Making Halloween Decorations using Recycled Wood

Shari Welch is a volunteer for SCRAP Denton where she is on the education committee, teaches workshops, art camp, and performs art demos. With her art passion and being a mixed media artist, she enjoys helping others discover their creativity. She is fortunate to have a creative reuse store in her town and SCRAP Denton is where 75% or more of her materials come from. What makes it even better is being able to recycle as well. For your local home improvement she advises that you visit habitat for humanity stores and scrap wood bins. This is because construction sites are begging to get rid of their small scraps of wood. This I show she does it:

Painting the pieces the colour she wants the cracks to be. This technique can be done the sides, top, and bottom so I taped the edges with painters tape. To achieve a smooth coverage use a finger to spread the glue. You want to let the glue sit for a minute. The glue should be tacky not dry.

Apply the top coat and in random directions making sure that the bristles are slightly breaking through the glue.

Leave it alone for a few hours or even better over night for best crackle results.

For the front and back apply printed tissue paper with PPA adhesive. This adhesive is perfect for thin papers.

Use Tim Holtz distress ink in black soot for the edges.

Finish this project by gluing all the pieces together; add some images, yarn and shiny embellishments.

Mixed Media Art Good Design and Composition

Every time you are creating any art work, the following are the elements of a good design that you should put in place:

• Proportion

This deals with the size of the parts that make up the whole. Are they all proportional or are some too dominant and others to small?

• Unity/Variety

Variety is often linked with unity. While you want to have unity, you don’t want it to be boring. When a painting has unity, there is a feeling that it all works together as a whole and is complete as well as having harmony

• Contrast

This implies to the differences when you compare one thing to and you can use ways like diagonal lines against verticals, colors that jangle, lights against darks, soft edges against hard edges, intense color against neutral color etc. Differing values in a painting can be dramatic.

• Rhythm /repetition.

Rhythm is created by having an element repeat itself in the painting and always it has repetition. Repeating shapes can lead the eye through a painting and give it rhythm.

• Balance

Balance is the key to a successful painting. The design must be balanced for it to work effectively. If the design is balanced then the scale of it is also in balance. When something is balanced it looks right.

• Focus/Emphasis.

Every painting needs a centre of interest and without one; the painting is rendered without much thought by the artist. Having a theme or story to your painting gives your painting emphasis.

There you have it. Happy creating!

How to Send a Mail Art

The love of mixed media has taken over most aspects of Tamara Dinius’ creative journey the main reason being the fact that mixed media allows for a broad range of styles and anyone can find success in this form of artistic expression. She reveals the aspect of mail art which surprises many other people.

Mail art is created by the artist and generally sent via the postal service to the end receiver. It is an interesting art because every person who handles the mail en route will have an opportunity to view and enjoy your piece of artwork. Tamara uses mixed media techniques with various envelopes that have become quite grand. She has experimented using the standard goldenrod office envelopes, as well as the brightly coloured envelopes. While she has enjoyed using all the different products at some point she goes back to the basic white envelope for most of her mailings.

Mail art is easy to send and does not require anything special prior to posting at your local post office. Though it is not required at her local post office, she adds a white label with the recipients address for ease of sorting. The holidays are a wonderful time of sending mails to your loved ones. Get creative with the mail art and put a cheer on their faces.

Be Fearless and Learn How to Draw

You must have heard of Melanie Statnick the published artist/writer from North Carolina and one who creates art daily from her private studio. She is known for her happy and whimsy style of art. It is common that everyone would want to shop for all the newest toys on your mind the next time you get paid. However, when you’re on a budget this is the worst thing you can do with your already tight income.

Many are the times she has heard from her students statements like “I can’t draw a straight line”.  Or just plain “I can’t draw”. However being a self-taught artist she believes that she can learn anything and having seen so many nice things from the stores, she still does not buy them because she is determined to learn to draw her own images and save the 20 bucks.

Over time she has sat with her journals, pens, pencils, markers and watercolours and has been teaching herself to draw. It all takes practice. In addition, There are so many books on how to draw and websites that have an abundance of inspiration.  The secret is that we have to get past being perfect, realistic and spot on. It would amaze you to know how many people appreciate the imperfect cute doodle.

Be fearless with your drawings and learn to let go of how many Facebook “likes” your photo

Making a Project using a Printer Tray

Shari Welch is a mixed media artist known for using reuse and recycle materials in her artwork. She is passionate about mixed media art and enjoys helping others discover their creativity. With the existence of type cases or printers trays which are divided into sections to hold the various letters of a typeface for print every creative artist is now taking advantage of these unique frames to create one of a kind piece of art.

Printer trayscome in different sizes, colours, shapes, and number of sections. There is so much skill to it and it is mostly a matter of layering different elements. You can create one that is very simple or more detailed like it is demonstrated below:

• Chose a tray and use washi tape to decorate the edge of the frame. Give it some interest to define some of the edges of the sections.
• Interesting coordinating papers and printed cork sheets will do to fill up the background sections. Distressing papers edges will be held up by sanding, tearing, embossing.
• You can add items from a trip, little bits and pieces of things you love, collections, photos etc. This is where all the fun is.

However the secret of this art is to lay everything out before you glue anything down including the background, the type, charms and everything else. Also consider using 3D foam adhesive pieces to help your items look as if they are coming off the page.

Using Craft Kits form Flying Unicorn

Kim Kelley is borderline obsessive about her crafting and her art. She loves mixed media art because you are free to go beyond your comfort zone, using your imagination and exploring on anything comes to your mind set. She scoops up anything that catches her eye, but there are times that she enjoys opening up kits that have everything in it that goes together; from matching papers to colour coordinating flowers. If you have the same problem then you may want to do what she does and purchase kits. A kit allows you to stop guessing about putting things together.

Flying Unicorn is where Kim buys her kits. The kit comes with a triangle shaped canvas; which she loves working with, some flowers, metal pieces ink and sprays. She finds herself in a rather red mood rather than purple so she changes from bits to bits. So how does she do it?

• You shall use glass bead medium by Golden, heavy gel by Golden and white flake also by Golden for the base layer on the canvas. Apply it haphazardly so it does not look the same throughout.
• After allowing it to dry, add paints. Using sponges add Crimson, Burnt Orange and Metallic Russet Lumiere paints by Jacquard onto the canvas. After the layer dries add a mix of black acrylic paint, silver powder and gel medium; sponging it on and with a bit of water to wipe it off.
• Add some flowers, metal leaves, film strip and of course the quote.

There you have it, your imagination and creation has come to be.

Using Radiant Neon ink Colours

If you are an accustomed artist, you ought to visit Melanie Statnick’s website melaniestatnickart.com and see what she has accomplished being the seasoned published artist/writer that she is. She brings to you the aspect of using Radiant Neon ink colours which she says can be blended together. On the other hand Radiant Neon ink pads are bright, bold and juicy. They are also opaque ink and fade resistant and can be embossed.

Melanie is a great fun of colours and she is of the neon while she considers it best when on white. She will create cards with them on white and black card stock to show how the neon ink affects different backgrounds.  She will also do this while testing to see how brilliant the silver looks of the Delicata ink pad. You will use just chip board pieces, add the radiant neon ink in your favourite colours and then blend the silver ink over top. This however you should do when they are all wet. You can use the delicate ink alone and let this ink air dry for best results.

The more you keep experimenting with colours the more you will get surprised at what you can achieve. Happy creating and experimenting!

Creating a Good Design in Mixed Media Art

Mixed Media Art is exciting and everyone wants good painting that will result to good design. However, whether we design from using our imagination or design from a photograph of our own, some key factors should be considered and applied. The elements of design are the visual elements or tools you use to compose and design and the elements of good design include:

• Colour

Acquire basic understanding by possibly attending colour theory courses. Colour speaks first in a painting and if you have just begun designing, it’s better to use a colour wheel. Learn about what colours go with each other since using colour can make or break a design.

• Shape

Shapes are organic or geometric and same sized shapes would be boring.Organic shapes are curved, irregular and have a natural feel to them. Geometric shapes are triangles, squares, rectangles and circles.

• Texture

Texture refers to the surface appearance of the objects in the painting. It can actual or perceived.Texture is fun because it creates excitement and interest in your painting.

• Line

Lines will set the tone of your painting. You can use either Horizontal, vertical and diagonal, straight, curved, thick or thin line.

Fill this space with shapes to create your painting.Using shape creates depth in a painting by overlapping them or weaving them together, or laying them side by side.

• Form

You must give the objects in your painting, form to achieve dimension.

It’s of importance that you teach yourself the basic rules, apply them and then once you’re very knowledgeable then you may go ahead and become creative developing your own style.

Have you Tried Dina Wakely Paints?

Michelle G. Brown has this drive that it’s only by learning few basic techniques that would make the world of Mixed Media art exciting and accessible to everyone. At one point she was so excited to have the 12colours of Ranger’s Dina Wakely paints as well as the black Gesso. You will love the name of the colours because they are also unique. She has this passion of drawing and writing over the paints.

So far Michele has discovered that most colours are fairly opaque and thick and luscious. More often than not, they are described as creamy. And even as Dina talks about choosing her favourite colours; she stresses on the importance of having her paints in tubes to make them easier to apply and close the lids with one hand. Michelle loves the nature of Dina’s paints their thickness and “open time” (longer drying time to allow blending). However the packaging is a bit frustrating. When these paints lie on the table, the back side of the label don’t show what colour it is. You have to pick several tubes before getting the colour you want.

All in all the colours are of great quality and at a reasonable price. Her prayer right now is that there will be more colours out.

Creating Mixed Media Collages

Anjuli Johnson is constantly trying to push through her fears to discover and develop her talents, meet new people, and learn from those around her. It’s been an evolutionary process ever since she began her career as a scrapbooker.  She is fascinated by collage; the fact that it can be found everywhere- in elementary classrooms, photo albums, crafting and fine art.  It is used for many reasons- practicing motor skills, preserving memories, home décor, etc.

The term collage comes from the French word “college”, meaning “to glue”.  Though it had been a technique for many years, the first mention of the term was around 1913 when Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque drew serious attention to collage as an art form. Collage is such a versatile medium with infinite possibilities. In fine art, collage can be used to express different ideas through the different materials used- newspaper and magazine clippings to make political statements, blocks of color to suggest violence or the randomness of life, or even sections of old paintings and drawings cut up and reformed into something new.

We all have things that we try to hide from other people- weaknesses and vices that are embarrassing or compromising, or even accomplishments that we are anxious or unsure of for some reason- talents we hold back because of fear.  The idea of hidden things has lately fascinated Anjuli especially those lurking just below the surface and whatever the nature of our hidden parts, they affect our outward natures, as well.