Hello Fellow Bloggers, Lurkers and Mixed Media Dabblers! As many of you know, there are thousands of ways to make mixed media canvases. I've been playing with paints, paper, canvases and inks for a number of years and wanted to share a few techniques I've found along the way. I have so much to learn and I've embarked on a journey to continue exploring the world of arts, crafts and mixed media. Will you join me on my journey? Please feel free to add a comment, a new technique or share an experience.
Live a Life Fulfilled Mixed Media Canvas
1. Prep your canvas by spreading a thin coat of gesso on the surface and sides of the canvas.
2. Cover the top surface of the canvas with a layer of old book pages (I used pages ripped from a second hand dictionary). Adhere the book pages to the canvas with a layer of gel medium on the gesso-ed surface and another layer of gel medium on top of the book pages. Smooth out any air bubbles.
3. Once the gel medium is dry to touch, add watered down paint (I used 2 colors of Lumiere paint) over the dictionary pages in random spots.
4. Using a piece of white tissue paper (large enough to cover the entire canvas), stamp or stencil images all over the tissue paper using different colored inks (I used Ranger distress inks and Adirondack). Adhere tissue paper over the dictionary pages using gel medium.
5. Cut out letters for your phrase using any die cutting machine or stencils preferred. Cut out another shape (I used a dragonfly from Sizzix's Tim Holtz Fanciful Flight) - you might prefer a butterfly, heart, bird cage...whatever suits your fancy or whim.
6. If you're using the dragonfly shape, I layered 2 sets of grungeboard and sandwiched in between (on the wings) a piece of crumpled paper that had been glimmer misted in coordinating colors with my palette. I then used distress ink on the cut out image of the dragonfly, layered a word stamp on top of that and finished with a coating of Ranger Crackle Accents. You may need to let the Crackle Accents dry for a few hours of overnight.
7. Arrange the letters/phrase around your image and adhere the letters using gel medium. Also adhere your image.
8. Rub some leftover watered down acrylic paint along the edges and surface of the canvas.
9. For added interest, add some Ranger Perfect Medium along the top edges of the canvas and add some Ranger perfect pearls. Add some Glossy Accents on top of the Perfect Pearls and sprinkle microbeads on top of the Glossy Accents.
10. Outline the words with a Caran D'Ache watercolor crayon. Soften the crayon markings with a paint pen filled with water. Be sparing with the water -- a little of the crayon goes a long way!
11. Accent a few or all of the words with an old credit card/gift card -- dip the edges of the card directly into a puddle of acrylic paint (I'd use full-strength paint, not the watered down paint) and lightly "kiss" them down onto the canvas.
12. Add hardware to the back of your canvas or staple ribbon to the wood backside of the canvas and use the ribbon for a hanger.
13. Enjoy!
