This piece just made me smile with lots of texture in the background and lovely vintage papers.
Servus and welcome to my little creative spot here in beautiful Vienna! I would like to share two tiny mixed media houses today that just hopped off my plate and that I had a lot of fun creating. When I saw the fab Tim Holtz "Tiny Houses" Sizzix die for the first time I knew this was a must have - even though I have ordered myself to keep crafty stuff shopping at a minimum this year (because I have too much of it already and no place to store away any new items ;) ! I also love seeing all the gorgeous houses out there in crafty blogland with the lovely idea-ology "Collector" images on them and the latest designer papers and washi tapes. But I wanted to go for a mixed media version of the cute houses and here they come (at least a first mixed media version for starters...I could also imagine using these houses as a kind of "art journaling" format to work on...each time with different media and a different topic...if you do one every other week or so you'll end up with a lovely little art journal village at the end of the year...): They were done using DecoArt media and paints alongside my beloved Stabilo All Aquarellable black pencil and my much used black soot Distress Crayon. Here's a quick how-to: I first collaged torn tissue and dictionary page scraps to heavy cardstock using DecoArt "Paper" Decou-Page. Then I scraped on some white DecoArt media Crackle Paint with a palette knife. Once that had dried I applied a wash of a mix of DecoArt media "Transparent Red Oxide" and "Raw Umber" Antiquing Creams. After I had sprinkled on some black and white DecoArt media Shimmer/Misters and heat dried everything properly I die cut my tiny houses. I smudged some black soot Distress Crayon along the edges using my fingertip, then I glued my houses together with my hot glue gun. I drew the doors and windows freehand with my aquarellable black pencil and activated the pigments with a waterloaded fine tip brush. DecoArt media "Translucent White" was used to paint the door and window frames and also add some flowers and a washing line. As the wet acrylic paint re-activated the black aquarellable pencil lines I got "smudges" of grey here and there (which is an effect that adds a lot of depth). I finished off my houses by adding details in "Bahama Blue" Americana acrylic paint for bit of contrast against all the brown colour tones. I left the backsides as they were...just in case I might need the houses as a more "decent" decoration without the whimsy touch. The cool turquoise paint makes the brown tones look even warmer and more intense. The roof tiles were handdrawn with the black aquarellable pencil too. The other roof only got turquoise lines as a pattern as the design from the collaged on paper looks already "busy" enough. I painted the mown lawn all around my smaller house as I love how it forms a kind of "border". I had also done a first try on a tiny house when my die and Distress Oxides arrived using two fussy cut images showing me as a kid... I found that for me the Distress Oxides worked a lot better on high quality mixed media papers than on my usual cardstock. Not too bad for a very first try I dare say.... ;) The roof was done by stencilling on a heart pattern with white DecoArt Modeling Paste and adding spray paint once all was dry. So here's the start of my little village...and looking at the image I can no longer hide from myself that I seem to have a slight obsession when it comes to houses...lol I hope you enjoyed your visit! Thanks for stopping by! Hugs and happy crafting! Claudia xxx
I have been working really hard lately on a series of four pieces in which I wanted to put my little houses to the canvas. As you may remember I started them in my journal just as simple drawings in pen and feltip pen and then I tried out one picture in mixed media, but on paper. When that turned out right I figured it was time to go for the 'real thing' and put them on canvas. So over the past two weeks I spent many an hour putting the following four pieces together: The canvasses measure 40x40 cm. I call them 'Little City', no. 1 to 4. I am very pleased with how they turned out even if they did cost me two glaze pens! No matter what other people tell you, Sakura's glaze pens (and I love those pens!) don't last long if you really use them, they were empty in no time. ;-) The paper I used is actually the really cheap paper that I showed on my shopping spree post not so long ago. This just goes to show that expensive isn't always better. I intend to do a little tutorial on how I did these canvases in one of my next posts. They take some time, but they are really easy to make, so maybe somebody else might like making them too. I would love to see other people try them. They are such fun! It was again cool to work on several pieces at once, but also frustrating, because there was so little to show in the meantime. Maybe that's why I needed a little break from them to make the postcards for iHanna's swap. Anyway, they are done now. Whatever will be next?
Paints and inks by Dylusions Rub-on by 7gypsies A couple of weeks ago I taught an art journaling class with a theme of repeating images. We...
I've been busy as a happy bee preparing for my upcoming online art show, and it starts really soon! I have put together a poetic and uplifting collection for you, with plenty of lovely florals and inspiration from nature. I hope it will invite you to pause, breathe a little deeper, find renewed joy
This past weekend I taught a workshop on how to make mixed media houses. The students made these adorable houses... The foundation of ...
Touch the dream
Student Gallery! Today I’m thrilled to share some of the art from the Abstract Color Challenge! Red, yellow, green, blue… come check out what the participants have created, and let yourself feel inspired!
Hello friends :) Happy New Year, lol! I can't believe that I haven't blogged in 6 months. Life has been busy I guess, right?! I recently had a lot of fun in the studio making little paper houses. I posted several photos on my Facebook page. The response has been great and I've had several requests for a tutorial, so I wanted to share that with you all. Here it is... Step 1: I took some mop up paper I had saved. It was basically a piece of paper I had taped down to my work space to protect it from paint, sprays, etc. Step 2: I cut out some basic house shapes, no measuring! Just wing it, more fun indeed. Step 3: I cut some windows and doors out of a contrasting color. This helps them to sort of pop forward from the house itself and adds some interest. Glue these down with a glue stick. Step 4: I used a water soluble journaling pen (Pilot G-2 07) to outline the house, roof, windows and door. Step 5: I took a water brush and brushed lightly over the lines I drew. This gave a darker definition and helps pop those doors and windows!! :) Step 6: I added doodles, dots and little design elements to unify colors and shapes. I also added some words and hearts. Don't forget to draw a door knob! Below are some pics of various houses I have made. Hope this has helped fuel your creative juices. Have fun making these, but be warned they are very addictive! :)
I am feeling so inspired by the flowers popping out all over the garden… so much so that a new floral painting class is in the works! Come read more and let your heart bloom!
Student Gallery! Today I’m thrilled to share some of the art from the Abstract Color Challenge! Red, yellow, green, blue… come check out what the participants have created, and let yourself feel inspired!
Take a break. Take a moment. Immerse yourself in this beautiful world of poetry created by Agnieszka Anna. Hello. Today, I'd like to present a dress that was inspired by poetry of a Polish poet, Rafał Wojaczek. Technically, this piece was very easy to make. My base for the dress is a paper mache shape formed on a Barbie doll. I used pieces of a newspaper soaked in glue to create the skirt. After the glue dried, I used gesso applied with a soft brush to fix the whole dress. When it dried and the dress was hard, I painted it with acrylic paints. Finally, I added some frills and some glimmer with this mist. For the background, I applied a thick layer of gesso on a piece of cardboard and stamped this circle shape into the gesso. When dry, I painted the background with the same paints I used for the dress. The little houses I placed on my dress I created out of thick cardboard. I glued pieces of newspaper onto them, then added some touches of white acrylic paint and distressed them with distress inks. Finally, I glued the dress onto the background with the magic glue. I hope you like my dress. Creating it was really that complicated, maybe you will give it a try and create your own? Supplies from Mixed Media Place:
Where is the “Authentic America” these days? Mixed-media collage from grungy scraps of vintage papers.6″ x 6″For sale on Etsy!
Students looked at various examples of cityscapes, specifically the collage work of Romare Bearden. Students created their own mixed media cityscapes by layering various types of cardboard, cork board and wood pieces, painting it black and adding oil pastel for color and texture. Caris T. Niamh R. Hunter King Heather M. Kayleen S. Hunter Kyes David I. Laura F. Rachel C. Michael K. Jack and Sophie's coming soon!
RELEASE YOUR GHOSTS AND TEARS' Acrylic and mixed media on canvas 36" x 36" x 1.5" Mid-Century inspired painting This original painting features acrylics and mixed media on canvas. The work on canvas is Mid-Century Modern in style. There are many layers and moderate textures that enhance this work.A labyrinth of compartmentalized memories forms the theme of this painting.It is a painting of many paintings. The tones are all soft and muted. The sides of the gallery wrapped canvas are painted in low sheen warm white paint and wired on the back ready to hang. This painting is signed on the front and back and coated with an archival UV semi-gloss varnish for protection and light luster. Christina Rosenthal is a Southern California based artist. Her work is found in private collections in the United States and internationally. less
2015 Topic 19: Faces Hi everyone, Leandra here and today I am very excited to share with you information on the topic of 'faces'.....OMG DON'T groan....just bear with me! Yes, I know what you are thinking, along with 99% of the rest of the population, drawing is one of those things too many of us think we can't do - usually because we've been told by someone who supposedly 'knows' eg former art teacher, or perhaps you have already decided yourself that you are totally rubbish at it. Well poo to that! I'm here to challenge you and say that I 100% believe you CAN do it. And so do plenty of other people out there! Collage Portrait - By Michelle Caplan If you can understand a few basic principles, and then learn how to imitate a facial-style you like, then I think 'drawing' a face is totally possible for anyone to master. Art by Molly Harrison Once you find out what works best for you, you will grow in confidence and skill. Honestly, I promise it is not as hard as you think...tonight I'm going to help you 'see' how we start with an egg, and turn it into a face. Perhaps cartoon style, perhaps abstract, or realistic, whichever you prefer, it doesn't really matter - you can twist this topic to your existing strengths and personal preferences, and best of all, you can work with any media you like, collage, paint, crayons, watercolor, pencils etc etc... Doodle Doll: by Trish from Trilovart Before we get into what is out there now let's see who won the Topic 18: Wearable Art Challenge. Hi, Darcy here. I have loved seeing the entries for the past fortnight, some really inventive creations. It is always a real treat for me to see stamps used in unusual ways or on unusual substrates. Well done everyone, wear/use your creations with pride. The winner of Wearable Art is:Jane Castle from Castle-Kelly Crafts Please get in touch with Darcy by emailing [email protected] to claim your prize. Ok, so it's Leandra back to explore the Topic 19 of 2015: Faces..... This topic will be explored over the next 2 weeks on the PaperArtsy blog from October 11-25, 2015. Tonight i'm going to link you to lots of artists online with great information, classes and tutorials on drawing. All kinds of styles and its lots of fun! First up, let's start with the making of the above page by Nika. I am sure you can all relate easily enough to how the background is made, a little paint, a few squirts of dye sprays, and then, she cleverly only add the details for half a face, which means no need to worry about the actual face outline, symmetry or driving yourself bonkers worrying about balance etc. She simply outlines and eye, the nose and a mouth. and builds from there. Here shading is added with crayons, pencils, watercolour, seals with some matte medium, adds more touches of white. I'm sure you'll agree it's quite do-able. For the specifics and intricacies of how it was developed, watch this lovely video. This is another portrait that I pinned ages ago... I think it is by Shonna Bucaroff, her etsy page is here. She has used and blended all my favourite colours in the background, and I particularly love the contrast of colours emerging from behind the turban. But it is the eyes matching the turban that really pulls you in, and I think this style of 'eyes' is not too hard to create yourself...particularly if drawing eyes is a new thing for you. The lips are also really pretty, so sometimes, its good to pin specific 'facial features' that you like, then try to recreate them yourself. The eyebrows are also nice and soft, and look at the shading under the eyes....when you start to look at a face as the separate parts, you can pick the bits you like, and try to recreate them yourself until you figure out 'how' to draw eyes from memory. pinned from Westbrook Fine Art Here is another nice starting point. The collage background is obliterated somewhat by opaque layers of texture and soft neutral colours. The eyes are simple cats-eye ovals with colour and piercing straight-ahead pupils. A barely-there nose, and simple lips, with soft skin tones added to the 'shadow' side of the portrait.... you can just see a soft pencil jaw outline to the lower right, and left of the face. Very minimalist. The lips and eyes are clearly the most 'worked' areas in terms of detail and shading. by Dan Casado I really love the style of Dan Casado, its more abstract in style than the examples above, and if you are hung up on what a nose, the eyes of a mouth should look like, then he challenges those assumptions with bold, simple strokes for noses, the eyes spread wide and pop outside of the face's boundary, and simple lips without expression. But underneath the simplistic style of the portrait, you can identify depth of layers in both collage elements and colour. OK, so maybe you are still not feeling confident about adding facial features...well guess what, you don't have to! That's removed all your excuses! I love this blog post from Tina Walker about how she started sketching by doing a Christy Tomlinson class. In the post she documents how she created the piece above with lots of gorgeous close up details. There are also pics of the canvas backgrounds which are equally gorgeous before she sketches on top! Awesome to see the process! Which brings us to the area of whimsy vs realism. If you pursue to explore a whimsy style of face, then suddenly all the rules of placement go out the window. Eyes can be teeny tiny or massive. Features can be spread apart, and this allows you to be more unique, such as the example below from the etsy shop PBS Art Studio. Look at how the nose and lips are teeny tiny, and the eyes spread wide, even the cheeks are at the lower periphery of the very round face. If you are starting out sketching, I think it is often much easier to start exploring a variety of whimsy style extreme facial features, because there is less expectation of what is 'allowed' than realistic faces. It also is easier to develop your own style of face within a whimsy genre. For example Suzi Blu.... Suzi offers a variety of online classes from whimsy-style through to realistic faces. She always teaches with in depth videos that take you through the steps in an achievable manner. She has a book Mixed Media Girls that also has great information, particularly if you are a beginner in sketching. There are lots of artists who rock this 'whimsy' genre, Kelly Rae Roberts is one of my favourites... Here's a video of how Kelly Rae Roberts crates one of her easily recognisable pieces. Misty Mawn is another who I have admired for many years, I seem to remember she started out quite whimsy-ish, and her style seemed to influence many people...now I see more realism in her work. I adore her beautiful, haunting style and colour palette.... by Misty Mawn by Misty Mawn Time for some talent from down-under! A great teacher, Jane Davenport.... You can read about Jane's creative story here. She offers all manner of online classes . And lets not forget Tamara La Porte (aka Willowing). Life Book 2016 is now open for registration, on this course you receive weekly prompts and video instruction from Tamara and her other well-known tutors, not just about faces, but all kinds of explorative mixed-media techniques, products and ideas are presented. Closer to home, our own talented PaperArtsy designers share their talents too. Clare Lloyd has her own preferred facial style, and she regularly shares on her blog her fantastic, bright and cheery tags. Her face stamps are easily adapted into tags, journal pages and more. Heres a spooky sample with Clare's stamps by Lauren Hatwell.... And I made this journal page with another of her stamps...that is certainly a cheats way to make it look like you drew a face...but instead you use on of Clare's stamps! There are lots of samples with Clare's stamps on my Faces Pinterest page. Next up what about UK talent Kim Dellow... Kim Dellow has a 'show your face' feature on her blog where you can link up your progress and share and see what other 'facers' are up to. There are always lots of PaperArtsy people linking their creativity there...for example this week there was an awesome link from... Debs Wainwright . She has been playing about with a digital app called procreate for the last few weeks, here is one of the digi portraits she made in the app. (Here is a good video explaining what you can do on/with the procreate app). Here is a video Debs uploaded this week showing how she has used the app. Fascinating! Julie Ann Lee has (over a series of blog posts) been turning her family into caricatures/ cartoon characters. I urge you to go and read the back-story on her blog for more info, but here are a couple of her pictures shared this past week that are just fantastic in detail and humour... Lets not forget another PA Designer, Darcy Wilkinson who has a 'faces' link on her blog that you should check out for some awesome inspiration. When she came to 'V Festival' with us in 2014, she saw a band called Kodaline, and was inspired to sketch the lead singer. You can read about the blog post here and this is the final piece. just one of many of Darcy's protraits on her blog. And here is a video showing how she developed this piece...amazing detail! Below is a great video from Dina Wakley on getting started drawing a face. If you have no idea how to start, then watch this! In this video she shows the basics of sectioning a face to position the eyes, nose and mouth in a realistic location. Her finishing is quite scribbly, which also then allows for a more 'artistic' style of journalled face. Following this method, particularly if you are a beginner, shows you how fast you can create a basic face shape. If you get this bit sorted, then when you see pictures of other faces online, you will soon learn other options for eyes, noses, mouths and gradually you will develop your own style and preferences...but we all have to start somewhere, and this is a great place to start! Here is a typical 'Dina' face coloured and scribbled in a really bold way.... And another... So I think you have more than enough to get you started and inspired about faces! As I said at the start, once you get the basics sorted (like in the Dina video) you can then adapt easily enough to your own personal preferences. The more you do, the better you get, and the more 'automatic' the drawing process becomes! I have left out loads of amazing images and artists whose work I wanted to share tonight, but please, if you follow my pinterest board, you will see plenty more there. I am really looking forward to seeing what you create over the next 2 weeks! Leandra Topic 19: Faces PaperArtsy Blog Challenge We'd love you to share your ideas and link up your creativity to this page. Please familiarise yourself with the challenge guidelines below before entering. All links go in the draw to win a voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Faces link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, Oct 25th , winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00. 1. The challenge is a chance for you to show how you have been inspired by a particular technique of the fortnight. Your entry should contain: - a mention of which post inspired you and why, and - a link in your blog post to that original post on the PA blog. The whole concept of this challenge is 'play along with us'. You are encouraged to put your own twist on ideas you see on our blog. We love to see how you are inspired and your twist! 2. The link you put on our linky page must lead directly to the specific post on your blog where you have explored the technique/ idea mentioned in point 1 above. Don't link to the home page of your blog, or we will be unable to find the post to leave you comments. 3. Spam links will be deleted. 4. We prefer your challenge post is created exclusive to our challenge, but if our topic fits perfectly with another challenge, then of course your post may link to both if you feel it is appropriate. 5. You are most welcome to use stamps/ products/ substrates you have to hand from a variety of companies, we do not expect you to exclusively use PA products - it's lovely when you do though! 6. You can enter as many times as you like in the fortnight. We don't want to restrict your creativity or participation! Link closes at 17:00 Sunday Oct 25th (London Time) 7. The winner of the random draw will receive a £50 credit to be redeemed on the PaperArtsy Website, the credit includes VAT and postage. We request that one of your purchases is an A5 rubber stamp. You can add any other items to your basket, but the final total should not exceed £50 8. Each Sunday fortnight the winner will be announced at 19:00, also, in the same post, the link for the next fortnight will be posted. It's your responsibility to claim your prize coupon from Darcy: email her [email protected] Good Luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Do you know this feeling of magic when you step into a forest? Just a few steps are enough to live ordinary life behind. It’s especially true in the legendary woods of Broceliande… Let’s take a walk together, shall we?
Sometimes we hold stories in our heart that beg for a place to be told, even though they don’t seem to make much sense… and sometimes they bring the most beautiful, unexpected gifts…
I’ve only just realized… it’s 10 years since I started painting! From a little birdie out of her cage to this summer’s magazine cover... what a journey!
W. Strempler, 2022
The camera is rolling for my new class Flower Flow! I’ve just finished filming the first project, which is all about embracing imperfection and simplicity. This mini warm-up series turned out so sweet, and it’s only the beginning!
8x10 mixed media mosaic, acrylic paint, recycled clear glass, stained glass, tempered glass, wire, shrink plastic
