I Spy Patina

Hi Friends!
Are you ready for a brilliant new art inspration from my Creative Team?!
You were never ready for this! ;)
Today Kassa prepared a wild Patina Feast! Me and my Creative Team have altered quite a lot of objects in our artistic history but never this... :) + Kassa's sharing some really clever and practicals tips and tricks. Enjoy!

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Hi there lovelies, so good to be back sharing with you all again and wow how time flies...
It's June already and I am enjoying the warmth of the sunshine and have even filled my hanging baskets with beautiful blooms which I know will inspire whilst I create with Finnabair's AMAZING new Art Alchemy Impasto Paints - so much color joy for us all with these new art babies in the months to come...

Today I have brought you a little altered art made with a fabulous find at a local antique fair - a pair of much loved and worn out old binoculars!
I saw them and saw Patina Pastes (we now have them in much larger jars!). You will see I kept everything far from dusty and distressed, but opted for an altered state full of color and life as if the sunshine were dancing on my artwork.
I'm going through a Color Therapy stage, keeping everything uplifted and happy - Color Therapy is sooo good for the soul...

Step 1

Firstly, I gave the Binoculars a good base for everything to adhere to with a coat of White Gesso and when dry adhered the new Mega Art Stones in place using the thick 3D Matte Gel which holds all the larger/heavier pieces in place.
Being me I popped the Art Stones in place one by one but this is not necessary, you can simply place a load on the gel at a time.

Step 2

Then it was time to fill in all the gaps between the Mega Art Stones. I used the next sized down Art Stones for this firstly, swiftly followed by the Mini Art Stones.
Soft Matte Gel works a treat for these stones as you can prod and push the stones into place with your paintbrush. I also brushed a fair few of the Mini Stones around the Binoculars for a little extra tiny detail.
Dry the stones into place with a heatgun.
Tip: I always dry pages/objects using Art Stones in a box as when they fly off, I have them all collected and ready to scoop into a jar with no mess. I also use a shoe box lid to place my work on when adhering the stones for the same reasons, it's more shallow so I can still easily work on my piece.

Step 3

Once everything was totally dry (and it needs to be totally dry if like me you are going to spritz your various paste layers lightly with water), I added the Mint-Green Patina Paste using the largest of my Finnabair paintbrushes.
The technique I used was a sort of stroke or 2 here and then a proddle or 2 there, almost as if stippling with the paste.
Tip: Remember to wash out your brush after using the paste, I usually use my oldest brushes for pastes.

Step 4

Before the Mint-Green Patina Paste dried, I started applying the Blue Patina paste, this time with a smaller headed brush.
I didn't apply too much of the blue as it's such a strong color, I simply build it up a little at a time.
To get the blue paste to blend and merge I lightly spritz with a little water.
Tip: Keep standing back from time to time to see where you need more, or if you need to blend and tone down, re-apply more Mint-Green if needed too.

Step 5

To give the crisp and bright layers a slightly weathered look, I took just a tiny touch of the Brass Paste and again - while the previous layers were wet, I added a touch here and there, lightly spritzing with water so that the sparkly brass merged into the surrounding paste.
Again I kept standing back to see where I needed more pastes.
Tip: It's better to add a little at a time and build your layers than have to try salvage an area that has gone too far.

Step 6

For more depth and the weathered, distressed look I added the tiniest of touches of the Rust Pastes (now also available in bigger jars!).
To be fair, I used the Yellow Rust Paste the most as it looked glorious when I spritzed it and it merged and ran down the previous layers - swooning...
Once everything was dry, I then added more specific detail with the various pastes, eg. I added a faux Blue patina drip and the 2 screw heads I made stand out with a touch of the Brown Rust Paste.

Step 7

My favourite part is always when it all comes together and takes on a new life of its own...
A few scribbles with a water resistant black journal pen, of course I have to add one or two of Finnabair's glorious stamped butterflies where I can.
You can find the tutorial & ingredients to create these easy peasy colorful butterflies HERE in a previous tutorial of mine.

I can't seem to create without Micro Beads these days...
The Black Micro Beads along with the Ebony and Ivory Glitter added irresistible tiny detail, just a little adhered with the Soft Matte Gel.

A length of hot pink cotton to sit the butterflies on, adds movement and a soft floaty feel when the draught catches it...
And finally my beloved splats, using a small headed paintbrush. I simply added a touch of water to the new thick and creamy Art Alchemy Impasto Paints and flicked and splattered away.
The splats look pure magic and this is because the colors are so pigmented and opaque. The water I added did not fade out the uber bright finish I was looking for!

It's time for me to go do my usual tidy up - yup it's a BIG mess again! :)
I've had everything out of my cupboards in search of that something that makes my heart sing...

I wonder what will make your heart sing this week, please do tell! I love and thank you from the bottom of my heart that you leave me some love below.

Mwah xoxo

Kassa






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