Soulmates Mixed Media Collage

Hi my Friends!
So much is going on this month...
First (my heart fluttering!) - I could finally announce the full reveal of my new products and I'd like to thank you all for your sweet comments and sharing my excitement! :)

Today I have one more piece of very exciting news - you will now be able to find a selected range of Finnabair products at Michaels Stores in just a few weeks!

Last but not least, don't forget about Designers' Faves facebook group challenge hosted by Karolina and still open till May 15th!

And now it's high time for Sanda whose project this month is so personal and moving and an absolutely stunning piece of mixed media! You'll love it!

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Hello, my lovely friends!

As you may have noticed already, my artwork is oscillating quite a bit between shabby chic, vintage or nature-themed projects and more contemporary and abstract ones and I must confess, I love them both. It really depends on the mood I’m in, a book I read, everyday life events, or some music I listen and so on.

In only a couple of weeks, it will be our wedding anniversary and, thinking back at the extraordinary way my husband and I have met and got married, I decided I will create a project to reflect all these thoughts and feelings. So, a truly romantic, with a vintage tint collage/assemblage from me today, that I hope you’ll like. 😊

I started by collaging old book pages on my panel using Soft Matte Gel.

When this was dry, I spread a thick layer of Heavy White Gesso using a silicone brush and stuck a piece of fine cotton gauze on top, working the fabric into the gesso with my fingers to create some texture.

I dried everything with the heating gun and then using Soft Matte Gel, I glued down a lovely pressed flower that I picked up in one of our beautiful walks last summer. 😊

After drying, I wrapped some string around my panel and applied more gesso here and there.

The next step was to add Mica Powders in different shades of greens and blues.

After sprinkling the powders with a brush, I spritzed them with water and tilted my panel this way and that to help them flow.

I really wanted to add a vintage feel to my background so in order to do that, I splattered some strong tea all over my panel and added some background stamping with a couple of clear Finnabair stamps.

I love using my stamps without an acrylic block, as I don’t like a “clean edge” look, I rather like to use fragments of the stamps as I think this way they enhance that old and worn feel I was after.

In order to create a softer look, I added a thin layer of white heavy gesso applied with a sponge and a very light hand.

Next, after covering my panel with Soft Matte Gel, I added a generous layer of Clear Crackle Paste using a silicone brush. This way your crackles will stay in place, no matter how much work you’ll add on top, and they will never chip off.

While the crackle paste was wet, I sprinkled some Art Stones and Mini Art Stones, here and there and then, I left everything to dry naturally overnight (you will not get the same results if you try speeding this step).

Next morning I continued to add more depth and colour to my background using Art Alchemy Opal Magic paints.

While the paint was drying, I started working on the Mechanicals and painted them using Rust and Patina Pastes and then, assembled all my elements and attached them with Heavy Body Gel, creating my composition.

To embellish my Mechanicals Lotus flowers I added some Art Ingredients Glass Beads, Micro Beads and Glass Glitter to the centres and then, to create more depth and enhance the colours I added Art Alchemy Waxes. I am always mesmerised by the amazing effects you can achieve using these fabulous waxes.

To add some highlights, I used the Art Alchemy Sparks and a tiny touch of fine glitter – a drop of these paints will add real magic to your project.

Here is my video where you can watch my creative process and see all the products I used.
Enjoy and have fun!

I hope you enjoyed and got inspired by my new project and you are ready to create some magic of your own. 😊

Have a wonderful day and a great and creative weekend, my friends,

xoxo

Sanda

Products used: