I believe in playing...

Hello all!  Welcome to Words and Pictures - I'm so pleased you stopped by, and I really hope I can tempt you in to playing along with the brand new challenge starting at eclectic Paperie today.



It's an Altered/Mixed Media challenge, and you can read all about it below... but I thought I'd offer up a picture of my offering before we go any further.  I knew Canvas was the starting point for the challenge, so I just got out some inks, paints and papers and started to play!

The eclectic Paperie Get Altered Challenge is held on the first Thursday of each month and each challenge is an opportunity for you to be inspired by one of our eTeam’s creations, to share your work, and to be entered into our challenge prize drawing!

This week our host is Kim, who owns and runs eP, and she decided the challenge should be based around Canvas as a material.  Some of the rest of the Design Team (including me!) are also offering up some inspiration - so do hop over and see the amazing work they've been doing.  

The Get Altered Challenge is about exploring your creative journey, about stepping outside of your comfort zone, experimenting with new products, and creating altered and mixed media art.  

Share a unique card, a scrapbook or journal page, a canvas, or any other project where you’ve used paint, ink, paper, and embellishments.  

We want to see your work and hear about your inspiration!  All of those who play along with our challenge will be entered into a prize drawing for a $15 gift certificate to the eclectic Paperie store.  So grab your supplies and play along!  

Here are a few things to keep in mind for this challenge:

-You do not have to use products sold in the eP store…but we do love it when you do!

-Share a direct link to your creation, not just your blog, using the Linky Tools feature at the end of this post.  If, for any reason, the Linky Tools doesn’t cooperate, please add a link in the Comments section of the blog.

-When uploading to any online galleries, please use any of the following keywords; eP, eclectic Paperie or Get Altered Challenge.  Link your creations to the eP blog.

-If you’d like to be considered as one of our featured projects and be entered into our prize drawing, please be sure to add your link no later than 6:00 pm EST on 16th January.

So let me take you through some of the fun I had building my multi-media canvas, and then I hope you'll be inspired to play along...

I started with a blank 5 x 7 canvas, and gave it a coat of gesso.  While that was still wet, I added some torn strips of Tim Holtz tissue wrap, some torn textured paper (sort of handmade paper style, with lovely fibres in it). In places where the gesso had already dried, I used Studio multi-medium to stick bits down.  

Once that was all dry, I added my first sweep of colour using my new Distress Stains - Mowed Lawn and Salty Ocean, with some Broken China and Tumbled Glass thrown in for good measure.  

If you keep a piece of paper towel handy, you can always dab some of the stain away if you feel there's too much colour.  I'm still loving playing with my new colours - there's plenty more where this came from!

It's great how the stains give you a translucent colour wash over the canvas texture, and still leave the text completely visible on the papers.

I wanted a bit more text interest, so I added some torn strips of TH tissue tape too.

I love that the colours take very differently on the different surfaces; for instance, they sank in to the fibre paper more quickly, giving much stronger colours where they'd gone over that.

The next step was to add some stencilling using the Ledger template from Crafter's Workshop and Peacock Feathers DI.

I used another CW template, the Mini Flower Piecing, to add some texture paste with a palette knife.

As well as applying it through the stencil, I also smeared some directly onto the corners and the edges of the canvas for extra texture.

You can use a heat tool to help the paste dry - I did - but beware... it will blister and puff up slightly, which can be a really great effect, but just be aware it will happen.

Once it was dry, I used my Fresco paints by PaperArtsy to add layers of colour and highlighting.


You can use any acrylic paints, of course, including the fabulous Ranger dabbers.  But to get the paint down amongst the texture, you might want to apply it with a brush.  

Then I got busy with the Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint, brushing it on in various places.  


Love this stuff... it goes on all thick and glossy (you can see it in places on this large photo, pre-crackling), and then you leave it to do its thing. 











It is possible to use a heat tool, but only once the crackling process has started, and I usually find it works better if you can just leave it alone to get on with it... one time when patience really does pay.  

Start another project in the meantime if your fingers get too itchy - that's what I do!

I actually left it overnight, as I'd applied it quite thickly in places, and over a lot of different surfaces, so I really wanted to give it a chance to dry fully.

Then I used a blending tool to work some Faded Jeans DI down into the crackles.  Buffing with some paper towel gets rid of any excess ink on the surface, and leaves you with beautifully defined crackle texture.  

I used the Fresco paints again to alter one of the gorgeous Idea-ology bookplates, building up the layers of paint to give a shabby chic, almost verdigris look.  










And the Distress Stains came into play again to dye the crinkle ribbon to tie it on.  (Okay, it is also stuck down with Glossy Accents to make sure it stays in place!)

The central panel holds the word which I think is probably going to be central to my 2013... There is so much change afoot - some of it very scary - and so many new adventures - I need to keep hold of a thought that it is all happening for the best, that things will come together in the way they need to at the time they need to.  

The final step was to add a few Idea-ology ChitChat stickers, and I'll let them speak for themselves about my excitement at all the crafty adventures I have in store for 2013...  

You'll hear more about all of that very soon, as I'm practically bursting with news!!

So there's my mixed media canvas - lots of lovely inky, painty, textural fun.  We'd love to have you join in with the inaugural eclectic Paperie challenge - so get down and get messy, and share your journey with us...  

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.

Plato

Life is a song - sing it. Life is a game - play it. Life is a challenge - meet it. Life is a dream - realize it. Life is a sacrifice - offer it. Life is love - enjoy it. 

Sai Baba

I'm entering this in the following:
Simon Says Stamp and Show who are playing a "totally mad, no rules, tea party" - so anything goes!
Try It On Tuesday would like to see our New Stash in action - Mowed Lawn and Salty Ocean Distress Stains, Tissue Wrap, ChitChat Stickers
Simon Says Stamp are playing New Something - same list applies, along with my brand new favourite colour combination!
At Anything But A Card there's another variation: Anything Goes OR Your Favourite 2012 project - well, this is a brand new 2013 project, so it's Anything Goes for me

Click on any product to go straight to it:

TCW 6x6 Template - Mini Flower Piercing	TCW 6x6 Template - Mini Ledger	Idea-ology Ornate Plates	Paperie - Tissue Tape Symphony	Tim Holtz - Idea-ology - Crinkle Ribbon 10 Yards	Ranger Distress Stain - Salty Ocean	Ranger Distress Stain - Mowed Lawn
Distress Ink Pad - Peacock Feathers	Distress Ink Pad - Faded Jeans	Claudine Hellmuth Studio-Multi-Medium Matte	Inkssesentials - Glossy Accents 2 oz.	Ranger - Distress Crackle Paint - Rock Candy (4 oz.)	Distress Stain - Broken China	Distress Stain - Tumbled Glass