Snow and Ice or Heat And Dust

Did you know that Christmas can feel different for everyone? When we think Christmas we think cold and snow but our amazing Gayle is about to show us two wonderful completely different interpretation of Christmas.

Hello lovely Mixed Media Place friends. 

No matter what side of the world you live on, if you celebrate Christmas, it’s meaning is shared by us all, and is  the same everywhere. Howerver, Christmas in Australia “feels” very different to Christmas in Europe. I have made two Christmas tags, one reflective of the hot, dry, dusty conditions which is part of an Australian Christmas, while the other one is white, icy and shiny, reflective of a cold European winter.

 Rusty wire, dry grass, the red of Waratahs and the green feathers from Lorikeets are part of an Australian summer.

Cool, crisp air, shiny, wet and icy ground. Old, old cities, with beautiful ancient churches and Christmas traditions that, even here in the heat of Australia, are cherished and followed. ( Like cooking a turkey with all the trimmings when the temperature outside is 40 degrees or more )

Finnabair’s Snowflake Paste is perfect for creating a frosty, snowy look. Micro Beads in Silver and Splash have also been used to create an icy, wet atmosphere.

Where ever you are, and however you celebrate Christmas, may your days be filled with family and love. Merry Christmas everyone.    

Gayle 

Materials Used :

Stamps, Stencils and Oil Pastels

Gayle never ceases to amaze us!
Her art is a true inspiration for many. Take a look at this wonderful journal spread.

Hello lovely Mixed Media Place friends,

I have made a journal page and kept it very simple by using only 3 things…..two stamps, two stencils and a box of Prima Water Soluble Oil Pastels.

I did prepare my pages first by giving them a coat of art basics Heavy White Gesso.

Firstly using a lead pencil I traced in the face using a stencil. Next, using Ranger Archival (waterproof) black ink and a sponge I added the “Chicken Wire” stencil from Finnabair’s Elementals range. After that I added the two stamps……”Messy” from Finnabair’s Clear Stamp range and “Treasured Memories 11” from the Prima Cling Stamp range, again using Archival waterproof ink.

Now the colour. I just went over my pencil lines with Prima’s Water Soluble Oil Pastels and then over the pastel with a fine, wet paint brush. Just like using water colour paint but with a bit more control. In some places I used the brush directly on the surface of the oil pastel and transferred the colour to my page.

You don’t always need a lot of different mediums and materials to create with. Sometimes keeping it simple with just one or two colours, a couple of stencils and a stamp can allow those individual materials to shine. The Prima Water Soluble Oil Pastels come in beautiful, vibrant colours and are very easy to use. You could also use the Prima Watercolor Pencils and get very similar effects. Thank you for looking today, enjoy your art materials.

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Trust

Gayle did it again !
Simple techniques turned into masterpiece! 

Hello lovely Mixed Media Place friends. 
I’m sharing an art journal page with you today; very simple techniques, ones that you would all be familiar with and minimal materials used…….art basics Gesso, art basics 3D Matte Gel, Distress Spray Stains in 4 colours, 3 stamps and a black stamp pad and some pretty floral patterned paper.

Art journals are fantastic to use for exploring new ideas; for practicing with new and unfamiliar art mediums; for experimenting; for expressing ideas and opinions and recording daily or special events.

But, they are also wonderful places to just relax and play with all your most favourite things……….the colours you love most, images you love, your favourite techniques and the materials or art mediums you feel most comfortable working with. I compare it to soaking in a warm bath, with a glass of champagne, listening to your favourite music…..an art journal should definitely be something to relax with.

 This page is made up of some of my favourite things…………..my favourite colours, my fetish with faces continues, I love working with them, some pretty stamps and fussy cutting of floral images. The face is an image transfer, a technique I love using. A detailed description of how I do it can be found HERE on Finnabar’s blog.The colour comes from Ranger Distress Spray Stain; the colours are so vibrant and I’ve used 4 of my favourites; Cracked Pistachio,Tea Dye, Wild Honey and Picked Raspberry. You can “layer” the colours, drying in between to intensify them or add water to dilute and soften them. Stamping is such a quick and simple technique and yet it can have a powerful and dynamic impact on a page. If you want your stamped images to be subtle, gesso over them; or, use a similar colour ink on your stamp as the background you are going to stamp on to. If you want the stamped images to be bold and stand out, emboss them. Two of the stamps used here are from the Prima “Treasured Memories” range. I can not imagine a creative world without stamps, so thank you to all the stamp makers and designers.

I always love to use some kind of floral elements in my work, I love to fussy cut and I love collage, so, all three things get combined here. The quote, from Dr. Frank Crane is not just about allowing ourselves to trust in others in order to grow, learn and succeed in life, but also to trust ourselves. Trust yourself with trying new techniques and new and different kinds of mixed media….you will never know how much fun and how much pleasure they will bring you unless you try them. Art journals are a perfect place to start.

Materials used:

Book in the box

Colour and texture, collage and true art!
Gayle's journal is a feast for the eye. 

 
Hello Mixed Media Place friends. 
Well, it is nearly finished. That little "book in the box”, all about happiness and including some family photos.  It has 18 pages, and has taken me a lot longer to finish off than I had planned.

So, this is where we left off, at pages 6 and 7.

Flip the page with the punched edge and we get page 8, a short page, and behind it page 9. I’ve used embossing, stencils and stamping consistently through out.

This is page 9 and the middle of the book. It’s kept plain with just some embossing and stencilling and a photo.

Pages 10 and 11. Lots of colour with Distress Stains and Ecoline water-color. Some stamping, embossing and stencilling with modelling paste.

Pages 12 and 13. Beautiful Finnabair stamps and paper.

Page 14. Again, stamps, water-color, washi tape, Finnabair stencil and modelling paste.

Only 4 pages to go and the back inside cover to show you. Thank you for looking and being so patient with my long, drawn-out project, slowly, made with love.

Previous posts relating to this “book in a box” can be found here http://mixedmediaplace.blogspot.com.au/2015/03/bohemian-journaling.html 

and here http://mixedmediaplace.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/a-new-chapter.html

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