Dreaming & Painting

Hi Friends!

Get ready for another jaw-dropping piece of art from my uber talented Creative Team!

Today it's Sanda and oh my... her mixed media creation is an absolute dream...
And what a treat - you also get a video from Sanda so you can see step by step how this beauty was made. Enjoy!

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Hi guys,

I’m back today with my new project for the Team.

This time I would like to share with you a mixed media dream catcher like collage/assemblage I created on a wooden surface.

The whole inspiration for this piece was this van Gogh’s quote:

“I dream my painting and I paint my dream."

I started by collaging pieces of old book pages directly onto my wood panel using Soft Matte Gel and a brush. When the panel was covered, I took a piece of pattern tissue, I crumpled it in my hand and then glued it down to create my first layer of texture.

Dried the panel with a heat gun and then, with a dry brush and a light touch, I applied a coat of Heavy White Gesso.

After drying, I mixed Modeling Paste with Texture Powder and pushed the mixture through the 'Stars' stencil with a palette knife. I saved the rest of the mixture for later. 

For the next step, I covered the rest of my panel with White Crackle Paste. Spreading the paste in different thicknesses will give you different crackle sizes. For the best crackles ever, leave the paste dry naturally, overnight.

Finn’s Crackle Paste is by far the best I ever tried and believe me, I tried lots of them! :)

Next morning, over the dried lovely crakles, I created some stars here and there, using the leftover Modeling Paste/Texture Powder mixture and Finn’s beautiful stencil. I dried the stars quickly with my heating tool, eager to start on the fun bit – painting my panel. 😊

As I wasn’t sure yet what colour palette I wanted for this piece, but I wanted to get rid of the white panel that was staring at me, I decided for the first layer to use watercolours. This way, if I didn’t like them, I would mop them out and start again. The very moment when I saw them staining the panel, I felt inspired and I knew exactly what I’ll do next.

After the watercolours dried, I started on my composition. First, I created a coiled wire circle that I glued down using Finn’s fantastic Heavy Body Gel which is the most reliable glue for heavy pieces I worked with. The bond is quick and strong and when the gel is dried is rock solid 😊

Then, I built up the composition around the wire ring, using lots of Mechanicals and coated everything with a layer of Heavy White Gesso.

When everything was dry, I started painting with my beloved Art Alchemy Impasto and Metallique paints.

I added more texture with some Black Micro Beads that I adhered using 3D Gloss Gel.

Next, I pulled out my Patina Pastes and continued painting until I was pleased with the result. I sponged some White Gesso with a very light hand, touching only the texture and help to bring together all the colours and then I added a bit of bling with some fabulous glitters from Finnabair.

As a finishing touch, I made some splatters, put some highlights with Art Alchemy Sparks, stamped the sentiment and added a few clay feathers I painted with Art Alchemy Waxes.

For the last step, I cut a piece of Ephemera and glued it down to the metal Locket Heart.

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 like how my collage turned out and you are ready to create your own lovely piece of art. 

Keep dreaming, my friends, and keep painting your dreams! 😊

Have a lovely day, my friends,

Sanda xoxo

Products used: