On The Edge

Hi friends!
Sometimes there is no words to describe how proud and happy I am having my Create Team.
Each week there is an explotion of talent and art.
I am blown away by today's make of Gayle. Colour and texture, detail and perfection are first few words coming when I see her mixed media art. No need to say more just check it for yourself!

Hello lovely Finnabair friends !  My page today has been inspired by three things; …..Gold Mica Powder (again !  I can’t seem to get enough of this beautiful, magic dust ), an old, vintage, bone handle knife and, the idea that, without even trying for an adrenalin rush by base-jumping, parachuting or swimming with sharks, we are all, at times, “on the edge”. The very unpredictable nature of life, the not knowing what tomorrow will bring or “what’s around the corner”, creates this uneasy feeling. But just as naturally as a caterpillar can turn into a butterfly, our lives can change too, and we have to believe that all will be well. I found this quote somewhere, I don’t know who said it, but it sums up perfectly what I mean.  “Learn to honour the space between no longer and not yet”.

The image I have used is very large. It fills the page and has become slightly ‘pixelated’. This is intentional as I wanted the facial features to be soft and slightly blurry. By doing this, the details on the surface of the page, the metal embellishments, are clearer and stand out more from the background, so creating some depth.

No.1 I started with a piece of 12x12 inch chipboard. The metal embellishments are heavy so a strong, supportive base is needed. Prepare the base with Heavy White Gesso. Attach the photo or image with Soft Matte Gel. Be careful using a large image like this one…..stick down a little bit at a time, working your way up the photo and gently easing out any air bubbles as you go. Once that is stuck down and dry, go over your image with a coat of Clear Gesso. This does two things that are sort of “contradictory”…..it gives the photo “tooth”, a surface that will allow paints or inks to adhere to the page and not just run off, but, it also allows you to wipe off paint or ink you don’t want, with a baby wipe if you are quick.

No. 2 Coat all your embellishments you want to colour with Heavy White Gesso.

No. 3 After you have gessoed all the pieces you want to colour, play around with where you are going to put them. When I’m happy with the placement, I take a photo with my phone that I can then refer back to.

No 4 Add some stamping.

No. 5 Here I have used Finnabair’s Elementals Stencil “Ripped Fishnet” with White Crackle Texture Paste. I love this texture paste, it is amazing: not too thick but holds its shape, and, if you can be patient and leave it to dry naturally without a heat gun, it gives the most beautiful crackle effect without having to be applied thickly like other pastes.

No. 6 When texture paste is completely dry add your colour………paint, inks, mists, gelatos, water colour, pencils, whatever, just let it run and dribble and get into the cracks.

 No 7 Paint your gessoed metals. I have used Mica Powder, but use whatever you like; paint, ink, alcohol ink, Patina. If you use Mica Powder, use a spray fixative to keep it in place.

No 8 Add details, glass beads, micro beads, wire, sequins. Then you are ready to stick everything down using art basics 3D Matte Gel.

 

Wishing you a creative time!

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