no rules, just happy crafting
I am home and unpacked from the Creativation trade show in Phoenix, and I’m ready to talk some faves! You can find a lot of photos on my Instagram – I tried to post as I gathered faves. In this article (there are a few affiliate links) I will share some things I’m most excited to get and use, as well as why!
This project was inspired by a YouTube comment on a paint pouring video. Can I do this technique on a pot or a lampshade are the two that come to mind. Honestly I’m not sure and in this post I’ll share my thoughts as well as how I ended up with a marble-y pumpkin for my table!
Continue reading “Marbled Pumpkin with Acrylic Paint Pouring”
I am so very excited to share with you the first (of many, no doubt!) acrylic pour projects that I have created with the Dina Wakley pour medium. This stuff is easy to work with, you can minimize waste, and it’s so much fun! In this blog post I will talk about some tips, how-to, and suggestions for projects as well.
Continue reading “Acrylic Pour with Dina Wakley: a galaxy project”
When I look at these circle faces I think of the moon, and today I let that inspire me as I created a pair of tags with these new Dina Wakley stamps. Supplies used/affiliate links are listed below. What was the inspiration? I wanted to play with some texture on my tag and adding stamping and color while the tag was still wet.
Continue reading “Stamped watercolor mixed media tags: moon faces”
I get a lot of questions about pastes and paints and things – today I want to take a moment to chat about gesso. Think of it as primer or thin white paint. You’d put it down before you got working, or use it when you want a very smooth blendable white paint someplace. Generally speaking, I don’t like it for anything that has me wanting significant texture or full thick coverage. Generally speaking, white paint will work just as well.
I use gesso for:
When doing side-by-side tests I could really see a difference in quality and effect for what I do with different brands. There are two stand-out favorites that are my recommended choices:
Art Basics Heavy Gesso (Prima Marketing)
This product is heavy, meaning it is quite thick and works great with stencils – the only gesso that I like with stencils. It is great mixed with color mediums, but because it is thick it is not a great choice for a thin primer layer in my art journal.
Dina Wakley Media Gesso (Ranger Ink)
This is my go-to for my art journal, and of the thin/traditional gessos it was by far and away the best. Love that it is small, and in a little tube for easy use.
Here are links to videos of my two favorite gessos:
Got questions? Ask away! I’m happy to chat with you about this or any other medium. I will continue my mixed media explorations on YouTube as well.