Becoming a Butterfly

 

Hi friends!  I'm back with a new canvas, based upon this month's Mixed Media Challenge from the blog of the same name.  This month's challenge is to use stamps in a mixed media project.  Since stamps are my first love, I thought this challenge was just perfect for me!

Since I can't imagine any canvas without texture, I started by applying embossing paste through a stencil.  (Product links at the end of the post)

 

Notice that I didn't cover the entire canvas with paste...just a few areas.  Once the paste was dry, I used Dylusions Ink Sprays to add color.  The ink sprays are fabulous for creating drips!

  With this canvas I also opted to embrace the white space...a practice that I find difficult.  I love white and I love color, but boy do I have a hard time doing either option half way!  (What does that say about my personality?  Yup, it's all true! LOL!)

Next I added a bit more design using another stencil and more ink spray.  See that tiny bit of bright pink...I love it...

 

Now it was time for a contrast color.  Nothing makes me happier than a burst of color from the opposite side of the color wheel!  I opted for a turquoise color from PaperArtsy.  Now...what do you think happened when I added wet paint on top of Dylusions Ink Sprays?  Yup...the water from the paint activated the ink sprays and I got a decent amount of brown.  No worries...I waited for the paint to dry and applied more paint to intensify the turquoise color.

 

More drips...oh how I love the drips!  At this point, I broke out my stamps!  Nothing finishes off a piece like adding a neutral.  I used a few Dina Wakley stamps and black Archival Ink to add another design element.  (I love that crosshatch design!)

 

And since I can't live without text circles, I added a few and then used a Stabilo pencil to draw circles around the text.  Using a waterbrush activates the Stabilo pencil, allowing me to broader the lines.  Once the pencil is dry...it's permanent.

 

I wanted butterflies to live in my text circles so I stamped a butterfly from Dina Wakley's Scribbly Insects stamp set three times on watercolor paper.  I used Peerless watercolors (have you tried these?  If not, you need them!) to paint each butterfly and then I used the She Script stamp from Christy Tomlinson to stamp, in white paint, on top of the butterflies.  I adore the white script across each butterfly...divine!

 

Each butterfly was fussy cut and attached with a glue dot.  I folded up all of the wings for great movement and dimension.  The last bit was the addition of the sentiment (also stamped and cut apart) and date stamp (ala Donna Downey...I love adding dates!)  And here is the completed canvas...

 

Thanks to the Mixed Media Challenge blog for giving a great prompt to get me creating!  I had a great time making this piece!!  Links to products below:

Supplies:

Canvas Panel

Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste (white)

Hexagons Stencil

Dylusions Ink Sprays

Textures Stamp Set (Dina Wakley)

Scribbly Insects Stamp Set (Dina Wakley)

She Script (Unity, designed by Christy Tomlinson)

Peerless Watercolors

Ranger Collage Glue Stick

Stabilo Pencil

Quatrefoil Stencil