

Enjoy!

Tin Tooled Poinsettia Part 4

After you have finished tin tooling it is time to add color.  I used alcohol inks to color this project using a variety of colors depending on the color variations that I wanted on the piece.  Experiment with a variety of brands and colors to find something that works for you.  Adirondack Blending Solution is an interesting product to use to achieve creative results in addition to your alcohol inks.  I dropped the Blending Solution onto my colored petals and it dispersed the color to add an interesting effect.  Use shades of red, orange, and yellow for the flower petals and shades of green for the leaves.  If you prefer you can always color the petals with colored permanent markers, I have found that over time the permanent markers may eventually fade depending on the amount of sunlight they are exposed to.  Colored tin is another option. 

Tin Tooled Poinsettia Part 3

Once you have achieved the deep ridges turn your tin over and refine on the front of the tin by pulling your stylus next to each line you drew working on a hard surface instead of on the soft mat.  This will allow each line drawn to pop out of the tin.  Refer to the techniques tutorial on my blog for detailed instructions. 

Tin Tooled Poinsettia Part 2

Tin Tool the Poinsettia:

Transfer the large and small Poinsettia petals; decide how many you will need to complete your flowers.  Use the attached line art.  Remember to transfer enough to use some as green leaves as well.  The smaller petals will be layered over the larger or can be used as a smaller flower.  Transferring is very easy, place the line drawing onto the tin and using your stylus draw over the lines working on a soft mat or a magazine.  This will transfer the design to the tin, go over the lines again to deepen the ridges on the tin.  Remember this side will actually become the back as this is a reverse embossing technique.  To allow the tin to stretch you will need to work on a soft mat or a magazine. 

 

 

Tin Tooled Poinsettia Part 1

Tin Tooled Poinsettia

This canvas is a follow up to previous tin tooling projects that I have shared with you and will allow you to use those techniques that you’ve been practicing but will encourage you to incorporate tin on a canvas surface.  This is meant to be a loose project where you can be very creative and use the media in a slightly different way.    This project will take a few posts to share the entire project with you, stay tuned. 

Supplies:
Tin of your choice, I used 36 gauge aluminum. 
Stylus, tracing paper, scissors
Canvas size of your choice, I used a 6”X12”
Assorted scrap booking papers. 
Alcohol ink colors of your choice
Assorted acrylic paint colors to be used on the canvas
Stencils
Rubons
Deco Art Decou-page
Hot Glue

I love mixing media and am thrilled with how creative you can be by using different media on a variety of different surfaces.  This project mixes tin, canvas, scrapbooking papers, and I even added Washi Tape to the stems. I opted to tin tool poinsettias that are added to a canvas that I painted and added a variety of fun stencils.  This canvas will be beautiful during the holiday season or would be a lovely gift for a friend.  In my opinion it is never too early to start thinking about Christmas gift giving. 

 

Paint the Canvas:
Choose any paint colors that you prefer, I used shades of blue, greens, and metallic gold that I blended together onto the canvas using a slip slap triple loaded brush technique and my fingers.  Use paint colors that work with your décor and eventual plans for this project.  I had just purchased a set of Dyan Reaveley’s Dylusions Stencils and chose to use them on this canvas with various shades of pink and white.  This type of painted background is very subtle and is meant to showcase whatever is placed in the foreground.  I then added Washi Tape onto the canvas for interest.   

 

 

I also added green Washi Tape onto the canvas to form the stems that you can see in the image at the beginning of the instructions, I like to decoupage Washi Tape onto the canvas to make sure that it doesn’t come off.  I also cut out a variety of leaves out of scrapbooking papers and decoupage them onto the canvas; you can use the attached line art as your leaf shapes as well as your flower petals.  I also had rubons that I added to the canvas as an interesting detail as well as adding veins on the leaves and some random written phrases using a permanent black marker. If you are going to use Rubons it is important to add a coat of decoupage over them so they stay put.  I love rubons and love how creative they look on a canvas.  This is your canvas and should be completed using materials that you have at home and are fond of. 

 

 

Mixed Media Halloween Part 3

Time to add the color!  Of course I couldn't just leave the white canvas and added shades of orange and yellow, as well as Glamour Dust Black Paint.  As I stated in my earlier posts I often paint using my fingers and like to be able to smooth the paint out onto the patterned papers, for whatever reason I feel like I have the control to blend the paint and smearing it precisely where I want it to be thinning it with water to achieve a random wash of paint.  You should feel free to use paintbrushes if you prefer, often people do not like to get paint on their hands but that isn't something that bothers me. 

Can't you just see the Jump for Joy Characters displayed on this as well???? 

Mixed Media Halloween Canvas Part 2

Welcome Back!!!  As I looked at this piece I felt that something was missing and decided to add Washi Tape.  If you have never used Washi Tape it is awesome.  Washi Tape is a transparent masking tape and is currently being produced by a number of companies here in the states.  I love the colors and patterns and especially love adding it so that it peeks out between the other layers and you see a spark of color, like a little surprise.  Give it a try, however I would definitely add a coat of Decou-Page over your Washi Tape layer so that you are assured that it sticks and stays in place.

Mixed Media Halloween Canvas Part 1

My goal in the past few posts was to share a tutorial hoping to spark your creativity to come up with ideas to display your Jump for Joy Characters. I suggested using a wood 12" clothespin and developed a Mixed Media Display piece using paint, patterned paper, and stamping materials.  I thought it was darling.  What if you wanted another option using a different surface?  How about a canvas?  You could actually use any size that you want, I chose a long narrow gallery wrapped canvas and designed it so that it would sit on its side or end, it could easily sit on end similar to the clothespin.  Using a canvas is such a versatile option, easily accessibly, and easy to store.  Not to mention super easy to prep!!!  No Prep!!!  What a plus.....

I chose a number of Halloween themed papers and using Deco Art Decou-Page glued the papers down in a random manner to the front and sides of the canvas.  I am a huge proponent of the Deco Art Decou-Page product, it is exceptional and no, I don't work for the company.  LOL! 

Next I chose to add a vintage musical score that I had found at my local second hand store and cut out just a small portion of it.  You can find these for next to nothing and the paper already has that vintage aged color which looks fantastic. 

 

 

HMMMM?????  What are your thoughts?  I'd love to hear them, this is always such a one sided conversation.  (Giggles and Grins!) Of course it allows me to be the star of the show.  LOL.  

Display Your Jump for Joy Characters Mixed Media Piece

DRRRRUUUUMMM ROOOOLLLL PLEASE!!!!  It's time for the big reveal!!!!  LOL  Seriously I think this is darling and would make a great display piece for your holiday decorating!!!  And the best part, it was sooooo easy!  I actually attached the characters using Sticky Tack because I wanted to be able to change out what I put on this piece, you could easily use Velcro if you prefer or even glue the pieces directly onto the clothespin.  As you can see there are only 3 characters on the piece so you could change them out over the course of time to add interest to your display.  Or do a second display piece, maybe a smaller clothespin.

These characters would be so cute painted on a treat bag, bowl, painted on a banner or so many different surfaces.  I can see these painted on those adorable triangle shaped banners and hanging on your door, in fact that is so appealing to me that I might do that myself.  LOL. 

How about adding these characters to a canvas?  Watch for my next series of blog posts where I will work on a canvas piece which would be perfect to use as another option. 

Do you have other great ideas? 

How to Display Your Jump for Joy Characters Part 4 adding in the Mixed Media Element

I recently purchased stamps that I felt would be great for mixed media, Tim Holtz has a set from Stampers Anonymous called Ultimate Grunge and Dyan Reavely has a Dylusions set called Bits and Bats.  I thought both of these would be perfect for this project.  I stamped the web from the Dylusions set using Ranger Archival Ink in permanent black onto a couple of locations on the front and also the checked stamp from Tim Holtz using the same ink.  Because this is a permanent ink you can feel safe to use it with your paints and will not run if you choose to varnish.  You wouldn't have to use the stamps if you didn't want to, you could easily either paint a spider web or stencil one onto the piece and could also use a stencil to add the checkerboard but as I've already established I like to occasionally use "easy" for my painting technique and love the way this looks.  Mixed media is all about using the techniques and materials that work well for you.

I like thinking outside the box and coming up with new creative ways to use existing projects and hope this gives you some great ideas for displaying your characters. 

What do you think?  Stop by tomorrow and see the characters added onto the clothespin.

How to Display Your Jump for Joy Characters Part 3 adding in the Mixed Media Element

Mixed Media is all about adding layers which then gives your piece the illusion of depth.  I love that about it and I love the creative freedom which is generated by the process.  Often I will use my finger to paint with because I want a certain look which I can't achieve with a brush.  As I looked at the clothespin I felt that it was too bright, consequently I thinned Deco Art Jack-O'-Lantern Orange down with a drop of water using my finger on my palette and smeared the paint onto the edges and over some of the patterned paper areas to soften the harshness of the paper and then using the same technique smeared Deco Art Snow White over some of the center to lighten it just a bit.  I like this technique, it is so random and I love the tactile feel of the paint on my fingers that I feel particularly connected to the project.  Sounds crazy and guru I realize but it give me a freedom that a brush won't give. 

Thought?  Do you like the idea of working like this?

Display Your Jump for Joy Characters Part 2 Adding the Mixed Media Element

So here we are with step 2 of the clothespin display piece and I decided that I wanted to use pattern/scrapbooking paper on the front of this, that is why we didn't need to paint the front of the clothespin in the last step.  I love patterned paper and use it frequently.  I can't see a good reason to not use it, someone very talented has been paid a great deal of money to design gorgeous papers and I for one think that is brilliant.  I love streamlining my painting and do not feel the need to always use traditional painting techniques, in fact love how creative you can be when you are mixing it up a bit.  That is what mixed media is all about.  You don't have to use premade paper, you can make your own pretty easily if you prefer.  These were scraps from another project which makes the frugal part of me do the  happy dance, I cut them to fit and used Deco Art Decou-Page to glue them to the front of the clothespin.  Another fantastic product from Deco Art that you should try if you have not.  How fun is this, you basically are designing your own project by choosing patterned paper that you like. This is the just the beginning of the process of building layers to add depth to the background.

What are your thoughts?  Are you interested in where this is heading? 

How to Display Your Jump for Joy Characters

I'm jumping for joy over these little characters!!!!  Can you just imagine me jumping all over my house.  LOL.  SCARY!  I love how cute and whimsical these characters are and I would use them just as ornaments, as I've said before I have a display piece that I bring out at Halloween to display all of my adorable decorations.  I think I found it at Hallmark a number of years ago and have used it for years, my children loved putting it up every year.  I would add these Halloween Jump for Joy characters to my display piece but what if you don't have a cute display piece but still want to display your darling characters?  I started searching through my stash of wood pieces and found these 12" wooden clothespins.   I thought Ahhh Hahhh, these would be perfect.

Of course I prepped the clothespins by sealing them with Wood Sealer, I used Deco Art which is a fantastic product.  I also used Deco Art Acrylic for the remainder of this project. I wanted these to look a little random with a mottled painted look and I also knew that I wanted this one for the Halloween characters and chose to use shades of orange.  I started by painting it with Tangelo Orange and washed the paint onto the sides and back of the piece.  Why not the front?  You will see in a while, I am building the suspense here in case you were wondering.  I liked being able to see the wood grain through the paint but really wanted it to have more color, I used a 3/4" flat brush and loaded the end of the brush with Tangerine, tipped one corner into Tangelo Orange and the other into Jack-O'-Lantern.  Took the brush directly to the piece and began using a slip slap brush technique to apply the paint, randomly blending the paint back and forth, reloading as I needed to achieve the look that I wanted.  PERFECT!  Just as I had hoped it would look. 

Check back later this week to see how this progresses!  Again building the suspense. 

Beach Photos.

These photos show how quickly the fog would begin to roll in and the day would go from nice and sunny to cold and foggy.  LOL.  The beach was gorgeous in spite of the fog and was very large, we didn't walk the entire beach only a portion of it.  The cooler sea air was refreshing and invigorating.  We just bundled up and continued to enjoy the location.

Check back later on this week for a new project using the Jump for Joy characters.

Lighthouses on a Foggy Day

One cold foggy afternoon we decided to head to Tillamook and do some sightseeing and went to the lighthouse out on the point.  I'm sure had the fog not been so thick we might have seen gorgeous scenery but unfortunately only saw a vague hint of the shoreline far below us and this beautiful lighthouse. 

My husband and brother in law took the boat out in the bay near this lighthouse and did see the gorgeous cliffs that were below when the fog briefly lifted.  They also saw many seals out in the bay while they were crabbing.  We did eat fresh crab most days that the guys caught fresh and it was fantastic.