Go Live Your Dream: A Mixed Media Panel By Lynne Moncrieff

Hello

Today I am sharing a project, if placing a label, I suppose it is collage.

I tend to work on "batches", preparing either with paints, tea/coffee baths, eco dying, various papers and textiles.  This allows me to work with to an almost monochromatic palette which is my preferred way.

Those various papers are set against a That's Crafty! MDF panel which in itself is only painted and stamped, the layers of torn stamped papers are what bring texture and definition to this collage.

Supplies

That's Crafty! MDF Panel 8"x8"
That's Crafty! Clear Stamp Set Textures Collection Set 3
PaperArtsy Eclectica ELB29 (circle stamp)
PaperArtsy Eclectica EEA02
That's Crafty! Clear Stamp Set Lynne's Affirmations Set 6
Distress Crayon Picket Fence, Black Soot
Memento Ink Tuxedo Black 
PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Finish Acrylic Paints: Seth Apter Limited Edition Set 4
Gesso
Gel Medium Extras:
Eco stained rice paper
Found paper painted with watercolours

* As I said, I used papers I had previously prepared but if you were wanting to achieve something similar, I would recommend gathering a good selection of papers, they can be found and also purchased papers and have a session of either preparing with tea/coffee baths, creating erosion bundles/eco dying or dipping int your favourite watercolours.
Try the That's Crafty! range of paints. They are not watercolours but I have successful diluted them with water and managed to achieve an appearance akin to watercolours. I would not advise if you were taking a Fine Arts approach to watercolours but for a Mixed Media approach, why not give it a go!

Instructions

With the panels, when I apply Gesso, it doesn't trouble me if some of the MDF peeks through, it can provide for interesting results as the layers build up. Once it was applied, I then roughly applied paints from the PaperArtsy Seth Apter set. Stamping appears in the form of PaperArtsy ELB (circle stamp) and script from That's Crafty! Textures Collection. A final layer was the addition of Distress Crayons, blending around the edge with Black Soot whereas the Picket Fence was used to bring lightness to the surface of the panel and allowed subtle texture, IRL the small dots you might be able to see on the screen, they are dots of the crayon which I did not fully blend, this was deliberate!

Gathering a selection of papers which had previously been prepared (see my intro), I stamped that beautiful butterfly from That's Crafty!, this would be the focal of the collage.  I then inked up one of my Affirmations "beautiful dreamer, go live your dream", stamping it several times to allow me to tear into the Affirmation and reform it - adding "dreamer" to the butterfly, with "go live your dream" below.  To the side I layered a piece of eco dyed rice paper onto which I only stamped "beautiful dreamer".

PaperArtsy EEA was also stamped onto various pieces of papers, I like this stamp so much, how much I love it is shown by the paint and ink that remains on this stamp!

You can see the edge of the papers I incorporated are re-cycled brown packing paper, Red Rosin paper, working with a variety of papers will bring greater interest to your projects along with a variety of textures. 

Thank You so much for your visit and hope you have a lovely day.

Wishes

Lynne