It's all about Kids/Teens for the next two weeks at
Top Tip Tuesday and I'm the hostess for this challenge. With kids in mind I created a mixed media tutorial which incorporates kids art which you can see
here on the TTT blog. A big congrats to the winners of the We're All Heart challenge and a big thank you to Kenny K for providing the team with our current images. My project is a bookmark and I used Map Kid which is actually a freebie. ;-) I colored my image with Copics, fussy cut it, and made a handmade tag from a manila folder. Ink sprays were used to create a background and rub ons for journaling & visual interest. Now, here's a sneek peek of my mixed media project over at Top Tip Tuesday using my daughter's art at age six.
Ok, I promised on the challenge blog to share more info about mixed media. I have some examples showing how to create mixed media along with a
tutorial I created this past summer which will help you with building a background and more. At the end I'll share a new 11x14 canvas I created using more of my daughter's artwork.
Texture
I created my sun by laying a circle stencil down and
rubbing a coat of texture magic (found in art dept.)
over the exposed holes. Carefully lift the stencil leaving
the raised impression. Once it dries use rub ons and
stamps to add texture. Note: texture magic is white so to
achieve this color I added yellow acrylic paint.
For this piece I used modeling paste (found in the art
dept.) and again laid a stencil down, used an art spatula
to spread and carefully lifted it to reveal a bouquet of
flowers. After it dried, I added acrylic paint to the top
& bling to the centers for a pop of color. It creates texture,
dimension and visual interest.
Here I used wood letters to journal & add texture.
I painted each w/acrylic paint & applied crackle
accents on top. Click the photo to see the
detail up close. The squiggle line is a rub on &
that's sketch tape at the top, all of it adds texture.
I hand cut each leaf on this tree and twisted some of the
leaves so they lift off the page. Using apple rub ons
instantly turns it into an apple tree like the one
in my son's favorite childhood book, The Giving Tree.
Make your art personal!
Backgrounds
For my background I downloaded a sheet
of butterflies from the internet & printed
onto regular copy paper. A thin coat of matte
gel (found in art dept.) was spread over the entire
page. I placed it face down in my art journal
& pressed firmly to smooth out any wrinkles and
began using a bone folder to transfer each image.
Work quickly then lift the transfer page up and discard.
Use a heat tool to dry (I use a blow dryer
set to low)
I've used book paper as a base and transparent acrylic
paint, more wheel stamps, grid & dot rub ons. This
is a classic example of how dark rub ons fade adding
depth and white tend to bring the image forward.
This is a wall hanging and I shared the link
to the
tutorial for it earlier. It was created for a baking
challenge last summer. The crystal heart was made by using
products you would use in baking and the tut covers
how I created it step by step.
Shading
Shading the tree makes it blend in & look like it belongs there.
Pick a matching shade and run your marker along the
edge and rub it in with your finger. Note: I created this
canvas to record my son's love for this book when he
was a boy. The stenciled "B" is the first letter in his
name and the number patterened paper on the tree
trunk plus the stenciled alpha's are reminders of his
age as a young child. Personalizing your art makes it
one of a kind and preserves precious memories.
Journaling
A Dymo Label Maker adds a retro feel and I used
a doodle pen with permanent ink to emphasize each one.
You want to use permanent ink so it doesn't smear.
Tags & date stamps add a nostalgic touch.
A computer generated phrase is the easiest way to journal.
Size it to fit your needs and cut each word out then add
doodling or simple lines like I have here. You can also
stamp your words & cut out, whatever works best for you.
Cut Outs & Dies
The house & bird are cut outs which I decoupaged
to my canvas. Cut outs and die cut shapes
are an easy way to create art in mixed media.
Full Views of Each Project Shown
This was created using a digi stamp as the
focal point which I personalized with the
name of my son's fave book when he was a boy.
This sweet page preserves my daughter's
second dance recital. I copied the original
photo and opted for a black/white version.
Do not work with original photos or artwork,
always make a copy to work with. Don't be
scared to use lace/ribbon/trim on your piece.
I also incorporated a handmade chiffon flower
and more wood die cut pieces with the layered
butterflies that I added pearls and glitter to.
TIP: To ensure your glitter applies evenly
spread a thin coat of matte gel with a brush
and sprinkle glitter over. Tap excess off and
you should have an even coat every time.
The cuts out featured on this page are from Christy
Tomlinson's She Art line. I love her bright, cheery
colors and be sure to check out Christy's video
tutorials
on her
blog to learn more about mixed media.
TIP: I previously mentioned that die cuts & cut outs
are an easy way to build shapes. Another great source
is magazines, cut the image(s) out and use as a template.
I also like to use wood die cuts like fences, doilies, flowers,
etc. as stencils. In the end I get more mileage out of them this
way. :-)
My New Project
I've used two additional drawings my daughter made
between the age of 5 & 7 on this. The house is so much fun &
I love the message on the roof. It's kind of hard to cut stick people
out so I took the easy way & cut a big circle around the two of us lol.
The stems & leaves were made from polka dot washi tape cuz
I like the whimsy factor it added. She Art text is my upper background
& another dp from that line was used for the grass. The grass needed to be
a little greener so I used acrylic paint to add more color.It's okay
to go over patterned paper with acrylic paint but be aware that
if you use it full strength you will cover the paper up so either
use transparent paint like Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Paint by
Ranger or dilute your own with water until it's transparent. I
use a spray bottle to dilute so I'm adding a small amount at a time.
The third piece of her art work was a page with large dots on
it which I later learned were flowers. I used them to
create a doormat, a roof topper and a wierd looking
bug on the bottom right under the flowers.
Close ups & original of her house
Used the dots for a roof top & door mat.
She said I went rub on happy, maybe I did. ;-)
I used two more dots & came up with this creature.
Rub ons created his antennaes & I doodled
on his wings with a permanent ink pen.
Drawn by Sara S. at age 7
Links to popular mixed media artists:
Dyan Reaveley-check the tut links to view her ghosting & shadow stamping techniques
Kate Crane-check out the monthly calendars she's made in 2012
Juliette Crane-whimsy, what can I say, her work is full of whimsy & I love it
Tim Holtz-no link necessary as he's everywhere lol
Sponsors for Kids/Teens Challenge
Provided the DT with images, thank you!
Prize: $20 Voucher
Prize: 3 packs of die cuts
Thanks for hanging in for such a long post. I do hope you'll pay the design team a visit and view their inspiration at
Top Tip Tuesday or by clicking on their links on my right sidebar. I'll be taking a break until Sunday to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. For those celebrating I hope you have a wonderful time enjoying family & friends.
Hugs,
Lisa xx
