In My Dreams

Hello Lovely Friends!

Get ready for an amazing art feast prepared for you today by our talented Sanda Reynolds! Sanda's here today presenting absolutely luscious layers of crackle and paint...

There's a video tutorial and lots of helpful tips from the artist so we hope you'll feel tempted to create a special canvas of your own. Happy creating, everyone!

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Hi guys,

Today I’m back with a little project, very easy to make (great for beginners too 😊), yet, the effect is gorgeous.

Inspired by the beauty of nature and by Finn’s fabulous products, I created a mixed media painting on a crackle paste covered canvas board, a dreamy clump of trees that I hope youl’ll love.

After I gessoed an old canvas board and dried it with my heating tool, I spread a generous layer of White Crackle Paste with a silicone brush.
I applied the paste in different thicknesses to create a variety of crackle sizes (thin layer – fine crackles, thick layer – big crackles). In order to get the best result, I left the canvas to dry overnight.

TIP: You can apply a coat of Soft Gel after drying if you are worried they will chip off.

I started painting my canvas using Art Alchemy Impasto paints – for the first layer I chose light colours (Lemon Peel, Raspberry Pink and Jade).

I mixed the paint with glazing medium and a bit of water and covered the entire canvas.

I dried the canvas with my heat gun and then I applied a second layer, this time darker colours (Dark Chocolate and Cobalt) spread it on top of the first layer and covered the wet canvas with a plastic wrap – this will add a lovely effect to your project.

After about 10 minutes, I removed the plastic and, as the paint was still wet, I dabbed it with a baby wipe to reveal some of the brighter colours underneath. This way, I created three tree-like shapes.

For shading, I used Cobalt, Aubergine and Crimson and for the highlights: Lemon Peel and Snow White Impasto paints.

I painted the background with Jade Impasto and Green-Gold Opal Magic to add a subtle, yet wonderful shimmer to my canvas.

Next, I added some background stamping using Finnabair 'Dream On' set and the clear 'Messy' stamp.

As a finishing touch, I added more Jade Impasto paint to my trees, a bit of doodling with a white pen and the words.

I hope you’ve got inspired by this project and you are ready to try some of these techniques in your artwork.

Here is my video where you can watch my creative process and see the products I used.
Enjoy and have fun!

“If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.”

- Khalil Gibran

Have a lovely day, my friends,

Sanda xoxo

Products used: