Mixed Up Art: alcohol inks

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Shiny Happy Little Canvases

Remember that 90's song by REM, Shiny Happy People? Here's a reminder.

Can it get happier than that? Yes. It can.

I think about that song when I look at these bright fun doodly little canvases!

And how I made them is equally as fun! I shared the video a few days ago and thought I would give you a closer look at the canvases themselves. Here is the video in case you missed it.

I sometimes doodle during meetings, church (don't tell) or when I am on the phone, but usually not in my art. I really got into it with these colorful prints. It was very relaxing!

And I have to admit, that cutting them up after all of that work was scary and a bit risky. I kept second-guessing myself. But in the end, I listened to my intuition.

These little canvases were screaming for some positive words. So that's what I gave them. They are perfect sitting on a shelf because of the deep edge and are sure to brighten any space. I plan on doing more of this type of art because it makes me happy to create AND to look at!

Here they are individually.

Wonderful Things

Impossible Things

Never Give Up

What Comes Next

Imperfection

Timing

So there is my shiny happy blog post! Hope I have brightened your day a little bit! If you are interested in purchasing any of these canvases, I will be posting them on my facebook page, but you can also let me know below.

4" x 4" Deep Edge Canvases

$15 each plus shipping

Till next time,

Kathy

Friday, July 29, 2016

Blog Hop With Gel Press™ and EnviroTex® Resin

Welcome to the EnviroTex® Resin/Gel Press Blog Hop. The designers for both companies have been creating wonderful projects. Please leave a comment on EACH blog. Tell us on the Gel Press blog and on the ETI Resin blog as to which projects you found most interesting or inspiring. One winner will be picked, at random, Sunday, July 31, 2016, at 10pm CST. The winner will get both Petite sets of Gel Press plates and ETI Jewelry Resin! Hop now through Sunday! Winner must be 18 or over and live in the USA. Good Luck!

EnviroTex® Resin is perfect for creating beautiful jewelry but today I will show you how to create beautiful resin embellishments and unique resin paper.

Resin and Gel Print Assemblage on Wood Blocks

Tutorial
List of Supplies

6"x 6" Gel Press™ Plate

EnviroTex Jewelry Resin

Prima Vintage Art Silicone Molds

DecoArt Acrylic Paint

Old Book Text

Embossing Folders

Deli and Butcher Paper

Wood Blocks

Embellishments

Resin Embellishments

Follow the directions on the package for mixing the resin. You may want to wear gloves to protect your hands. This is a two step process. Mix equal parts of the resin and hardener solutions in one of the cups provided.

Stir with the stick for 2 minutes, scraping the sides to incorporate every bit.

Pour the mixed solution into the clean cup.

Stir it for another 60 seconds.

It's ready to use! According to the directions, there is about 25 minutes of open time, so work relatively quickly. Pour the resin into the silicone moulds, trying not to overflow them. The first batch filled 3 moulds so I made a second batch and filled 2 more.

With the rest of the resin, I painted old book and dictionary pages on both sides using a sponge brush. Place them on a non-stick surface to dry.

I did all these steps at night and left them to dry overnight. In the morning they easily released from the moulds and were soft and pliable. According to the directions, they are soft cured after 12 hours, medium cured after 24 hours and hard cured after 48 hours. Consider these as guidelines since there are lots of variables, like humidity and temperature in your area.

The paper has a transparent quality if you painted resin on both sides. It is a bit brittle but tears easily without crumbling or breaking apart.

Sand any edges with fine sand paper if needed. I love how these resin pieces turned out! These Prima moulds are so unique and perfect for resin. Now they are ready for color!

Alcohol inks are perfect for smooth surfaces and I painted each resin piece with a different color. To create depth, I layered several colors, including metallics. As a final layer, I added metallic paints with my finger to highlight the raised areas. Note: Do not use a heat tool to dry.

Gel Press® Printed Backgrounds

Embossing folders are a great way to add pattern to prints. Since I have lots of colors going on in this project, I wanted to keep the paper neutral shades of gray and black.

I also used thin deli and butcher paper. To help the acrylic paint stay wet longer on the plate, use DecoArt Extender Medium.

I made lots of prints until I got four that I wanted to use with the resin pieces.

Putting It All Together

Using lots of goodies laying around my studio, I assembled each piece on a thick block of wood using matte medium for the paper and Beacon 3-in-1 glue for the resin and embellishments.