Friday 1 April 2016

Spring is in the Air at AVJ

This month the lovely Sandy has chosen our theme over at A Vintage Journey . It's been fabulous looking at the new growth peeking through in the garden. I so love this time of year and I hope we will begin to get a bit more sunshine now the clocks have changed.

Sandy describes the new challenge -
Leave those winter blues behind. Make anything that says SPRING using pastel colours. It is your choice, a card, canvas, 3D or a tag, etc. but remember it should be in one of the vintage; shabby; mixed media; art journalling; industrial or steampunk styles that we favour.


Thank you for all the lovely comments on my hangings last month, I enjoyed making them and knowing that you liked them too has spurred me on to create another with a new technique using the DecoArt media range of acrylic paints. Following on from the weathered boards last time I have created some scratched board and added elements that definitely give me the feel that Spring is in the air.

I haven't gone very pastel with my project as it is the emergence of the first green buds and leaves that get me excited, so I have tried to echo that in this piece. Firstly I mixed green gold and the most tiniest amount of Prussian blue with white tinting base and painted the card, then heat dried it.


Next I stippled and spritzed paynes grey and burnt umber around the edges, keeping it a watery mix and quite light in colour.


I used Andy Skinner's scratch stamp with watering can archival ink all over it ......


I created some real scratches with a wire scratch brush and added a few remnant rubs.


I added random washes of quinacridone gold before heat drying and repeated with watery paynes grey, dried again .......


and finished with some hansa yellow light to bring some additional spring colour into it.


The die-cut flowers were dipped in sap green and orange to create colour contrasts, then dipped in yellow iron oxide and distress blended and dipped with abandoned coral .



The postage stamp frame was cut in black mount board and given a stippled finish using black gesso. When it was dry I lightly blended some iced espresso metallic lustre over it then spritzed with primary yellow media mister and again when dry spritzed with the back media mister. I finished with a light rub of champagne ice metallic lustre and this gave me the dark green, textured metallic look for the frame.


The circular disk (again cut from mountboard to give it some sturdiness) was given two coats of sap green media paint and then I used a palette knife to spread white crackle paste over it. This created some fine crackles and when it was fully dry I gave it a coat of transparent yellow iron oxide and quinacridone gold washes. Finally I sanded the edges and blended ground espresso DI round.


The little butterflies were diecut from a piece of painted card stamped with text using tiger lily archival ink and also edged with ground espresso. But if you look at the finished piece you will see how they changed as I added more paints to them.



Once I had put this altogether I decided to add the Spring banner, it needed something else to finish it off.


I hope you will be able to join us on this new leg of the journey and for those who enter there is a chance of winning a £20 voucher to Country View Crafts on-line store.


Enjoy April as the sun begins to warm the land in the northern hemisphere.

I shall be back again in a few hours with my DT sample for Country View Challenges, hope you can join me again, but in the meantime please visit the new AVJ challenge to see all the wonderful inspiration from the other Creative Guides.

hugs Brenda 


“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.” 
― Pablo Neruda

21 comments:

S@ndy Diller said...

Beautiful creation Brenda. Love the bright colors with the more muted ones. Great combination! Sandy xx

Craft Addicts - Tracy Evans said...

Hi Brenda, I absolutely adore the background colour and that green tinge really reminds me of all my new Spring shoots appearing in the garden. I love how you added touches of grey to the edges too, lovely touch. The scratch stamp in the background is perfect and I love your Wildflowers. Being a keen gardener this is right up my street, love it. Tracy x

Suzanne C said...

Gorgeous! I love how you have created a bouquet of loveliness inside the frame!

Julia Aston said...

What a lovely framed bit of the new growth of spring Brenda - you created a beautiful backdrop for them - a wonderful wall hanging for spring! Julia xx

Monika Gulyas said...

Wow Brenda, I can't tell how I love your Spring hangings! The background is amazing but I love the whole composition! Hugs

Redanne said...

Your hanging is an absolute delight Brenda, it just shouts 'Spring is here!' with the gorgeous greens, the beautiful leaves and those gorgeous wildflowers! Beautiful!! Hugs, Anne xx

Astrid Maclean said...

You are the queen of creative collage Brenda! The background was amazing already, almost a pity to cover up, but the addition of the other elements has made this into the most perfect Spring card, super!

A Pink said...

Fabulous! Brenda All those lush tones of green and yellow on the background coupled with the rich tones of all your perfectly collaged elements makes for a wall hanging that says nothing other than 'Spring'.
Hope you have a lovely weekend
hugs x

Patty O'Malley said...

This is wonderful, Brenda! Love the coloring you did on everything.

Candy C said...

Beautiful, Brenda! Love the colors! That green background is really striking. Love the frame and the arrangement of spring flowers and greenery. Really a pretty wall hanging.

SewPaperPaint said...

Absolutely beautiful color combo! I just got these dies and can't wait to play, thanks so much for the colorful inspiration! <3

Jennie Atkinson said...

Just loving all those gorgeous colours Brenda! So wonderfully vibrant and yet all so beautifully put together. Your background (as always) is stunning and I think that flower die is now on my list! I love how you made them look like a watercolour painting. Fabulous piece. Have a lovely weekend. Jennie x

Words and Pictures said...

Absolutely stunning colours on those gorgeous flowers and they pop beautifully against the layered background. A springtime delight!
Alison x

Unknown said...

Lovely. I am not a pastel person as much as a bright person so this really appeals to me! That green background is just STUNNING Brenda as is the entire project. XXj.

Deb said...

Fabulous hanging Brenda, love the gorgeous Spring green in your background and the wonderful Wildflowers and butterfly encompassed by that fab frame! A beautiful way to celebrate the arrival of Spring, thanks so much for sharing it! Deb xo

Gina said...

Very pretty fresh greens :D XXX

Jenny Marples said...

Find me speechless in admiration!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would hang that with pride in a heartbeat - outstanding Brenda!!! xx

Nikki Acton said...

Oh yummy! Adore this - wonderful painty effects and gorgeous colour range xxx

Almo said...

Another beautiful creation Brenda, so love the painting of the flowers and the texture of the frame, gorgeous paint effects on the background too, me thinks I need to get to one of your workshops and have a play. Mo x

Juliz Design Post said...

Stunning Brenda. I love your gorgeous zesty colours and textured frame. Great tutorial and tips.
Julie x

sarascloset said...

Brenda, I know I'm late! I hope you'll forgive me, and know in your heart I adore your work! In fact, I find your blog to be the most inspiring to visit, and often want to leave it for when I know I can really drink in all your steps and really look long and hard at your beautiful work.

At first glance, my breath was taken away by this beautiful spring hanging, and again,as I revisit, I am stunned! Love that background, the rich tones and depth you've created is amazing and so inspiring. The frame had me fooled--it looks like real metal. Those blossoms bundled up and butterflies are so beautifully colored! Just a lovely piece of artwork! Hugs!