Look For The Stars

I LOVE mixed media! There are really no rules to it and there are no limits! Plus it doesn’t have to be perfect, if any problems I find it just adds more character to the piece. With mixed media, one needs to think in layers. There is a background layer, a middle layer and the top layer aka ‘focal piece’. You can add embellishments or accents in between but this is the main formula I use when creating a piece. Typically I will gather all of types of embellishments/accents: gems, glitter, ephemera, chipboard, flowers, metal pieces, trash (yes I mean trash), basically anything that will add without taking away from the art piece as a whole.

When I go to do a piece I first find a focal piece, something that will stand out from everything else. For this piece I stamped an oversized stamp with Brutus Monroe embossing ink and the ‘Raven’ embossing powder. I colored her new ‘Stylefile’ Markers that we are carrying at Brutus Monroe. The best way I have found when coloring with them is to color an area with my lightest color first. Then along my edges with the darkest of that area's color, going over it and pulling out some of that dark color with the first lightest color. Normally I will find a contrasting color to add in, laying with a medium tone next and lastly placing that light color to meld everything to look cohesive. This is my FIRST time coloring a stamped image using the Stylefile markers, I found them really easy to use. Typically I use a water color marker to color with. I fussy cut out my stamped image adding Nuvo clear drops to accent area's. Then I put this away in a safe area while I worked on the rest of the piece.

For the background I took a basic 12"x12" white canvas from a big box store and coated it with clear gesso and let dry overnight. I had some rub on gold foiled star constellations transfer stickers. To add a texture element I took Brutus Monroe's 'Down Pour' stencil and used modeling paste so that the background would have a rain look to it. Since I have two of Ken Oliver's Color Burst 'Merlot' and 'Sepia' in my paint supplies I thought this would be perfect time to use them. 'Sepia' was squirted in three main areas of the canvas, the 'Merlot' in like five area's. I also put some on an art mat. I had a little water bottle and sprayed the canvas with water, moving the canvas area in different ways so that the colors would move and combine in different areas. Remember those colors on the area mat? Using a foam paint brush I painted any whites areas that I saw, after adding water to those also. When I felt the canvas was the desired look, I sprinkled Ultra fine diamond glitter over the whole canvas and some white sequins. Again let dry overnight is best.

Using the Big Shot I cut out with gold scrapbook paper using the 'Jennifer' and the 'Leah' Mandala dies. I also cut out some using Decofoil Toner Sheet and put through the Minc using the 'Amber' watercolor foil. Check to make sure everything is thoroughly dry before going to the next stamp. Gather ALL embellishments/accents: gems, glitter, ephemera, chipboard, flowers, metal pieces, the colored stamped image, the die cuts. I layered everything and took pictures to see if I liked where it when before gluing down. Lastly I poked a hole and added the clock. I did reinforce the back of the canvas with a piece of foam core. This is a perfect clock for my office and best of I made it!





Supply list for "Look For the Stars”

-Raven embossing powder
-Embossing ink
-Style file markers
-Craft glue
-'Jennifer' Mandala die
-'Leah' Mandala die
-Down Pour stencil
-squeaky clean
-microfiber cloth
-Deco Foil toner sheet
- Deco Foil™ Transfer Sheets • Amber Watercolor

MISTI
-Stephanie Bloom Girl stamp from Prima
-Scissors
-clock
-Scrap Pieces of Scrapbook -Paper
-Gems, pearls, metal, sequins, embellishments/accents: ephemera, chipboard, flowers, metal pieces
-embellishments/accents: gems, glitter, ephemera, chipboard, flowers, metal pieces
-Ultrafine Diamond Glitter
-'Adventure' sticker
-gold foiled star constellations transfer stickers
-Ken Oliver's Color Burst 'Merlot' and 'Sepia'
-art mat
-clear gesso
-12"x12" white canvas
-Minc
-Big Shot
-nuvo clear drops