Sacred Heart 'Shrine'

Hello loves!  How is everyone handling the quarantine?
I have this gorgeous Sacred Heart stencil from Artist Cellar that reminds me of the beautiful Mexican Folk Art shrines.  I'm not really religious, but I love the bright colors and skulls so I decided to create my own version in my Dina Wakley Journal.
You will have to forgive me. I wasn't the best about taking pictures during this whole process. I started out by choosing several back to back pages that I could use to create my journal shrine.  I cut off the tops of the first two pages in a triangle design, leaving the last page to print my stencil on.   I created a vignette so that my stencil would show thru when the pages lay on top one another.

I embellished the front denim 'cover' with paint, stitching, and interesting ribbon.  No rhyme or reason, I didn't have a plan in mind, I just knew I wanted lots of color and skulls.  The second page was glued to the denim to give it more structure and to cover up the thread.

For the stenciled page, I made sure to mark the opening from the first pages so that I knew where to center my stencil. I watercolored a soft green background and painted the inside portion of the heart (which I eventually cover up later on!🤣).  I wanted different mediums in each part of the stencil, so I used painter's tape to 'block off' sections as I worked.

I used red glitter paste in the heart and gold crackle in the crown and rays.  I decided to add some gold leaf flakes on the rays while the crackle paste was still wet and GENTLY pressed them down so I wouldn't distort the pattern.  It looked like a hot mess & I had no idea if the flakes would even stick!

After letting the crackle paste dry overnight, I used a stiff paint brush to scrub away the excess flakes. This is a messy step but I love how it turned out!

After adding some final embellishments with stickers, stamps, and microbeads, this baby was done & I think it turned out really cool!

I wish I was a better photographer so I could showcase the sparkly glitter and the sheen from the gold leaf.  Have you attempted a technique that you weren't sure would be successful?  I would love to hear about it, so drop by the Artist Cellar FB page and say Hi!

Stay safe (& 6' away!😉),
Kitty

Artist Cellar and the gelli plate

Stencils + gelli plate = perfect combo!!
I busted out the gelli plate today with my Artist Cellar stencils and some random acrylic paints.  Good grief its addicting!!  I like to print on deli paper because of its translucency and its easy to tear for collage.
I picked one of my favorite prints I created to use today.  I used Star Flower from the Artist Cellar quilt series and pulled multiple prints on the same piece.

I used matte medium to stick the deli paper down in my new Dina Wakley Blue Journal.  The geometric design reminded me of large flowers, so I lightly sketched in petals around each 'point' of the quilt pattern.

I painted a watery navy-blueish color around the flowers, still wanting some of the patterning to show thru...but think I might've been a little heavy handed.

Once completely dry, I added rough, messy outlines in black and white, not truly adhering to the exact shape of each petal.  A blob of paint in the center and TADAH! A colorful, abstract garden.

What are your favorite stencils to use on the gelli plate?  I would love to learn some new techniques, so stop by the Artist Cellar Facebook group and share your prints with us!

Until next time,
Kitty

Painterly Faces

Hello everyone!  I recently watched a YouTube video by the very talented Tamara Laporte (click her name to access the video).  She created a mixed media portrait in a loose, painterly style that I just love, so I figured I'd take a stab at it!
Using several different ink sprays in varying warm colors, I started my background with the gorgeous Arabian Nights Celestial stencil from Artist Cellar.

Next, I added some texture paste thru the same stencil. To give myself a heads start (ha!), I used matte medium to apply a Dina Wakley collage face to the background.  I love how you can still see the beautiful stencil design thru the tissue.

Next it was a matter of playing with a few caucasian flesh tones to add several layers of highlights and shadow.   Below are a few pics of the progression...

I'm pretty happy with how she turned out!!  I stuck with mostly cool tones to pop against the background, and I love the bright orange and yellow on her face.  Also the stencil texture is still visible under the paint and that is super cool!

Thanks for visiting with me today!  Come say hi to us over on Facebook!

Kitty

Artist Cellar Design Team!!

This is my first post as an Artist Cellar design team member!  So excited and honored to be a part of this awesome group.
I would guesstimate that in my artwork, I mainly use stencils to create easy backgrounds and as templates for doodling.  Artist Cellar has tons of amazing designs that are unique from most other 'cookie-cutter' stencils found on the mainstream sites.
I used Sea Fan, from the Coral Series, to help create an interesting background for my 6x6 journal.

I used a couple different colors of green acrylic and a cheapo make-up sponge and stenciled in opposite directions for variation.  I then used the blunt end of the same sponge to creating interesting blobs (that's the technical term😉) in contrasting colors.

After adding a few splatters, I added some brightly colored stamped images as a focal point and... VIOLA!  A bright, fun page with minimal effort.

Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today!   I'll be posting more soon, and would love to see what YOU create so tag me and lets share ideas!!!

Kitty