Altered Wooden Panel for Finnabair and Re•design with Prima

Hi darlings, 

 

I promised to write a blogpost about my Facebook livestream for Finnabair and Re•design with Prima.

 

During the livestream, I turned a blank, wooden panel into my new working surface, using Re•design Décor stamps and Finnabair mixed media products – the full material list is at the end of this post.

 

The size of the panel is relatively large; 80cm x 55 cm (34.5” x 21.6”). I wanted this size, as it’d be large enough for my crafting projects, but also because the scale will be perfect proportion for photographing and making videos.

 

I wanted something vintage looking, tattered, old, worn out, loved; something charmingly imperfect, like old wall paintings. I also wanted it to fit into my studio colour palette of soft, faded dusty purples and softest of moss green and sea glass colour.

 

 

 

PRIMING 

 

First, of course, I kindly asked my hubby to cut me a panel. It was 4mm thick plywood in the end, as we happen to have that in masses at the moment, for our family model railway project. 

 

Then, I primed the panel, three times actually. First, I used chalk paint (leftovers from our upstairs stair renovation project) as I was running out of gesso, but after using chalk paint, I realised it’s quite not perfect for m purposes, the extremely porous surface. So, I gessoed the whole thing with white Finnabair Heavy Gesso, and added another layer, just to be sure I had the base I would be easy to work with.

 

 

 

STENCILING WITH  PAPER EFFECT PASTE & ICING PASTE

 

I wanted some dimensional effect to the sides of my panel to add interest. (The middle part of the panel I will use as my working surface, so I left it without 3D-effetcs, to get an even working surface.) And as I was aiming for vintage wall painting look, I wanted some rough effect, nothing too tidy. Hence, I picked Finnabair Paper Effect Paste for it, as it is a bit rougher than for example smooth Modeling Paste I usually use in my canvas projects. The stencil I used was Finnabair Vintage Wallpaper.

 

I tested if I could get some metallic shimmer to the paste if I used Finnabair Icing Paste (White Gold) mixed into the Paper Effect Paste, but I should have added it much more generously, as the light shimmer didn’t get through enough. But next time I know!

 

After making sure the stenciled patterns were completely dry, I started painting the panel. 

 

 

 

IMPASTO ACRYLICS WITH TEXTURE EFFECT POWDER

 

I wanted a softest of sea glass green, something between duck egg and Nile green, maybe you know what I mean, a kind of soft, faded, dusty mint maybe? I added a mix of these Finnabair acrylic Impasto paints (and again, the whole list with links at the end of this blogpost):  Snow White, Pitch Black, Victorian Green, Linen, Dark Chocolate, and Mint.

 

I mixed them well and added enough water to the mix, so it’d be easy to work with, and as I wanted the wall painting effect, I didn’t want the surface to be smooth, but something resembling concrete. So, I added white Finnabair Texture Powder into the mix.

 

Then, I sprayed the panel with water, so that it’d be easier to work with as the paints would not get dry or absorbed immediately. With a largeish brush and baby wipes, I spread and blended the paint into the panel evenly uneven way, making sure to be careful around the stenciled patterns, just in case they weren’t completely dry yet.

 

 

 

CLOUDING THE SIDES

 

After painting the whole panel, I wanted the sides to get a bit more structured effect, so I mixed a bit darker shade of paint mix and with brush and baby wipes, clouded the sides and blended them to the lighter colour. 

 

 

STAMPING

 

For the already darker paint mix, I added a bit of golden acrylic paint, Finnabair Sparks Dragon’s Eye, to get the stamping image to shimmer a bit. I mixed the paints and used my tiny roller for spreading the paint, I wanted only a trace of paint to my panel, as it was the tattered, worn out wall painting effect I was aiming for, so I needed to be extra careful not to add too much paint into my roller or stamp. I soon realized that adding the paint to the stamp was better to do with a brush than with a roller, when you are aiming for this kind of effect.

 

I actually double tested this after the live stream was over and yes, came into the conclusion that it’s best to use only the light consistency metallic paint or then just a tiniest trace of Impastos that are quite heavy consistency paints – and with a brush. Or, with a roller if there isn’t much paint in it. I also realized the stamp images get much clearer image and result without the acrylic block I used for the first stamps. Just so you know not to repeat my mistakes. (I did not have Re•Design stamp ink at hand as it’s not available in Finland, so I needed to figure out another way of using my gorgeous stamps. It’s a bit of a trial-and-error process for me, who is used to use water-based inks in art journals...)

 

First, I used Re•design Décor Stamp Sweet Blossoms, to get some greenery to border my panel with leaf and peony stamps.

 

Then, I wanted some crackling effect. Finnabair Crackle Paste (clear or white) would have been ideal, but I had only one hour for my live stream and could not wait for the crackling to dry and do its magic, so I used Re•design Décor Stamp Imperial Crackle for it, and added light traces of crackle here and there, on the edges of my panel.

 

And finally, I added Re•design Décor Stamp Floral Script to bring the crackle and floral patterns together with a handwriting pattern stamp. 

 

And as the finishing touch, I added a hint of Finnabair metallic wax to highlight the the stenciled dimensional patterns. I used the shades White Gold and Vintage Gold.

 

That was it. I love how it came out, the perfect shade of soft, faded sea glass colour and the tattered wall painting effect did come out nicely, too. You can re-watch my livestream video HERE.

 

 

And now the full list of materials… 

 

Heavy Gesso, white:

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-heavy-gesso-white

 

Paper Texture Paste:

https://www.primamarketinginc.com/product/art-extravagance-paper-paste-250-ml/

 

Icing Paste, White Gold:

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-extravagance-icing-paste-white-gold

 

Stencil:

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-finnabair-stencil-vintage-wallpaper

Texture Powder:

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-ingredients-texture-powder

Impastos:

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-dark-chocolate

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-linen

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-pitch-black 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-snow-white

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-victorian-green

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-mint

 

Metallic Sparks Dragon’s Eye:

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-sparks-dragons-eye

 

Metallic Waxes:

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-metallique-wax-vintage-gold

https://www.primamarketinginc.com/product/art-alchemy-metallique-wax-white-gold/

 

Re•Design with Prima Décor Stamps:

https://www.redesignwithprima.com/product/redesign-decor-clear-cling-stamps-imperial-crackle-12x12-clear-cling/

https://www.redesignwithprima.com/product/redesign-decor-clear-cling-stamps-floral-script-12x12-clear-cling/

https://www.redesignwithprima.com/product/redesign-decor-clear-cling-stamps-sweet-blossoms-12x12-clear-cling/

80 cm x 55cm plywood panel

Brushes

Water spray bottle

Palette knife

Palette plate

Baby wipes

 

 

 

  

Winter Joy ATC - Finnabair Creative Team Tutorial

I created a sweet, little ATC card in soft pastel tones, having one of my favourite flowers, ranunculus, in mind. It’s usually only at the wintertime it’s available here in Finland, and I always treat myself some at my birthday in January. This gave me an idea of creating icy pink ATC card, reflecting the tones of breathtakingly airy and delicate, soft pink ranunculi and the sparkling snow of January.

I used some Prima Marketing papers and cut an ATC base and ripped a couple of smaller pieces to go into the middle of the base to give a bit depth to the card. Then I attached these with Soft Gloss Gel and gave it a soft wash with white Heavy Gesso.

Next, I added just a tiny amount of Nude Liquid Acrylic paint into the middle, and then mixed Phoenix Effect Paste and White Gold Icing Paste and using a stencil, added some texture into the card. 

 

Then, using the same mix of Nude Liquid Acrylic, and Phoenix Effect Paste, I painted some white die cuts bits, to give them gentle pinky shimmer.

I used Heavy Body Gel as a glue and attached first the painted die cuts, then two Prima Marketing paper roses, and on top a tiny bobby lace bit circling around the other embellishments.

 

Then I added some soft pink Prima Marketing pearls, again using Heavy Body Gel as glue. I wanted the ATC card to glimmer like sun in the sparkling snow and mixed a small amount of Gold Rush Glass Glitter and Pearl Glass Glitter with silver and gold Metallic Micro Beads, and with a brush, I added some Soft Gloss Gel where I wanted them to go and sprinkled the mix on the card.

 

As a finishing touch, I added white Art Sugar coating, again using Soft Gloss Gel as glue.

This ATC card was very much not my usual vintage style, but that’s the whole point of it. It’s so lovely to test something completely different once in a while, just let go and see what happens. Also, I had this one promise I made myself to fulfill this year: to try to use as much materials as humanly possible in my artwork. I know, it sounds silly! But, as a disability pensioner, I have used to create my art in the lines of “maximum-fuss-with-minimum-materia”, and I have toned that into art itself, using recycled vintage papers and only the merest minimum of mixed media and embellishments. It is actually rather difficult, to change to top gear and be extravagantly liberal with all kinds of embellishments, when you have used to something different entirely, and to include colours into your palette of neutrals that goes with everything and everywhere. So, this is my first trial on that path of extravagant indulgence, a winter joy.

 

Wishing you glimmering winter moments, with a sprinkle of pink softness to warm your heart,

Emilia

Video Link: https://youtu.be/wNykqBxtZGU

Materials Used:

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-heavy-gesso-white

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-soft-gloss-gel

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-heavy-body-gel

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-liquid-acrylic-nude

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-extravagance-phoenix-effect-paste

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-finnabair-stencil-read-my-letter

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-extravagance-icing-paste-white-gold

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-ingredients-glass-glitter-pearl

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-ingredients-glass-glitter-gold-rush

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-ingredients-micro-beads-set

Finnabair Art Sugar, White

https://www.primamarketinginc.com/product/memory-hardware-pearls-2/

https://www.primamarketinginc.com/product/vintage-floral-12x12-paper-the-good-news/

https://www.primamarketinginc.com/product/lavender-12x12-paper-my-last-note/

https://www.primamarketinginc.com/product/capri-collection-12x12-sheet-arco-naturale/

Prima Flowers, Pretty Mosaic Coastal Surf

Altered Tissue Box for Finnabair and Re•Design with Prima

I promised to write a blogpost about the tissue paper box I altered in a Facebook livestream for Finnabair and Re•Design with Prima in Re•Design, so here we go.

 

I primed the wooden box with white Heavy Gesso, twice. Then, I mixed Impasto paints Dusty Rose, Chocolate Brown, and Pitch Black and painted the box with the mix, wiping some off with a moist baby wipe to create an uneven base. 

 

Then, using the same acrylic paints, but a darker shade mix, I applied some to first a flourish Re•Design Décor stamp and stamped uneven patterns to the box, and repeated the same with a crackle stamp.

After that, I took some mould patterns I had already let dry overnight and primed with gesso and clued them in place with Heavy Body Gel. 

 

After letting them dry, I painted them over with the same paint mix I used for stamping and added also a light layer to the whole box.

 

Next, I mixed a new paint mix with Vintage Rose Metallique acrylic paint and Peach Opaque Mica Powder, and applied some to the moulds, for highlighting.

As a final touch, I applied Rose Gold metallic wax to the moulds and to the box. Not too much, such a lightest touch of a layer here and there, and then I added White Gold wax to the corners of the box and some to the moulds, too, to give the box just a tiny bit lighter vintage highlighting. 

 

And that was it, now I have a lovely tissue paper box in my studio! 

Livestream video here.

Here’s what I used:

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-heavy-gesso-white

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-heavy-body-gel

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-dusty-rose

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-dark-chocolate

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-impasto-paint-pitch-black

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-ingredients-mica-powder-peach-opal-magic

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-metallique-vintage-rose

https://www.primamarketinginc.com/product/art-alchemy-metallique-wax-white-gold/

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-metallique-wax-rose-gold

https://www.redesignwithprima.com/product/redesign-decor-clear-cling-stamps-imperial-crackle-12x12-clear-cling/

https://www.redesignwithprima.com/product/redesign-decor-moulds-5x8-italian-accents/

https://www.redesignwithprima.com/product/redesign-decor-moulds-cherry-blossoms-5x-8-8-mm-thickness/

 

 

Finnabair Art Recipe January 2021

 

 

 

I love the rich, sumptuous combination of deep blue and dark brown, with a hint of gold. I was so excited to start with this January Art Recipe theme, I had it all planned out, when I gathered all the materials together; I’d create a large tag with a mystical theme, deepest velvety, royal blue background with lots of gold… Well. You know the feeling when you realise the project has a mind of its own and refuse all collaboration? When you have something specific in mind, but somehow your hands are drawn to completely different choices? When it’s like you had nothing to say to the subject? Yes, that one. It happens to me all the time and I don’t know if it should be good or a bad thing, but I enjoy it enormously. It’s like I’m thrown in the middle of an adventure, seeing myself creating something that I have absolutely no idea what it will end up being. This is one of those creations that needed to be born. I think my subconscious spoke volumes, and I am so delighted to see the result. This Art Recipe was almost if it was made for me, as a healing art recipe.

 

 

 

Instead of starting with the tag I had cut ready, I somehow find myself gessoing a tiny canvas of 20cm x 20cm. As the Art Recipe included tissue paper in the material list, I took blue tone tissue paper and with Soft Gloss Gel attached it to the canvas, making sure there’d be lots of crumbles, folds, and texture in it, and after it was dry, I added gesso over it. I didn’t cover the canvas entirely but left the tissue paper shining through a bit. 

 

 

 

Then I took Prussian Blue, Ochre, Burnt Sienna, and Ink Black Liquid Acrylics, with Golden Dragon effect Paste to fulfill the Art Recipe colour theme of dark blue, dark brown, and orange. I played with the Liquid Acrylics, just the way I always do; just let them decide how they like to appear. The marvelous Liquid Acrylics are my absolute favourite medium, as it’s so easy to gain artsy effects with them, almost like watercolours, but much better. I used lots of water and a smallish brush, and draw lines with the paints, sprayed a bit of water, let them spread, and blended the paints a bit with a baby wipe.

 

 

Then I added some textured structure in form of a stencil. As I had no idea whatsoever what I was doing anyway but enjoyed enormously whatever I was doing, I played with the stencil, too. I took White Sand Texture Paste and bonked some Prussian Blue and Ink Black and Burnt Sienna Liquid Acrylics into it and splashed a nice dollop of Golden Dragon Effect Paste for good measure. I didn’t mix them much, just a tiniest bit with a pallet knife and with a stencil, added the mixture into the canvas. 

 

 

After the texture mix had dried, I blended the colouring a bit with the Liquid Acrylics and gesso, to make it visible but not standing out too much, as it was just a dimensional addition to the canvas painting. After that I had to decide how to proceed. What to add to the canvas, although to be honest, it’d be just lovely as it was, an abstract painting. I had just finished off with frames for New Year and had tiny Prima resin frame already painted  (live stream I made for Finnabair and Re.design with Prima here, for a tutorial how I altered the frame) and ended up framing a print of a painting by tone of my favourite Finnish artist ever, Helene Schjerfbeck, with it.  It needed something more, so I took a largeish Prima chipboard and glued it to the canvas with Heavy Body Gel, painted it with the same texture mix I used for the stencil, and then attached the frame on top, again with Heavy Body Gel. 

 

 

The canvas needed just a little something more, and so I added three mechanical butterflies into it, like they were flying off from the frame, and for balance, added some leaves below. Then I painted them with a mix of gesso and the liquid acrylics, so that they, too would blend into the canvas. 

 

 

As finishing touches, I gently brushed some Golden Dragon paste here and there, and added Vintage Gold metal wax into the edges of the canvas and the metallic embellishments.

 

For me, the finished canvas, though small, speaks volumes. It speaks of dawning light after darkness, of gentle rays of hope glittering, and I know why it wanted to be born, a manifest of freedom from somewhere inside me shouting out, and I smile.

 

 

 

MATERIALS USED:

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-liquid-acrylic-ink-black

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-liquid-acrylic-umber

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-liquid-acrylic-burnt-sienna

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-liquid-acrylic-prussian-blue

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-extravagance-golden-dragon-effect-paste

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-finnabair-tissue-paper-wilderness

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-finnabair-stencil-vintage-wallpaper

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-heavy-gesso-white

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-soft-gloss-gel

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-basics-heavy-body-gel

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-alchemy-metallique-wax-vintage-gold

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-art-extravagance-texture-paste-white-sand-tube

 

https://www.primamarketinginc.com/product/memory-hardware-resin-frames-petite-round-frame/

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-finnabair-mechanicals-scrapyard-butterflies

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-mechanicals-leaves-1

 

https://mixedmediaplace.com/prima-sunrise-sunset-mechanicals-flowers-mini

 

https://www.primamarketinginc.com/product/chipboard-diecut-elegant-damask-3-pcs-1-7-6/