I’ve spent a couple of hours today making more gelli prints using stencils, masks, stamps and bubble wrap. What do I do with them? I use them for collage, in my art journals, card making and even in finished art works. Some of them will end up with more paint, crayon, pen etc over the top yet.
I’ve been binge watching videos about Distress Oxide techniques and one first Tim Holtz then Jennifer McGuire shared really appealed to me. I ended up combining it with some other techniques and it’s produced some great card backgrounds.
This works best with Ranger gloss card stock (needs to be gloss) as photo paper tend to go sticky when wet. I did multiple layers of Distress Oxides using my craft mat and spray bottle, and added pattern with stencils to lift off colour, add colour, seal with Micro Glaze to protect the underneath colours or heat emboss the wet ink with clear embossing powder, and finally added flicks of colour with the Tim Holtz Splatter Brush.
Here’s what I ended up with once the layers were done:
As you use more and more layers and water the colours get very chalky, which is the point of the Oxides and it’s a lovely effect. Here’s the thing though – if you add a thin layer of Micro Glaze to the dry card then burnish it the colours brighten up and glow, and somehow all the individual layers show. It’s quite impressive. Here’s how they looked once I’d added the Micro Glaze and buffed them (not the same cards but you get the idea I hope):
(These photos were taken in bright daylight and there’s lots of shadows – sorry about that!)
I’ve been playing catch-up for various reasons. I’m using a wee 6×6″ hardcover journal this year and am enjoying the format. Distress paints, Dylusions paints, stencils, collage materials, Pitt Big Brush markers.
I’m a StencilGirl fan from way back so was delighted to find MaryBeth is one of this year’s artists. Her recipe was all about the layers, which suits how I work – this piece has taken a couple of days because the various mediums needed time to dry. I decided to work on a 10×10″ canvas because this wouldn’t work well in my art journal, and loosely based the image on photos of the Patea cliffs where I live. I took photos of two of the layers as I worked.
Yesterday’s artist was Catherine Scanlon – I had to go out after work so am a day late posting. This was fun, way out of my comfort zone, and I’m much happier with the result than I expected to be. I used a variety of media, and a traced photo of some flowers.
Cath Sheard Art 