Revisiting old techniques - Blended acrylics

I originally discovered this blending technique when making and experimenting with the blending tool and my decoart media acrylic paints for a tag for AVJ and then I used it for an experimental post for the DecoArt Media Team blog. I am revisiting this technique again as I create a board for my resource box of techniques.

Process steps

Firstly scrape gesso over the surface of the tag and dry. It is fine to create a little texture here.

Step 1 Use a blending tool and foam, choose a light colour acrylic paint (Titan Buff). Taking a small amount and some glazing medium, blend from the craft mat onto the tag, just like you would do with distress inks. Rub with dry kitchen towel and or wetwipe to get effects you like.

Step 2 - Buff the surface with a soft cloth.

Step 3 - Repeat steps 1 and 2 with a couple more colours, deepening them towards the edges Cobalt Blue Hue, Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide, Burnt Umber.

Step 4 - Very lightly stamp flourish/texture/pattern and text stamps using a similar colour to the background to get and light and almost monochrome effect with them. (archival peat moss).

Step 5 - Blend some darker colours around the edges of the tag as in steps 1 and 2 and very lightly splatter with them.

Step 6 - Dabble raw umber, paynes grey. quin gold at the very edge to create a timeworn vintage look.

I used a greyboad media tile and sanded the edges and blended in ground espresso distress ink.

Optional - You will see from the panels on the DecoArt post I also painted in the swirls and made the stamping more evident than in the AVJ tag.

xxx