Friday 8 March 2019

Journal page for DecoArt Media Team

I have started a new journal and if you missed the cover you can find it here. This is the first page made as a DecoArt Team member for 2019 and I have used real leaves I picked up in the garden as well as stencilled leaves too.
I know many of you might have already  seen this on the DecoArt blog but I'm just bringing all the details into the fold of my own space here at Bumblebees and Butterflies. My friend Alison Bomber calls it an 'encore' post.



Process steps

1. Using black archival ink randomly stamp a text background. Dry with a heat gun.


2. Use a monoprint technique using some quite thick paper or a piece of card. Randomly paint your piece of card with white gesso and press it onto your page.


Repeat until you are happy with the background. Play with the amount of colour you paint onto the card and watch for the variations it gives you. Leave some of the kraft page and text showing through. I placed a piece of wax paper behind my page to protect the pages underneath and prevent them from getting stray paint on them.


3. Using the dark grey mixed with titanium buff on your craft mat, spritz with water to create a watery wash, with a paint brush spread it out over a wide surface area …..


….. and dip your page into and dry several times.


4. Repeat step three with a very tiny amount of prussian blue (it really is a strong pigmented colour) mixed with some paynes grey.


5. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to tone it down again but leave some of the colours showing through as well.


6. It was here I decided it looked a little too cool in tone so I brayered some transparent yellow iron oxide over to warm it up. I wasn’t sure if I had done the right thing but I persevered and carried on.


7. Now I tried another monoprint technique using a stencil, but it didn’t work for me. I think it was because my background was too textured and didn’t allow my stencil to lay flat on the surface. We always learn something from our experiments don’t we?
Acrylic paints can dry very quickly especially in warm environments so I added a little extender medium to my colours for this next step. I used prussian blue hue and diarylide yellow.
I mixed both of these colours individually and together on my palette with the extender medium ……


…. then using my craft mat I painted some onto a stencil and then pressed it onto my page, rubbed over the back with some clean kitchen towel and repeated with the same stencil design to add pattern and texture.


But it wasn’t quite what I expected but you know what they say – get over it, there’s never a right or wrong way it’s all part of the learning process. So that’s what I did.


8. There is a bonus as you can press some clean media paper or card onto the surface of your mat or plate and rub over the leftover paint to ‘pull’ prints which can be used later.


9. Knowing that I had a leaf to add to the page I decided I wanted some of this background to show through but I also needed a more neutral palette for the leaf to sit on so I scraped some white gesso over the page using a palette knife keeping the flat side horizontal to the page. I can still see some of the original grey and blue and some of the stamping.


10. I took this a bit further and mixed some gesso and white modeling paste together and scraped it through the leaf stencil and a small dotty stencil to create texture. I left it overnight to dry and then mixed some sap green with glazing medium and painted it all over the substrate and wiped back with a wet wipe. (I love this technique I learnt from our very own talented Shawn Petite).


11. I wanted to make this a bit grungier so I repeated step 10 using raw umber fluid acrylic.


12. I had picked a couple of bits up from the back garden to use in this journal. To get them ready I placed them between some kitchen paper and two pieces of card, put two elastic bands around it and put it in the microwave on full power for 2 minutes. They came out lovely and dry and flat ready to use.


13. I had originally thought I would paint the leaf with gesso but I love the holes in the leaf parts and the faded colours so I decided to seal it on both sides using the DecoArt matte sealer spray instead. I have to be honest and say I don’t know how long it will last! Because it was very dry I painted a coat of matte medium over the top of the leaf but it was very fragile and broke in a couple of places.


14. So I altered course and made the decision to completely change the ending of my processes. I added some very small torn pieces of collage paper and then covered the page with a coat of clear modeling paste and laid the leaf in it to protect it. Originally I thought I might be able to glue it on with a hot glue gun but hey ho – all the best plans! This now made the leaf very soft and pliable and bends with the page.


15. To finish I cut three leaves from the prints you can see in photo 8, stamped them with some brown texture and drew in the veins.


I added some hessian ribbon, some stained cambric and some words to complete the page.


I'm looking forward to creating more pages in this journal.


Thanks for stopping by and ....
xxx

13 comments:

Tracey@Hotchpotchcreations said...

This journal will be such a treasure to flick through Brenda, like your own personal documentation of technique and process all topped off with Nature. Leaves have always been like mini canvas's to me. I love how you have just carried on with this page even when in doubt, it's a lesson for us all as art is about the marks that we make. You've certainly left your mark on this page.
Thanks so much for your generosity and taking time out to share it all with us.
Have a fab weekend Hugs Tracey xx

Annie said...

I love the way this came together,particularly when you added the yellow to the background x Wonderful details/textures Brenda xx TFS and have a lovely weekend
Huge hugs
Annie xx

Rita said...

Good Morning Brenda, I do love this Journal cover. I so appreciate the time you have taken to explain how it was done, it really is helpful for people like me who have missed so much in the crafting world. I do save leaves from the garden too so at least now I can see a use for them. Enjoy your Weekend. Hugs Rita xx

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Hi Brenda, gorgeous layers. If this is a sign of what's to come I think we will enjoy watching this little journal develop. Happy creative weekend, Angela xXx

Meggymay said...

Gorgeous layers and paint effects on your background, it is a beautiful page Brenda and I really like the way you used real leaves.
Yvonne xx

Lisa said...

Oh wow, this is so spectacular!! The texture is amazing!! So creative to incorporate real leaves!! I just love being able to follow along to see how you come up with your works of art, Brenda!! This is stunning!! Have a great weekend!! Big hugs :)

Lisa
A Mermaid's Crafts

Gina said...

Been too busy in the garden to craft this week, but seeing this project evolve has really brightened my soul :) Fabulous sentiment XXX

Redanne said...

I remember this gorgeous page and it is definitely worthy of an encore Brenda! Hugs, Anne xx

froebelsternchen said...

So utterly BEAUTIFUL! Simply gorgeous Brenda! WOW!

Astrid Maclean said...

I do remember this drool worthy cover, but always good to see it again!!! It's stunning! I so love the square format too.
Happy Sunday! (I will pm you soon about the Doxide Sprays)...

Mrs.B said...

A fabulous cover Brenda and I for one didn't mind seeing it again.
Avril xx

Kate Yetter said...

All I can say is WOW! Your background is a stunner with all those layers. And then that foliage magically appears. I am going to have to study this in detail. Gorgeous!
Kate

pearshapedcrafting said...

Thanks to my dreadful record at blog visiting I had missed that post! I love this and very glad to se it! Hugs, Chrisx