Hi you guys! I hope you are doing great and crafting with Lindy’s! Let’s create today some beautiful backgrounds for your projects. There are so many ways to do it, but here is my favorite one- easy, fun, and efficient. With one paper you can get few cuts and few backgrounds- for small pages, a few ATCs or index cards or even bookmarks! You can also create your own, small art journal books, full of vibrant colors!
The process is really simple, but being simple does not mean not being effective! Honestly, this is one of my GO-TO methods of getting back my mojo or on doing few projects (or few cards) at once. Not too long ago I colored this way with Lindy’s sprays many, many pages to create over 200 bookmarks for Christmas gifts in my son’s school. It is a little like a chain work, but then again- the effects are totally worth it!
Remember though to choose wisely your sprays- if you want to have a vibrant background- use vibrant sprays, if you want subtle effect- use pastel-like colors and always be careful to choose the ones which go together nicely. If you are not sure, use the ones which are beside each other on the color wheel, but you can always experiment on a piece of scrap paper to check that out.
Amongst the pages I made for this project there is one that was more difficult to make and which is less vibrant- the purple and green one. I made it for two reasons- firstly because I love this color combo, but also to show you that by mixing up two colors which normally do not go together very nicely, you can get a muddy finish effect. I avoided that mostly by removing quickly the excess of the paints with a tissue and not letting them mix too much together, but you can see that the purple and green, even though so beautiful together, made more dull mix than the other pages.
Otherwise, the process is very simple:
- take a page of watercolor/ mixed-media paper and spray it with water (if you do it on both sides, the paper will stay flat and the paints will mix better; however if you spray on one side only, the paper will tend to roll on itself, forcing the paint to run to the edge as opposed to just float nicely on the flat surface). Then add your sprays ( you can also use Magicals or Squirts). Let the paper dry. Meanwhile, you can prepare another page with another color until you are happy with the mixes of colors and quantity of pages. If you struggling with the sprays making a mess on your workspace and spraying everything all around, in my video you’ll see a simple solution to this problem:)
- when the pages are almost dry (I made the mistake of drying them completely, which you can also see in the video), you can start creating more interest in your background with stencils. All you have to do is to place a stencil of your choice on the background and remove a little paint from underneath it with a baby wipe or damp cloth. When you do that on completely dry pages, the effect will be less visible;
- another way of using a stencil is to spray through it another color- if the background is quite dark or bold, better use spray which is even darker or bolder than the background. You can also use the sponge or dabber to add through stencil another color;
- I also experimented with Magicals, rubbing the powder through the stencil with a sponge, leaving it as it is, and also spraying with a mini mister- I got two different effects on one page;
- add some more background stamping- this time on completely dry pages- the more the merrier, add some mark making or doodling. Then cut the papers to desired sized (or simply work on the whole page); I wanted to cut them to ATC sizes as I like the unpredictability of the cut and the end effect.
- to make the colors pop I inked edges with black ink and then run the cards through my sawing machine in a very, very funky, uneven way;
- the last element was to add focal points and sentiments and the cards are done- all bright, happy, and positive! We need a lot of that in our lives now I think!
Here there are- one by one in close-up photos:
Link to Lindy’s Youtube channel and my process video:
Below is the list of products used in this project.
Lindy’s Gang products:
- Starburst spray-French Lilac Violet, California Poppy Gold, Grab a Guy Gold, Bells of Ireland Green, Delphinium Turquoise, Marigold Yellow Orange,
- Flat spray- Hibiscus Rose, Luscious Lime, Rizzo’s Rowdy Red
- Magical- Mountain Meadow Green
Other products:
*Watercolor paper, *stencils and Super Messy Words by Asia Marquet/ Lemon Creation, *stencils by Studio Light, *Paper Elements by Studio Light- Art by Marlene, *IndigoBlu stamp- Matrix by Asia Marquet, Viva Las Vegas stamps, Keisercraft background stamp, Stampers Anonymous by Tim Holtz stamp, Archival Ink- Jet Black Stazon ink- Vibrant Violet, *Uniball Signo white, *Uni Pin finaliner black, *Nuvo glue, 3d foam tape
As always- thank you so much for stopping by and for all your lovely comments!
Wish you all a beautiful, sunny day and till the next time!
Hugs,
Asia
