Paper Dolls for Colour Blast Australia

Welcome back peeps to my new journal page.

I am using a layering technique here where I create colour and then push it into the background with a neutral and then repeat the process till I am comfortable with the look. I loved the quote in this; when I journal I never know what I am going to get. Let me walk you through the process.

I squeezed on my work surface Colour Artist Ink in Grass. I didn't dilute this as I wanted to have a really vibrant back ground come through all my layers.

I turned over the page and smooshed and dabbed spreading the colour as far as it would go.

I repeated the process with Colour Artist Ink Barley and then Walnut using only a small amount of the darkest colour so I didn't drown out the others

I had planned to spray the Colour Spray Grape through the mask and add another layer (bottom corner) but felt that it was going to drown out the original brights. SO... I flipped the mask over and used it like a stamp seeing as it was already loaded with ink.

I wanted to add some texture and contrast. Here I used my Colour Paste in Sunshine and lightened the page again.  

When you do this style you have to able to surrender your background an not be afraid to cover it up. A total leap of faith!

So here you can see that I have added a neutral layer, by adding black or white to the project you create a fresh surface to alter.

I added a layer of interest with my Colour Paste in Steel...

I'm jumping ahead a little.. Using my Michelle Grant Stencil from the Flight of Fancy range I added a neutral layer in White with Colour Blast Heavy Gesso... And pushed it into the background again with the a black layer.. (you can use an inkpad or Heavy Gesso Black with a sponge) and darken the edges to close in the focus of the project.

I lost a few pictures along the way but if you look closely at the original pic you can see that I blended the background in with some Colour Blast Heavy Gesso in white so I could add my focal point as a feature. With so much noise in the background I ran the risk of a hot mess... I used my finger to smudge it on so I didn't get a thick layer and cover it up all together..

I used a charcoal pencil to outline the Paper Dolls. Another technique for focusing the eye and added a rub of my Colour Shimmer Brush Marker in Clear to the buttons. Splattered away making sure I had covered up my focal point and Viola!!

Hope you enjoyed this process and will give it a go.. I really like knowing if I have managed to inspire.. Post some pics of how you went on our Facebook page or leave a comment on my post. 

Thanks for looking! 

Abela Artistry

Art and Soul - Journal Inspiration - Braver, Smarter, Stronger & Loved!

Morning Tribe...

Loved doing this one and finally getting a chance to play with some fluid acrylics and my brayer... 

I applied three layers of paint onto an old book with my brayer. I put the paint onto my craft sheet first and gave it a spritz of water to activate the fluidity.

I then used two stencils, both from Dusty Attic to add some interest on the background and applied with a sponge dabber to avoid bleeds. I used a cap to create some circles and added a few splatters while the paint was juicy. 

Finally got to try this colour Quinacridone Gold.. One of my favourite journal artists uses this colour and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Knowing I love earthy tones.. I am in love too.

I used Gel Medium to apply some strips of paper to the page and rubbed alight coat of Gesso onto the top so I could apply paint. The paint doesn't like to stick to the gel medium otherwise. 

I used my cap to add some more circles to try and pull the foreground into the background. I used the dark grey colour from my first layer to do this.

I dabbed some colour onto the top of the page and spritzed with water to get the paint to run. I then repeated the process with a turquoise colour to create a patina effect.

To add some depth to the background I used a charcoal pencil to outline the strips of paper and create some shadows.

I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with the circles... I still wanted to play with the fluid acrylics and picked up an off white colour and some watercolour pencils in similar shades. 

I put one coat of paint on the page as a base. I applied the pigment from the pencil and then applied a second layer of paint and then blended it in.

To finish them off I outlined the circles with the charcoal pencil and blended.

I ran a piece of string off the roll and let it fall onto the page. I attached it with Brads and stuck my title down... DONE!! 

So easy! Check out some of the close ups below and check out the full product list below... Thanks for looking!

Product used:

Deco Art Media Fluid Acrylics - 

Dark Grey / Medium Grey / Raw Sienna / Titan Buff / Quinacridone Gold / Cobalt turquoise

Dusty attic Stencil  - Cross hatch and Checker plate

Black & White Gesso

Americana - Gel Medium

Charcoal pencil

Sponge Dabber

Brads, Cogs and paper strips from my stash

How Fragile We Are - Art & Soul Studio

This one is quite personal to me.. We all have so many happy stories we post about but this one is about a difficult time. Recently my back pain was diagnosed as a more serious matter than the arthritis I had been learning to live with. I had been feeling low after so many nights of waking up in pain it was taking a toll on our relationship. So for those of us that live with pain - I know you get it.. 

This piece is a reflection on our relationship and has some personal totems in it that relate to just us... It also looks pretty! 

Today I am showing you a bit of my heart and soul today.

Hope you enjoy! xx Kristy

In this project I pulled out a journal page from my book and stamped with my Visible image stamps - How Fragile. I then sprayed my two favourite Lindy's sprays on the page Moon Shadow Mist Malachite and Starburst Shabby Turbine Teal. I grabbed my TCW Stencil Mini Geometric and used some of the shapes on there to create some texture with Modelling paste. 

I applied some Tissue wrap and washi tape from Tim Holtz to create a base for my focal point.. I included my totems here.. The music, #27 and a reminder that our goal is to me happy together.. I grabbed my Distress crayon in Black soot and rubbed it onto my finger and highlighted the texture on the page. also adding to the vintage look.

Once I was happy with my highlighting I used my TCW Stencil in Chicken Wire to do what I call the caging effect... 

Once I was happy with that I let it dry and added some highlights. I used my Barn Door Distress spray to add some highlights to the shattered glass.. Symbolism for the pain that we had gone through recently and the fragility of a relationship represented by the glass. I also used a stamp that was a cobbled wall to accent the layout to also represent that the strength of a wall is not always represented by the shape of the stones that build it... 

Here are my dragonflies.. another totem, like butterflies but strong! I stamped them with another Visible Image stamp - Dragonflies with my  Tim Holtz stamp press in Staz on - Brown. I used my water brush to wet down the wings and sprinkled onto it some mica powder in an emerald green colour. I love the way you never quite know what you are going to get with them and used minimal blending to take advantage of the effect. I used my Colour Blast Shimmer pen to add some sparkle to the wings. I used some nylon thread to tangle the Dragonflies in as that's how I feel about my husband, we are intertwined. 

Now it was time to create the title. I kept it simple and the quote was enough. I stamped the quote from the How Fragile stamp and puddled a good squirt of Moon Shadow Malachite onto my craft mat and dipped the card into it and dried it. It was too light so I kept reapplying and drying in between to get that amazing puddle effect. With my water brush I applied a watered down coat of Barn Door and then a smudge of Shabby turbine Teal. I didn't want the red to overshadow the How Fragile accent. 

Thanks for looking.. Happy Creating!

Kristy - Abela Artistry

Thanks for looking.. Happy Creating!

Product list

Lindys sprays - Shabby Turbine Teal & Mystic Malachite

Visible image stamps How Fragile & Dragonflies

Modelling paste

Staz on - Timber Brown

Distress Crayon - Black soot

Distress Spray - Barn Door

TCW Stencil Chicken Wire & Mini Geometric

Tim Holtz Tissue - Melange

Tim Holtz Design Tape - Chatter

Water Brush

Colour Blast Shimmer Pen

Broken Bones - Kristy Abela - Colour Blast DT

 Helloooo...Wow first post for Colour Blast today!! I envy the work of so many that have worked on the team and am super flattered to be able to add my name to those ranks. 

I have been scrapping for so long now that I have actually run out of pictures... Yep you know that you have problems when you have no back log of projects... So with the freedom I have now I get to really play with my products. This is why I have crossed over into journaling and canvas work.. So today I showcase my fave products...
Yep all Colour Blast.

 I am an earthy girl at heart and the Colour Artist Inks are so versatile for various colour pallets. I started with my go to products.. Wood grain and Script. I put my Heavy White Gesso to work.. to seal the page, as an adhesive, as a top coat and a highlight with my fingers to rub it into the edges of the paper to blend in the edges. 

 I wanted to create some hand made leaf embellishments for my page.  I coloured some watercolour cardstock in two layers. My first layer I dripped some Colour Artist ink in Cider, Rust and Walnut. I added some water and spread it with my brush to fill the page. I sprinkled some Olive Colour Mica Powder across the page for sparkle. 

 Once dried I added a second layer of Colour Artist Ink in Grass and Soot... Ok, maybe a little bit more Olive Colour Mica Powder too..

 I covered the whole sheet in a layer of crackle paste..

 Boom!!

 I used Ranger as I have found that it is the best when drying with a heat tool. Often the instructions are to leave it overnight.. Too impatient for that! 

 I ran it through the die cutter... It was thicker in some parts and I ended up trimming through the thicker bits with scissors. It was worth it. Check out the texture and shimmer in those leaves. They remind me of Eucalyptus..

Now for the background... I used a Kaisercraft stamp (Marble) to create some variation in the background. I added some drops of Colour Artist Ink Soot to the page and with my wet wipe I began to age the background. I repeated the process with Colour Artist Ink Walnut.

   I collected my Embellishments together to cluster. I coloured a plain non-textured piece of cardstock with Colour Artist Inks Walnut, Cider and Rust to run through the Cuttlebug to create the script. 

After this I dry brushed some Heavy White Gesso back over the page to bring out the texture that the paper piecing created to really give the effect of a weathered wall.

  My favourite part of this whole layout was playing with Michelle Grants' new stencil Large Owl. The wide lines have given me so much yummy texture. I used some home made modeling paste that I made up with my Heavy White Gesso and added some Colour Artist Ink Soot to make a charcoal colour. I rubbed a little bit of crayon onto the leaves... but wait there's more!! 

Can you see the shimmer? I used my Clear Shimmer Brush Marker and was SO impressed with the effect. I later did a comparison with "other" brands who offer similar products. Hands down Colour Blast have nailed this product!

Thanks for checking out my page!
Looking forward to seeing you again soon!

Art and Soul Studio - June Challenge

Hi Soul Sisters. I have my take on the June challenge here for you. I am not keen on my handwriting at all... So this one was a real step outside my comfort zone.

I had been challenged by a friend to figure out how Alcohol inks work... Well I can tell you they are a slow process.. I really enjoyed the play and I hope you do too. I guess I learned to 'Embrace the Journey' and that is how it became the title of my journal page.

I stamped and embossed on an second sheet of Yupo to create the Geometric shapes and matted them in black card. 

I hope you like it.. I have a list of products below.

Thanks for looking! Enter the challenge on Facebook. To enter join the group Soul Sisters and put your entry into the album! 

Products used: 

Alcohol inks:

Pool - Citrus - Butterscotch - Stream - Terracotta - Patina - Cranberry - Sunshine

Yupo Paper

Stampendous Cling Stamp - Ornate Scroll

Carabelle Studio Stamp - Les Geometrics #1

Art & Soul - Limited Edition journal page

Hi everybody... I can't say I  am enjoying the chill too much, I much prefer the warmer weather. I decided to create a journal page to remind me of the water, with a hint of chilled to the bone.. Perfect for Andy Skinner Stamps!

  I created a background of Distress oxides by spreading them across my craft mat. I played with the re-inkers as I love the way they can be used like a watercolour paint but also add variations in tone once water is added. I do confess... I am hooked!!
  I used a bubble stencil and water alone to lift off some of the oxide to create a watermark and then added two layers of contrast with Stencils.
  I then applied some smaller stamps using archival ink to the background. I stamped the largest image onto the background and embossed in black.

  I used a piece of mixed media card as a base for my focal point and used Wild Honey to colour it to contrast the greens in the background. I stamped and Embossed my large fish and created a puddle of peacock feathers on my mat to colour it. I used my fingers to dab onto the skeleton and dragged the card around the puddle to create a watery border. 

  I felt that I needed a little more definition on my piece and used my mini ink pad in Black Soot to edge both the focal point and the page itself. I stenciled some netting on there with embossing paste and tied some string around it. I played with some quotes and mounted my focal point onto a piece of cardboard.

  In the end I felt as though I needed more fish so I stamped and embossed a few more in there to fill out my background. To finish it off I drew a double line around the edge of the page and added some swirls and zigzags to complete my Limited Edition piece!
  Thanks for looking and I will see you soon with my take on the Moodboard.
Hugs... Kristy!