Marshmallowy Inspiration

Hi everyone!

Super talented Olya is here today to inspire you all with her stunning new artwork.

Her canvas will totally melt your hearts - a palette of whites and pastel tones (so elegant and soft...) + a lot of girlie charm - I'm more than certain you'll feel tempted to follow Olya's tutorial!

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Hello Dear Friends!

Today I want to give you some tenderness captured on a mixed media canvas. :)

I was very inspired by the vintage images from Finnabair's Melange Ephemera collection and I chose a sweet little girl for my piece.

I feel there are many emotions in this picture - the little one looks beautiful and tender, but she also seems cute and a little cheeky. :)

I wanted to create a canvas that was very gentle and light, just like a marshmallow. :)

To create an interesting and textured background, I used a super cool Art Extravagance Texture Paste in Black Sand. It creates a truly impressive look. I applied the paste through different stencils but you can also simply use a palette knife for a less precise effect.

Then I added a thin layer of White Crackle Paste here and there and also covered my Texture Paste with it to make it all white. But I only did it gently on top of the paste not wanting to ruin the beautiful patterns.

When everything was well dried, I created a composition of chipboards, mould shapes and flowers.

The chipboard elements were also covered with the White Crackle Paste and a bit more White Gesso.

When I was happy with the composition, it was time for my most beloved stage - to create color!

I felt I needed delicate and sweet shades of pink and purple and I chose several shades of Impasto Acrylic Paints - you will find them all in the product list below.

I started with rich and vivid colors of Impasto Paints in Heather, Crimson and Aubergine. They can be easily diluted with water so you can make them into light and soft tones and create pastel colors.

As you will see in the video below, I only used a little bit of paint, sprayed it with water and used a  water brush to distribute it wherever I wanted.

Then I reached for the Metallique line of Finnabair's acrylic paints. To make some shades more delicate, I mixed them with Metallique in White Pearl and I got a stunning effect of wonderful shine and shimmer!

I added the colors gradually, in some places they blended nicely, in some others they remained pure.

I wanted to highlight the textures and the edges of my canvas. For this I chose lovely Art Alchemy Waxes - White Gold and Vintage Silk. I also added just a touch of the Waxes to all the embellishments to tie the whole composition.

And of course in the end I added my favorites - Art Stones in different sizes. I do not even know how we ever used to make projects without them! ;)
For me, it's the easiest to add the Art Stones to the canvas with the help of 3D Matte Gel. It always adds some nice extra volume.

I created a detailed video tutorial so that you can see the magic of these beautiful colors.
I hope you will fall in love with these products just like I did! :) Enjoy!

It is very difficult to properly photograph all the tones, transitions and the unique shine and shimmer of the paints and waxes on this canvas, but believe me, it looks very beautiful!

I encourage you with all my heart to simply sit down at your table, choose your favorite Finnabair paints and start creating! :)

I hope that I was able to inspire you and convey this charming tenderness of a little child.

Let your day be filled with new ideas and inspirations.

With love, Olya

Products used: