Learn 3 Distressing Paper Craft Techniques using The Graphics Fairy Images. Add more life to your paper crafting, Mixed Media art, Junk Journals, & Collage.
The ultimate guide to gel printing and the basics of gel printing you need to know - what materials you need and how to make gel prints
Make your own DIY Rust Pastes with Heather Tracy for The Graphics Fairy!
How to make an awesome art journal page using a masking tape technique and how to make a homemade masking tape
Today I am going to show 6 ways that I made easy background papers using supplies that you might already have around your craft room!
Dear Wonderful, Creative You: I’ve been having the most wonderful spring, spending time with my students in the Diving Deep intuitive art journaling class. As often happens, I’m learning almost just as much as the students as I teach. I’m so excited to be able to share some of the Diving Deep process with you. […]
In this art tutorial, I embark on an exploration of mixed media art journaling, focusing on the versatile capabilities of the Dina Wakley Media Journal.
Super easy way to make collage paper backgrounds which are great for art journals, junk journals or mixed media art pieces!
Explore mixed media art journaling with these free printable stencils. Follow these easy mixed media tutorials and make fun and artsy pages.
There are great rewards to be had if you break out of your creative comfort zone, like gaining more confidence and having a more fulfilling and satisfying art practice.
Learn this fun and easy method for aging paper! By Thicketworks for Graphics Fairy
A blog about art making and art education explorations in a humble art room for adults and kids of all ages.
Learn a fun and easy technique to transfer a photo to paper and make art journal pages, scrapbook layouts, mixed media projects and more
In our busy lives, we believe that Eva’s message of creating a quiet place within yourself to allow your creative intuition to flow
I know it can be hard to decide where to begin, so to make it easy on you, I've compiled a list of my top 10 free bookbinding tutorials.
Hello friends :) Happy New Year, lol! I can't believe that I haven't blogged in 6 months. Life has been busy I guess, right?! I recently had a lot of fun in the studio making little paper houses. I posted several photos on my Facebook page. The response has been great and I've had several requests for a tutorial, so I wanted to share that with you all. Here it is... Step 1: I took some mop up paper I had saved. It was basically a piece of paper I had taped down to my work space to protect it from paint, sprays, etc. Step 2: I cut out some basic house shapes, no measuring! Just wing it, more fun indeed. Step 3: I cut some windows and doors out of a contrasting color. This helps them to sort of pop forward from the house itself and adds some interest. Glue these down with a glue stick. Step 4: I used a water soluble journaling pen (Pilot G-2 07) to outline the house, roof, windows and door. Step 5: I took a water brush and brushed lightly over the lines I drew. This gave a darker definition and helps pop those doors and windows!! :) Step 6: I added doodles, dots and little design elements to unify colors and shapes. I also added some words and hearts. Don't forget to draw a door knob! Below are some pics of various houses I have made. Hope this has helped fuel your creative juices. Have fun making these, but be warned they are very addictive! :)
I’ve been making some little embellishments lately to use in my collage journals. My goal is to use some of the stuff I already have – you know, the stuff that keeps piling up… gel prints, pa…
Today I am going to show 6 ways that I made easy background papers using supplies that you might already have around your craft room!
Vintage French Ephemera and Printables for your junk journals, scrapbooks and other crafty activities! From old French maps to french fashion plates to french post cards you'll find something here!
What is Gesso and How to Use it by Rebecca Parsons for The Graphics Fairy.
Mixed Media Art Summer Camp Project Ideas - Fun mixed media projects with full instructions and planning suggestions to make successful!
I am playing in my handmade junk art journal today creating a bright page with many layers in mixed media. For my main images I am using my Textured Birds. I am using alcohol markers to color them …
How to Transfer Images onto Paper by Rebecca Parsons. Such a great Mixed Media technique, perfect to use in Art Journals or Junk Journals!
I recently took on a super fun project where I made a bunch of cool art papers, and I filmed the whole thing to share with you. It was a blast, and I'm here to tell you all about it, hoping to get you excited to try something similar.
The ultimate guide to gel printing and the basics of gel printing you need to know - what materials you need and how to make gel prints
What’s your favorite way to learn a new mixed-media art technique? I love taking classes, but lately my schedule has been so nutty that signing up for a workshop seems like an impossible luxury. I’m so glad there’s such a great array of art videos, which have some distinct advantages over in-person classes: I can…
Free Floral Printable Collage Sheets for Art Journaling, Junk Journaling, Collage, Mixed Media, etc.
Hello friends :) Happy New Year, lol! I can't believe that I haven't blogged in 6 months. Life has been busy I guess, right?! I recently had a lot of fun in the studio making little paper houses. I posted several photos on my Facebook page. The response has been great and I've had several requests for a tutorial, so I wanted to share that with you all. Here it is... Step 1: I took some mop up paper I had saved. It was basically a piece of paper I had taped down to my work space to protect it from paint, sprays, etc. Step 2: I cut out some basic house shapes, no measuring! Just wing it, more fun indeed. Step 3: I cut some windows and doors out of a contrasting color. This helps them to sort of pop forward from the house itself and adds some interest. Glue these down with a glue stick. Step 4: I used a water soluble journaling pen (Pilot G-2 07) to outline the house, roof, windows and door. Step 5: I took a water brush and brushed lightly over the lines I drew. This gave a darker definition and helps pop those doors and windows!! :) Step 6: I added doodles, dots and little design elements to unify colors and shapes. I also added some words and hearts. Don't forget to draw a door knob! Below are some pics of various houses I have made. Hope this has helped fuel your creative juices. Have fun making these, but be warned they are very addictive! :)
Learn how to do asemic writing and how to incorporate it into mixed media or abstract art.
Art for Beginners: Easily create a beautiful piece of art on canvas. Read on for tips for beginners on getting started on creating your own art canvas. #artcanvas #artforbeginners #arttutorials #arttips
One way to make your work more personal and unique is to use found items, memorabilia, and objects that have meaning for you. You can tape, glue, adhere, staple, or otherwise attach a heck of a lot of neat stuff. There are almost infinite possibilities.
Looking for a way to make the world more beautiful? This Miss Rumphius mixed media art project is a great place to start!
Discover a wealth of information and instruction for creating mixed-media faces in this special issue magazine!
When it comes to art, many of us enjoy the many sensual benefits that it has to offer but hesitate to take up any form of it as we feel that it is too tough.
Hello my dear friends :) Today it's gonna be a little special. Why ? I am gonna talk as usual about projects, videos etc but... I will also talk about you guys, yes YOU ! But before that... let me just share with you the yummy textures created in All about Texture video :) I had to capture those textured cards before I turn them into coloured art pages! Only now, when I look at them all together I see why you enjoyed this video so much. I do feel inspired already only by looking at them :) Finally I had a chance to make some individual photos :) I also added some titles for better explanation. It's like a library of the texture ideas :) In one video we created 20 different textures, I showed you all from start to finish. We used product packaging, recycled cardboard that everyone has at home. Those looks like big, fat tags :) At the end of the video I quickly finished one of the textured backgrunds and created this piece! After watching several of my videos wheter they were about texture or starting a page... you have shared a huge amount of projects with me! I would love to share those with you today. Take time and look at them closely! Stunning pieces! Thank you dear friends for watching my videos, for taking time to create and for sharing your makes on my Facebook and my Instagram. I am so grateful for each and everyone of you and so very proud! You shared plenty projects on Instagram... when you use #maremismallart not only me but others are able to see your art too ! If you missed the video all about 'TEXTURE', here it is :) Textures, all in one! I am in looooove :) I knew you were waiting for another episode of 'TEXTURE' series so I made a NEW video where I finished 2 packing cards! For those who didn't see it, please feel free to watch it :) Again, you have made my day by sharing your attempts, stunning creative works where some of you just started the mixed media journey for the first time, some were stuck with no inspiration and some of you just felt like creating. It is my biggest pleasure and reward to see your makes, to see your trials and to walk next to YOU in your creative path. Look at this collage of stunning projects inspired by my videos, I am absolutely stunned and proud! From the bottom of my heart... THANK YOU! You have given me so much love and support that I am not even sure how to thank for. You found courage to make a piece, then you were strong enough to share it with us on Maremi's Facebook, I am proud and HAPPY! Lastly I wish to share my latest recycled cards... I adore the texture and how different those are. To all You Artists! I hope you found this post inspirational and most importantly it will encourage you to START, to open up and use your stash, to look for your creativity... with all Maremi's Friends you can try, you can start and break the blank page, experiment and ENJOY ! If you are not too sure visit my YouTube channel for more beginners videos - Click here :) Ok enough of talking :) :) ps. do share your art inspired by my videos with us on Facebook or Instagram :) ps.2 Did you see I am a teacher in Wanderlust 2017 ?! If you wish to read more please click HERE :) I love, love love you, Marta xxx
Download Free Collage Sheets of Spooky "Haunted" Photographs. Perfect for Halloween Junk Journals, Art Journals, Scrapbooks and other Mixed Media Projects.
Looking for a way to get rid of all those little fabric scraps? Make fabric scrap foundations to create some real cool fabric art. Simple instructions.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you mix one form of art with another? We are sure that you have had this thought once or twice and wondered what
the tutorial materials - click here for the materials list introduction - in the last post I listed the basics that you will need to have a go at my little fabric collage project - please know that you don't need all of the fabrics. For example, some of the things I listed were prompts/ideas for using up old pieces of work ... it's exciting to use up old projects and clear the decks a bit ..... so here we go! inspiration - you may have given some thought to your theme or colour scheme ... if not it really doesn't matter. This is a very freeing and very personal project ... you can copy my colours if you wish but better still if you have your own project in mind. If you have no particular project in mind then using a variety of colours with no particular theme means you may end up with some very lovely abstract pieces, which is exciting! prepare your base layer - get your piece of stiff Vilene or stiff calico or cotton and cut your piece into approximately 9 inches x 12 inches. It really doesn't matter at all if you go an inch smaller or bigger either way STAGE 1 - COVER YOUR BASE LAYER WITH FABRICS AND PAPER layering - from your pile of gathered fabrics and paper ... tear, rip or cut pieces of fabric and paper and glue it straight down on the base layer ... work in an abstract manner and work quickly without thinking too much about placement. Don't be too fussy at this stage and you will get some good results here I have glued some paper and some chiffon with stitched pleats some wool tops and some cellophane wrapper as well as very small bits of metallic fabric with fraying edges glues - I use a glue stick ... but you can also use pva glue if you wish. Glue stick dries quite quickly. Whatever you use, you will need to leave your base layer to dry out thoroughly before moving on to the next stage. If you have a hair dryer you can use that on a medium/gentle setting to help it dry a bit quicker ... but I would not recommend using a heat gun as the heat will be too intense and may burn some of your fabrics and papers working fairly quickly, glue all your pieces on ... overlapping if you wish until your base laver is covered completely like this ... above you can see some of what I've used - the green fern and the pumpkin fabrics are shop bought, there is a piece of old cross stitch, two cellophane wrappers in orange and yellow, assorted torn papers from paper bags and distressed magazine papers, the bee and hive image were torn from a magazine, there is also some hand dyed sari silk ribbon and some little torn metallic sheer fabrics dotted over the piece before moving on to stage 2 - please ensure your work has dried out sufficiently (see above) STAGE 2 - APPLY PAINT TO YOUR PAPERS AND FABRICS blending - using your paints/acrylics or other colouring medium ... use them to blend the fabrics and papers together. There are no rules ... it's up to you. You can use your paints or colouring mediums to either enhance and draw attention to areas you love or to disguise areas you don't like so much. If you don't like what you've done with the paint ... wipe it off, let it dry and paint over with another colour or glue a piece of fabric or paper over the top. You can see in the photo below I've added some burnt umber, gold and sap green ... blending all the colours together. Then let your piece dry completely before the next stage in the picture below I've worked burnt umber and gold paint into a piece of wool blanket and it's optional but, if you wish, you can press your gilding flakes into the paint before moving on to stage 3 - please ensure your work has dried out sufficiently (see above) STAGE 3 - ADD MACHINE OR HAND STITCHING AND THEN CUT UP stitching - after the paint has dried you can further secure your fabrics and papers by stitching through the layers. If you have a sewing machine you can use free motion stitch if you are happy with the technique. If you prefer to do simple stitched lines, running stitch or zigzag then that's fine. Perhaps alter the size of your stitches by adjusting the length and width while you are stitching ... that can add a bit of interest. If you are not happy using a sewing machine (or don't have access to one) you can hand stitch through the layers ... long lines right across your piece in every direction ... I've used a simple running stitch and zigzag stitch below ... then turn your piece over (mine looked like this on the back) ... on the back divide your piece into six smaller pieces by drawing lines with a pencil (divide into as many pieces as you wish ... any size ... it's up to you) then be brave and cut them up with scissors STAGE 4 - WORK ON SMALLER PIECES - ADD TEXTURE add texture - your pieces should now be a bit more abstract and have some interesting lines and areas of colour. The next thing is to select just one of your small pieces to work on. work on your small pieces one at a time personalising them and adding texture and interest. You can add texture by building up more layers of fabric and paint (in the same manner I mentioned above). further texture can be added with 3D elements such as the "emeralds" I've added below. Position your bits and pieces on your little piece, then glue down to keep them in place, then over sew to further secure. I would add my 3D elements first before doing a lot of hand stitching. I tend to hand stitch or sew on small beads as the final stage ... but, of course, it is up to you I added the chiffon and emerald strip which I glued down to "place" it, then stitched it to secure afterwards, I worked some french knots around the piece to help blend it in with the surrounding fabrics and papers at any time, you can also apply more paint if you wish and remember those gilding flakes, if you have some. Press your little shimmery flakes into the paint and leave to dry thoroughly. Cover the gilding flakes with a piece of plain paper and carefully press and smooth the flakes to burnish them into the paint. Gilding over pleats, lumps and bumps ... even little stitches ... will enhance the raised areas. If you don't have gilding flakes ... you could gently rub some treasure gold (or similar), metallic paint, markel sticks or metallic oil pastels over any raised areas you wish to enhance and draw attention to (if you want to go the whole hog ... there are a variety of products out there for adding texture to your piece ... by adding texture to paint as well as texture pastes and 3D paints that you puff up with heat products ... this tutorial does not explore all those possibilities ... but if you are familiar with them ... they are suitable options for adding texture to your pieces. It's just not possible to explore everything in one tutorial within a blog post) gilding on pleats to enhance raised areas hand stitching - when it comes to adding little stitches to your piece ... it's nice to use a variety of different types of thread, use a variety of thicknesses and a variety of colours or toning colours. Stitch your biggest stitches, with your thickest yarns, first ... then fill in around with smaller stitches and blend your colours. I, personally, like tones of similar colour all blended together ... but you don't have to do what I do. Do what pleases you! different stitches - you can use your small pieces to practice new stitches. I'm a terror for always using my favourite french knots ... so next time I do this technique (which will be on Wednesday as I have a Crow Day) I promise to use new stitches. I recommend any of Jan Beaney's and Jean Littlejohn's books for stitch inspiration and I also have Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches which is useful. Online ... you can visit Sharon B's dictionary of stitches for hand embroidery and needlework for beautiful stitch ideas. Be creative and use the stitches out of context to add texture and interest. In addition, you could consider stumpwork or raised embroidery. The possibilities are endless ... stitching through painted areas after working on all six of my little pieces I found that each one took on a new personality they spoke to me and let me know which type of "allotment" they would be ... ... like a story unfolding and I hope that yours will too I hope you have fun with the basic ideas contained in this tutorial work into each one as much as you wish ... until you are happy with your little pieces it is up to you you can refer back to my last seven or eight posts for more detail thank you for reading today and for following along the tutorial will stay on my blog forever ... so don't feel under pressure have fun!! ♥ Posted by Carolyn Saxby
Faux Encaustic Technique by Heather Tracy for The Graphics Fairy
As I'm learning to create different mixed media collage papers, one thing I'm particularly enjoying is creating coffee dye papers. I tried 3 types of dyeing - using coffee, tea and onion skins. The coffee dye papers are a bit dark brown, tea dye is brownish and onion skin dye is reddish brown. I love all the 3 colors that they create on papers. I wanted to experiment with acrylics and got some amazing results. It works with all the 3 types of dye, but I find coffee dyeing the easiest process of all - it's as if I'm making myself a cup of coffee. So I added a little bit of green and blue with the coffee and tea mix and got some brilliant results.
