“Fragments” Mixed Media Collage on Canvas Tutorial by Sanda Reynolds

My dear friends,

I have always loved vintage elements, flea market findings, old walls and distressed textures. The look and the feel of old buildings, ornaments, items are a feast for my eyes and my soul. Today Sanda shows you how to create stunning vintage effect using my newest Fantasy Texture Pastes, Plaste Paste and other media.

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“I'm writing my story so that others might see fragments of themselves.”  Lena Waithe

Hi guys,

I’.m back today sharing my newest project for the Team, a mixed media collage on canvas, that I hope you’ll enjoy. I used lots and lots of Finn’s goodies when I created this canvas, old and new, so let me show you how you can easily bring magic into your art, just by using these amazing products!

I started by collaging pieces of handmade paper and Finnabair resist canvas using 3D Matte Gel. When this was dry, I applied a generous amount of Finn’s plaster paste, spreading it with a palette knife. I didn’t cover the entire canvas and I spread it unevenly, leaving it thick in some places and thin in others to create more interest. I dried this layer thoroughly.

TIP: If your plaster paste, or indeed any other texture paste starts to dry a bit, just add a few spritzes of water, mix well and you are ready to go.

Going back to my canvas - when the plaster paste was dry, I collaged more elements, this time I used a few tiny puzzle pieces from my stash and some wonderful Finnabair Mechanicals. When I finished glueing down all of them, I applied a coat of white heavy gesso and dried everything again.

For my next step, I added colour and texture using the new Fantasy Texture Paste sets. I started with the Fire Orange from the Anemone and Coral set. I spread the paste in a few places with a brush, then spritzed it with water from a spray bottle and blended with a baby wipe. Next, I added Turquoise and Powder Blue from the Northern Lights set and Blue Green from the Anemone and Coral set. All these new colours are just amazing! 😊

For a bit more pizzazz, I added two of the new Art Alchemy Opal Magic paints – Teal Pink and my favourite Teal Blue. Pure awesomeness, my friends… pure magic… you’ll see what I mean when you’ll watch the video, they are just gorgeous!

For my focal point, I created a “mosaic” of puzzle pieces on which I collaged Finn’s Ephemera vintage photos.

To finish my canvas, I added another layer of Fantasy Texture Paste, (this time I used Cream from the Old Walls set) and a few splatters with Teal Blue Opal Magic.

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

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

Have a lovely day, my friends, 

Sanda xoxo

Products I have used - all the images linked to Mixed Media Place online store: