Mixed Media Background Techniques with Shell Carman

Hello everyone! Today Design Team member Shell Carman, one of our super talented mixed media artists, is here to share some fantastic techniques!

Here's Shell...

Hi There! Shell here today to show you a few techniques I used to create a mixed media background on this page

It is so easy to add interest & texture to you background using a few different mediums.

You will need

some glimmermist (Tattered Angels Tourquise)
gesso
Glimmer Glaze (Tattered Angels Oil Slick)
acrylic paint (Kaisercraft Lime)
brayer
12X12 sheet pattern or plain. A lighter colour will work best for this.
mask (Creative workshop chevron)
sponge brush
pallette knife

1. Take your background paper & stick it to the lid of an open pizza box so it is sitting vertically. This way when you spray the glimmermist it will drip down the page giving a nice running effect

I started by spraying at the top right corner. spray close to the paper & use around 4/5 pumps of mist so that the mist pools & drips

Repeat this process anywhere else on the page you would like your mist & drips

You can use a heat gun to hurry the drying process. You can use the heat gun to push the drips along if you hold it close enough to the paper

2. Take some paint & squirt a small blob on a sheet of scrap paper.

Roll the brayer through the paint just like a paint roller

Randomly roll the paint onto your paper where you would like to add extra colour

When rolling try using the roller really wet with paint & then continue to use as the paint wears off as this will give a more textured uneven look which looks better. You can use a heat gun to help dry the paint

3. Take a mask and some gesso & a sponge brush. Set your mask over the page & apply gesso to the sponge brush

Apply the gesso randomly around your page. It is better if you have a vague idea of your design beforehand as you will know where to apply your mists, paints & gesso for maximum impact

I also applied some gesso with the pallette knife around my page to dull the lime paint in some areas

Once I had finished decorating my page I then used the Glimmer Glaze. Take the lid from your mist bottle. Paint some Glimmer Glaze around the outer edge. Use it as a stamp to create the black circles on the page.

Even if you have never played with mixed media products before you can see how simple these techniques are to get you started! I hope you will give it a go!

Cheers Shell