I started off with this mustard paper from Pink Paislee's Portfolio collection.
1. I started by using brown chalk ink together with this mask & stenciling randomly around the page (using just parts of it). {Ronda Palazzari for The Crafter's Workshop}12" version.
2. Next I used this mask together with some hard modeling paste from Golden.
3. Next I used this little stencil from Prima together with a mixture of gesso & gel medium.
{Can't find an image of it on the web & Prima is upgrading their website so this is from a maths forum but you get the idea LOL!}
4. The last stencil I used - with plain white acrylic paint - this one from The Crafter's Workshop
{I got it 2nd hand & it's now covered in gesso but who cares, it does the job perfectly!}
6. MIXED media means just that so MIX IT UP - use various different mediums & even combinations of them mixed together - mixed media is all about experimentation & it's not meant to look neat so if it doesn't turn out as you had envisioned chances are you may still like it!
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Good supplies to have are:-
PAINTS (acrylics are best - most brands are okay so no need to go fancy - local South African brand DALA is fantastic)
PAINT DABBERS from Ranger - LOVE these for their ease of application & the fact that you can create awesome splats with them (more on that later!)
METALLIC PAINTS from Viva Decor & Silks from Luminarte are not a must but darn delicious & worth buying once you have established that you LOVE mixed media!
{Liquid Pearls from Ranger are an economical alternative for a sheer look as you can rub these over gesso, etc for a lovely semi-translucent shine}
GESSO {not all are created equal - I prefer Claudine Helmuth Studio as it dries showing the different layers, direction & thicknesses - you won't get this effect with any cheap gesso}
WHITE ACRYLIC PAINT - thicker & less runny than cheap gesso & easier to sponge on
{one of my favoured methods of application}
MOLDING/MODELLING PASTE - Reeves & Golden are excellent.
{this is a MUST as it creates a braille-like raised effect}
GEL MEDIUM - great as a sealer, great to mix with gesso for a more sheer look, great to revive older paints - a MUST HAVE. (this comes in matte or gloss - I prefer matte as I don't always want a high shine).
INKS - chalk inks are fine for stenciling but archival inks are way better for stamping.
I use Ranger & Tsukeniko {Brilliance & Versa-Magic}
(I tested local brand Chiswick & it didn't work as well for me)
Chalk inks - Ingvilde Bolme for Prima - WITHOUT A DOUBT - massive selection of colours - no separation of sponge from applicator - VERY inky!
STENCILS - The Crafter's Workshop & Prima
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Please don't be put off by this list.
I have been collecting mixed media products for 2 - 3 years now & it's amazing how they accumulate - you will get there! And once you have tried & loved a product you will always find a way to get hold of it
(give me this stuff over new paper any day now!)
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7. Next I added some tea/coffee mix (literally just half a teaspoon of coffee in a mug with a tea bag dunked in - then transferred to a container - lasts for weeks!) & the inner core of a tape roll - place liquid in flat dish - work on easy to clean floor (mine is tiles) dip tape roll into mixture then HIT hard onto paper & it will splatter - once you have enough circles hold paper upright & dry off with heat gun so you get drips too!
8. Next I added my black splats using a Ranger paint dabber (spray the top with water from a misting bottle) then bang hard onto page (away from your curtains! as it splashes up!!) Dry off with heat gun, holding paper upright to create drips too.
9. Stamp randomly with black ink (I did that on the left with an old rubber stamp but it was a bit of a fail!) I prefer acrylic stamps & acrylic stamping blocks - these you gradually accumulate - background stamps are the most versatile & Kaisercraft & Prima sell them a lot more reasonably priced than dedicated stamp manufacturers.
10. Rub over some areas using Faber Castelle Gelatos
These are fun but only worth buying if you love your mixed media - you apply them directly from the pen - they are like lipsticks - then you use your finger to rub them in (there are many different application methods but this is mine).
10. I always begin with a "whited out" area in the middle of my page so the photo doesn't get lost in the background but for this page I ended up only having the top & bottom showing as I put patterned paper over the centre to create this finished layout.
I recoloured the Pink Paislee artisan elements using gelatos too,
inked around the photo & edges of the punched heart borders
& added random Liquid Pearl dots around my page.
I hope this tutorial has been helpful to some of you at least.
Mixed Media takes time but it doesn't take forever.
A full background like this takes me 1.5 hours including clean-up
(and is very therapeutic & fun to do!!)
Mixed Media is like eating an elephant -
One bite at a time!!
{keep adding & eventually your page will be complete!}