Stitched Mixed Media Face

Hi Friends and Crafters. I am sharing a stitched mixed media project with you today. Something a little different to try out with my collection. This uses a simple chain stitch for the outline and a couple of French Knots for the eyes. The background has been made with Calico with the print for the background pulled from the Gel Press from Clarity. It's great fun to use and a great way of making some really interesting backgrounds for any of your crafty makes.

You will Need:

Craftascope A5 Media Stencil 'Trent'

Craftascope A5 Media 'Dolphin' Stamp Set 1

Craftascope A5 Media 'Profile' Stamp Set 2

Or The full set which is still on an offer price. and with Flexi and Less.

Clarity Gel Press Printing Plate 8 x 10''

Versafine Black Ink Pad

Daler Rowney System 3 Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red and Ultra Marine.

Brayer

Burgundy/Red Embroidery Thread

Black Card

White Stamping Card

Calico

Step 1: Start with the background on your calico. Add and spread each colour in turn using your Brayer. Use Red, then Blue and finally the yellow. Firmly and evenly smooth the calico over the surface and lift the print. Leave to dry thoroughly.

Step 2: Using the remainder of the ink on your plate, repeat with your card. Lift the print and leave too dry.

Step 3: Position the stencil onto the calico and using either a fine liner or graphite pencil, trace around the outside lines of the whole design. Add the Calico to your hoop and stitch your design use 3 threads and use the chain stitch. This fives a really nice raised result, with dimension and texture while allowing smooth turns around the curves. Use a darker thread for the eyes and a couple of french knots to add life to the eyes. Ray the edges of your cloth to give more interest and texture.

Step 4: Choose a selection of words that appeal to you from across both stamp sets. Use Versafine black ink to stamp onto your gel printed card. Use Tacky glue to mount them onto black card, leaving a narrow border.

Step 5: Mount your fabric onto black card using Collall Tacky Glue. Then use 3D Glue gel to position and secure your words around the face.

Another thing, here is a 30% off voucher to use on your first order (anything) from Hochanda, use code FEY5JBP7.

As you know I love writing my blog and helping as much as I can, well I would really love for you to add you support by adding me as a favourite blog. All you need to do in that section is choose other and add my blog address nickinbarnsley.blogspot It would be great to get a mention even if I dont come anywhere.

Here is the link to add your support for all of the categories. 

https://www.britishcraftawards.com/

Many thanks for joining me today. I hope you have enjoyed the tutorial along with the finished project. It would be great for you try it out especially if it's something you have not done before. This makes a great wall hanging, a page for a journal or scrapbook page and a smaller version would make a lovely stitched card. Why not try it as a partial face with a boarder around it, whatever you do have fun and enjoy what you do. For now Take care and Happy Crafting.xxx

Fairy House

Morning all, Today I am Excited to be sharing a Fairy House that I made. It's not a quick make, but it's well worth the effort and you could also make it with clay, I liked the idea of recycling. 

To begin with, I painted a piece of cardboard, using a selection of paints (see photo). This wants to resemble weathered wood, that would have been on the roof for years, leave to dry.

Then create a sort of witches hat, which will be the base for your roof. Cut a circle and remove a quarter. Test for the size and secure, I used staples for speed as these wont show once you tile.

Take  a flower pot and secure to a cardboard base. Then take individual kitchen roll sheets, a water spray, PVA and a brush. Coat the pt with PVA, spray your kitchen roll and start to cover the pot. Try to make it look like real bark with pleats etc. Overlay some onto the base to form the land. Leave to dry and then paint as for the roof.

Cut the cardboard into 1/2 - 1'' strips and then into tiles.

Arrange your tiles row by row starting at the outer edge. Work around the first row, then overlap and stagger the second and so on. I recommend a glue gun for this step. Finish the top of the roof with a smaller cone.

The fairy door opens so I created a picture to go behind, you can choose whatever you would like to see behind the door.

I made some toadstools with Paper clay, left to dry and painted.

I added the fairy door to the house, I cut it a couple of times from Bronze pearl card. I added depth and bark detail to the walls with Gilding wax. Added flowersoft for grass and plants and to the roof as moss.

Thank you for joining me today, I hope to see you again very soon. For now take care and Happy crafting.xx

An African Mystery

Hi. I have another big project for you today, in fact the largest piece I have done to date about 60 x 40cm. It's my piece for the All-and-Create Africa Challenge No4. The first idea was an African landscape, which evolved as a result of research, elements I wanted to create and a story. There are a lot of elements all of which, tell just one version of a mans journey. So what's the story surrounding this mans life? Was he part of the Trans-Saharan gold trade, providing gold to the Mediterranean economies that demanded it. The man was unearthed at the foothills near to the Sahara Desert. Among his possessions were some trade beads, traced back to Ghana, threaded onto copper wire. Whats your version of his story?  

To start with I created his face using a polystyrene head and allginate. This was filled with plaster, I made the mould to one side rather than face on.

The face was secured to my board. Then using polystyrene, I created the high and low points to start the land.

Using Ivory Powertex and Calico I began building the landscape, creating Mountains,hills,valleys and delta's.

The next layer was sand to create the ground, here i used a selection of fine and medium sand. Then added more layers of a texture paste in certain areas which gives another interesting texture, completely different to the sand.

To add pictorial interest to my piece and tie in with the story and theme, I create a landscape within a map of Africa. I made a stencil with copier paper and then used distress inks.

Then it was back to the main piece, building up various layers of colour from pale creams, yellows through to oranges and reds, leaving each to dry before moving on to the next. 

The final stage of the landscape was to create even more dimension, texture and colour. I decided to use rust, with it's lovely rich but sometimes unpredictable colours, which was scary. I went back to this many times with vinegar, brushing and moving it around to get the effect I wanted. Here is a photo of part of the process. It's looking a little disastrous and close to going in the bin.I was constantly worrying, wondering whether all the work so far had been wasted.

This project was a great learning process for me. I had loved geography and studied (minimally) parts of Africa in secondary school. This time round I read about the trading beads and found photos of some from Ghana. I wanted to make some and include them as an element in the finished piece. First I rolled out some paper clay into thin sausages and left to dry.

Next, I painted them with matt black gesso.

I then painted the 3 thin lines with yellow ochre.

To add the design, I used a white 4Artist marker from Pebeo.

Colouring the face came next, I had already built up the colour as I did the landscape, but now needed to tie it in with the background, I used layers of burnt umber, black and reds, distressing these as I went to get the finished result.

The first layer of rust was finally finished, I was extremely happy with the effect and wonderful colours it had given.

I layered up my pictorial element onto black card, drew in a double black line to create a frame and stamped using a mixed font from Clarity.

Meanwhile I added more rust and texture around the face to ensure it appeared as part of the landscape rather than just stuck in.I wanted it too look like it was coming 'OUT OF AFRICA'

Thank you for stopping by today and taking a look at this project. I hope you like all of the photos, the close ups really show the detail off, much of which is impossible to see without seeing it in real life. Take care and Happy Crafting.

Blizzard

Bev from Bee Crafty launched the MDF on Hochanda during the 'Live from Ally Pally' shows, it was so popular that it sold out twice during the show. Luckily when she launched the New Christmas Stamps on 26th September was able to bring it back. It's wonderful quality and I have loved using it. I am sharing this project which I made with it along with the stamps from the last 2 launches, they all work so well together.

There was no need to prime the MDF first, I painted the sky with Grandma's Teacup Acrylic paint from Indigo Blu, I dragged the brush a little to get some texture. To add the clouds I stippled some System 3 white paint from Daler Rowney, it's incredibly thick and gives great texture.

When this was dry I stamped the words 'Snow' from one sentiment and 'Blizzard' from another using Cobalt Archival Ink and left to dry.

Using Bamboo Leaves Memento ink, I stamped the trees at varying heights to give some perspective and add distance to the project once I had added the landscape.

To add the landscape I used Texture Paste, I coloured it here to show up better on the photos, but thinking about it now I didn't need to for this. I added the paste with a palette knife making the mountain range as real looking as possible.

Next I added the snowflakes to the sky using Blueprint Sketch Distress ink.

I then used Titanium white Acrylic paint to colour the mountains, then adding a small amount of black I added some texture here and there. Next I added some blue to the mountains and also some Grandma's teacup to add the contrast. When this was dry, I added some Cosmic Shimmer glue to areas over the mountains and added Ice Diamonds for the sparkle.

Thank you for joining me again today, I really hope you have enjoyed this project and the step by step. Take care and Happy Crafting.xx