Tracing Nature

I've seen all kinds of beautiful simple silhouette canvases lately; they have me totally intrigued. I'm totally drawn to the dramatic contrast of the silhouette image on a white canvas. I've been thinking about how to make one of my own for some time now.. so today was the day!

Here's what I ended up with, but of course the sky is the limit. There are SO many different things you could use for this. I have plans to do a variation of this with pussy willows and another with apple blossom branches.

I can't wait to also try three long interacting canvases, hung together.



** You can click on the photos to see a larger view**



All you need is a canvas (I used a 16x20.), a light or lamp to cast a shadow, and a branch, flower, etc., you want to use for your piece. Be sure to attach your branch to something stable so that your shadow does not move.

Once your shadow is cast and in the position you like, trace around the edges of the shadows (every little place). It really didn't take that long and was actually really relaxing. I found that just lying on the floor with it worked well.

(below)


Once it was all traced, I went over all the pencil lines with a brown Sharpie. Be sure to use a good eraser and remove all the pencil lines that you might be able to see once you have gone over it all with the Sharpie.

(below)

Instead of using water color, I used Glimmer Mist to fill in my image. I just poured some out of the bottle and into a little dish. I then applied it with a paintbrush. (Because Glimmer Mist has metallic in the paint (for that pretty shimmer), if you use it to paint with, be sure to swish it around a bit to keep it mixed up as you load your brush.)

(below)

As I brushed the Glimmer Mist on, I let it "pool" in some places for a more variegated look.

(below)

You can see in the photo below the shimmer that Glimmer Mist has in it.

I bought this green chair at a flea market over the weekend and really needed something with a little more green in it to make it work in this room.

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A canvas like this is a fun and inexpensive way to add new little bit of Art to your wall.

Hope you get a chance to give it a try!

-Vicki

Background technique using Lumieres

Hi everyone! Thanks for coming by! Hope you enjoy this tutorial.

I'm going to show you how I made the background color/pattern on this canvas.

First thing you need to do is pick out the colors of Lumieres you would like to use. Once you have your colors picked out, you'll need a piece of mesh, a canvas, and a foam brush or two, to get started.

I have alot of colors of Lumieres out in this photo, but actually I ended up using only two (and some olive green Glimmer Mist).

Lay the mesh down over the canvas and using your foam brushes, start randomly dabbing on some color (alternating colors). The mesh will move; it's not going to leave a perfect "grid" look, but you will definitely see patterns. In some places, the color will be in larger patches; that's okay too.

I liked the look of the blotching here and there with the random grid mixed in, but I also did take my foam brush (without adding more color to it) back and forth across the canvas, in a cross hatch pattern.

You can just play with this to get the effect you like.

I then took my "olive green" Glimmer Mist and spritzed it over the entire canvas. I only let it stand about a minute and then used a paper towel to whip it away, leaving a slight overall green. It did a great job of filling in any of the white that was still showing through after the Lumiere/mesh technique. Both of these mediums take to canvas SO well!

You can see below how the green is subtle. I just wish I could capture the "shimmer" better in these photos. Between the Lumieres and the Glimmer Mist, the shimmer is really beautiful.


So much "shimmer;" it's hard for me to get a good photo of it to show you. LOL

You could use all kinds of things to get different patterns. (If you don't have any mesh around, you can use one of those plastic net bags that onions come in.) The Lumieres probably won't go through burlap, but you could brush it on the burlap, turn it over on the canvas and brayer over it. What about wadding up some saran wrap, wax paper or just regular paper, and dabbing the Lumieres onto your canvas that way; or just dry brushing it on? The possibilities are endless.

Here are a few close-ups of the finished canvas.

Anyway you do it, it's a fun and different way to use your Lumieres and make a gorgeous background for a canvas, right? Hope you give it a whirl!

Thanks again for coming by!

-Vicki

Salt and Glimmer Mist Tutorial

Well, I'm pretty excited because this is my first post on my Altered Arts Magazine blog. I have always loved learning techniques and trying new things... so being a part of this talented group of artists is something I'm really looking forward to.

The technique I'm about to share with you is one I've done many times, using different water based inks and dyes. For some time now, I've been wanting to give this technique a try using Glimmer Mist. Well, today is the day. LOL

To get started .. here is what you'll need.

Rock Salt or Sea Salt: You will get a more defined pattern the larger the salt pieces. I normally use Rock Salt, but this time I used Sea Salt. It has a more subtle effect, but beautiful nonetheless.

White cardstock

Glimmer Mist (your choice of colors)

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Very Simple. Just sprinkle the entire area of your paper with the salt.

Choose the color(s) you would like to use. Spray the entire area of the paper with Glimmer Mist. (You can also use Walnut ink, Poss Impressions, Color Washes, Watercolors, etc.)

Saturate the paper. (It works best if you get it very wet.)

Then, either walk away and let it dry... or if you're a bit impatient like I am and want to speed up the process, use your heat gun!



Once you're sure the paper is totally dry, brush away the salt to reveal the beautiful patterns.

Note: It is very important to make sure your paper is completely dry before removing the salt, in order to get the best results.

Here's the fun part. Be sure to check both sides of your paper, because sometimes I can't decide which I like better. The photo above is the top of the paper. The photo below is the bottom of the paper when turned over. I really like the look of them both... so.......

I used them both on my project. LOL

I used the lighter, backside of the paper for the part I stamped on for the center. I used the darker, top side for the base of my project.

I hope you are inspired to give this a try for yourself. It's a super fun and easy technique!