Embrace Elegance by Amanda Southern

Hi Everyone

I have been creating on one of the fabulous MDF Chunkies again, this time the 4.5"x 9", I absolutely love working on these. All of the sizes are 1.5" deep, so they are like a deep canvas. As they are MDF, unlike a canvas, you can cleanly stamp onto them when they are built up something I wouldn't risk doing directly onto the softness of a canvas. Part of the fun is also that you can continue your art around the sides.

and you can decorate the top and bottom

Here's What I Did:

I first built up the Chunkie, which easily glues together. I then made a gelli print using the Dina Wakley Gel Press as it is 9" x 11" and allows 1 A4 piece of card to be cut to cover the front, sides, top and bottom. 

I built up my print with 2 layers the first I used a Gel Press tool to make marks in the first layer, left it to dry then brayered on another selection of paints then took my print. I cut and added my pieces of my gel printed card to the Chunkie before I started working on it but you could add it at a later stage. 

The first addition was to stencil the female figure using black modelling paste and I left that to dry naturally. I then added all the black background stencilling using both black paint (bottom swirls) and the dangles were using black Archival ink pad and a piece of Cut and Dry Foam, the sides were all stencilled using black Archival ink. 

I then added grasses/plants around her feet by stamping with Versamark and embossing using Seth Apter's Baked Texture Ancient Amber, this I also did around the sides. I then stencilled the ornate circles using Versamark applied with a piece of Cut and Dry Foam and then heat embossed using another of Seth's Baked Textures, Dirty Sand. The stencil I used for the circles is the centre of That's Crafty! Mandala stencil that I just masked of so I just got the centre part I wanted. 

I also wanted to add some heat embossed shading to the female so using a stencil brush I brushed onto, just one side, some Versamark and then sprinkled on the Dirty Sand baked embossing powder. I then just lightly brushed some off so I got a softer blend.

I repeat stamped the words 'Embrace Elegance" with black Archival ink. I also heat embossed in black one of the quotes from one Alison Bombers stamp sets for PaperArtsy.

A little gilding waxes around the edges finishes this chunkie off.

What I Used:

That's Crafty! Surfaces Chunkie - 9"x 4.5" Pk of 2

That's Crafty! Multi Purpose Craft Adhesvive

Gel Press - Dina Wakley 9" x 11"

Gel Press Combs

Speedball Brayer - 4"

Dina Wakley Acrylic Paints 

Seth Apter Baked Textures - Ancient Amber & Dirty Sand

Decoart Black Modelling Paste

Versamark Ink Pad

Heat Tool

Finnabair Micro Beads - Bronze

DecoArt Matte Medium

That's Crafty! Stencil - Mandala 8" x 8"

Stencil Girl Stencil - Sacred Feminine 9" x 12"

Patti Tolley Parish Stencil - Large Dangles

AALL & Create Stamp Set - #24

PaperArtsy Stamps by Alison Bomber - PAEAB08

DecoArt Lustre 

Cardstock 

Ranger Cut & Dry Foam

Black Embossing Powder Ultra Fine

Have a fabulous crafty week and I will see you all next Tuesday

Love

Amanda X