Mixed Media Cupcake Canvas'

Hello mixed media friends.  Today I am excited to finally sharing the 4 cupcake canvas' I created earlier in the month.  I was holding off because I felt like they were not quite finished.  I want to add some words or phrases, but never got around to it.  So I figured it was best to go ahead and share them as is for now.  The canvas' are 8 x 8 and I did them in colors to match my studio.  I'm going to arrange them in a square.

I had sooooo much fun creating them.  Of course looking back, realized things I would not do if I had to do it again.  But still found great joy in the creative process for these canvas' and I hope you are inspired to create one of your own and share it with me.  I'm including photo's of each project at the 1/2 way point as well.  

CANVAS #2

The techniques I used for creating the layered / dreamy background was learned in a class called "Art Journal Conversion" by Roben-Marie Smith.  While using these mediums were not new to me, it was the use of them that completely inspired me and is now one of my favorite mixed media techniques.  Roben shows you how to build multiple layers of spray inks with stencils, and gesso to get that dreamy effect.  I'm including photo's at the 1/2 way point of creation as well.

CANVAS #3

The cupcakes are hand drawn patterns.  I paper pieced them and then added the icing (thick tachy glue -Aleene's with glitter sprinkled on top)

I learned a lot doing these canvas'.  

#1 plan out what you are going to put on your backgrounds and visually lay it out, so you can see where you might want to place your modeling paste shapes.  

#2  I love the circles and flowers with the cupcakes ....  but wasn't crazy about the style of the 2 swirly stencils and ended up trying to cover them up with circles.  

If you have any specific questions about any of the backgrounds ..... shoot me an email.

Here's a close-up so you can see the texture the modeling paste adds !

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!  I will have so many more projects (Mixed Media, Scrapbooking, Cards, and ATC's) to share with you in 2012 so I hope you will stop by again.  If you want to receive my post via email, it's easy!  Just enter your email address in the sign-up box on the side-bar.  You can unsubscribe at any time.  

If you are interested in checking out all my Mixed Media projects Click HERE.

Projects with background tutorials can be found HERE.

I just set up a new page with a list of mixed media classes I have taken and why I liked them.  You can find the link with the tabs along the top of my blog.  If you have any classes you have taken and enjoyed .... I would love to here about them.

I have to share one more thing .... I just signed up for Stephanie Ackerman's "52 Card Pick Up" Class.  Wanna check it out??  Visit Stephanie's blog HERE.

I just set up a new page with a list of mixed media classes I have taken and why I liked them.  You can find the link with the tabs along the top of my blog.  If you have any classes you have taken and enjoyed .... I would love to here about them.

Mixed Media Cardboard Art Tutorial

Hello mixed media fans.  Today I"m sharing an altered cardboard project I created a while back after taking a class called "Burlap and Clay by Sue Pelletier.  Sue is a very talented and published mixed media artist and you can check out more of her artwork on her blog HERE.   

The class I took from her was offered on her NING site HERE.  You can email her with questions at sue38wood@comcast.net to find out how to purchase the class.

Lots of texture on this project !  I used white burlap and "crinoline" from Joann's Fabric store, along with paper clay, cardboard, and tissue paper.  

I'm going to share some step by step photo's of  how I created the background since my background / style is so different from Sue's.  Basically what I took away from the class was the idea to use burlap / crinoline / and clay on my project and then made it my own, using some of my favorite mediums.

Before I share the details of my project, I want to share with you Sue's new online video class, available over at "Creative Workshops".  I haven't taken it yet, but hope to do so soon.  These canvas's are so cool and she uses plaster, a medium I have never worked with.    Sue has her own unique style!  I have to say I haven't seen anything like this out there yet.

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Project Details

I started with 3 pieces of corrugated cardboard and tore away peices of the to layer.  I added some white paint here and there, then sprayed with blue and yellow ink.  

I distressed the background use my Rollagraph - Clear Snap Stamp Wheel.  I like it because it's easy to apply the image here and there randomly, without applying the full image.  

Then I designed where I wanted the burlap / crinoline / and book paper on each panel.  I sprayed the crinoline and burlap with spray inks, and added some stitching.

Then adhered the pieces to each panel.

I rolled out my paper clay and cut my heart shapes.  After the clay air dryed, I painted the hearts pink.  Then I decided I wanted more texture so I used another one of my favorite mediums ... tissue paper.  I adhere pink tissue paper over each heart, purposely wrinkling it up.  

I made them look more distressed by lightly rubbing on some white acrylic paint randomly, and then black ink.  Then I used stencils to add polkadots to some of them.  

After adhering clay hearts and words, I splattered with black paint.

Lots of messy fun with this project!!  Hope you are inspired to create your own corrugated cardboard art project.  You can view more of my cardboard art HERE if you want .   And I started a "Corrugated Cardboard" art group over on Flickr a while back.  I would love you to link up your corrugated cardboard art HERE.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Melisa

You can view all my Mixed Media projects HERE.
and background tutorials HERE.

Have a fabulous day!
Melisa

Mixed Media Project's

Hello mixed media lovers.  This is a long post, but bare with me.  I rarely share personal stuff, so I"m going to make up for some of that in this post, teehee.   My daughter, Nicole, visited us (she's away at college in FL) back in June and we had a wonderful time crafting together.  I treasure these times with her now that she is an adult and lives so far away.  They grow up so fast, don't they.  

 She is a sweet, loving, funny, crazy, quirky, energetic young women who is passionate about changing the world by becoming a teacher, teaching in inner-city schools, and reaching children who need to know how much God loves them.  And these qualities often shine through in her art as well.

I am so proud of  the young women she is becoming and how she celebrates life with all that she has!
YOU go girl!!

She is a full-time student and works part-time, so she doesn't get to create as much as she would like to.  She loves arts and crafts but has never taken any classes.  She loves to re-purpose things and we never knew what she would find at a second hand shop and bring home to turn into "art".  She just see's things that inspire her and goes for it.    Often she is inspired by a bible verse, song lyrics, meaningful quote, or something that is going on in her life.  She loved the piece I created as a result of taking Roben-Marie Smith's online class back in April and wanted to give it a try.  (You can check out my project HERE.)  She created a couple of projects and wow!  I was so proud.  She has never taken mixed media classes, so it really does show you how awesome Roben's class is.  I don't want to share all the step by step instructions, since Roben's class is still up for sale, but I will share a few photo's of Nicole as she was building her canvas.

  

Roben's class is "Art Journal Conversion" and you can read more about it HERE.

It involves lots of spray inks, stencils, gesso, modeling paste, doodling.  All the things you have probably used before as a mixed media artist.  What was different for me is the way Roben builds layer upon layer creating so much depth in the background.  I love here style and loved the class.  And it was a steal for $24.99.  The only thing I didn't own, and had to add to my supply's was oil pastels.  I got a set for about $10.  You can check out Roben's blog and projects on her blog HERE.

She used the same techniques to alter a journal cover

   

Add because this post is all about my daughter and her art, I am going to share a few more pieces she has created over the years.  Not always the best photo's (she took them herself) and often her idea of a good background was the grass in the backyard, teehee.  I hope you see something that inspires you!  

She likes to take models from magazines, adhere them in her art to use as a base, and then paint over them. This one makes me laugh, it says "How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being"

   

 This is one of her cats.

" He who accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it"  "I have a dream that for little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judges by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."  "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"  MLK, Jr.

"But hold on to what you believe ... in the light ... when the darkness has robbed you of all your sight"

"I know my call despite my faults and despite my growing fears"

  

"Tonight I'm going to bury that horse in the ground"

  

I thought this one was an octopus at first, teehee.  But it's a mouth with words coming out of it.

"There's nothing else we can do.  We have to speak about the things we've seen and heard"

  

  "For we can not but speak the things from which we have seen and heard"  Acts 4:20

This is a series of 3 long canvases.  Across the bottoms of the dresses "I'm tired of striving to be, who You already say that I am.  I am Yours"  "All I know is beautiful in me is You.  Every good thing, every true thing.  Beautiful in me is You".  It's so wonderful and encouraging  to know there are young adults out there who are not consumed with this world, and desire to serve God.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

If I do not love, I am nothing.  1Cor 13 1-3

Not just your art, but your life and who you are is an inspiration to me my sweet girl!

Live, laugh, love!  Mom