Creative Gym - Exercise #6

Hello, Mixed Media Artists!

Are you ready for some creative fitness? ;)

We are super excited to see so many of you joining our Gym! It's always a huge treat to be seeing your artworks inspired by our Exercises and we hope this month you're ready to stretch your creative muscle some more!

This month's challenge was suggested by our lovely Anai and it's all about...

... TYPOGRAPHY ...

We'd like to invite you to create any kind of project in which words & letters play the main role.

Play with different types. Alphabets. Calligraphy.

You may focus on the letters but also words and sentences.

A quote. An affirmative sentence. Or just letter soup.

If you need some ideas, our Design Team prepared some really inspiring projects! Enjoy!

This time I decided to make a typography mixed media canvas - something I had in mind for a very long time. It's not very complicated, but I really like the final result and actually I spent a few days creating it.

Instead of making the whole thing right away, lately I like working in stages. I feel like it helps me to focus. Working with a fresh mind instead of rushing to finish. :)

The concept is pretty basic - a bit of Gesso on the background, different types of letters (great idea for using all these alphabet stickers I was gathering for years), script stencil and Modeling Paste, a lot of sprays - Glimmer Mists and Lindy's Stamp Gang sprays and a lot of water. No heating tool! In my opinion mists create a much better effect when I just leave them to dry. It also takes much more time but it's worth it. :)

And some final touches - a little bit of white paint, some 7Dots Studio stamps and splashes made with a Twinkling H2O paint.

Materials from Mixed Media Place:

For this project I used a stencil with the Greek Alphabet, a script stamp and a really cool Pablo Picasso's quote:
"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it".

To create the mixed media background first, I applied a coat of Light Paste and then I used the stencil with a custom paint made with Light Paste and Fresh Oregano Pigment - I really love this color!

Then, I glued some paper pieces here and there, I covered them with a thin coat of White Gesso and stamped with the script stamp.

In order to alter the chipboard pieces I used embossing powder in a similar color to the photo. The sprays I used all over the composition also have very similar shades to the color of the photo and I just like that a lot!

For some final touches I applied with a paintbrush some Plumeria Silk here and there.

Materials from Mixed Media Place:

I love typography and letters of all kinds and shapes. Ever since I remember, I've loved writing and I often use calligraphy and hand write in my projects.

I had an idea to decorate a 3D letter as I haven't tried that before. I dream of having a kitchen in industrial style so I decided to create some nice decor for it.

I was going to create the word "ART" out of styrofoam letters I have at home but... somehow I could only find "A". :)

Using Soft Matte Gel, I glued all kinds of papers scraps onto my styrofoam letter, vertically and horizontally. Then, I added one more layer of Soft Matte Gel and dried the whole thing.

I added Ingvild's metal screw heads, bolts and nuts here and there.

I painted everything with Black Gesso and dried.

To achieve the metal effect I took a dry brush and gently wiped a little bit of Gold and Turquoise Inka Gold metallic rubs.

Materials from Mixed Media Place:

My one and only favorite actor is Johnny Depp! A remarkable actor and person. (I could keep talking about him for ever, but have to make it short here... :) )

There are so many different quotes I love, both by Johnny Depp and from the characters he plays. So here is my layout, with Mr.Depp himself and one of his quotes.

I used Golden Molding Paste with the TCW Tiny Circles stencil.

I sprayed Ranger's Colorwash on the pattern paper first. Next, I used a brush with water to “water it out”.

I also sprayed some water on the page and dipped the brush with Colorwash in random places (you can see the effect especially on the turqouise “stream” on the right hand side of the page, below the photo of Mr.Gorgeous).
I tried to “match” the pattern paper with my colors and misting.

Materials from Mixed Media Place:

When Anai suggested the typography challenge, I couldn't wait to play. I knew I had the perfect element to start with - an old alphabet that I bought when I began to scrap but somehow never used.

First, it's because I seldom add titles to my projects, and secondly, when I do add a title, it is normally small, and those letters are quite big.

I had a lot of ideas in my head but none of them, you know, really appealed to me. So I started to wonder why I agreed to participate in this challenge until I saw a Barbie doll on my desk... And here we are with a new little dress.

It's really an easy little thing to make. I just glued one paper from Vintage Vanity collection using Soft Matte Gel on my canvas that I first primed with Heavy Gesso.

I added a pattern with a Dots&Stripes stencil and some White Crackle Paste. Then, using 3D Matte medium, I glued the body, some old book pages to form the dress, and my alphabet.

I allowed everything to dry before adding one coat of Gesso and then one coat of White Crackle Paste. I let everything dry overnight to allow the crackles to show.

I mixed Soft Matte Gel with Mica Powders: Rust and Teal, and I used this mixture to color my dress.  Here and there, I added some touches of Orange Peel Twinkling H2O that I used to color the body.

Materials from Mixed Media Place:

Oh, my mind was going superspeed on this one! So many ideas ranging from actual letters to tags, cards and making my own stamps. Typography, words and letters are really inspiring. They are beautiful to look at, they are meaningful and even powerful!

I even thought about doing some calligraphy for a while, but in the end I thought to stay in my comfort zone and use different typography and letter details in a layout.

I tried to include different kinds of letters in the layout in many ways. As my background I used a paper that already had some lettering, stamped with a scrip stamp, added type patterned paper and used alpha as a detail as well. I also tried to do a little bit longer title that connects to the theme.

I really had fun with this challenge – I hope you will too!

Materials from Mixed Media Place:

We hope you already have some ideas buzzing in your heads! :)

We'd like to thank you for... giving us a hard time deciding on the winner of Creative Gym Exercise #5... :)
Seriously, the choice was almost impossible but we finally managed to choose the winner.

And this month our winner is...

... Natalya Loi ...

with this stunning layout:

Huge congrats, Natalya! :) Please, contat us at: store(at)mixedmediaplace.com to claim your prize.

We hope our Design Team Artists made you feel like exercising with us. :)
We can't wait to see your creative typography!

You have time to present your works until April 16th. 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.

An InLinkz Link-up