Tracey is back on Hochanda tomorrow (1 Feb) with more mixed media fun using Powertex.
I have had great fun helping out with samples and have to say that the kits are fabulous. Here is a little sneaky peek of one of my samples.
Live show times are 12 and 4pm – Freeview Channel 85 (or watch online via their website).
Bye for now, Anne x.
Hi all, today I am sharing one of my projects created during the Powertex Garden Party in July. It was an amazing weekend and I went along with my ex’s lovely daughter Marie. Living far apart we rarely get the chance to be together – so it was extra special to have a whole weekend crafting together.
Others also came along with friends or family but many came along on their own. Some were familiar with Powertex and some, like Marie, were completely new to the medium. Whether experienced or not, travelling with friends or alone, the Team at Powertex were wonderfully inviting and everyone soon felt relaxed and eager to get started. Tracey gave us all fabulous instructions to help us along the way. It was a wonderfully relaxed weekend and we made many new friends.
The huge display of different projects from the Powertex Team on display around the gardens was simply amazing.
The theme for this weeks Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge is ‘anything but a card’ – so I have entered this one.
I completed most of this canvas project during the weekend but you know me – I just had to add a more embellishments and bling when I got home. We had great fun creating layers of texture and colour.
We first painted our 12 X 12 inch canvas with Black Powertex onto which we then built additional layers. We applied background texture layers with Powertex treated recycled corrugate card and mesh canvas. We then created a ‘dirty mix’ using Black Powertex, Stone Art, 3D Sand and Balls and applied to the canvas, adding more texture by pushing in and stamping with mark making tools etc. (sticks, bottle tops etc.).
The Team then provided us with a ready made mix of Easy 3D Flex and Ivory Powertex. This medium provides a gorgeous crackle texture on drying.
We were also provided with a small MDF frame and choice of small plaster embellishment. I chose to use a skull. We were helped and advised along the way on the easiest layout of different textures and elements for a successful arrangement.
I added more texture to my frame with Easy 3D Flex and small Sand and Balls. You can see the marvellous cracks that develop – yummy. We then chose from a range of Secret Art Loft Acrylic Ink and Paints for colouring. I chose a mix of turquoise, pinks and yellows (Acrylic Paints – Raspberry Sorbet, Lemon Meringue, Blueberry Pie; Acrylic Inks – Raspberry, Metallic Aqua and Aqua). These paints and inks are gorgeous and allow you to build up lots of layers of transparent colour. I used Colortricx Silver in Easy Varnish for some of the dry brushing to enhance textures.
On getting home I added more embellishments to my canvas – die cut birds, clock, circles and rings (cut from recycled thick card). I also used the Daisies Silicone Mould to make flowers and leaves from Powertex Clay (made with Ivory Powertex and Stone Art). The embellishments were painted with Black Powertex before sticking down. I also used some Easy Structure Paste tinted with a bit of Black Powertex as a 3D ‘glue’ to stick down elements on uneven highly textured areas.
I used some stamps from my stash to create the sentiments (using Versamark Onyx Black Ink) and used Easycoat Matt to stick them down and seal.
I finished with more layers of pigment and varnish, applying with a dry brush to highlight textures. I adore the new range of pigments from the Secret Art Loft (colours used – Interference Blue, Blue Curacao, Interference Violet and Green Ginger). I finally added some gold and silver gilding waxes applied with a finger (I just cannot help myself from adding more bling).
Here is Marie’s amazing canvas. I love the colours, textures and hidden surprise elements.
We all had so much fun and between us created an amazing array of individual and very different takes on this theme.
Bye for now, Anne x.
This lovely image of a young girl (Victorian Photographs Rice Paper) really called to me and inspired me to make this piece. To me she portrayed a young girl that had experienced in her life far more than any child should. Alone she would dream and wish for a better world. Her creativity would enable her to escape from the trauma and open the door to a world full of beauty.
I know that many can testify that using imagination and creativity really does take them to a happy place and can increase wellbeing. Sorry, maybe a bit heavy? I hope that you like the ‘beautiful world’ that I have created.
I first collected together lots of elements from my stash; a small wooden pallet (15cm square from Art-C), a thick greyboard panel with frame (13.5cm X 5cm, 6cm X 2cm centre, from Tando Creative) plus smaller panel, silicone moulds to create flowers and fern, MDF Heart Keyplate, Penny Washer and Heart Flower (Powertex), scraps cotton fabric and lace.
I created the flowers and ferns using silicone moulds and Stone Art Clay. Stone Art was mixed approx. 50:50 with Ivory Powertex plus a little Transparent Powertex. Ivory Poweretex was also used to coat the inner greyboard pieces.
The wooden pallet and remaining greyboard and MDF pieces were coated with a leftovers mix of Powertex (mainly Lead and Ivory). I keep any leftover Powertex in recycled little takeaway sauce pots (plastic with fully airtight lids). My mix gave a lovely warm grey colour.
I spread Easy Structure Paste across the centre of the pallet and then spritzed with Green Bister.
The rice paper images were applied to the Ivory Powertex coated panels using Easy Coat Mat Medium. Note: the sentiment is actually snipped from the ‘Creative Paper’ branding down the side of the paper. I also used some small leftover snips from a floral paper.
Cotton fabric was treated with Ivory Powertex and draped diagonally across the middle. More texture was added using 3D Sand & Balls.
The flowers, ferns, Heart Flower and Penny Washer were coloured with Acrylic Inks; Palm Leaf, Viola, Viola Metallic and Golden Metallic. A little gold colour was also applied to the edges of the keyplate and image panels, plus drizzled onto the texture paste. The fabric was spritzed with a little Green Bister.
A strip of thin fabric braid was treated with Powertex, coiled tightly into a spiral, and added to the MDF flower centre (coloured with gold ink when dry). A sheet of Angelina fibre was created by ironing heat fusible sparkly fibres between sheets of baking parchment. I collected together a few snips of lace plus some Powercotton.
Next I put it all together. I hung a small metal ‘wish’ charm from the base.
I used Easy Structure Paste through the Duo Arty Quotes Mini Stencil to add the ‘Dream’ sentiment.
More Acrylic Ink colour was dry brushed over textured areas.
I love the new Acrylic Inks. The fluid formula enables you to drizzle areas with intense colour too.
I was really pleased with my ‘Dream, Create, Wish’ mini artwork. I think that I might just have to keep this one for me.
Off to get busy as I have so many ideas. I will share more soon. Hugs all xxx.
I thought that I would give a mini artwork a try and make an ATC (Artist Trading Card). Generally I work much bigger than this so it was actually a challenge for me. I tried to be less planned and to free myself up a bit too and just ‘go for it’. I was quite pleased with my bright and cheery landscape.
The Simon Says Stamp Challenge (Wed) for this week is ‘anything goes’ – so I have entered this one.
How it was done:
Materials:
Oh my goodness – I really enjoyed myself with this Steampunk canvas – I just love to get myself lost a bit of fantasy. I used lots of Chocolate Baroque stamps from my stash (Punky Expressions, Words of Inspiration, Steampunkery, Steampunk Travel, Punky Flowers, Steampunk SeaWorld) and two of the new stamps from Mark Gould (Sailor Jim and The Aviator).
As the theme on the Simon Says Stamp Blog Challenge (Wed) this week is ‘Layer It Up’ – I have entered this one.
I first cut 2 pieces of left over mount board and trimmed them to approx. 25 X 31cm and 31 X 41 cm. The back board was coated front and back with Bronze Powertex. The second board was coated with Ivory Powertex.
I used a page from an old atlas and glued it to the board using Easy Coat Mat decoupage medium. Note: There are some lovely map themed Rice Papers on the Powertex website.
I then applied some Easy Structure paste through stencils from my stash to create some wave and cloud textures.
Next I applied elements from decorative rice papers (sea themed and pocket watches) using Easy Coat medium. It looks like the pocket watches sheet I used is out of stock but there is a similar Victorian Steampunk sheet available. Tip: draw around the parts of the image that you desire using a water brush or pen, then gently pull away the image from the sheet. This avoids harsh cut edges and the images will blend better into the background.
I also applied a little of the new Golden Metallic Acrylic Ink through my stencils, and onto areas of the pocket watches.
I next stamped my images using Versafine Ink (Onyx Black) onto recycled tissue paper (packaging). I also stamped some onto white card using Versafine (Vintage Sepia), cut them into little sentiment strips and edged them with a dark brown alcohol marker. The images and text sentiments were applied to the canvas using Easy Coat decoupage medium.
I added a little colour over the decoupaged stamp images using Golden Metallic and Aqua Acrylic Inks. These inks have a lovely translucency so do not obliterate the image beneath. You don’t need to be super careful with colouring either.
My characters were stamped onto smooth stamping card using Versafine (Vintage Sepia), cut out and coloured with pencils. I applied Ivory Powertex to the backs to seal them, curving and doming them slightly. I coated the fronts with a layer of Powerwax to protect them. I chose this option as I was concerned that a slow drying wet medium might smudge some of the pencil colouring.
I used one of the MDF Heart Flowers (approx. 12.5cm across) to make an embellishment for the top. The moulded flower was from my stash. It had been made with Stone Art and Ivory Powertex mixed into a clay and used with one of my moulds. When dry it was painted with Easy Varnish tinted with Burgundy Powercolor, then dry brushed with more varnish tinted with Silver, Rich Gold and Copper Colortricx. The MDF flower was coated with Bronze Powertex and the moulded flower glued to the centre with a little Easy Structure paste. Easy Structure paste and Powertex were used to glue the embellishment to the top of the canvas.
Black cotton netting was treated with Bronze Powertex and applied to the canvas base and diagonally across the middle. The characters were then positioned and glued down with Easy Structure Paste (i.e. using it as a 3D glue). Care was taken not to smudge the images with paste or Powertex. Any slight mishaps were wiped away quickly with a damp sponge.
I gathered together lots of Steampunk and nautical embellishments from my stash including die cut ship wheels, anchors, gears, swirls etc. I also had a stash of shells created using paper clay and moulds (already coloured with ink sprays). The embellishments were all coated with Powertex (Transparent or Bronze) and glued in place, using Easy Structure paste where needed. I also dropped some 3D Sand and Balls into wet Powertex for added texture.
In addition I used some recycled gear cogs from the inside my finished double sided tape rollers. These are plastic so I used copper gilding wax (Pebeo) to colour the top surface (Powertex doesn’t stick to plastic) and embedded them well with Easy Structure paste and Powertex coated card pieces etc.
Finally I dry brushed Easy Varnish tinted with Bronze Gold Colortricx lightly over the embellishments to enhance them.
The canvas could be mounted into a 3D box frame to fully protect it from dust etc. It could also be hung directly – perhaps holes cut in the top edge and a string would look quite nautical? If hanging without framing I would advise that everything be fully sealed with Easy Varnish (the characters with more layers of Powerwax); particularly the areas coated with transparent Powertex (coloured Powertex is already weather resistant). It could then be cleaned with a damp cloth (or even rinsed under the tap).
I hope that you like my fantasy creation. I have included a few more pics for more close up views, Anne x.
Good evening. The new set of colouring pages from Chocolate Baroque are simply gorgeous. They take watercolours, pencils or alcohol inks beautifully. I used Chameleon alcohol markers to colour mine.
A4 colouring sheet – Chameleon alcohol pen colours: PK3 with BG3 colour top, BG3, PK5, YO2, VO4 with PK5 colour top, BL4 with PK3 top, PK5 with PK3 top, BG1 with YO2 top. Finished with glaze pen (Sakura) on bird dot details, and overlaid the birds with clear water base sparkle pen (Spectrum Noir Sparkle Overlay). The image was cut out, mounted on black card and glued to thick board (suitable for framing).
A5 colouring sheet – Chameleon alcohol pen colours: PK3, BG4, VO4, BG3 with PK4 colour top, VO2, YO2, BG4 with PK5 top, BV2, BV2 with PK5 top, BG3 with BV2 top. Finished with metallic and glitter pen highlights (Sakura and Pentel). I edged the image with Peacock Feathers Distress Ink, mounted onto mirror and black card. Then glued to mount board (suitable for framing).
They are featuring on the Hochanda shows at the moment (Freeview Channel 85 or watch online live or on catch up via their website) – more shows tomorrow at 9am, 1 and 5pm.
Anne xxx.
I created this mixed media canvas using acrylic paints and various elements treated with transparent Powertex. Powertex is great for stiffening, gluing down and protecting porous substrates such as fabric, card or wood.
The lace elements were my first attempts at making Teneriffe Lace (yes the lace name has 2 f’s – as in the original spelling of the island) using the newly released looms and instructions from Gina-B Silkworks. I struggled a bit with getting my knotting secure at first (until I read the instructions properly – tee hee), plus my weaving and tensioning was pretty uneven too. My technique soon improved but I wasn’t sure what to do with these first experiments. They nearly went into the bin! However, I then thought of Powertex treatment. The lace would be stiffened and sealed so no worry about any of the knotting coming lose.
The variegated blue threads that I used inspired me to create something with an Oriental theme. Incorporating my ‘imperfect’ lace elements into a canvas was perfect.
I was really pleased with the results and my lace pieces ended up being showcased very nicely.
Materials:
How it was done:
Good morning. I used the Bold Blooms and Tangled Garden stamp sets to create this 3D wall art piece.
Materials:
How it was made:
I had so much fun creating this pine cone scene.
I used some twigs and pine cones from my stash (they must be fully dried out to avoid development of mould), hessian, T shirt fabric, kitchen paper, Sand & Balls and even broken egg shells (fully washed and membranes removed).
The background sky was created with Pebeo Fantasy paints (Moon, Prisme and Vitrail).
Materials:
This one was inspired by Ruth Sadler. I had a play after watching her demos on Hochanda.
The background was coloured with acrylics plus a bit of texture paste through a stencil (Sheena Douglass). I used my Tec glue gun and various coloured glues (turquoise, glitter green and blue). I also threw in some sequins, seed beads and glass nuggets. I added a little Pebeo gilding wax (silver) to finish.
Heather Tree Creative Designs by Anne Waller 