Gesso, net curtains and scrim ..... whatever next!

First of all welcome to my new followers and many thanks to all of you who have visited and left comments this last couple of weeks. I really appreciate that you like my work - it really means an awful lot.

Amazingly I am still in the Swirlydoos Design Team Challenge (!), so this is Round Four.  The challenge was to create a canvas layering mediums and textures, paint and mists and also to create two embosssed embellishments using paint.  Lisa did a great tutorial HERE showing how the layers could be built up on the canvas.  This is all totally new to me!

Typically I had to look around for my own take on the supplies and a visit to our art shop (a couple of shelves in the wool shop!) only got me a 14" x 10" canvas, which was a bit big!

 

 

 

I had only the smallest amount of Claudine Hellmuth thick gesso left, so I used this with my diamond template, then using thinner art gesso I pasted flowers cut from old net curtains and some scrim onto the canvas.  I sprayed the canvas with some home made mists using Distress Ink Reinkers and some Perfect Pearls.  The colour wasn't very strong so it took alot of coats! 

 

Finally I made some mist with vintage photo and a little perfect pearls and that gave me the brown edge.  I dry brushed some gold acrylic paint around the edges just to give it a more tarnished look.  I do feel it looks a bit "dirty" in places! but with stronger coloured mists I might have got the colours looking a bit better.

 

Now the canvas is standing up on the dresser the gold is glinting and looks quite good, although it doesn't really show up in the photographs.

 

My two embellishments were cut from card (back of an old A4 notepad) and then embossed and covered with a layer of thin gesso.  I gradually added acrylic paint, gradually building up the colours, but spraying alot of water to get the paints in the crevices of the embossing. The paint didn't like it too much and separated a bit, but it all adds to the texture. I gave the pieces a final dry brush coating of gold acrylic paint.

 

This is how I started off, just building up the layers with watery acrylic paint.  I was very impressed with the finished look of these and will certainly be using this technique again.

 

Finally I did the bit I always enjoy, dressing the page.  This is a photograph of my Nana (on the right and her two sisters).  I printed it off in a sepia sort of colour and made the usual flowers and other bits and pieces. 

 

 

I love this torn edge look and have been waiting for a chance to have a go after seeing a layout by Heather Jacob.  It makes a nice frame for the photograph.

 

Thanks for looking - have a lovely day!