Hello friends and Happy New Year! It's been a year since I have posted. I plan to get back to blogging this year and will be posting Mixed Media projects, Cards, and Scrapbook Layouts. Hopefully I will have time to throw a few Altered Arts projects in there as well.
So I thought I would kick off the year with a layout from my Mini Art Journal. The pages in this little book measure 3 1/4" x 5 1/4". I created the book years back in a book binding class. The pages were thin so I glued some of them together to create a thicker pages / sturdier surface to work on and then covered all the pages with gesso.
I also like the size because they are perfect for some of my stamp images.
I like to "build" my backgrounds. Often I don't know what the end result will be. I just keep layering until I get a look I like. And if you do something you don't like, just cover with gesso and start all over. I started this back ground by stamping a music note background in brown ink, adhering book paper, and then creating that "dreamy" look by dabbing on gesso.
With this particular background I ended almost completely covering the first couple of layers as I continued to add more layers. But sometimes that is what gives it great depth.
Next I applies some blue spray ink with a brush and stamp polka dots (Rollograph Wheel with Simple Dots pattern) with green ink. Anytime I use a product I think might smear with the next layer I either spray with Workable Fixative or add a coat of Mod Podge.
I added more book paper because you could not really see the original paper I added.
I sponged on some gesso to blend and soften the layers then dripped on green spray ink.
More gesso.
I stamped the left page with grid background stamp (Off the Grid - Stampin Up) and the tape measure image. To get a random look with a background image I either apply all over and the blot some off with paper towel or randomly apply the ink heavily and then stamp it off on waste paper first and then on my project.
I stamped the right page with a bird collage image by Hero Arts ( Timely Bird ). But I didn't like how faded the bird turned out ... so I stamped the image again on paper and colored just the bird and clocks and cut them out.
I used Lyra Water Color Crayons to color flower, leaves, and branch directly on the page. Then adhered the trimmed bird and clocks.
Hero Arts Timely Bird (I think I got this one at Michaels)
Thanks for stopping by!
Melisa
You can check out more Mini Art Journal Projects HERE.
You can check out Mixed Media Background Tutorials HERE.
