Art Journals: using acrylic covers – part 2

Posted on 2nd May 2017 by perfectly4med

I promised to share my ‘now you see me, now you don’t’ technique for acrylic covers that didn’t quite get finished on air during my last Hochanda shows for That’s Crafty!. Below are some instructions along side the pics I took prior to the shows, and below those is a short video I have done to try and explain it a little more clearly! Apologies for the outside noises on the video – they’re wind chimes and a radiator warming up, if you’re wondering.

Continue reading →

Art Journals: using acrylic covers

Posted on 28th April 2017 by perfectly4med

I was on Hochanda this week demonstrating techniques for using the acrylic covers effectively, for the A4 and A6 journals from That’s Crafty!. As always, there is too little time on air to fit in all my ideas, and only just enough time to fit in all I had planned! What follows below are photos and quick explanations of how to do your own. I really need to remember to take step-by-step photos as I make so that I can do a proper tutorial post! First is an unbroadcast cover, then the mirrored cover that didn’t go so right when rushed, and last for this post is the bubbling water effect shown in my first hour.

Peel off the protective film from the reverse of the cover
Work on the reverse side for all the following steps
Place the snowdrop stencil in position and fill in using Posca pens
Dry, then place the TIME stencil upside down and sponge through ivory paint
Dry, spritz with gold mister, dry
Meanwhile, print texture stamps onto large Rizla papers using Chartreuse archival ink
Heat set the ink, then using decoupage glue/multi medium glue overlapping layers of the printed papers
Once dry, any paper over the edges of the cover can be sanded off

Peel off the protective film from the reverse of the cover
Working on the reverse, add alcohol inks until you are happy with the coloured layer
Place the JOURNAL stencil upside down and sponge a layer of Jet Black archival ink through onto the alcohol ink
Remove the stencil and then rub away the black in with a clean cloth/kitchen towel
Repeat inking steps if you want to remove any more of the alcohol ink
Now spritz with a water-based varnish (e.g. Pentart spray varnish) to seal the ink
IMPORTANT: allow to fully air dry, do not heat. Repeat varnish layer
Spritz with Pentart Mirror Mist and heat dry immediately to stop the mirror mist weakening the varnish beneath
Seal the mirror mist with the same varnish and finally apply a layer of black acrylic paint
Peel off front film to reveal your results

Peel off the protective film from the reverse of the cover
Working on the reverse, and using the word stencils the wrong way up, sponge your main colour onto the acrylic; heat dry and repeat directly over the top.
Next, sponge your shadow colour through the same stencil, slightly offsetting from the first colour
For the water effect, first dilute some white gesso/primer
Working quickly, cover the whole sheet with a layer of watery paint and then dab isopropyl alcohol into the wet paint – it will push the paint away and start the effect
When you are happy with the effect, heat dry in a well ventilated room
Repeat with a light shade of blue, and then another darker shade of blue
This technique will work over any sealed surface, but does rely on the paint being thinned and still wet
Try adding text to the front of the cover as well, this time starting with the shadow colour and working over the top with the main colour

Bonus post

Later this week I will do a separate post explaining my ‘now-you-see-me-now-you-don’t’ technique that was a wee bit rushed at the end of the second show:

Continue reading →

Art Journal Pages: Colours

Posted on 19th March 2017 by perfectly4med

Regular readers won’t be surprised to learn that I have been spending quite a lot of time making samples and prepping demos for my shows on Hochanda last Friday. It’s one reason that there have been very few blog updates recently, as there’s always a media embargo on sharing things before the shows go out. Now that they’re over though, here is one of the 8×8″ journals I decorated for the occasion.

Each spread uses the Pentart Matt Acrylic Paints in a baby-wipe swiped layer, stamped and stencilled, to give a tone-on-tone effect. Some worked well (purple and orange), others not so well (mentioning no names, green). The fine applicator nib is great for painting outlines and letters, as I demonstrated on air.

Continue reading →

Art Journal Page: ATC Art Gallery

Posted on 4th March 2017 by perfectly4med

It’s my monthly Art Journal Session on Monday evening, and for this month’s theme we’re tackling ‘ATC art’. I’m not one for making artist trending cards most of the time – for the uninitiated, ATCs are 3½” x 2½” pieces of artwork that are designed to be swapped between crafters – and I thought it was time to revisit the format. I’ve sneaked them into my art journal timetable, and here’s the sample page. BTW – the frames are one of my first forays into the world of 3D design and printed here in The Studio.

Continue reading →

Show Time! – for That’s Crafty! on Hochanda

Posted on 7th October 2016 by perfectly4med

I am live on Hochanda – the home of crafts, hobbies and art – available on Sky 663, Freeview 85 or Freesat 817, and on www.hochanda.com right now. With top tips for working with That’s Crafty! Surfaces, clock stacks and dreamcatchers, I’ll also be showcasing Pentart glass paints and Express Transfer medium.

I’ll be posting mini-tutorials for each of the projects over the next week. Don’t forget to check out the fabulous That’s Crafty! blog and the design team blogs (on the That’s Crafty! blog side bar) for more inspiration and projects.

Oh, I’m on at 11am as well, or you can catch up or watch again for the next 10 days over at Hochanda’s online TV Schedule – just set the date in the drop down list for 7th October and look for my shows at 8am and 11am.

Continue reading →

Decor Concrete Cast Bowl

Posted on 15th September 2016 by perfectly4med

One of the great things about my job is that I get to play with new products. Yesterday I had a go with a sample of coarse Decor Concrete from Pentart. It resembles sand when dry, and once the bonding agent is mixed in it moves like the magic sand stuff you can get in toy shops. It needs to be packed in a mould, and doesn’t mould round something such as a balloon as it doesn’t particularly stick to itself. A quick whizz in the microwave sets the bonding agent, and once it’s cooled, it can be removed from the mould. It becomes waterproof when baked at 200°C for five minutes. There is quite a lot of weight to the finished objects, and I’m amazed at how resilient the thin edges are. The finished surface looks like a light sandstone.

360° product shots are so much easier now I have a foldio360 to fit in my Foldio 2 photo booth. They still have some kinks to work out (such as coordinating with DSLR remotely), but so far, so good! All I need to do now is practice getting items in the middle of the turntable…
This disc was moulded in the inside of a finished roll of tape, and then imprinted with a stamp image [That’s Crafty! ‘Beck’] and filled after baking with a water-based black outliner paste. I also added the metallic gold to the edge. Both items required a felt base to be added to avoid scratching any surface they were placed on.