Layered Background Technique

 Layered Backgrounds

Tutorial

Arlene Mobley

This week I decided to post a tutorial for my favorite background technique. You can do this technique on a small or large background.

Even though I have been doing a version of this technique on my own for awhile now, when I saw and participated in Michelle Wards Crusade # 28 Portion Control it all clicked….I had one of those AH HA moments. So I must give credit where credit is due. Stop over at Michelle’s blog. She posts a new Crusade each month.

This is one of my favorite techniques. You can come up with so many different backgrounds by using this technique and changing it around just a tiny bit each time. Or even if you did this technique the same exact way 100's of times you would get still get a different background each time.

 

Supplies

Watercolor paper

Acrylic Paint

Gesso

Something to apply the paint & Gesso

Glazing Medium (Optional)

Brayer

Below are some supplies I will be using. All you actually need is acrylic paint and something to apply it to your background paper. I like to use foam stamps, paint brushes, a brayer, dry wall tape, alphabet stencils, paint scrapers, stamps, an old credit card.

A word about Gesso. Gesso is your friend! Old thick Gesso is a great thing to use to add texture!

Pour some gesso onto a piece of paper and using a foam stamp either apply the gesso with a brayer to the stamp or just smoosh your stamp around in the gesso. I smoosh because the gesso will go on your stamp with high and low areas adding more texture to your background.

Immediately wash your foam stamp once you’re done stamping your background. Do not lay your stamp down and run to the bathroom! You will never get the gesso off your stamp once it dries.

It is very hard to see the gesso when looking down. I had to take this picture on an angle so the white gesso would show up on the white background.

Let the gesso dry completely. Thin gesso will dry pretty quickly but you can use a heat gun if you’re in a rush.

Once your gesso is dry pick out a couple of colors of acrylic paint. I like to start with light colors and work my way up to the dark colors but you can start with whatever color you want. At this point I have no idea how many colors of paint I will be using. As I go I pick and choose colors that work well with the previous paint colors that I have used.

Pour a small amount of paint out onto a paper palette and add a couple of drops of glazing medium to it. I use the glazing medium for two reason. One it makes your paint a bit transparent. The more glazing medium you use the more transparent your paint will be. Two, because it also slows down the drying time of your acrylic paint. I like to use a brayer to add my paint to the background but you can use whatever you like to apply your paint. Do not apply paint to the entire background. Leave some areas without paint for now.

Sorry I thought I took a picture of my first layer of paint, which was the yellow but I didn’t.

 

Before your acrylic paint dries completely take a damp paper towel or a baby wipe and start rubbing the acrylic paint off of the gesso that you stamped earlier. You may have to rub pretty hard. You can also spritz with a bit of water but I like the way it looks when some of the paint won’t come off the gesso, adding more texture to your piece.

Repeat with another layer with a different color of acrylic paint.

Now the really fun stuff begins. Using some stencils apply more paint to your background. Here I used alphabet stencils. I used a big paint brush to dry brush the paint over the alphabet stencil. When you’re done applying the image from your stencil flip the stencil over onto your background and run a brayer over it so it applies the reverse of your stencil to your background.

 I also used the rim of a plastic cup to add some circles.

When your stencil paint has dried use drywall tape or punchinella as a stencil and brush a thick layer of  gesso over it and let dry slightly before removing.  The thick layer of gesso will add a layer of texture to your background. Let the gesso dry completely. When it’s dry if there are some bumpy areas you can sand them down with some fine sandpaper. Or leave it the way it is for a more textured look.

Pick out a darker color of paint then you have already used and add some glazing medium. Use the brayer to randomly apply the paint to your background.

When that paint layer has dried use a credit card, piece of recycled plastic or a paint tool to randomly apply gesso in streaks a smudges to your background.

Here I used the edge of an old credit card to add some lines of paint and gesso.

On the next layer we will use stencils and foam stamps.

Now you can apply more paint using some of your favorite stencils and stamps in the same manner as I used earlier with the alphabet stencils. Remember to flip your stencil over and apply the negative of your stencil while the paint is still wet.

 Check out the stencil aisle in any craft store and you will find a great variety. Those big stencils and stamps are great for making backgrounds with this technique.

Here is a gothic arch I made out of a piece of my background.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you decide to try it let us know so we can check it out!

Thanks!

Arlene

Technique Tuesday -- Marbelized Pastels

Technique Tuesday – Marbelized Pastels

I used this background technique on this weeks challenge projects (Halloween/Gothic). Here is what you need:

Shallow pan, large enough to hold the paper you’re using

Craft pastels

Scraping tool (any knife, or a file)

Light colored cardstock

Water

Here are the simple directions:

Fill the pan with about an inch of water.

Hold a pastel over the water and gently scrape some onto the water’s surface.

Repeat with whatever other colors you wish to use.

Gently swirl the pastels around a bit to make a marbleized pattern. Don’t overswirl, or you’ll get mud!

Carefully lay the cardstock just on top of the water. Don’t submerge it. Lift it up immediately.

Let dry, then cut to the size you need for your project.  If the paper curls up just press it under some heavy books and it will flatten right out.  You can also speed up the drying with a heat tool.

If you’re doing multiple pages, it is best to use clean water each time.

Here is a different color combination:

This is the ATC I made with this background technique:

I used an image from the Kewpie Witches sheet # 695 and some embellishments from a Halloween treat bag.

For the miscellaneous challenge I made a tag and used sheets # 649 and # 666:

So, dig out those pastels and give this very easy and beautiful technique a try.  Let us know how it turned out.

Eileen

PID Design Team

Weekly Challenge Sept. 28th

This week the challenge theme is HALLOWEEN/GOTHIC ART. Please remember to use atleast one PID image.

If you take the challenge please leave us a comment, we'd love to see your ART!!

Here's my ART....an ATC ~~

and a small Paper Bag Book ATC Holder. Ten Pages inside that measure 5 1/4 x 3 1/4 and have pockets, plus large pockets between each page to add goodies. Each two page spread is a little different.

Buy 1 Get 1 Sale

Order our brand new additions to The Shoppe at Paper Imagery Designs, available at a Buy 1 Get 1 Free SALE! This weekend ONLY!!

Available Items:

Matte Collage Sheets Buy 1 Get 1 FREE!

Publications Buy 1 Get 1 FREE!

German Scrap Buy 1 Get 1 FREE!

Choose your free items and add to your comments!!

Wait till you see what we have!!

Glass Vials to make mini Witches Potions for your art!!

Read the blog for an awesome contest with $75.00 worth of prizes

Join our yahoo group for more sales more often http://groups.yahoo.com/group/paperimagerydesigns

Altered Art @ PID Etsy

"Boo"

This OOAK Shadow Box has a vintage witch standing holding a sign that reads "Boo". Comes complete with a real witches potion and handmade potion spell book. Shadow box is distressed and crackled in a bronze color. 3-D in every way possible. Picket fence and black stars.

Size - 4" x 4"
Finished back signed by the artist

Ships priority mail in US everywhere else regular mail.
Available in my Etsy Shop

"Haunting Witch Wall Hanging"

This Spooky Vintage is a OOAK Wall Hanging. The background is from an old book and distressed along with a haunted house, a picket fence and cobwebs. The Vintage Witch is holding a sign that says "Haunting". Made on laminate and sealed to protect.

Size 5" x 3.5"
Hangs from a Swivel Clasp

The back is finished and signed by the artist.

Ships priority mail in US everywhere else regular mail.


Available in my Etsy Shop

"Happy Halloween"

This OOAK Shadow Box has a vintage witch sitting on a chair. Comes complete with a real witches potion and handmade spell book. Shadow box is distressed and crackled in a pewter color. 3-D in every way possible. German Dresden around the edges and gold stars.

Size - 4" x 4"
Finished back signed by the artist

Ships priority mail in US everywhere else regular mail.

Available in my Etsy Shop

Altered Art by Ursula

Creations by Ursula

Ursula has been a busy designer!!

This is the front and the back of a card organizer I made a while ago
with pictures from a collage sheet of Paper Imagery designs

Technique Tuesday - Ribbon Scrap Window

I was going to call this technique "faux iris folding,"  but it's a little too faux....no iris, no folding, LOL!  This week's challenge theme is autumn, and I decided to do something that would use some of my smaller ribbon scraps.  This technique is ridiculously easy, but the result is beautiful, and you get to feel virtuous when you use those little bits of ribbon you couldn't bear to throw out.

First you need to create a "window" in your paper.  Use a punch, a die cut machine, or trace a shape and cut it with your craft knife.  To keep with the theme, I used a die of a leaf:

And don't toss that leaf shape...use it on another project.  By the way, the background was done with the waxed paper resist technique I posted here two weeks ago.

Next, turn the paper over and apply some adhesive all around the cut out:

Gather together some ribbon scraps in the colors you want....in this case, autumn colors of course:

Now all you have to do is lay the ribbons down so they completely cover the opening.  Overlap them a tiny bit to make sure the cut out is totally covered:

Turn the paper over, and here's the result:

Now all you have to do is add your images and other embellishments.  Here's the ATC I did for the challenge:

I used the image of Grace, PID collage sheet #175, and added a few stamped pine cones.  I also used this technique for a greeting card in the miscellaneous category.  I used a large scallop die to cut my window and simply attached the lovely Sarah, PID collage sheet #116 on top of the ribbons.  She's so beautiful, I felt the card didn't need any further embellishment:

Interestingly enough, I also used this technique on an autumn ATC I did last year.  Here it is:

And there's Grace again!

Hope you'll try this technique and use up those ribbon scraps! (Of course, you can also do this with decorative paper scraps).

Eileen

PID Design Team

Ghostly Halloween Image

Here is a little Halloween wall hanging I made this morning using one of the Ghostly Woman images from sheet 345. I love the way it turned out so I may have to make another one.

Arlene

Messiest Art Table Sept 09 Contest - "Who is the messiest of them all"

Messiest ART Table September 2009

"Magic mirror on the wall, tell me who is the messiest of them all"

Where do you create? The kitchen table where you have to clean it up every day? In your own creative work space? Your bedroom? Your living room on a TV dinner table? It doesn't matter as long as it is messy!


Send in your pictures of YOUR messy art table and you could WIN!

Rules: No more than 2 photos aloud per person. Only photos of your work table allowed, not of your room itself. We want to see up-close messy photos! All entries must be received by September 30, 2009 Midnight EST. Please email your messy ART space to pidinfo@paperimagerydesigns.com subject "Messy" Please tell us also where your MESS is!! Feel free to pass the word around the more the mess the better! (email should be ok now)

Contest Starts: September 21, 2009
Contest Ends: September 30, 2009

Live voting starts October 1st 2009 at the Paper Imagery Designs Blog. A poll will be set up for you to see the photos of the messiest art tables for ALL to vote. Don't be shy send in your messy art table!

Prizes:

1st Place: A prize package worth $75.00 from Paper Imagery Designs plus a badge to place on your blog to announce you have the messiest art table around!

2nd Place: A prize package worth $35.00 and a runner up badge that says your not as messy as the first place winner!

Happy Halloween Chipboard House

Here is a fun little Halloween piece I made over the weekend. The little cutie is available on the Halloween Kids sheet 313. The base is a chipboard house covered in orange scrapbook paper and then I smeared Orange Marmalade distress ink all over it and distressed the edges with Black Soot distress ink.

Thanks for stopping by!
Arlene

Weekly Challenge Sept. 21st

This week the weekly challenge theme is AUTUMN.

Have FUN with it and please remember to use a PID image in your ART.....we'd love for you to share you ART if you take the challenge.

Here's My ATC and Fall Fairy in a Bottle necklace....

Halloween ATCs by Miss Ursula !

ATCs by Ursula Vondeling

Well she's at it again! Need I really say more!