Mixed Media Collage Archives

Tag Books

This article was written by: Melanie Statnick

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These have to be the cutest thing I’ve seen yet. Little story books or note books made from tags. I used some scrapbook paper and Kraft paper with collaged images to make a little books. This first one is about The Fish King. Gather tags either pre made or shape to cut. Use any type of paper in between for your pages.

Fold tag in half, you’ll use the string to wrap your book. Cut and fold blank pages to size and staple to the inside of your tag. Cut assorted images and words and glue them onto your pages to create or story or note book. You can use the front and back of each one or use just one side.

Don’t forget to decorate your cover. These are so cute and quick, you can make a dozen in a day. Have fun and be creative! I used a micron pen to outline the pages and images and added scrapbook gems to the images for a little sparkle. I also used a hole punch because I cut my tags from scrapbook paper.

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Author bio: Artist Melanie Statnick is a Published Artist/Writer out of North Carolina who writes and creates art daily from her private studio.

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Collage Bubble Fix

By MMA Team 1 Comment

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This article is written by Vicki Ross

What is a Collage Bubble? We all get ‘em, we all hate ‘em, but what are you gonna do with ‘em?

Simple, really. I worked with an xActo knife so many years during the pre-computer paste-up graphics days that I would wear mine behind my ear like some people do a pencil. Really!

So, suffice it to say, I have pretty good knife skills. This short video will explain my way to fix bubbles in your collage work. You don’t have to fix them, but if they seem problematic with what you intend the finished product to look like, you can fix in a few short minutes.

Because of the aforementioned knife skills, I did not use a cutting mat under my page. This striped paper is wallpaper, probably washable, and pre-pasted. However, with a generous coat of matt medium on both the wallpaper and the journal page, I still ended up with bubbles (note: not all the wallpaper I experimented with did this). SO, even though you are cutting just through the wallpaper, you might want to put that cutting mat under the page.

I’m just sayin’.

All images © V.N.Ross

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Vicki Ross is focused on sharing her journey to art and how life events can shape us through creativity. www.Axully.com Vicki has always been involved deeply in the creative arts, from professional soft crafts publications (knitting/crochet/needlework) to French Hand-sewing, stencilling to macramé, oil painting to encaustics. Whatever your leaning, she believes in the healing power of creating.

You can see more of Vicki’s work at VickiRossArt or via blog posts at Axully – Solid. Useful. Beautiful

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Filed Under: Mixed Media Collage Tagged With: Art Journals, Bubble Fix, collage, matt medium, Mixed Media

Live, Laugh, Love Mixed Media Canvas

By MMA Team Leave a Comment

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This article is written by Kim Kelley

In one of my other articles I had added that I constantly have several projects going at once, sometimes so many I forget what I was going to do with them! My biggest problem with doing that is remembering to take pictures of each step along the way and then where I put them on my computer. Literally I have picture floating around that I have no clue where they are. I have looked, but it seems they are like that one lost sock…doomed to never be found.

Any way back to the task at hand: this month’s project is a canvas that is a little larger than what I usually do, so let’s see how it turned out!

Here is a list of what I used:

~ 8” x 24” canvas

~ White gesso

~ Spray mist by Lindy’s Shabby Tuxbine Teal

~ Ayeeda mist by 13 Arts – Chalk Burnt Sienna and Pearl Brown Light

~ Miscellaneous charms, flowers, metal pieces, wooden pieces, and jewelry pieces

~ Chipboard from Dusty Attic

~ Heavy Gel by Golden

~ Glue gun

When I start a canvas I usually have some idea of what I am going to create, knowing the theme, colors and style, with this one I just start throwing a bunch of random items into a box. As far as the colors go, I had just received an order with the 13 Arts sprays and decided I had to try them out. The teal I added because it seemed to work so well.

When I buy canvas I usually get the already primed, but still add my own gesso. So after the added gesso dried I started laying out my pieces…turning, moving until something finally stuck and I liked it. Grabbing my Heavy Gel I started attaching some of the bigger pieces and using my hot glue gun attached the smaller ones.

Canvas with embellishments 1

Canvas with embellishments 2

As you can see by the pictures color and material did not matter to me. I just grabbed and glued, knowing I would be painting over everything with gesso.

Gessoed embellishments 1

Gessoed embellishments 2

After it dried I started in with my sprays. Now I am one of those people that cannot wait for anything, I don’t like to use the word impatient too often but yes I am impatient, and with sprays it is not a good thing to be. You truly want your spray to dry before going onto the next color…it can get ugly real quick!

Sprays used

Spots of spray 1

Spots of spray 2

Spots of spray 3

So I was very patient with this one. I continued to spray alternating each color until I felt like I was happy with it. SO….here I is my finished project.

Finished project

I was pleasantly surprised when my husband decided he wanted to hang it up, usually unless it is something I made specifically for him it goes in an area to be sold. (if I ever get my act together to do a show!) But this time he loved it so much he hung it right on the wall!

Life is short, do something creative every day!

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Kim Kelley is borderline obsessive about her crafting and her art. She loves mixed media art because you are free to go beyond your comfort zone, using your imagination and exploring an anything goes mind set. Kim loves to learn and explore new techniques and hopes that any art she creates leads someone to find their inner creative artist!

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Filed Under: Mixed Media Collage Tagged With: Dusty Attic, embellishments, gesso, Spray mist by Lindy’s

Mixed Media Canvas – Have Faith

By MMA Team Leave a Comment

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This article is written by Kim Kelley

For this month’s project I decided to try something a bit different on this canvas, instead of using products that were all the same color and style; I chose anything I found in my drawers and jars. Found some metal pieces, flowers of different sizes and some charms to go with the faith theme.

Finished Project 1

Here is a list of what I used:

~ 8 X 10 canvas

~ White gesso

~ Spray mist by Lindy’s Shabby Turbine Teal, Mad Hatter Mint, Dark Chocolate Truffle, Opal Sea Oats

~Spray mist by 13 arts Pearl Brown Light

~ Spray mist by Smooch Vanilla Shimmer

~ Chipboard from Dusty Attic

~ Miscellaneous charms and flowers from stash

~ Glue gun

~ Finishing spray by Krylon

I glued them all onto the canvas with my glue gun and used gesso to cover all the pieces. I did not completely cover the canvas, just out a bit from each embellishment.

Gessoed Canvas

After a few hours of drying time I picked my mist colors, starting with a few shades of brown. At this point I realized I made a huge mistake, having not used the gesso over the entire canvas made the sprays puddle and not color the canvas.

Bad Spray

I dried off the wettest part and added more gesso. I used some that I watered down a little and

covered all the areas I missed. And after that dried I started in with my sprays. I really wanted a color palette that could complement any home décor, so sticking with browns I added some teals.

Chosen Sprays

Good Sprays

At this point my OCD kicks in and I start to question if I have added enough of one color or the other, if I need to add more embellishments, second guessing the color choices and even adding more of all the colors! Crazy, I know. Finally deciding it’s all good and making myself stop and just let it be!

I printed a saying that I am hoping will offer some comfort to a friend of mine. She has been going through a lot the last 2 months and I thought creating this canvas as a little gift may give her a bit of a pick me up. I attached the saying to the canvas with foam dots and sprayed a little of the mists so the saying didn’t look so bright on it. I added the vanilla shimmer which helped mix some of the colors as well as adding the shimmer.

Saying

Final step after all is dry is spraying a finishing spray over the canvas in its entirety. Using the spray not only protects the creation but gives it some shine. Here is the finished piece:

Finished Project 2

Life is short, do something creative every day!

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Sites: itsallaboutcrafting.blogspot.com and www.facebook.com/kimscraftyconcepts

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Filed Under: Mixed Media Collage Tagged With: flowers, gesso, metal pieces, spray mists

Tag Books

Collage Bubble Fix

Live, Laugh, Love Mixed Media Canvas

Mixed Media Canvas – Have Faith

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