close-up of a mixed media art piece
Flower power mixed media journal page with creative team member Nicole Austin
Posted Jul 26, 2018
2 Comments

Flower power journal page by Nicole Austin

Often, I will start off with a background in my art journal that already has leftover paint or something started on the background.

 This page started off with some various paint colors (Robin’s Egg, Azalea, and Hot Coral all from Handmade Modern, plus a little purple acrylic paint and white over the top after the first layer is dry.)  If you’re starting from a blank page, try taking a few colors and scraping them onto the background. Or you can find a “blah” page or a page that you are not super happy with. When the paint layer is dry, play with the oil pastels and scribble some marks and simple shapes and collage some flowers and patterned tissue paper onto the background.  Add some splatters with the acrylic ink and some spray ink through stencils randomly around the page.

At this point, you are just playing with colors and getting inspiration for the final layers. Plus, this is a great way to create your own collage paper by using scrap papers to mop up any of the drips and to stamp the wet stencils onto. Add the stickers, paint markers and color in some of the flowers with the NeoColor crayons.  Then add the acrylic paint by lightly dipping your fingers in a bit of paint and tapping and spreading the paint around the page. You can also use a sponge for this part if you don’t like to finger paint but I encourage you to try it! You get a really nice texture with fingerpainting and it’s sometimes a little easier to control. Add “leaves” by making little heart shapes around the page next to each flower and also add some acrylic paint pen over the tops of the collage flowers.  Use black acrylic paint for the insides of the flowers and drip some acrylic ink for the stems.

Try adding some patterned napkins in between the flowers to vary the background a bit. Add some stamped letters to say whatever is in your heart. For me, “Flower Power” popped in my head, so it had to go on the page! Overall, just have fun and play around.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s Crash the Stash–I can’t wait to see what you create!

enjoy the video

 

 Products Used:

  • Collage Sheets: Collage Pak for Sunday Inspiration 11-13-16, and 7-17-16
  • Art Journal (I used an 11×14” Strathmore Mixed Media Journal)
  • Oil pastels
  • Acrylic paint (Handmade Modern in Robin’s Egg, Azalea, Leaf, Hot Coral)
  • Acrylic inks (Liquitex in Cerulean Blue and Daler Rowney FW in Fluorescent Blue, Genesis Green, and Fluorescent Pink)
  • Spray ink (Dylusions & Mister Hueys)
  • Stabilo marks-all pencil (black)
  • Liquitex 15 mm & Sharpie Bold water-based paint pens (fluorescent pink, aqua, red, black)
  • Waterbrush
  • Glue stick
  • Flower stickers
  • Tim Holtz cling foam stamps (Cutout Lower)
  • Acrylic block
  • Versafine stamp ink
  • Brea Reese paint writer (white & black)
  • Patterned tissue paper & napkins
  • Neocolor II watersoluble wax pastels (various colors)
  • Grid paper (or any scrap paper to pick up wet paint, etc)
  • Baby wipes

You can see more from Nicole here:

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Posted Jul 26, 2018
Headshot photo of artist

Hello there! I’m Shawn Petite

I’ve been teaching and creating for well over 25 years. About 15 years ago I found my art soul mate in mixed media, and it changed my life! I love the story that can be told by combining paint, texture, ink, paper and—really anything that you can imagine.

But what I’m truly passionate about is being your guide, walking with you step by step and helping you become your own hero in your creative journey.

Along my path, I’ve learned that the creating art also creates a healing space. Life can be messy and complicated and painful, but something about a paint brush can help heal your soul. I believe—no, I know—you are worthy of love, and I want to teach you to know that about yourself. Join me on this journey of art and inspiration!

2 Comments

  1. Edith Tsacle

    The many layers transform the piece constantly and in the end, you bring all the layers together and unify the page beautifully–amazing!

    Reply
    • Nicole

      Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply

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