November Art Recipe winner

Hello friends,

It is the last day of 2020 - the most turbulent year of XXI century. We wish you all a Happy New Year 2021!! And we do hope it will be much better for everyone: we will be able to travel, to see face to face our friends and closest ones, will be more joyful and stay safe!

Today we are happy to announce the winner of our November Art Recipe. Thank you for all the projects, you have created being inspired by our moodboard!

We are happy to announce that the winner of November 2020 Art Recipe is Neena's Paper & Scisors with this project:

Totally lush textures and fabulous shading!

To the winner: you are invited to be our Guest Designer and you win Finnabair products pack so please write an e-mail to us at artmail@finnabair.com to establish all details :) 

To all participants: thank you so much for playing with us! And if you feel similar to us regarding the winning project, please leave some love under this blog post in comment section. 

Also please remember, that new challenge is still open and the rules are simple: you need to stick to the colour palette and use at least 2 of the products listed in a challenge. 

Have a great day! 

Finnabair team

Be in the moment by Aleksandra Mihelic

 Hello dear Finnabair friends and fans,

Well... this year is finally coming to an end. I’m sure some of us are happy to be so, as this year was more challenging than most of average ones. But although there was much tensions and stress in this year with the situation around the world, I do believe it was also a year for personal growth. And one thing that I learned from this past year and I began to learn also in previous years that were sadly also none easier for me than this one, was to live and be in the moment. Sadly, all we have is now and here... yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not promised to any of us, so let’s just be in a moment for a while and try to enjoy it while it last. I learned that challenges are also easier to overcome this way.

I decided to work with the image of the moon. Night is one of the most difficult parts of the “day” for me. I am busy through the day keeping everything in order, taking care of my family and kids, household, finishing my custom orders and taking care of my design team obligations... but when day ends and when everything gets quiet around the house, that is the time, when sometimes doubts and fears sneak out and start to bug me. So, for the last few days I’m trying to work on me being calm in the evening so I can get some peace and some proper rest from the busy day. And I noticed it makes a big big difference.

So here is my project for this month that I made inspired by the above words. I first covered my canvas with Finnabair tissue paper “Romantica” using soft matte gel and then added a bit of “Violet” and “Ultramarine” Liquid acrylics. I then added some corrugated cardboard and some added texture with Graphite texture paste. I dry brushed over everything with some white gesso and added some new Unicorn effect paste “Magic Potion”. Boy I love these Unicorn effect pastes. I’m so happy some new ones were released. They are absolutely one of my favourite products by far. I then used some rust effect pastes to color chipboard that is a part of my focal point. I also covered my metal embellishments and moon cast with some waxes and arranged everything into a composition. I then added some finishing touches with glass glitter, glitter and splatters.

Here is also video tutorial that you can follow and is available on Finnabair youtube channel:

I hope you liked my project.

I wish to you a very happy new year, a beautiful celebration with your dear ones. Stay safe, stay healthy and may new year bring us more peace and more happiness. 

Love and hugs,

Aleksandra 

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

Prima Art Venture 2021 is online!

 Hi, my Dears! Are you ready for some creative fun?

I'm sure many of you heard about the biggest classes organised by Prima every year - Art Venture! 

I was one of the teachers there is almost every edition and I enjoyed it so much - a huge gathering of people, 6 teachers, 3 classes with mindblowing kits and projects per day - it was a wonderful creative marathon, a great way to start the year artistically! 

Many of the international mixed-media fans were hoping one day they will be able to join - but such a big journey is not always easy to organise and plan... but THIS YEAR IT IS POSSIBLE - Prima Art Venture is going ONLINE - bigger then ever an with the line-up of teachers like never before: 

Prima Marketing and Charity Wings did everything to keep the atmosphere of the event as close to original as possible - providing not only wonderful selection of teachers who prepared classes with beautiful, inspiring projects and more than generous kits but offering 12 classes to choose from in several packages and a'la carte options! 

If you are wondering what is my job this year - check out my 2 projects (I'm the only teacher teaching twice due to the size of the kit offered,  covering 2 classes instead of 1).

For the US residents, the packages with the kits are a great opportunity to get the latest Prima products delivered on their doorstep, making the whole calss so easy to follow (and there are some extras added as well!) - this is as always great value for money! 

You can check the packages and classes info here: Art Venture 2021 by Gather

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?

Art Venture 2021 is online - so we are able to offer the CLASS ONLY passes on a discounted rate for the international mixed-media fans who live anywhere outside the US and would like to take the classes at home! This way you can source your products locally - or order them in advance to make sure they will arrive on time. 

I'm so very happy this option is available for all of you, so this event will be a real celebration of creativity all over the world!

To get the info about the discounted packages or kit shipping options - email Charity Wings directly and they will be happy to assist you: info@charitywings.org 

Check out these dates, mark them in your calendar and join us for this amazing celebration of creativity in February 2021! 

Who is coming? We are all waiting for you!

Sign up here!

December Ambassadors' Spotlight

 

Hello friends,

We are quickly approaching the new year and we all hope it will be better than 2020. But before it starts we are here, on the blog, with new inspiration. Today post is filled with projects by Finnabair Brand Ambassadors. This month theme is "Rust is a must" and the host is Olga Heldwein. Enjoy!

Rust is a must !!!  

For this theme I created rusty moon assemblage piece. I used up some of my weirds and odds from collection of junk and broken jewelry. I mixed  in some mechanicals and all together I treated with all mediums.  Sand paste and coral paste added yummy texture and beautiful base color Liquid acrylics added depth and dramatic look to the piece and Gold wax combined with Opal Magic rose gold paint  made all shiny parts extra shiny.

To achieve best results I was going back and forward between adding shine and rust t have nice balance and smooth transition between parts of my moon. To be honest  I’m super happy with final outcome and I fall in love with lot of different stages and combos of Rust like paste and liquid acrylics. Those products work just wonders together and if you give it a try you will not regret !

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

I bought last year from Gdynia in Poland this small violin so I decide this will be my project.

First I wanted to make texture on my violin that was an mdf violin so I apply crackle white paste and after I make with modeling stencil.

Then I wanted to looks like the colors of a classic violin so I paint with liquids acrylics and gives an aged look with matte waxes and old silver patina on the stencil.

The composition is made with Mitform and Finnabair embellishments and I add also a baroque touch with some elastic baroque decoration.

I paint the all composition with mattes waxes and finish with old silver and aged brass patina.

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

Hello mixmedia’s technique lovers! Today I would like to inspire you with a bit of the magic of color which I obtained thanks to the wonderful Finnabair effect paste, rust effect paste and wax. 

I decided to create the heart of the ocean. 

 

I love mixed turquoise and rust in color. This is absolutely voicing my soul. 

My mold casting have a beautiful pattern. I added metallic wax. I can make them more visible. 

I added metallic wax  to  enrich  colors this connected 

I used mold castings and to make the project truly rust at the end I added rust effect paste and wax. Inside painted Mermaid effect paste.

To create real rust, absolutely nothing else is needed. 

Rust effect paste is really awesome.

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

I think I write this every time I do a project for the spotlight, that the moment I read the theme I just knew I had to make a project! I mean – “rust is a must”! I’ve been on a rust/tea/old paper kind of color scheme for a while and although by the time I’m writing this I’ve actually started going on a more colorful direction already, rust is always such a nice color and texture combination. I mean it has to say something that even my mother-in-law brings me rusty nails she’s found in her summer cottage!  

Given the month of the theme – December – I made some decorations. I went with the kind of classic rusted nail, reddish color with these, but as there’s no sleighs or elves on them, they go year around. I combined the harsh, grungy look of the rust to soft and airy feel of the laces and ribbons. Kind of juxtaposing the metal with fabric, hard with soft. 

The bases for the ornaments are light wood. I first painted them using “Flame” color from the Metallique paints. On top I then added the compositions, let the Heavy Body Gel dry and then started layering Rust Paste, Patina Paste, acrylic colors and in the end, waxes. It seems that when there’s mediums involved, I tend to go “more is more”. To give the ornaments a finishing touch, I added some wire, to which I threaded some “Ruby” glass beads, around the shapes. I twisted the ends together echoing barbed wire. 

Hopefully, you had wonderful Holiday times and all the best to the next year! 

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

Hi creative people! Olga’s theme Rust is a must resonates so hard in me that I couldn’t help it and decided to make a piece in my favorite way of rust: patina. As you know, that happens when pieces made of copper or bronze corrode and oxide. I decided to decorate a shadow box with the shape of a pocket watch and make it look old and cool, like a treasure rescued from the deep ocean.

So even if it’s an easy technique (first painting with Blue and Mint Green Patina Effect Paste, and then adding the metal effect with acrylic or in this case Aged Brass Metallic Wax) I added a beautiful touch with Liquids Acrylics to get my blueish-green “dirty” making it look older and a bit rusty too. I also used Deep Turquoise to add depth in some areas, like the roses.

And if you know me a little bit, you know how much I love shimmer and sparkle, so even if it’s unusual… I added a tiny bit of glitter to give my project a magical touch in the embellishments. I think some few elements together, like the cogs and gears in the background, and some nice elements like the tiny pocket watch turned into a shaker, make this piece special.

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

Have a good evening!

Finnabair Team