Identification Check - Mixed Media panel

Mixed media art panel.

There is something incredibly liberating about working in a smaller format. Recently, I’ve found myself drawn more and more to smaller scales, which led me to pick up a brand-new A5 mixed media paper pad. I am absolutely loving it so far!

For me, the beauty of the A5 and A6 sizes lies in their versatility. It gives me the perfect playground to explore stamping in two distinct ways:

• Creating Mini Panels: I love stamping and layering on a separate sheet, cutting out small focus panels, and then adding them to the sketchbook or card bases. It feels like creating miniature, curated pieces of art.
• Straight in the Pad: There is a unique comfort in working directly onto the pages of a sketchbook. It removes the pressure of creating a "perfect" finished piece and turns the process into pure, unfiltered experimentation.

  
  

  Because I want to throw a variety of mediums at these pages—from crisp stamping inks and watercolours to distress oxides and acrylic washes — having dedicated mixed media paper is a game-changer. The heavier weight means the pages can handle wet techniques without instantly warping, giving me the freedom to layer to my heart's content.

  
  

  Going smaller has completely jump-started my creativity, and I can't wait to share the first few completed pages and panels with you all very soon. I'm so enjoying getting smaller projects made more quickly. It is very gratifying.

  
  

  Here is my first.

The background for the panel was made during a crafty few days away last weekend using Katie Pertiet stamps then dipped and dried and also hand painted. (See colours below). I used a mixture of Katie Pertiet stamps and Tim Holtz stamps and ephemera to create the collage. The three tiny swatches were from a left overs box.

To build the background for this A5 page, I decided to play with the distress inks using a small Gelli plate. I started by dipping the plate directly into some watery inks — sticking to the same colour palette as above for consistency. Once that initial layer was completely dry, I lightly sponged a thin layer of gesso across the page to soften the colours and add some chalky texture. After another quick dry, I took a classic text stamp and used the leftover watery ink pool to stamp random script across the background. The result is a beautifully muted base that is perfectly primed for a focal image.

The focal image is a rub-on from one of Katie's sets. These are so versatile and great to work with.

The snippets were stamped onto card that had been dipped, dripped and dried using green distress inks. They were already in a box ready to be used.

To finish off the panel, I added it to a couple of shabby paper layers to frame the entire piece, bringing the small-scale composition together perfectly. It has green and white twine tied round it and is now safely in my sketchbook where it will be joined with other designs and layouts.

xx

Supplies

Katie Pertiet stamps - My Flowers

Katie Pertiet rub-on transfer - Garden Chronicles

Tim Holt stamps - snippets - Curator CMS493, Tidbits CMS488, Field Notes CMS396

Distress Inks - Peeled Paint, Ground Espresso, Unchartered Mariner.

D'Oxides Crushed Olive, Peeled Paint