Creative Gym - Exercise #3

Dear Creative Gym Members!

We hope you don't get too lazy over the Holiday and remember to stretch your creative muscle! :)

We are so thrilled about your response to our Exercises - it's always a huge pleasure to visit your blogs and admire all the artworks you come up with.

This month we are going to have a challenge hosted by France.

Think: WINGS.

As usual - feel free to let your creativity soar - scrapbooking layouts, art journal pages, altered items, cards, ATCs - anything you hearts desire.

Our theme is WINGS and you can choose from fairies, butterflies and birds, but also bats, moths and angels. The choice is yours. :)

If you need a kick start, here are some great ideas from our Design Team:

When I was thinking about our challenge, my first thought was: "Your wings already exist, all you have to do is fly".

This last year was very important and full of changes for me. I've changed a lot of things and I've changed the way of my thinking. I feel like I have a little bit more courage now. For dreams, for hopes, for the future. And I'm still learning to push away all my fears.

Today is my birthday actually, and this little canvas is a gift I made for myself. :) I hope the next year will be even better and will bring many more amazing things into my life. :)
My new motto is not to be afraid to "fly"!

Materials used:

I love angel wings, their texture, fluffiness, their shape... But what I like most about them, is the way the Holiday lighting makes them look like magic!

I die cut a whole bunch of wings using Tim Holtz Layered Angel Wings die out of 250 gr watercolor paper. I glued the wings together with Art Basics Soft Matte Gel.
Using the same paper, I also prepared a piece for the background, stamping it with a whole bunch of my Stampotique stamps with Coffee Archival ink. To soften down the stamping, I dried brush a thin layer of White Heavy Gesso on top of it.

I glued the wings on the background paper again with Soft Matte Gel and started by spraying everything with ColourArte Radiant Rain. Once dried, I played with the ColourArte Silks, until I had the shades of colors I wanted. To keep everything soft, I used the Silks as watercolor paint, by mixing them with water first!

I prepared a cardboard canvas as support. First I applied 3D Gloss Gel over Finnabair's Checker stencil. Then I colored it mixing some ColourArte Radiant Rain and Silks.

Materials used:

The most beautiful wings for me are those of the butterfly. So soft, so delicate, so beautifully patterned and coloured. They are one of natures perfect creations.

I stamped through a stencil (mini poppies) with a Prima tiny print stamp. I then used Art Basics Soft Matte Gel through the same stencil over the top sealing what had been stamped. Then I coloured my paper with Distress Spray Stains. When that was dry, I dabbed on some Light Paste and sprinkled on Art Ingredients zinc Glass Beads.

Next I coloured over the paste and around the beads with Primary Elements pigments.

I used a piece of 7 Dots Nature Walk paper to make a large tag, also coloured with Distress Spray Stain.

I sewed the poppies onto a piece of 7 Dots Dreamer collection paper, layered it with some pretty patterned paper and a 7 Dots Nature Walk Tag and added some highlights with a Prima Finnabair stamp embossed with white.

Lastly, the embellishments. Finnabair Mechanicals coloured with Ranger Patina, some butterflies, ribbon, and a 7Dots Nature Walk word sticker.

Materials used:

I've made a canvas as my exercise for this month's Creative Gym. I found some old curtains which inspired me to create the canvas.

First, I glued the old lace curtain with bee pattern onto my canvas using Matte Gel Medium. When dry, I painted the whole thing with a thin layer of White Gesso.

To add the blue color to the background, I used Ecoline paint and Color Bloom spray.

To highlight the pattern on the curtain, I used an ink blending tool and Distress Paints and made circular movements with light pressure. Some of the bees I painted with gold Silks.

I then drew the lady shape with a pencil and used acrylics to paint the clothes.

The bee head/face is a stamp from VivasLasVegas Stamps that was stamped on tissue paper with black Stazon and then added to the painting with gel medium.

I decorated the stamped image with the gold Silks paint, white and black pen. As a last touch I found some rub-ons in my stash with texts that suited the painting. I covered the rub-ons with gel medium to make them strong.

Materials used:

I couldn't resist to make a new dress. :) I hope you like my winged Winter Fairy!

This time I worked with the new collection designed by Anai for 7 Dots Studio: Soulmates.

The colors of this collection are perfect for a winter theme, don't you think ?

I wanted a simple background. So after gluing two different papers, I simply added a pattern in the corners with White Crackle Paste and a stencil, which I colored lightly with Twinkling H2Os.

I created the dress using Powertex first. I then covered the sheath dress with feathers die-cut in 7 Dots Studio Daydreamer and Sensuality papers.
I covered the bust with White Art Sugar as well as the edges of the wings. Unfortunately, it isn't visible on the photos, but the edges of the leafy sprigs were covered with white Art Sugar, too.
I used Soft Matte Gel to add some Copper Glass Glitter.
I colored the flowers and the leaves with Twinkling H2Os.

To make the wings, I recycled some plastic packaging. After die-cutting them, I applied a thin layer of Soft Gloss Gel. I simply added some White Art Sugar on the bottom wings. To make the top wings, I glued the paper first and I filled the hollow part with Crackle Accents that I sprinkled with Art Sugar too. The crackles are still visible under the Art Sugar.

Materials used:

Here's a perfect example how one idea leads to another and the coat turns into a handkerchief. :)

My first idea was to go big and make a pair of mixed media wings. I imagined them and thought about the construction when I went to sleep. But when I started actually doing them, I suddenly wasn't inspired anymore.

 

Somehow I then started to think about jewelry and my huge wings shrunk to be a tiny necklace.

But I guess no harm done as I really enjoyed doing this piece!

First I drew a tiny pair of wings to a piece of cardstock using a pencil and the Pitt pens.

Then using an epoxy bubble cap I turned that drawing into an ornament to my pendant.

I also added a couple of black feathers dipped in glitter to add the theme there once more.

 

Materials used:

And now it's time to announce the winner of our Exercise #2 - your 3D creations were so inventive!

Thank you so much for joining us!

And the winner of the challenge is...

... Mona Pendleton ...

with her altered birdhouse:

Congratulations, Mona! :)

Please, contact us to claim your price at: store(at)mixedmediaplace.com

So, dear readers, are you ready to do some more workout? :)
We are looking forward to seeing your wings inspired creations!
You have time until January 19th. Simply add a link to your work using the inlinkz tool below.
Our Design Team will then choose their favorite piece and its author will win a discount coupon to be used in our Mixed Media Place Store.
We can't wait to see your art!