Unique Love

My Dear Readers - here we come with another beautiful mixed media inspiration from my amazing Creative Team!

Today it's Kassa whose vibrant personality and enthusiastic creativity always shine through all her art pieces... Enjoy! :)

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Hi there lovelies

Love is in the air, do you feel it? :) Yes 'tis Valentines day tomorrow and with that in mind, I was inspired to create a piece oozing with love, texture and colour...

I may just trim the page down, mount it onto a card to give to my beloved... tah dah! Valentine's day sorted for me - a unique card full of love. :)

I started with one of Finnabair's lush Mixed Media style Sunrise Sunset 12 x 12" patterned papers, these are a cool starting point to journal on especially if a white page looks a little scary to you.

You might want to prep it as I do in the video with transparent Soft Matte Gel. When you use a single sheet, make sure you glue it to some sturdier base so that the paper doesn't warp under the weight of all the media and embellishments.

The paints I chose were Art Alchemy Metalliques as the cool metallic, shiny finish would contrast with the background paper and feeling a need for a bright pop effect, I chose colours that would blend and contrast with the background. Below you will find all the links to the colours I used.

Finnabair's stamps with their distinctive look are sooo cool for stamping in with the Metallique Paint (always clean stamps immediately if stamping with paint!). Simply stamp in and around the paint drips and black Archival ink (waterproof ink) brings the page to life.

Creating extra grunge on the Mechanicals with Clear Crackle Texture Paste and Art Stones is something I love doing, it gives me immense joy and how simple to do with a little gesso and a paintbrush.

Plus it created the most perfect base coat for the new awesome Art Alchemy Waxes.

I think that Black Gesso and the Waxes are meant for each other, the effects of the waxes on this dark base are spectacular.

The Tin Hearts look uber with the Antique Brilliance Fire Ruby Wax melted on them!

Then it was time to add more lush layers of colour and texture with a mix of more stamping, spritzing, splatting, glitter, (yes... glitter on a male themed piece! :) ) plus foiled rub-ons, doodles with pencils, oil pastels, journal pens, a little light texture  added with cotton thread and those Micro Beads in Splash.

Splash Beads are my lifesaver - they help in softening the dark crevasses and used in the right places create perfect balance.

Ohhh and I nearly forgot - you can create the custom coloured texture paste to use with stencils!

This technique is really easy, fun and the results are something you are all going to love - all you need to do is mix Texture Powder with a little of the Metallique paint in the colour you desire - ready!

So now take a peep at how I did it on the video, grab a cuppa, put your feet up and I'll see you over there. ;)

I hope you enjoyed my very first attempt at videoing for the Team! :) I know there's plenty of room to grow...
But I just wanted to share with you all how I create in a more personal way, you can get a whole new feel for the creative process through videos.
I feel my favourite part of this piece is the shiny red wax on the tin hearts - what's been you favourite part of your creative week I wonder?

Let me know if you have any questions and I hope you'll feel inspired to create some cute mixed media Valentine yourselves!

Mwah

xoxo

Kassa

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Chakra Inspiration

Hello in 2017, Dear Friends!

Gayle created the most inspiring project to start this year! Not just 1 but actually 8 little pieces of Art, each of them absolutely unique. We hope Gayle's tutorials will ignite your creativity and you will start this New Year making Art with us!

Hello lovely Finnabair friends. I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas. I would like to wish each and every one of you happiness for the New Year. May 2017 bring you peace, health and creativity in abundance.

My inspiration for this month's project is a little bit left of field. During the past 2 years I have taken up yoga.

Part of the yoga philosophy is seeing and thinking about your body and how it performs in a different light. Hence I’ve come to know the Chakras, and this is where my inspiration for this project comes from: along with finding 8 chipboard tags while doing a studio clean up.

There just happens to be 7 Chakras; so I thought I would do 7 tags, each one representing one of the them. The eighth tag will be a “title” tag.

Chakra is a Sanskrit word that literally translates to 'wheel' or 'disk'. In yoga this term refers to wheels of energy throughout the body. Each Chakra has a colour and is representative of certain feelings and emotions. I’ve tried to portray these in each tag and also to use a different Finnabair product in each of the 3 tags I have done so far. Here's the result:

No. 1 Eight chipboard tags.
No. 2 Seven coated in Heavy White Gesso and one coated in Black Gesso.

This is Chakra No.1 The base or Root Chakra. It’s colour is red. It’s the Chakra closest to the earth. Its function is with earthly grounding and physical survival.

No.3 Tag painted with Art Alchemy Metallique Royal Red Acrylic Paint.

No.4 Finnabair “Doily” Stencil used with Art Alchemy Acrylic Paint in Metallique Ancient Coin.

No.5 Some washi tape and Finnabair cling stamp from 'Trust The Magic' set.
No.6 Collaged flower image stuck down with Soft Matte Gel.

No.7 Resin flowers painted with Art Alchemy Acrylic Paints.
No.8 Resin feet adhered to the tag using Heavy Body Gel.

No.9 Using Modeling Paste I built up a layer of “ground” below the feet and added Art Ingredients Art Stones and Mechanicals tiny Stars.

No.10 Acrylic Paints used for the stars and stones.

Some gold cord added to represent the roots grounding us to the earth, along with some Gold Leaf Mica Flakes.

Chakra No.2 - the Sacral or Navel Chakra. Its colour is orange and it’s concerned with emotion and represents desire, pleasure, sexuality, procreation and creativity.

No.1 Tag painted with a combination of ink and paint.

No.2 Paper napkin flowers collaged using Soft Matte Gel, then painted over with a coat of Acrylic Paint in Fresh Orange.

No.3 Modeling Paste coloured with Lipstick Mica Powder and then used through another Finnabair "Doily" stencil.

No.4 Heavy Body Gel used to adhere Mechanicals Pendant, lace, butterfly and resin baby.

No.5 Clear Sculpture Medium was used to coat and then shape the piece of fabric into a cupped petal shape for the baby to sit in.

No.6 Gorgeous Micro Beads in Pollen and Copper used to represent the “seeds of life”.

Babies, butterflies, seeds and blooming plants representing birth and the circle of life.

Chakra No.3 - the Solar Plexus. Its colour is yellow. It’s associated with your emotional life. Personal power, laughter, joy and anger. Your sensitivity, ambition and ability to achieve are stored here.

No.1 Finnabair patterned Sunrise Sunset paper stuck down onto the tag with 3D Matte Gel was my starting point.

No.2 Creating texture with White Crackle Texture Paste and “Ripped Fishnet” Stencil.

Using Mixed Media Silicone Brush 1” is perfect for applying any mixed media pastes, gels, gesso or paint.

No.3 Applying napkin image with Soft Matte Gel.
No.4 Adding extra colour with crayon and paint.

No.5 Stamping with Finnabair cling stamps.

No.6 Adding metal Mechanicals and colouring them with Art Alchemy Paint in Metallique Gold Rush.

Gold mesh, butterfly, pearls, Finnabair Rusted Mechanicals and Melange Art Pebbles to represent the many emotions we can feel and express.

Wishing you all every happiness for the year ahead.
May you find the energy that lies within to achieve all that you set out to do this year.
Gayle xx

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