Tin Tooled Owl Project Step 3

·         Turn the owl over so you are working on what is actually the front of the design and work on a hard flat surface, you no longer want your tin to stretch.  Using your stylus refine the design by working with the pointed end of the stylus next to either side of the ridge line that was formed in the previous step.  There is no need to press as hard as you did in the previous step but your goal is to allow the line to pop out and gently press those flat areas of the design gently back down.  Work your way around all of your ridge lines on the design.  You can also use the flat end of your stylus and work your way around the outer edges of the design to gently flatten the negative space outside the owl.  You can easily use your finger for this stage. 

 

The blending staub may also be used to help refine the front of your piece. 

 

Tin Tooled Owl Project Step 2

·         Pull the design back from the tin and go over the lines pressing harder into the tin stretching your tin to form a ridge on the reverse side making sure to work on the magazine soft mat.  You are still working on the back of your tin defining those lines that you just transferred.  This time you will actually apply enough pressure to form those ridges on the front that will become the basis for your design.  You may need to go over this a number of times to develop a deep ridge.  You can press too hard and rip your tin, trial and error will give you the experience to know how much pressure to apply. 

Tin Tooled Owl Project Step 1

Christy Hartman

www.chartmandesigns.com

www.chartmandesigns.blogspot.com

 

All patterns and designs Copyright © belong to Christy Hartman.  All rights reserved.  These projects may be painted for personal use/personal profit but may not be reproduced for graphic or scrapbook use for resale.  Photocopying and all other types of mechanical reproduction are prohibited.   Patterns may not be republished, distributed, transmitted, displayed, broadcast, or reproduced for any business/commercial purposes without written permission from the artist. 

 

Tin Tooled Owl Project:   Over the course of the next few posts you will see me complete a project using basic tin tooling techniques using embossing, debossing and refining.  I chose to tin tool an owl but you may choose any design.   

 Supplies:

Tin (gauge of your choice, note the previous posts describing tin), stylus, drawing blending staub, texture tools (optional), coloring materials of your choice. 

 

Transfer:

·         Tape the design to the side of your tin that you want to be the back. Remember this is a reverse embossing process and we will begin the design on what will become the back.  Using a stylus trace over the design on the tin making sure to work on a magazine or your choice of soft material that will allow your tin to stretch.  The stylus will transfer the design to the tin, this is not a painting technique and you will not need a transfer material. Use enough pressure to transfer the design, similar to using a pencil.  

 

 

Tin Tooling Part 6

·          You can easily rubber stamp on tin but need to use a stamping material that is permanent such as Staz On and then tin tool using all of the techniques that I am going to show you in the project. 

 

·         Stencils are easy to use with tin.  I completed this sunflower tin piece using a metal stencil,   my drawing blending staub, and some of the texture tools.  I colored it with Sharpie markers. I used a Dreamweavers Stencil which is a metal stencil and was fantastic to use for this purpose.   

 

 

·         Virtually any design that you are would paint can be completed with tin.  Any designer’s projects can be converted to a tin project.  It may be necessary to simplify certain elements but once you get started you will soon find out what you enjoy about the process and be able to make it your own. 

 

 

Tin Tooling Part 5

     Tin is very sturdy and will hold up well on anything that is going to be for decorative purposes however if you are planning to put this tin piece onto a box for example you will want to add household spackle to the back to fill in your design, then glue it to the piece and it will hold its shape with repeated use otherwise the tin will eventually mash down. 

Copper is a fun tin to work with and really requires little in the form of color, a really fun thing to do with copper is to heat it using a heating tool, I used my heat gun for embossing.  Hold the copper with a pair of pliers as the copper will get hot and heat the copper shape and see the interesting colors that appear.  This leaf card is one that I did using that technique.  Liver of Sulpher is a chemical treatment that you can also use on copper but the copper has to be the real deal otherwise it won’t work.  Sometimes copper tin is just colored copper you need the actual copper to make this work.  A friend and I tried this once with mixed results

 

 

Tin Tooling Part 4

       You can use so many different products to add color to your project from acrylic paint, alcohol inks, and markers.  Typically I use Sharpie Markers with my students, again because they are readily available and fairly inexpensive and my student have access to them at home, however I have used my Copic Markers and my Faber Castel Markers on them.  Alcohol inks work really well and you can paint them onto the piece, I’ve also used acrylic paints to add an aged look similar to antiquing but because acrylic paint is fairly opaque you lose the metallic look, I prefer something that will go on transparent to allow the metal to show.  Deco Art used to have a metal paint that worked well and I’m sure that enamel paint will also work however again you have an opaque look.  Just my bias and you will have to decide for yourselves what you prefer. 

Another fun way to add color to your tin piece is to use embossing powders just like you would if you were rubber stamping. 

 

And then of course heat with your heat tool for embossing, giving you an enamel look to your tin piece. 

 

Tin Tooling Part 3

This is actually a fairly easy art form,  I’m hoping to give you the basics and then as creative as you all are will allow you to spread your wings and fly, it is fun and produces a unique product that many people do not know how to do as it is becoming a bit of a lost art.  Let’s start with the tools that you will need:

·         You will need a stylus, many people use a metal stylus and they work just fine, I use a plastic one for no real reason other than it is what I’ve always used.  My stylus has a pointed end and a flat end, one side is for embossing while the other side is for debossing or erasing.  Yes you can erase mistakes if you make them however be aware that you are stretching the tin and you can only do so much stretching before you no longer can return the tin to its original flat shape.  I use the example of stretching your clothing, if you keep stretching the fibers of your clothing it eventually no longer returns to its original shape.

·        Texture tools which will allow you to add interesting textures to your piece.  Dick Blick and the Ten Second Company have a number of videos that you can watch on how to use some of these tools.  A flat brayer will roll over your tin flattening the tin because it will tend to want to curve up as you work.  This roller should have a soft feel to it otherwise it may flatten your texture although as I stated above your fingers work just as well.  This tool is a miniature version of a printing brayer. Don’t confuse the two. 

·         Border pieces work as a rubbing plate and then as you refine your design add interesting texture.  These work best when used with a blending staub for drawing to transfer the design and then to softly add the detail.  The border tools that I have are from the Ten Second Studio but there are a number of good tools out on the market.  My third grade students used both the texture tools and the border pieces on these pirates.   

 

You can see a knight that another student is busy designing that will be completed using tin. 

Tin Tooling Part 2

These are samples of tin tooling texture tools that are available from the company Ten Second Studio although many different companies produce these.  You can also see some of the textures that are produced by each tool.  The tool on the right is a soft mini brayer that can be used to smooth the tin out because texturing tends to curl your tin.  If you don’t own one of these your fingers will do the same thing and often I prefer to use my fingers. 

The border pieces that you see here are made by a company called Ten Second Studio but many of you have background and border plates in your kit.  You use these very similar to a rubbing plate or a texture rubbing.  Rub a blending staub, used for blending graphite and charcoal, over the plate to reveal the border pattern and enhance by running your blending staub throughout the design. 

Tin Tooling Part 1

I recently was asked to develop a project and informational talk on one of my online groups about Tin Tooling or Repousse.  I thought that it might be something that many of you would also be interested in.  Have you ever tried tin tooling?  The techniques are very simple to learn, there are just a few basic techniques for embossing or debossing(chasing) your tin.  Embossing means to develop a raised edge on your tin and this is actually a reverse embossing process as you begin working from the back of your tin and finish on the front.  Debossing, (chasing or to sink the metal on the front) is the process of flattening the areas surrounding the embossed ridges so that the embossed ridges “pop” out.  After we have discussed some of the general techniques we will explore those techniques in more depth.

While repoussé is used to work on the reverse of the metal to form a raised design on the front, chasing is used to refine the design on the front of the work by sinking the metal. The term chasing is derived from the noun "chase", which refers to a groove, furrow, channel or indentation. The adjectival form is "chased work".
The techniques of repoussé and chasing utilize the plasticity of metal, forming shapes by degrees. There is no loss of metal in the process, as it is stretched locally and the surface remains continuous.  This is from the Wikipedia definition of Repousse or Tin Tooling. 
 Historically craftsmen used the art form to produce a variety of decorative functional pieces from serving dishes to jewelry and is still produced by a number of talented craftspeople around the world.  We can use the techniques that were employed on a smaller scale to add interesting detail to cards, mixed media pieces, and decorative pieces of art work.  Your goal in the process is to stretch your tin so that you achieve the raised edges on the front (emboss) making sure that you work on a soft surface which will allow that tin to stretch. You can use a magazine, pile of newspapers, piece of foam or anything that will allow your tin the ability to be elastic.  It isn’t necessary to invest in tools to be able to tin tool, you will need a stylus and tin that is soft enough to be able to emboss.  We use a stylus to transfer the design; the stylus can be either metal or plastic depending on your preference, making sure to always work on a soft surface.  The stylus is held upright at a 90 degree angle which will allow the full impact of the point to achieve that deep ridge while you apply pressure to the stylus.

Tooling tin comes in a variety of thicknesses (gauge) and depending on what you want to do with it will determine the thickness that you want to use.  I generally use a 32-40 gauge tin and find that is a good thickness for either 3-dimensional projects or flat projects, the higher the number the softer the metal.  This thickness of tin can easily be cut using a pair of scissors or a paper cutter.  There are a number of tools that you can purchase including a variety of texture tools which accomplish a number of different textures including wheeled tools or texture plates.  Many household items will also give you an interesting texture on your tin, use your imagination, I often use my Cuttlebug plates to achieve interesting textures and if your tin is soft enough can run the tin through your embossing and die cutting machines.  You just need to experiment with this.

 

You can see above that I have used a Spellbinders die to emboss with and below my Cuttlebug embossing Folders as well. 

 



Easter Tea Light Pattern

The second pattern that I have just finished and put on my website is the third in the series of Tea Light Patterns, the other two can be found on my website www.chartmandesigns.com This is the long awaited Easter Tea Light and is painted on the wood blanks which can be found on my website and are laser cut.   I love a laser cut piece as they require very little prep work.  These characters might look familiar as I made this a companion piece to the Easter Jump for Joy characters of Peter and Ducky.  This is a bright and very cheerful piece and I hope you enjoy painting it as much as I did.

Jump for Joy Collection

It has been crazy around my house lately.  We are in the process of a remodel in our house and it is a work in progress for sure, we are soon going to be without a kitchen and are hoping that is short lived.  Needless to say I've had to curtail some of my painting/blogging activity because there just isn't enough hours in the day or free space in my house.  LOL.  But we are going to be thrilled with the result so it will all be worth it. 

Needless to say I have managed to get two new patterns ready to go and they are part of the Jump for Joy collection.  I really love this collection and honestly it is a first for me because I have never done a pattern collection before.  This has been a work in progress for a while as I had to find someone who was able to cut the ornaments for me as I wanted them cut using a laser and I am so thrilled with the result and my collaboration with Bob Perrier in Canada from Wood Things http:woodthings.ca   I am actually carrying the wood blanks for the ornaments and the keys can be purchased from Bob.  The pattern can be found on my website www.chartmandesigns.com

Look for more in the collection to come, probably after our home remodel.  LOL.  I hope you will enjoy these as much as I did designing and painting them.

Here is my second flower journal page using Christy Tomlinson's techniques for forming the flowers using painted coffee filters decoupaged to aluminum foil.  Very fun, I ended up using the paper towels that were inadvertantly painted with I sprayed the coffee filters and I liked them as well as I liked the coffee filters.  Consequently I used them in the flowers.  I used Dylusion Inks to spray the coffee filters after I had stenciled the black onto the filters.  Fun stuff.

Mixed Media Journal Page

This is another of the projects that I just completed for my Lifebook Journey that I blogged about in an earlier blog post.  This was completed using a lesson that Christy Tomlinson taught us forming the flowers using coffee filters decoupaged onto tin foil and sculpted into flowers.  I added scrapbooking papers and some rubons to help with the design.  The background was completed with a combination of Dr. Marten's Watercolors and Tim Holtz Distress Inks.  The foreground is done using acrylic paint and scrapbooking papers.  I'm enjoying the class and would reccomnend it highly to any of you who are interested.

Lumiere and Neopaque Mixed Media Canvas Part 2

I am here to report on my progress on my most recent mixed media canvas.  I used a variety of scrapbooking papers, paint, and Faber Castel markers on it.  I still need to finish the other two girls and am thinking of a blond and a brunette or maybe two blonds. LOL.  Not sure what they are wanting to become as of yet.  They seem to have acquired their own personalities.

I've enjoyed this project and the word spontaneity comes to mind when I am working in mixed media.  I have never really considered myself  a spontaneous artist and have always enjoyed detail and a plan but am finding that I really am enjoying the process and the freedom that mixed media allows. Anytime that we as artists can move outside of our comfort zone and try something new will certainly help invigorate our art and inspire us to reach for that creative star.  I'm looking forward to finishing this canvas and seeing it develop the personalities of the three girls.

I'm curious about your thoughts.

Jacquard Paints Lumiere and Neopaque

I just started another mixed media canvas this afternoon and every time I work on one of these it just makes me happy.  The freedom that I feel when working on a canvas gives me great joy.  I've incorporated my Washi Tape made using my Gelli Arts Printing Plate that I blogged about earlier, Prima Marketing Washi Tape, cardstock, scrapbooking paper, Stamp Washi Tape from 7 Gypsies Journey, a variety of Crafter's Workshop stencils,  and used Jacquard Lumiere and Neopaque paints.  I used Pearl Turquoise #571, Halo Blue Gold #556, Pearl Blue #570, and Halo Pink Gold #555 in the Lumiere line.  I also used Neopaque White, Blue and Turquoise.  I used a 3/4" brush to slip slap the paint onto the canvas in a random manner and using my finger randomly blended the Lumiere Metallics onto the canvas.  Used Americana DecouPage to attach all of the pieces to the canvas.  

I am very fond of these paints, they are absolutely luminous and the metallic paints are some of the best that I have ever used.  You could easily substitute different paint brands and paint colors, in fact I'm sure that Deco Art Americana has paint colors that would work beautifully.  Once I have started working on the foreground of this canvas I will post my progress as I go.  

I'd love to hear what you think of these mixed media canvases.  

Life Book 2013

I've mentioned in previous posts that I have began taking online Art Classes this past year and LOVED them.  I loved the convenience of being able to watch the classes whenever I have time and can rewatch as I need to revisit techniques.  What a marvelous invention that has allowed so many of us that live in rural areas access to amazing teachers and classes that I might never have had the chance to attend.  I'm still in process of watching my classes from Christy Tomlinson but the beauty of them is that I have access to them for a year so I have plenty of time.  Now just to make sure that I can watch each class before I am cramming them in at the end of my year time frame.  LOL. 

Because I am so enamoured of these online classes I decided to take the plunge and do a year long art/creativity class from Tamara Laporte called Life Book.  http://www.willowing.org/life-book-2013/   It is a year long mixed media class where we will learn new techniques and reflect on our art journey.  I was torn because I still had not finished or even started a few of the classes that I had already signed up for but decided to take the plunge and go for it anyway. 

We began our journey this week and so far it has been fantastic.  I've only completed one of the projects for this week but have loved the process so far.  I think that the best thing about the class for me has been connecting with artists around the globe who have similiar interests and sharing our projects.  What a great opportunity to be able to see how other artists have interpreted the same set of instructions.  I'm sharing my first project which was completed using 140lb cold pressed watercolor paper and using Tim Holtz distress inks for the background, Faber Castell WC Pencils for the angel, Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens, and a variety of rubons for the background.  What fun it has been. 

If you are interested take a look at the class, there is still time to join and I assure you that you will love the process as well. 

Printing Using My Gelli Arts Printing Plate and Jacquard Paints Part Two

Hello Again!  I'm back sharing some of my prints using my Gelli Arts Printing Plate.  I'm still not 100% happy with these and am sure that as I use the plate more often I will become more comfortable with it, but then I am comparing my prints to Joan's prints who is the owner of the Gelli Arts Company.  That is a hard act to follow, she is amazing.  I've tried a variety of paints on the plate and like some better than others.  The Jacquard paints worked really well and especially well on the Washi Tape as it is a luminous flexible paint, my Deco Art Americana Paint worked well, I also tried my Traditions Paint on the plate and the prints turned out well but the paint stained my printing plate.  Be aware of that, it doesn't bother me that the plate is slightly stained but it might bother you.  Next I'm going to try using my JoSonja paints and see how they do. 

This is a print that I used my Traditions paints on with a number of different stencils to form the texture and then sprayed the background with my Dylusions Ink Sprays. 

This was printed using Deco Art Americana Paints and added a touch of Glitter Paint to the print, then wiped off using my Catalyst tools.  I like this one and think that this can be used somewhere as perhaps a background paper.  Not sure but will wait and see where it ends up. 

I'm curious as to your thoughts or what are you doing with your plate that is fun and exciting. 

 

Gelli Arts Prints with Ranger Dylusions Inks Part 3

I'm sharing a few more prints that I've completed using my Gelli Arts Printing Plate.  The first one was a happy surprise becasue as a print I wasn't very happy with it and actually printed onto the back of the paper and when I sprayed the back of the paper the color came through onto this print and then all of a sudden I really liked how it looked.  Made me laugh out loud because sometimes accidents happen and have great results.  Just goes to show how fickle the creative process can be. 

I used a variety of Deco Arts Americana paints and assorted stencils, then sprayed the back of this piece with my Dylusion Inks and love this one.  I am keeping this one.  LOL.  Happy Accident. 

This is the print that is actually on the back of the print show above.  LOL.  This was a ghost print that reminds me of footprints.  I sprayed greens and turquoise Dylusion Inks onto it and liked it but like the one on the back better.  What are your thoughts? 

Gelli Arts and Ranger Dylusion Spray Inks

I recently had the chance to spend some time playing with my Gelli Arts Printing Plate www.gelliarts.com and experimented with different paints, used my Catalyst Wedge Tools, and used my Catalyst handled tools.  Of course they all worked great although I still need to play more to really feel that I know what I am doing.  I am still such a novice at this.  The Wedge tools work wonderfully, I received some handled Catalyst tools for Christmas and really loved working with those as well and liked that I had the option of working in smaller areas.  Thanks kids for the Christmas gift.  I also received a set of Dylusion Spray Inks as a gift for Christmas and decided to try the sprays in conjunction with the prints that I had made.  How fun was that.  I'm sure that I can use some of these as background pieces for cards or in conjunction with mixed media canvases. 

This is one of my favorite pieces, I used my Jacquard Neopaque and Lumiere paints in the printing process and then sprayed the dry piece with the Dylusion Inks.  I used yellows and greens for the sprays. 

This print is similar to the one shown above, printed using the same Jacquard paint but sprayed with orange and yellow inks.  Love it!!!!

This is actually a ghost print printed while I was printing the Washi Tape from my last post but then sprayed it with Dylusion sprays.  I thought that it was boring as just a print but once I used the sprays with it I thought that it was stunning. 

Printing Washi Tape using Jacquard Neopaque and Lumiere Paints

Good Morning and Happy 2013!  I wish you a Happy and Productive New Year.  My new year is starting out well, I've signed up for a year long online class called Life Book and I watched my first video and have started my first class project.  I'm excited to be participating. 

I have to say that I recently watched a You Tube Video by the Journal Junkie http://feliciathejournaljunkie.blogspot.com/ printing "Washi Tape" with the Gelli Arts Gell Printing Plate and was inspired.  I decided to give it a try using my Jacquard Neopaque Paints and loved the result.  I printed these using similar techniques described in the video and there are a few things that I would do differently next time, I placed my masking tape on paper to print it and I would instead place it on a plastic sheet because by the time I took my tape off of the paper some of it had adhered to the paper.  I'm sure that I have enough to use for a while however.  LOL  Here is a photo of the tapes that I printed. 

 

I then decided that I wanted to use some of it on a canvas and chose to use the red tape. 

 

 

Love it!!!!  The tapes were easy to make and are gorgeous and what a great use of my Gelli Arts Printing Plate.  Once I use these up I will do this again and it was certainly more economical that using purchased Washi Tape.  I wonder do they make white masking tape?  White would make a really gorgeous tape as well.  Anyone know? 



Announcing the Jump for Joy Series of Patterns available at C. Hartman Designs

I have a new line of patterns that are available called the Jump for Joy Collection showcasing children and seasonal characters jumping for joy showing that zest for life that many children have.  The first pattern in the line is currently available at www.chartmandesigns.com and even has its own Pattern Sub Category.  This pattern is called the Four Season Bank and shows children "jumping for joy" during the four different seasons.  I think this pattern has so many possibilities including being painted on the adorable bank that I've painted it on.  I can see this pattern painted on ornaments, individual canvases, scrap booking pages, journal pages, desk lamps, checkbook covers, the sky is the limit.  The Love Bug Boogie has always been an extremely popular pattern and I think that this one could as well.  Come on over and take a look, I hope you will love this pattern as much as I do. 

I have a number of patterns planned for this collection, the next should be out in time for Easter and then look for a set for Halloween and Christmas.  Take a look at the card that I have available that I blogged about earlier this week for a hint for a future project. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts about his pattern and the collection. 

Handmade Cards Available at C. Hartman Designs

I have just added a series of handmade cards on my website, they can be found under the Artist Originals Category in the Main Menu. There are a limited number of cards available for sale, but if they sell well I will make more cards. I am test marketing a line of cards to see how well they are received. Let me know what you think. Each card is different and unique and no two are exactly alike. Come on over and see what you think.

Mixed Media Canvas Part 2

Here are the second set of mixed media canvases that I mentioned in one of my previous posts.  These were painted using my Jacquard Neopaque paints and Jacquard Lumiere metallic paints and in a similiar manner as the earlier set although I did not add the Alcohol Inks to these, I didn't feel that they needed the additional burst of color and actually wanted these to be more subdued.  I also spent more time blending the paint with my fingers and you can see the result in the sky on both, the clouds definitely pop more on the Turquoise canvas.  Obviously one is designed to be a fall canvas while the other is going to be spring or summer.  The leaves were stenciled using a Laurie Speltz Background stencil while the stars were formed using a piece of vellum and a Martha Stewart punch.  You do not have to use a traditional stencil but can make your own using a variety of materials.  Anything that forms a mask will do the trick.


I'm not sure what I will put on these canvases.  Any suggestions?  I don' have a plan for these.

New Patterns

These new patterns are finally on my website www.chartmandesigns.com for purchase.  I love each and every one of these patterns and hope that you will as well.  Two of these patterns will look familiar as I have blogged about designing them.  There is one more pattern that I hope to have out later this weekend which will be very appropriate seasonally.  Look for it soon.  I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Wedding Box

 

Mixed Media Witch

 

 

Love is in the Air





Mixed Media Canvas

Merry Belated Christmas to all of you.  My resolution this year to post twice a week was waylaid by the Christmas holiday.  Too many things to do to prepare for the holiday, but I'm back and I still have the same resolution to provide blog posts once a week and twice if my schedule will allow. 

Between designing and blogging this Fall I managed to sign up for 4 online classes, one was with Kelly Rae Roberts, Flying Lessons, which I loved.  If you have never taken her class I would strongly suggest that you take it.  It is inspiring to say the least.  The other 3 classes that I signed up for are from Christy Tomlinson who is an amazing mixed media artist and again I have learned so much, I am about a third of the way through the classes but have a year in which to complete them, but am loving the process.  The success of these classes encouraged me to sign up for another mixed media class called Life Book which begins in January and I am so thrilled to be taking it.  It is a year long class and has a number of different international artists teaching classes throughout the course of the class.  Christy Tomlinson and Kelly Hoernig are just a few of the guest artists.  I have not taken a class for a few years and these online classes are so incredible, for someone who still kind of feels like computers and the Internet are a little like magic, this is a big step for me.  I'll keep you posted on my progress. 

To start us out on the right foot this coming year I thought that I'd post some photos of two canvas projects that I am currently working on.  As many of you know I love working with stencils and have shown you a variety of ways in which to incorporate stencils into your projects.  They are just so easy and there are so many outstanding stencils out on the market at the moment.  I decided to pull out the 4"X4" gallery wrap canvases that I had purchased a while back at Michael's and decided to use my Jacquard paints on them.  I actually have an idea in mind for the set that I am sharing today but am still working on the sketches for them but really wanted to get the color scheme set on the canvases.  I knew that I wanted to incorporate my alcohol inks somehow with this project and also wanted to try painting using my fingers, something that Christy Tomlinson does frequently and amazingly it was a fun liberating experience.  I also knew that I wanted to use the Jacquard Lumiere Metallic paints somehow. 

1.  Blue Canvas:  I began by mixing the Neopaque Blue with White and slip slapped the paint on the canvas to get it covered.  Next pulled out a variety of Lumiere Metallics and using my fingers began to blend the paint around the canvas until I had the look that I wanted and then pulled out my Lime Green Pinata Alcohol Ink and dripped it onto the canvas and finger blended.  Lastly added white snowflakes with a stencil.  It was quick, easy and very effective.

2.  The purple canvas was painted in the same way, different paint colors, added a little sponging to the corners and edges, dribbled Sunbright Yellow Pinata Ink onto the canvas and finger blended.  Added Neopaque Magenta to the edges using a square stencil and used Neopaque Yellow with a swirl stencil.  And loved it. 

3.  The pink canvas was equally fun and was painted in a similar manner to the purple one but with a dot stencil on the edges and swirls on top.  Again I dribbled Sunbright Yellow onto the canvas to enhance the metallic paints. 

I have been a paint layering fan for many years and love how the layered look enhances the background of the canvas, these are actually lovely on their own but really think they will be spectacular once I have added the design elements.  I can't wait to get started on what I have planned to finish these canvases off.  How fun is this?

My next post will show the next set of canvases which are the second set that I referred to earlier in this post.  They are quite different.