Beeswax Canvas

Hi Everyone! It’s Angela here again, with an altered art project. Today I want to show you a canvas that I made using beeswax, stamps, crayons and Tim Holtz distress inks. To start I took a blank canvas board and rubbed various distress inks over it. I then took a piece of cut and dry foam, damped it with some water and rubbed this over the inks to blend them together. I then stamped a large Stamper’s Anonymous Vogue stamp onto white tissue paper. I tore around this roughly. For the beeswax I used a melting pot and some beeswax pellets. I brushed the whole canvas with beeswax and then adhered the tissue paper, and then covered this with more beeswax. Be careful when using beeswax as it is very hot. Once it is applied to the canvas it will cool and harden quite quickly, so you will need to know where you want to put each embellishment before applying the wax. The wax can be melted again on the canvas using a heat gun if you need to. I then stamped some french postmarks onto tissue paper and adhered them in the same manner, along with a strip of scrapbook paper (measuring tape). The handbag and shoe was also stamped onto tissue. I then melted a red crayola crayon in the meltpot, and used a brush to put it on the edge of the canvas, and heated this with the heat gun to help it blend in a bit better with the rest of the content. The manequin was from a collage sheet, again it was adhered using beeswax, and the various embellishments were set into warm wax. Finally I did a packing tape transfer from a dictionary – definition of “fashion”. Packing Tape Transfers are the most simple way of doing an image transfer. Simply use clear tape or contact film/clear sticky-backed plastic if it is a large image, put this over the image or text you want to transfer, rub with a bone folder to make sure that the tape is well stuck down. Then wet the paper and begin to rub the paper off until you can see the image/text. You can then stick it down on your prepared surface. Remember not to place a beeswax collage near a heat source, or the elements may fall off! Hope this inspires you to try something different! ~angela~ ****************** We now have the winner from Yesterday's Heat Gun giveaway, which was kindly donated by Forgetmenot Papercrafts. SuzyB :) Can you contact us please so that we can get your lovely pink heat gun sent off to you :) Congratulations!!! 

Simple Canvases

This is a canvas you can make in a few hours (including drying time).

Materials - photograph, mica tiles, gold leaf (or other sparkly material), text (stickers, printed text, etc), tiles (or other embellishments), paint, glue

Step 1: Paint the canvas background with gesso and other acrylic paints. Leave to dry.

Step 2: Add your photograph (mounted, or edge with paint or a Krylon pen - example below).

Step 3: Add your background text. I used baby-oriented stickers. You can see that I also painted over them, so some of the words are clear, and others are semi-transparent. Then I added some gold leaf on top.

Step 4: Add your mosaic tiles or other embellishments to the edge of the canvas.

Step 5: Add accents as you wish. (I added a heart at the top, and I edged it with white paint.)

Step 6: Peel mica tiles into corners to make a frame for your photograph. Layer them gently around the photograph.

Enjoy. :0)

xxxx

Joy

Canvases and Backgrounds

Hello :) It's Angela here again, thanks again to the IACW girls for inviting me back as a Guest Designer. Today I want to show you a couple of canvases that I have been working on over the last few weeks.

This work is inspired by Maggie Grey. Supplies: 12x12 canvases PVA glue String White tissue paper Ribbon Lace ribbon Gesso Foam stamps Adirondack Paint daubers in various shades Daler Rowney's Interference Mediums Metallic Rub On waxes Brilliance Ink Script Rubber Stamp Golden Gel Medium Photocopied Image For the first canvas, I covered the entire surface with PVA glue I then got two pieces of thick string and tied knots in them. This was then stuck to the canvas again with PVA, and a piece of textured ribbon was adhered along the bottom. This was then covered with a layer of whitetissue paper, then added more PVA glue and then another layer of white tissue. This was left to dry. I then painted over this using Ranger's Paint daubers in denim and stream colours, dabbed randomly and then mixed on the canvas using my fingers, and sponge paint brushes. Once this was dry I highlighted the string and ribbon covered areas with some more stream coloured paint. Once this was dry, I used Daler-Rowney's blue interference medium over the top. Once this was dry, I rubbed over the raised areas with blue metallic rub-on wax to pick out the detail. The finished canvas looks like this: For the second canvas I used gesso (gesso is a substance used to prime surfaces for painting - it is like a thick acrylic paint). I applied the gesso using a palette knife, making sure that the edges were covered in a heavier layer of gesso. I stamped into the edges using foam stamps. It is important that you wash your stamps through thoroughly immediately so that it doesn't dry on your stamp and damage it.

I then cut two thin strips of lace and adhered them to the top and bottom of the canvas by setting them into the gesso, I then covered this with gesso using my fingers, dabbing it into the holes in the lace to make sure that it is properly stuck down. Leave this to dry overnight. Again this was painted with Ranger Paint daubers in Cranberry, butterscotch and a tiny bit of stream. This was worked into the canvas, into the ridges left by the gesso and into the lace. Once this was dry it was highlighted with red and gold interference medium by Daler-Rowney. The stamped areas were then highlighted with metallic rub ons in green, gold and red. This is the main technique for the backgrounds. I was happy with the first as it was, it didn't need anything else added to it. The second canvas had a large area in the middle that needed something, so I did an image transfer using golden gel medium and a photocopy of an image of my son and stamped with a script stamp using brilliance ink onto the side of the canvas. These techniques are really simple and easy to do and give great effects, they would even work on book covers and many other surfaces. ~angela~

Button Heart

I imagine that a lot of you are like myself and have LOADS of buttons lying around; well here is a quick and simple project that will use some of those spare buttons. The base is a 4x4 inch deep edge canvas, painted to the colour you want. Draw a heart shape on a piece of painted/coloured card and cut out. Using Glossy Accents (or any other strong clear drying glue) start to place the buttons round the edge of the design, I used all different sizes and pale colours in mine. When you have filled the centre of the shape you will find that you need to put buttons on top to fill in the gaps, keep going until you are happy with the result. Hope you have fun with this project. Trish xxx

Kids Creating Art

I'm sure that all of us deal with Children in one way or another. Whether you are a parent, carer, teacher or someones relative we all are involved in some way. What better way to create a keepsake than by getting the kids involved in the Art itself. Some of the us ladies on IACW have been getting crafty with our children and here are some ideas you might want to have a go at! Enjoy!!! Cath xx Andrea I am a teacher in A Special Needs School and also the Art Co-ordinator so the children in my class do a lot of art! A couple of weeks ago I set them a challenge to make an art gallery to brighten up a corner of the classroom. They really took the challenge to heart and produced some fantastic pictures on the theme of 'landscapes'. I thought I would share this on It's A Creative World as I know a lot of you will be at home with your children over the long summer holidays and will need to fill in the odd rainy afternoon.

These pictures were all made with just coloured tissue paper and pva glue. I was so amazed at how well they came out, especially when you take into consideration that these children all have very severe special needs and are only 7 and 8 years old. Just tear the tissue into strips, glue onto the background using pva and then cover the whole thing in another layer of pva to seal it and to give it a shiny finish.

This method could be adapted to create colourful art for your home by taking on a theme of spaceships, seaside, sunshine, under the sea etc. and your children could make an original work of art for their bedroom.

Love from Andrea x

Cath

I decided to get my son Corey involved in making a canvas for my kitchen. Not only did i make a work of art but also a unique keepsake. Keepsakes are very precious to me. Corey was a very sick little boy when he was born 12 wks early and spent 5 months in hospital. During those times, not being a scrapbooker then, i didn't value the concept of keeping everything so to have memories for the future. I truly understand how important it is now.

I picked up a canvas at Home Bargains for £1.99 and used the paint i already had so that is literally all this cost me! This really couldn't be any simpler. I basically painted Coreys hands with a variety of colours and the pressed his hand down on the canvas to make the pattern.

You can obviously just let the child go for it but i wanted something that was somewhat neat. But if you aren't bothered about that then just let them rub their hands in paint and go for it. The result, i think, is a stunning work of art and one that will have pride of place on my wall! Thanks! Cath xx

Joy 2 fabulous projects from Joy!

Shells

Materials: Shells, bag/bucket, water, Adirondack inks, plastic tubs, paper towels/newspaper/messy mat, spatula, bowl

This is a simple project you can do yourself or with kids of any age. My 2 year old son helped me, and he's still talking about it :0)

Collect your shells from the beach... Look for bright colours - anything that grabs your interest. (I even gather little rocks - heart shaped ones - for other projects.) Wash them thoroughly, and leave them out to dry.

Then fill small plastic tubs with water and add a few spritzes of Adirodack colour wash of your choice in each tub. You just want enough water to cover the shells you place in each tub. Leave them overnight to soak.

Have a messy mat (or old plastic table cloth - something you don't mind getting paint on) and paper towels ready. Line the messy mat with paper towels. Gently remove the shells using a spatula or spoon. Pour the excess water down the sink (but leave the water running a bit to rinse any dye from the tub). The shells should be ready for use in a few hours.

Then pick a lovely bowl for display. :0)

PAINTING with your kids with Berol Water Soluble Wax sticks opens up a WHOLE NEW WORLD of creativity... I had the adult version for messy play, and I went looking for some for Calum that would survive little hands. These fabby little things are coated in plastic for easy grip, and the break down easily when dipped in water to make opaque paint - so easy, so much fun, and something just a little bit different to try with kids....

Trish

I used 2 6x6 canvases

Anitas acrylic paint

Anitas metalic acrylic paint

Black felt tip pen

The hands of 2 small children

The handprints, outlines and writing on each canvas were done by my 6 year old and 4 year old kids.

It says ***** right hand, aged *

They had great fun doing this and getting covered in paint, a lovely gift for a family member.

Art Room Sign... MeSsy pLaY

Hi, it's Joy here, *waving madly* at everyone!!!! It’s time for some

MESSY play. This project is just about letting yourself go… and only doing a little bit of creating at once…

say for 15 minutes… then putting it down and coming back to PLAY a little bit more. You have to stop to let stuff dry, but it will also give you time to let your CREATIVITY do leaps and bounds while you see what directions this project takes you. And it can be ANY STYLE. Do what YOU like. And please leave me a link so I can see it. :0) Materials You can do this with ANY MATERIALS – there are NO RULES for messy play :0) But I will let you know what I used just for fun…. Small canvas board Scraps (I used painted hearts (oils but any will do) as things to add to your sign.) Queen of clubs (face and hair) Traced stamps and images for wings and dress Artgirlz crown Artgirlz and Blonde Moments rubber stamps Clear embossing powder Glossy accents Brilliance ink. Versamark ink Microbeads Glue (I like thicky sludgy mod podge or gel gloss, but use what you like)

PAINTS – Use any acrylic paint (something thick to give you texture). Also metallic paints are good for highlighting. I used twinkling H20s, lumieres, acrylics (Ranger), Stewart Gills, watercolour crayons.

Melting pot – wax, UTEE (or both) Paper (to be painted)

Ribbon

Hole punch

Baby wipes to clean stamps and your fingers…

Cling film technique – Collage Discovery Workshop – Beyond the Unexpected

The Messy Play Adventure Preparing….15 minutes or so…. PAINT your sign (canvas board or card – anything sturdy) first. Just do one layer – one or two colours. Also PAINT your paper in varied colours. You’ll make BEADS out of it later. LEAVE it all to dry. FIND your scraps. I chose previously painted hearts. Any thing you like will do – paper, images, leftover pretty things… Whatever calls out to you. GATHER your favourite stamps and paints and set them in front of you for inspiration. Adding…Part 1… 15 minutes… Everything should be dry now. :0) ADD some more layers of paint to your canvas. I used watercolour crayons (colours dipped in water – GREAT FUN!!!!)

to streak colours and draw hearts (not visible in the final canvas). I think used thick acrylic paint and cling film to create texture in various paints. This technique is described in detail in Collage Discovery Workshop. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collage-Discovery-Workshop-Beyond-Unexpected/dp/1581806787/ref=sr_1_13/203-2622484-6921513?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181495295&sr=8-13.

Now is also the time to cut and ROLL your paper to make beads (use your glue). Leave everything overnight to dry. Adding… Part 2… 25 minutes. Start adding images and texture. Stamp and emboss… Put your main image on and colour with paint, ink, markers, anything you like. Squish it, make dots, make swirls, use as many colours as you would like. Paint over things, add in paper, just PLAY. I added the queen and hearts at this stage and some stamped words (“dream it, see it”- Artgirlz http://www.artgirlz.com/ and “Create, Play, Enjoy” – Blonde Moments http://www.blondemoments.com/ ). If you use paint – leave it overnight again.

Adding… Part 3 – 20 minutes. This is all about adding LAYERS and building up images that you like. I then stamped over my scrap hearts and embossed them with gold brilliance ink. I added more embossed (Artgirlz) stars and moons over the painted board. I used clear embossing powder on everything. You can keep going until you are happy. And the best part is if you don’t like – you can work over it. :0)

Adding… Part 4 – 20 minutes. More texture…. I have to confess that this was an accident. I wanted to use UTEE, but I couldn’t get my wax out of my melting pot. So I added UTEE and flex to the wax and melted it all together!!!!! I inked my stamps with Versamak at the same time. I used my melting tool spoon to pour bits of wax on the canvas, and then I put my inked stamps in and pressed…. When I took them out, I gently highlighted them with metallic paints. Beads… 15 minutes.

You can add as much as you want. :0) When you’re done with your sign, make two holes in the board to string some ribbon through. Weave your beads through the ribbon, and tie it off. You know have a dedicated art room (or other) messy play sign to lift your spirit.

We hope you're all enjoying reading our blog and picking up some ideas for projects of your own. Leave a comment for us today or tomorrow for the chance to be entered into a draw to win a *fantastic* kit from the fabulous ScrapaGoGo!!