Vintage Birds by Gill Humphrey

This week's make from me is a mixed media canvas which measures 8" x 10" and is orientated in a landscape direction. I thought I would utilise two of the latest mould sets from Finnabair along side a really textured background.

To create the background I started by adding areas of Cracking Paste Primer in random areas going vertically across the the canvas. Once the primer was dry I  swiped with a palette knife White Cracking Paste approximately over the areas of the primer which results in an uneven thickness and hence different sized cracks when the paste dries. I then swiped using a palette knife areas of Modeling Paste to fill some of the gaps and some Structure Paste to other areas. Finally in the gaps left I mixed a tiny amount of the darkest blue in the Patina Effect Set with Heavy Body Gel Glossy. I then let this dry thoroughly before adding washes of very diluted brown and turquoise paint from the patina effect set - you could use media mists for this if you prefer. It is important to thin the paint down a lot so that it does not fill the cracks in the cracking paste.

 

Next I took some cogs casts using Large Gears and Machine Parts moulds primed them with Black Primer Paste before painting them with Turqoise Blue paint mixed with 3d Powder and Antique Copper paints (both paints are in the patina effect set).

 

I cast the Apothecary Bottles bottles and then painted them with Turquoise acrylic paint from the patina paint effect set again mixed with 3D allowing the paint to merge with ochre from the Rust Effect Set to create a green shade. Mixing insitu means you get a lovely colour variation with little effort. Once the paint had dried the bottles were aged by painting and wiping back Brown Antiquing Gel.

The birds and crown come from the Clockwork Birds simply primed with black gesso and then details highlighted with gold metallic wax (also used on the bottles) and blue coloured wax.

Having completed all of the pieces they were then adhered in place using Heavy Body Gel Matte.