Anything But Cute Mixed Media Challenge #4 - Making Magic

Hello crafty friends!

It's time for our fourth challenge at Anything But Cute. The super talented and very prolific artist Georgie is our hostess this time, and she would like you to make some magic--our theme this time being "Making Magic". I'll give details about the challenge, but first here is my version of Making Magic--an altered wall plaque.

Most of us are drawn to the magic of fairy tales and fantasy.  The colors are often hypnotic, and your mind is free to explore outside the limits of reality. For this challenge, Georgie would like you to create a magical mixed media project strongly inspired by the mood board. Be inspired by the theme, the colors, the textures or all three.  Let's bring a little magic back!

I started with white, thin cardboard waste packaging to make my background.  I added Distress paints in shaded Lilac, Cracked Pistachio and Black Soot, spritzed them to blend, and left to dry.  When completely dry, I added  Tarnished Brass Distress paint, spritzed lightly with water, dried somewhat with my heat gun.  I pressed my paper towel over the entire thing, and quickly removed it to get the texture.  I dried again with my heat gun and blended on Archival ink in aqua. I lightly sprinkled with Frantage and heated from underneath.  Lastly, I splattered with Dylusions Black Marble ink spray .

I die cut some flowers (Tim Holtz Tattered Florals and Tattered Flower Garland) and painted them with black gesso.  When dry, I swiped on some gold Perfect Pearls powder and spritzed them with Perfect Pearls spray in gold.  The two larger ones were also embossed with  Tim Holtz' Mesh Texture Fade, and then wiped with a gold metallic rub to highlight the raised areas. A few smaller ones embossed and highlighted the same way using a dots folder. Two were encrusted with some chunky glitter and added at the end..

Next, I mixed up some Ranger transparent texture paste with Lumiere paint in Metallic Olive and spread this on randomly and squished my flowers into it.  Before drying, I added Frantage embossing powder, and then dried with my heat gun to get some bubbling. I added a few sequins and flicked on more Dylusions Black Marble ink spray.

My butterflies are cut from Tim Holtz Layered Butterfly die; I cut three and gave them each a coat of black gesso. I used Golden Iridescent Gold and Metallic Olive acrylic paint to paint them. I dry brushed two and one I covered fairly heavily with the metallic paints. I put the gold butterfly through my failing Big Kick with Tim's texture fade, and then swiped transparent texture paste on with a credit card, added glitter, mica flakes and micro beads.  I did have to give this a coat of Multi Matte Medium in the end, because stuff started flaking off and that took the glam down a notch, I'm afraid. I added a few large pearls and some smaller black ones painted with Silver and White Mixatives alcohol ink for the body.

When I was through, I really thought my panel looked a little blah, so I dug this old painted wooden plaque out of my stash.

 I gave it a coat of black gesso and edged in Tarnished Brass Distress paint, but still not what my panel needed.  I tried to do the same technique I did on the panel on the plaque, but it didn't work real well. It started to peel off the gesso, back to the original painting and the Cracked Pistachio turned blue.  To save it, I dabbed on some Cracked Pistachio and Tarnished Brass Distress paints,and used a texture tool to drag the color out.  Then I heated the daylights out of the paint and sprinkled on some Frantage and heated to melt. Lastly, I flicked on Dylusions spray in Black Marble. The photo below shows it with the paint still wet.

Next, an oops shot.  You can see the bare spots where even the black gesso came off.

Rescued!

I added the finished panel to the plaque, adhering with Perfect Paper Adhesive.  I tied it in to the plaque by adding some black and transparent texture pastes, Frantage embossing powder, micro beads and the glittered flowers.

I would like to enter this into the following inspirational challenges:

Frilly and Funkie "Things With Wings"

Altered Eclectics Anything Goes Mixed Media/ Altered Art

Country View Challenges "Summertime"

Our Creative Corner Summer Challenge "Mexico Moods" I was inspired by the black door background and the texture of the door and the surrounding structure.

Dies R Us Challenge # 30 "Summertime Fun"

A Sprinkle of Imagination "Anything Goes"

Blessings Ink Amusing Challenge "Sequins"

Pile It On Challenge # 80 "Sequins and/or Beads"

That Craft Place Mixed Media Anything Goes

Dream Factory Challenge #22 "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Here's one last  wacky shot of the finished piece. I hope you enjoyed the post and the process.  I know I did!  It was so much fun to make some magic!  I hope you will find some time to make some magic of your own and enter the Making Magic challenge at Anything But Cute--you have lot's of time! The challenge runs 'til September 4th. Hugs and Blessings!

Sara Emily