Favorite background technique; SDC188

Nellie is hostess this week at the Stampotique Designer's Challenge.  Show us your favorite background technique and get a chance to win some of our lovely deeply etched stamps. 

My favorite background is anything mixed media.  For today's card I begin with gesso, scraped painted with a spend gift card, then  added bits of collage scraps.  I like to add pencil scribble and doodles.  Here I'm using Roc's bunny , my mini cube and collage definition.  Roc's bunny is paper pieced with acrylic detail.
I like the play of random and creating asymmetrical balance.

SDC 155 magazines and newspaper

 Happy Thursday.

I have a fun project for you NEXT WEEK.  Why NEXT WEEK?  Because I had to jump in on the (Stampotique) SDC 155 challenge that began yesterday. 

Magda is our hostess this week and I could not resist her challenge to use newspaper or magazine.  Since I have a little obsession with type I thought I'd share one of my very favorite techniques!

Daniel Torrente's Hunk is here to help, along with Amy Wellenstein's love and be loved quote.  My background shows a hint of text for added interest and texture.  Here is how I did it.

Materials:

Cardstock
Gesso
Used gift/ credit card
acrylic paint
work surface
newspaper
flat paint brush (or fingertip will do)
Modge Podge
baby wipes

1. You can begin with a sturdy sheet of cardstock, watercolor paper, or even scrapbook paper with a pattern. 

Add a few drops of acrylic paint to your gesso and scrape across your paper surface as desired.  Sometimes I like to leave ridges (right) from the credit card and not smooth out. Let dry and add another color layer if desired.

2. When prepared surface is dry, apply Modge Podge generously with flat brush or finger.  Immediately place and gently press newsprint face down on Modge Podge. Use the brush to gently burnish the image without moving it.

3. By the time you are done washing out your brush you are ready to remove the newspaper with the credit card. The backwards type is left behind.

4.  If you want to remove some areas to create a more distressed look, wrap a baby wipe around your finger and work away the area you wish to remove.

I even added a little type in Hunk's head. 

I colored Hunk with Peerless watercolors and a waterbrush.  He's raised on the surface with a little silicone glue and there is a bit of washi tape just to keep him grounded.

The randomness of the text is really fun.  I hope you try it!

Come back next week because I have a fun project that you will want to make!

Janet

Summer love

I have a love-hate relationship.  I'm loving summer right up until NOW!  Arizona summers seem to last forever.  We will be entering "monsoon season", which admittedly can be fun with beautiful skies.  However, with added humidity and temps on the rise to 115 plus, the outdoors is not to be enjoyed for too long.  My love-hate Arizona summer feelings gave inspiration for this mixed-media piece.

Stampotique's Mela and Little bird are featured in  this journal page.    I began with a light application of gesso, applied with a credit card.  I smeared Gelatos into the gesso and intensified the color with an additional layer of Inktense brushed roughly with a stiff damp brush.  My sweet  husband bought me Posca pens which led to my doodles.  I loved how they took the surface.  My signature scrap bits and stitches complete the background. 

I used a white wax crayon to work around the edges of the images to create the intensity of the summer sun.  I made Mela's heart a little larger with some scrap paper to accent "summer love."