Blues and Metal

Today is the day that I can share my second guest design for Xandeous Crafty Stash! I enjoy working with metal trinkets and tid-bits and Naomi (the owner of XCS) was kind enough to let me have a play. With so many wonderful challenges going on I wanted to create a design that fit all so I decided to keep it blue. For some reasons blues are more easy for me to work with. I have been working on trying to create more layers, texture and composition in my designs. Exploring the possibility is what I am enjoying right now. Here is the final result.

I started by applying black gesso to my background board (compliments of Autumn from Sew Paper Paint) and adding some stenciling with black modeling paste. 

Then I had to decide on the composition of the pieces. Every metal piece you see is from Xandeous Crafty Stash! The paintbrushes are from my stash. Everything was glued down with multi matte medium. 

Once you have everything glued and in its place, apply more black gesso and cover it all up. 

To add even more texture I randomly slopped on some texture paste. That's the white gritty lookin stuff in the picture below. 

A thin coat of DecoArt Prussian Blue Hue was brushed over the entire piece, then another thin layer. Once that was dry I kept using different DecoArt blues to create different layers of blue colors. Cobalt Teal Hue, Cobalt Turquoise Hue and Turquoise Water. Around the edge, where most of the texture paste is I added some Quinacridone Gold. And some Q-gold in other random spots. 

Then came the dry brushing using different shades of white. The best white I use for dry brushing is DecoArt Titanium White.

I would like to share this design with these fun challenges:

Creative Artiste #28-Anything Goes

More Mixed Media-Anything Goes Optional twist of Pastel

Happy Little Stampers Mixed a Media Challenge-Texture

Mixed Media And Art Moodboard

*I was inspired by those lovely paintbrushes and the textured wall. 

An Inky Mess-Anything Goes Mixed Media

Broken Art

Well I have been back in my art room for the first times since December. I lost my mojo, it plum left me for a few months. I didn't even really want to look at anything art related. Rock bottom is what it was like, but just for art and not anything else. I am not sure why this happened or if it will again, but I have an inkling about what started it. So now I am trying new things and even took an online course from Andy Skinner (more to come on that). We shall see what happens. The design I am sharing today has been remade about 8-9 times. This piece has been on multiple journey's, color schemes, details added and taken away. Only today was I able to see a clear picture of what it wanted to be. Thank goodness! Lol. I give you

  Broken Art

The frame was found at a thrift store and I saw so much potential.

 FIRST IDEA: The initial project was going to be a Valentine's Day gift. Ever see those frames on Pinterest that say "Spooning Since ..."? Well that idea didn't pan out because my metal stamping stamps wouldn't stamp into the spoons. 

2ND IDEA: lots of chippies and a frame to hang jewelry. The metal mesh that is inside the frame wouldn't hold anything and actually broke rather easy. No pics. 

3RD IDEA: soft pastel colors to create a Prima inspired design. That was nixed almost immediately when I went to gather supplies. I have no pastels. Lol!

4-7TH IDEA-didn't work

8TH IDEA: altered rusty paintbrush. Hmmmm, that is feelin about right! Here is how it went down. 

I am not sure exactly what I did because everything you see in the picture above was used. The frame got some paint and stamps were added with Versamark. Then I used about 3-4 embossing powders. The metal corner pieces are from Emerald Creek and heat embossed with Charred Gold.

Stamps, stencils, metal tidbits, paints, sprays, micas, texture paste, crackle paste, embossing powders, and on and on. I did add some white paint around the edge of the paintbrush to define the edges because it was getting lost in the pictures. What a journey! 

The end result was so very different than what I had started with. I am okay with that. Add in the flinging of the splattered paints and drips and drops, it was fun, and fun is what I was after. That was the journey that I wanted to take. 

Thanks for stopping by and Carpe Diem! Enjoy the journey. We all have Broken Art somewhere just waiting for that light bulb to go off in our brain. Hugz! ~Niki

I want to send this piece on more journey's so I took it to a few different places to get my photos. I will be sharing it with these challenges: 

Creative Artiste's Challenge #24-Anything Mixed Media goes

Emerald Creek Dares-March Part 1-Splatters

Mixed Media World #22-Anything Goes

A Vintage Journey-All Aboard! 

I came "aboard" by reaching my own destination for learning to "art" again and have fun doing it after a dry spell.

Craft Stamper-Take It, Make It March-Anything Goes Stamping Challenge

I believe I used 4 stamps, maybe 5 and that is just on the frame alone. Not counting the stamps hidden under the paint on the altered paintbrush.

Creative Embellishments-March 

I was inspired by the dark background with the highlights of the purples, blues and teals. I used a CE leafy vine frame chippie as the focal point of the altered paintbrush.