Brand Ambassadors Faves

Hello Dear Friends.

Let me invite you to another inspiring meeting with my talented Brand Ambassadors!

This month I asked this bunch of creatives about their favorite projects, products and techniques that they either discovered for themselves or particularly enjoyed so far this year.

As always - they are sharing their stunning art and thought-provoking stories. :)

Please enjoy all the beautiful artworks!

LINDA

I have to say, I'm hooked on redecorating empty bottles, and this is my favorite creation this year.

After starting an altered bottle at a recent retreat, I came home and added my touch to make it sparkle... literally. We were told to have a theme in mind before we came, and mine, of course, was using Mechanicals and Finnabair Metallique paints.

I started with a layer of Heavy White Gesso that is key to this project. I had created some paper clay molds a few days before so I could glue them on nice and dry at class.

We basically got a start with the decorating, and then took them home to finish up.

I added a mixture of Micro Beads and Glass Glitter around the mould, two different trims, several layers and colors of Metallique paint, and the finishing touches of Art Alchemy Waxes.

The cloth trim really stands out with a bit of 2 colors of paint, and a darker shade of wax. The edges of the moulds and the bottle rim, are defined with wax.

The Mechanicals (Grungy Butterfly and Vintage Snowflake) are painted and glued in place, as are most of the elements, with 3D Matte Gel. They will not come off, believe me.

The Beads and Glass Glitter are added with Soft Gloss Gel.

The chain and charms are added as well as the topper that Christine taught us to make.

Just keep adding or painting over until you find the combination of colors and accents that work for you. I hope you find an old bottle of your own and make it a new creation. I'm on a roll. See more on my blog!

RIIKKA

This project is a special one for me as it's done for my friend Keren.
She collects altered brushes from her friends and I've failed her twice already by giving away a brush I have made before she could have it. So now I made sure she will get one and made this brush especially for her! 

My inspiration for this were the Art Alchemy Waxes.

I just love to use them on dark surface and thus painted the brush with Black Gesso after making the composition.

I first added quickly some blues with Art Alchemy Metallique paints and then added golden and turquoise touches using the Waxes.

After adding these colors the brush it started to resemble something out of the One Thousand and One Nights tales so I added a golden moon to the back as well. I hope Keren will like this!

Although I like how this project turned out and even more how I'm at least able to send Keren something, it's not my favorite project I've made this spring. :)

Unfortunately I can't reveal the favorite one yet, but here's a little sneak of it. If you want to see the whole thing, please visit my blog after April 10th.

KASSA

I thought I'd tell you about one of my favourite techniques of this year.

Well, to be truthful, for as long as I can remember my go-to technique has been the simple pleasure of finger painting. :)

So I thank my lucky stars that the Art Alchemy range introduced the Impasto Paints...

These thick textured paints are a gem to mash, merge and blend with your fingertips. As you can see, my favourite technique is as simple as it gets, not to mention it's huge fun! :)

Additional bonus: your fingertips are a work of art at the end of the session too. :)

KEREN

I'd like to share with you one of my favorite projects this year.

I created an altered bottle using Impasto Jade Paint and Red Rust Paste  from Finnabair.

I love the patina effect you can create with just these two products.

Adding the Art Alchemy Metallique Waxes as a finishing touch adds the perfect highlights to alter any project.

Feel welcome to watch my video with a step by step tutorial!

JOHN

Speaking of faves, I am indeed OBSESSED with the new Plaster Paste! I fully admit that since this product was introduced in January, I’ve been using it on almost every single project that I’ve been working on.

If you follow me on Instagram (artnewwave), you’ve already seen some of the amazing textures that I’ve been creating for mixed media backgrounds on a variety of different projects.

Why do I love this product so much?

It’s an easy way to add texture to almost any surface, and it dries very quickly with a heat tool.

And more importantly, you can add an insane (no exaggeration!) amount of water and other liquids layered on top and it won’t loose it’s form or shape like some other texture pastes.

I’ve been experimenting with washes lately, involving a lot of water as the base for mixing with acrylic paints and Mica Powders to create multiple layers of lighter density colors and the Plaster Paste is the PERFECT medium as a base for projects.

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Aren't these Artists amazing?! 

We would love to hear from you about your own discoveries and art adventures in 2018.

Leave a comment or drop by our Finnabair & Friends facebook group!

Happy creating!

Finn & The Team