My black journal |cover

Hello dear friends and Happy New Year!!!

My first post for this year is for Finnabair CT...

The dragonfly, in almost every part of the world symbolizes change and change in the perspective of self realization. It is that kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life.

So, what do I expect from 2017? Lots of changes and lots of dragonflies in my life.

I wish all of you dear friends to have this year lots and lots amazing artful moments to fulfill your life and why not: lots of dragonflies :)

My first project for this year is making the cover of my black journal and what would be more perfect to impress a dragonfly, so to remind me this year's expectations every time I hold it in my hands.

and psssst! I also have a little secret to share... after I was done with the cover I decided to get my first tattoo: a dragonfly on the side of the wrist of my right hand! 

So....let's get started with the project!

As my journal was already black, I started with a nice coat of  Heavy Black Gesso to prime the cover.

After it was dry, I glued the Mechanicals parts I used for the body of the dragonfly with Heavy Body Gel and covered them with Black Gesso.

Then I placed a sketch I made on a piece of paper on the cover to shape the dragonfly, but here is the trick: I used a pin to scratch the canvas cover, than a pencil to draw the lines. This way I created an interesting texture, a 'destroyed' base all mixed media artists would love to work on ;)

Next step was to choose my paints. Well, with no second thought I grabbed my Art Alchemy Opal Magic Paints, the perfect acrylics for any black surface. They dry permanent and I loooove the amazing two-tone iridescent effect they give on dark and light backgrounds. Ιn order to reinforce this effect, I painted some spots of the wings white with the  Heavy White Gesso. You will see the whole process in my video below.

After the Opal Magic Paints where dry, I used again the White Gesso to make lots of splashes.

To give even more interest on the background of the wings, I used the Clear Crackle Paste as my final touch. I let it dry overnight to get the best results.

For the tittle I wanted something simple and small, not to distract the attention from the dragonfly, so I wrote by hand the word ART with Heavy White Gesso and a black permanent pen.

Now it is time for my video. I hope you will enjoy it and get inspired. :)

*Scroll down on this post to find a full products list

Thank you for visiting

have a lovely crafty YEAR!

xxx

Athanasia

Hold on Time - art journal page

Hello dear friends!

This is my new journal page I created for Finnabair CT.

I was keeping the canvas sheet of my Denim Journal since I had the journal and I was waiting for the big idea to come - maybe something special or even better - something different that usual...

Even though it has been a really long time since I created something in vintage style, I wasn't going for this style. I had in mind something colorful, as always, but during the process I decided to keep it in natural shades.

I started with cutting and tearing the canvas sheet and when I was done with the destroying procedure  -lol- I used the Sculpture Medium to secure the torn pieces.
 Here is how it looked before I added all the mediums and embellishments.

 When it was dry I used two shades of homemade sprays with Mica Powders, Rust and Purple, and sprayed them all over the page.

Then I cut a sheet of watercolor paper in the same size as the canvas sheet as I needed to cover the whole space under the holes.

I used Modeling paste with the Lace stencil to create texture and stamps with black ink.

To embellish my journal page I used a vintage photo from the Ephemera - Vintage Collectibles, a Mechanical Flower, Copper and Bronze Micro Beads, wire, Art Stones and Mini art stones, Screw Brads, Melange Pebbles, wire and a couple of chipboard pieces. I glued everything with 3D Matte Gel.

To paint my journal I used two shades of Art Alchemy Opal Magic Paints: Rose Gold and Violet Gold.

I also used the Rust Pastes on the metal embellishments to make the project look even more vintage.

Finnaly I used the Black Gesso to paint the chipboard tittle and made some splashes here and there to add a little bit of contrast.

Here is my video with all the process. I hope you will enjoy it :)

*Scroll down on this post to find a full products list

Thank you for visiting

have a lovely crafty day!

xxx

Athanasia