Hello Crafty friends!!!
I’m Priss BlaFu (@artful.layers) and this is my first post as part of Lindy’s DT. Hope you find it inspiring and that it helps you create great projects with our products. I’m very nervous and excited!!!
Get ready to step into your creative world and unleash all the magic that is in it with the help of Lindy’s products. In this step-by-step tutorial, we’ll create an Art Journal Page using magicals that of course, are pure magic.
This month’s challenge guides us, inspiring us to explore a beautiful palette of complementary colors plus an adjacent one, which is one of my favorite ways to create good color palettes.
Step 1: Prepare your art journal page
It is important to select the perfect surface for your artistic expression. Whether it’s a large, or small art journal or even a unique surface of your choice, make sure it can stand up to the moisture and materials you’re going to use. In my case, I opted for an A6-sized notebook designed specifically for working with mixed media. To add a touch of texture and base color, I glued pieces of rice paper to both pages, placing them here and there. These leftover paper elements coincidentally match the chosen color palette. Then I covered everything with transparent Gesso to harmonize the surface and protect the rice paper.
Step 2: Create a Textured Background with Lindy’s Magicals and pastes
As a mixed media artist, I have an undying love for textures, and most of all, the captivating world of layered textures.
So this is where the magic begins. To add an extra dimension to our art journal page, we introduce a stencil to the equation. With carefully, we apply a touch of crackle paste onto our surface, ensuring not to cover everything.
While the crackle paste dries and works its charm, we take a moment to prepare a smooth paste. We mixed the texture paste with a pinch of Magical shimmer, specifically the “Rusty Lantern Lime” from the Industrial Chic set. With the help of your favorite spatula (better if it’s not too big), we apply this paste at strategic points, even in some areas above the crackle layer. It’s important to note that the intensity of the color will soften and lose its shimmer, taking on a more delicate pastel tone.
Step 3: Add more color to the background
Once the pastes are completely dry, it’s time to wake up our background with a touch of liquid magic. Spray a soft mist of water onto the page to ensure our magic powders adhere smoothly. Sprinkle the goooorgeous “Time Travel Teal”, also from the Industrial Chic set, onto the wet areas. As the color reacts with the water, it begins to move and weave its way through the cracks, transforming our artwork with its charm. With the help of a brush, gently guide the color, helping it flow between the cracks until you’re satisfied with the result, and dry a little with the help of the heat gun.
Now, let’s add a touch of glamour! Take your Bayou Boogie Gold Shimmer Spray tube and drip a few drops onto the surface, allowing them to embellish our composition with their mind-blowing shine.
Step 4: Add depth and interest to the background
To deepen the layers of our page, it’s time to introduce some black elements. Select a collection of writing stamps, and dip them in permanent black ink. Stamp these letters randomly across the background, focusing on areas where the soft texture layer resides.
But wait, we’re not done yet! To infuse a touch of ethereal charm, let’s introduce some splashes of white solution. This can be achieved by diluting gouache, acrylic, or white gesso with a bit of water. Grab a brush and create spontaneous splatters across the composition, allowing the whimsical white droplets to fall freely among the colors and textures, adding a final touch of magic.
Step 5: Bringing Our Feathered Friend to Life
Select a high-quality watercolor paper with a textured surface. This will provide a perfect foundation for our feathered friend to come to life.
Stamp the bird with slow-drying ink and cover it with Boogie Down Black Detail Embossing Powder. Apply heat to the embossing powder using a heat gun, carefully melting the powder until it transforms into a glossy and raised texture.
Now, it’s time to infuse our feathered friend with a burst of color. Sprinkle “Bodacious Blush” and “Pretty in Pink Pink” Magicals (both from the Totally 80’s Shimmer Set) over the embossed bird image with the same technique as step 3. As the Magicals come into contact with the wet surface, they will flow and blend, creating tones that will simulate the variations of the plumage.
By stamping with embossing powder, we ensure that the colors applied do not excessively mix and muddle. The result is a beautifully colored bird with unpredictable tonalities, thanks to the enchanting magic of our Lindy’s.
Step 6: Bringing the Moon to Life
Now, let’s embark on an extraordinary lunar journey as we create a breathtaking moon using the layered die cut designed by our incredible Nuneka. This die consists of three layers that we’ll paint with Lindy’s magical (remember to spray a soft mist of water onto the page to ensure our magic powders adhere smoothly), starting from the darkest shade to the lightest:
- Begin with the darkest layer of the moon (the full circle). Apply a coat of Black Hole Black (individual magical jar), allowing its intense darkness to set the foundation for our celestial masterpiece.
- Moving on to the middle layer (the one with the fewest holes), we sprinkle “Midnight Rendezvous” (from the Totally 80’s Shimmer Set) and then spray some water so the colors activate properly. As in previous steps, we can help ourselves with a brush.
- For the final and brightest layer (the one with the biggest holes), and with the same technique we sprinkle “Gag Me With a Spoon Gray” (from the Totally 80’s Shimmer Set) and Milky Way White (individual magical jar). We carefully apply this shimmering combination to the top layer, allowing the moon to shine with an ethereal glow.
However, when I was preparing my visual composition with all the focal elements, I realized that the moon and the bird did not flow in the harmony that I imagined. When this happens we need to integrate the elements and to achieve this I applied a thin glaze on the upper layer of the moon with the same intense pink tone as the bird. With this delicate layer of glaze, we create a stunning blood moon, infusing our page with otherworldly charm.
Step 7: Embracing the Power of Imagination
In this final step, we’ll work with the composition, bringing together the focal points of the moon and the bird. Additionally, we’ll incorporate some die-cut branches from black cardstock, delicate strands of sisal, and a sentiment that captures the essence of our artistic journey: “Imagination rules the world.”
Begin by carefully positioning the moon and the bird on your page. Find a balance that captivates the eye and creates a harmonious interaction between them. In my case, the little bird looks at the moon with delight.
Insert the die-cut branches, placing them strategically under the bird so that they simulate the foliage of the tree where it perches.
With a gentle touch, organize the delicate fibers of the sisal, imitating a nest. Arrange them under the bird and under the moon in a way that enhances the overall composition, adding a sense of texture and warmth.
Finally, incorporate the sentiment, “Imagination rules the world,” as a powerful statement of the essence of our artistic exploration. Choose a placement that complements the overall flow of the composition and allows the sentiment to stand out.
Celebrate the culmination of your mixed media page, where dreams and creativity merge into a world where the extraordinary becomes possible.
It was a pleasure sharing my creative process with you today. Hope you like it and enjoyed it!!
Until next time, happy creating time!
Hugs, Priss
