Ancient Powertex Rusty Face

Morning Friends and Crafters, Im back again with some more inspiration for you. Today's project uses Powertex along with a lot of fabric scraps, gauze & lace off cuts etc. These are great projects to allow you to create something wonderful, and hopefully using a lot of things you wouldn't normally have a use for. I have also opened a new Etsy Shop for my collection, the link is at the top of the blog page, do take a look.

You will Need:

Craftascope A5 Media Stencil 'Trent'

 A large MDF Tag or Board

Ivory Powertex

Easy 3D Flex

Rusty Powder

Fabric Scraps, Lace, Calico etc

Powertex Sand and Balls

Powertex Easy Varnish

Powercolor Turquoise

Colortricx Copper

Step 1: Create a paste, the same consistency as texture paste by mixing Ivory Powertex, 3D Flex and some Rusty Powder. Use a spatula or palette knife to smooth this through your stencil on to the MDF Board. Leave to dry and wash soak you stencil immediately.

Step 2: Collect a selection of fabrics, lace, calico and anything else you would  like to use use, try to use a mixture to give you some really nice textures throughout your project. Coat the pieces with Powertex as you use them, and add to your project. Here you want to create movement and depth.

Step 3: Build up the fabrics around the stencil, create as much depth and texture to add interest. Next add the Sand and balls to your piece. Always start with the largest first, then drop down to the medium, then small, finally adding some sand. You dont need to use many of these for impact, definitely a case of less is more. Leave to dry.

Step 4: Next dry brush using the turquoise mixed with a little Easy Varnish. Add the colour lighter in some areas and deeper in others, you definitely don't want n even colour across you project. Use the Rusty powder mixed with a little Powertex, apply this in layers using either a stencil brush or an old hardened brush. Apply heavier in the areas that would be naturally more aged or warn. Spritz with vinegar 50/50 mixed with water.

Step 5: Allow the liquid to run, by slightly tilting your MDF. If required sprinkle more rusty powder in areas where you would like a stronger effect. Check periodically to make sure it's not dried and spritz if required, when you are happy with the result leave to dry.

Step 6: To finish your project, mix a very small amount of easy varnish with the Copper Colortricx. Use this very, very sparingly, only to add a few highlights here and there. A little of this really does go a long way, using too much can really spoil the effect.

Just a little extra here: If you have not shopped with Hochanda before, here is a voucher code giving you 30% off your first purchase (FEY5JBP7) it can be used for any purchase, feel free to share it.

Thank you for joining me today, I hope you have enjoyed the tutorial along with the finished project and that you will join me again very soon to see what else I have to share with you. For now, Take care and Happy Crafting.xx

Rusty Journal Cover

Morning Friends and Crafters, A few days ago I shared a rusty project with you. Having experimented on the paper towel and creating a really nice piece I decided to take it a step further and make a cover for my Pink Pig journal. After discovering how well the rust works with stencils, it's opened up a whole new use for them. One tip for using them is to soak them overnight when using them in this way, just to make sure it all comes off.

You will Need:

Craftascope A5 Media Stencil 'Trent'

Craftascope A5 Media Stamp Set 1 'Dolphins'

Craftascope A5 Media Stamp Set 2 'Profile'

Clarity Mask 'Chain Link'

Black Texture Paste

Powertex Rusty Powder

Inventors Asylum Rust Spray** or 50/50 Vinegar and Water

Black Friendly Plastic

Boiling Water

Pebeo Silver Gilding Wax 

Scrap Denim (Old Jeans)

Black Gesso

White Gel Pen

**The Rust dye formula, will give you the choice of colour either bright or dark, bright giving the typical rusty look or dark giving a grayer shade. 

Step 1: The texture paste will need to dry so I recommend leaving this overnight, the details is excellent on the stencil and well worth the time. Spread the texture past through the stencil in various places, not to worry if you get smudges. Next add some Gesso here and there to creak a broken fame around the journal. The journal over has it's own texture as well so work keeping some of it clear.

Step 2: Once the cover is dry you can add some highlights with the gilding wax.

Step 3: Dip some friendly plastic in boiling water and stamp your words into it. Once cool highlight these with the silver wax also.

Step 4: Paint a selection of cogs with black Gesso, Then using the acrylics add a rusty look to them.

Step 5: Take your denim and spray with the vinegar mix or rust dye spray. Sprinkle the rust powder through the stencil. Repeat with sections of the chain link fence. Leave overnight, the denim holds the liquid well so you shouldn't need to re wet the fabric. Once dry brush off the excess, then use a needle to add the frayed details around the edges.

Step 6:Use Collall Tacky glue to secure the denim onto your journal.

Step 8: Use Glue Gel to arrange and secure your other elements to complete the project.

Thank you for joining me today, I really hope you have enjoyed the tutorial along with the finished piece. Please come by again to see what else there is to share with you. Take care and Happy Crafting.xx

Rusty Face

Morning Friends and Crafters. I am so excited to share this mixed media piece with you today. It's a real favourite of mine a it was a bit of an experiment that came out just as I wanted. It was a fun project and well worth the waiting time. Once again this wouldn't have to be a journal or scrapbook page, it could easily be made smaller for a card or even par of it onto an ATC, Like I always say have fun with your crafting, try something new, and always remember, There are NO RULES.

You will need:

Craftascope A5 Media Stencil 'Trent'

Craftascope A5 Media Stamp set 2 'Profile'

Kitchen Roll

Powertex Rust Powder

Vinegar & Water Mix 50/50 mix 

( if for fabric or Clothes I recommend the Rust Dye either Bright or Dark from Inventors Asylum as it's much better where the integrity and strength of fabric is important, clothes etc)

Strip of Calico (previously used for cleaning paints, inks etc)

Medical Gauze Dyed to Match

Sewing Machine

Black card and threads to match or contrast.

Collall Tacky Glue

Step 1: Fold the  sheets of kitchen roll together (still connected gives more strength) Spritz with the mix of Vinegar Water. Next position your stencil in place, sprinkle with rusty powder and spritz again. Do check after a few hours to make sure it's not dried out, If so spritz with more. Keep checking periodically, then leave overnight or longer if required. Remove the stencil and leave to dry thoroughly before dusting off any remaining powder. If using on fabric with the rust dye instead, the fabric can be washed as instructed. 

Step 2: I use calico to mop up inks and paints etc and keep the fabric for future projects. I took one of the pieces and cut off a strip to use. First I added a strip of the dyed gauze and over the top added the calico, which matched the colours beautifully. I used a ziz zag stitch to secure the pieces. I then used Versafine Black ink to add some words, Here I thought the 'Life is Tough' fitted perfectly, but thats personal choice.

Step 3: To finish stitch around the kitchen towel a few times with a messy Zig Zag stitch, I finally added it to a piece of natural Calico, stitched around once more and then frayed the edges before mounting onto black card with tacky glue.

Just a little extra here: If you have not shopped with Hochanda before, here is a voucher code giving you 30% off your first purchase (FEY5JBP7) it can be used for any purchase, feel free to share it.

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/

Thank you so much for joining me today, I do hope you have enjoyed this tutorial along with the finished piece. It's such an easy but effective result and quite special how the rust forms the complete face just from the stencil including the lips etc as they were originally drawn. I added a very small amount of white gel pen just to highlight the eyes a little. 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.