" I will write Peace" Mixed Media Tutorial

"I will write Peace" Mixed Media Tutorial

Try this in your art journal or on a canvas, both will have great results!

This our background, to make this effect use a scraper or palette knife and apply texture/modelling paste over your background surface in random applications. Does not have to cover 100%, but at least 80%.  You want to create some texture, so don't make it too smooth! 

Dry with a hairdryer.

I have used a combination of colours of acrylic paints, for this project "thinner' paints work better then the heavier body brands.

Using a 1" basecoating brush quickly paint in sections of your background, leaving the darker Paynes Grey colour to the bottom, as they are thin paints you can wet on wet blend the colours as they meet together. Dry. 

Using a medium weight sandpaper, sand over your project, this will highlight your initial texture layer.

Using  a fan brush speckle over your piece with thinned Gesso.

I have used a circle stencil to create the moon, first i applied a layer of white Gesso, then added some yellow acrylic paint to the bottom and side edge. I then added some gold metallic paint as an extra highlight, I used my finger to blend, but a paintbrush will work!

This is an enlargement of the background so you can see the distressed, grungy effect. I love it!

Stencil in your birds, I have chosen to feature the crane. Use a foam makeup sponge to stencil, I have kept the flying crane light and the standing up crane dark for a point of difference.

To paint in branches , use a scraper ( got mine from the hardware store) dip it into Burnt Umber paint then apply to surface, lift up, and go again! Make sure you have thick and thin impressions as it makes your branches more "real".

 Detail of the standing crane.

Use a mandala dot tool dipped in white acrylic paint and add "dots" to your branches to imply blossoms. These tools/stylus have different sized balls on the end to create various sized dots. Use the wooden end of some of your paintbrushes if you don't have these.

You will notice in the photo, i have stenciled in some small flying cranes near the moon.

In finishing this piece I have hand written sayings that I believe to be encouraging.

 I have used a normal pencil, but you of course can use a pen if preferred.

If you want to use these words here they are:

"I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world"

and

"Paint the flying spirit of the bird, rather than its feathers"

Use Burnt Umber to add shadow under the moon, around the crane and also on bottom edge of project. I have used and angle flat shader brush for this. As an alternative you could also use a brown Tim Holtz distress crayon and smudge the shadow.

The final detail to our "peace" project is adding a layer of gold glitter paint over the moon.

 It doesn't show up very well in the photo but looks beautiful in real life!

This is a canvas version of the same project. Hope this is one project that you will learn  heaps from. It is a favourite of mine.