Faded and Forgotten

Something new or a few older collections?
Something blue or something stained?
Something borrowed or something burnt?
Whatever papers and embellishments by 7 Dots you choose, they will always fit into your mood.
Especially these fresh ones!

Materials:

Homegrown – Clear Stamps, Nature Walk – Clear Stamps, Paint Chips – Clear Stamps, Cold Country – Tags 12×12, Writer’s Block – Tags 12×12, Nothern Lights – Frosted, Yuletide – Clear Stamps

Triumph of Cernunnos

The Antlered One

The Fullmoon Fever

The Mighty Stag

The Wilderness Believer

Materials:
7 Dots Studio - Yuletide - Elk Head Mask, Writer's Block - Burden, Homegrown Clear Stamps and Stencil

At Magic School

Have you already heard about Marina Syskova's Magic School, which is a great place to gain a lot of knowledge and inspiration? Sponsored by fabulous 7 Dots Studio it also offers amazing prizes for its students. You can't miss such a treat! I'm happy to join this art academy as a guest designer with the below assemblage, just have a look here.

I have to admit that all collections which were designed by Dee Dee Catron are definitely my favourite ones. Their soft tones, vintage patterns and endless possibilities of combining are the keys to my creative heart. This time I went with the flow and mixed them in a structural assemblage. The base of my work is a piece of unbleached cardstock which I found some time ago as a kind of packaging. It turned out to be a perfect starter for small arrangements painted in a limited earthly palette. Recycled materials always make perfect companions for brand new collections by 7 Dots, don't you think?

Materials:

7 Dots Studio - Lost and Found - 213, Fortune-teller - Tarot, Clear Stamps, Homegrown - Clear Stamps, Happy, Writer's Block - Burden, Sincerely

Have a wonderful weekend surrounded by all these things which make you feel warm, cosy and relaxed... or just let you creativity and energy roar!

Dryopteris filix-mas

I found this dried fern between stained pages of a herb book. Even though it had been crushed and folded, it definitely deserved to be released out of its hiding. To seal its delicate foliage the fern was coated with a layer of beeswax. Nature with its autumnal bounty is an endless source of wonderment and inspiration.

I would like to announce that the winner of the giveaway is Cindy Catania! Congratulations! Please provide me with your address and I will be glad to send you the prize.

Birds of a Feather - Finnabair Creative Team

Eggs, birds and nests are nature lover’s best friends. Rust pastes, acrylics paints and tiny beads are mixed media lover’s best friends. Let’s see what we get when we join them in one place...

The base of the focal nest composition is a small old baking tin. It was a bit time-worn already but together with my companions called Rust Pastes, I covered the whole tin with a chunky coat making it even more distressed.

When the tin was drying I started working on something which could be put underneath the nest. I glued down a piece of tree bark together with a chipboard ornament, then I painted the whole with Rust Pastes.

When the media were not completely dry and still sticky, I sprinkled the composition with a pinch of bronze Micro Beads to add some rough feel.

I glued down the tree bark, the rusty tin and the nest filled with eggs, feathers and strips of vintage papers. I used Heavy Body Gel which is a really strong adhesive and then I painted the whole with blue Art Alchemy Paints.

I needed something which could hold the mentioned composition in its place and  I chose a frame which was painted with White Crackle Paste and immediately sprinkled with Art Stones in different sizes.

When it dried, I used watered-down Art Alchemy paints to even particular elements of the assemblage.

A chipboard bird turned out to be a perfect addition to the nest gathering. It was painted with paints, then stamped with black ink and finally covered with crackling medium. After such preparations I fixed the bird along with trio of cones to the frame.

To finish the whole I started with staining chosen areas with strong coffee. I also added a few pieces of golden foil which went together nicely with copper Micro Beads and long feathers.

I hope that my work will inspire you to fly away with your creative spirit.

Materials used:

PS. Hope you haven't missed the news about our Denim Journal challenge! Join in the creative fun! (there's still time till July 20th)

Summer Solstice - Finnabair Creative Team

The upcoming time of solstice is a celebration of the Sun – the force that is now taking control over the whole nature. In ancient times it was believed that this day marked the marriage of the Earth and heavens and was thus celebrated with dances and bonfires.

Why not celebrate the Midsummer evening with paints and brushes? The solstice itself was my inspiration while working on my canvas.

I started with gluing down a vintage page on the lower part of a regular canvas panel. The upper part was painted with White Gesso with an aim to create a tooth for other media to follow.

Using a stencil along with copper and brass colors of Art Alchemy acrylic paints, I created the background for a lunar composition. I hightlightened chosen areas (mainly the edges) with blue and turquoise paints from the Alchemy line.

Creating the heart of the lunar composition meant stamping a bold fortune teller pattern with black ink in the upper part of the canvas. Then I used a walnut ink when stamping with handwritten motifs from Messy stamp on the vintage paper’s borderline.

When it came to the solar part, I decided to use one of Art Pebbles. I glued down a depiction of the Sun together with a dried fern using 3D Gel which holds firmly all the collage pieces and dries transparent.

To add some interest to the composition, I fixed the moon’s silhouette with Mechanicals Stars above and dried peas below.

Then my desire was to obtain both lunar beams and golden sunny rays effects. The shimmering Mica Flakes with their delicate pearly structure turned out to be the best solution.

All these dimentional elements were painted with either Rust Pastes or patina like acrylic paints. Dripping a few tea stain drops helped create a more even and aged overall look.

Here are some details of my collage:

Happy - and Creative - Summer Solstice!

Materials used:

Old World Splendour - Finnabair Creative Team

There are abondoned places which have been taken over by dust, rust and spiderwebs. They used to be breathtaking residences, now possessed by time and decay. The only guest inside is wind and rain. An elegant portrait still hangs within the walls of such palace, displaying desperate look full of longing for the bygone times of glory.

I attempted to recreate this mysterious atmosphere in my mixed media collage and I'd like to share my process with you.

I started with covering a canvas panel with vintage papers and stripes of paper with numerals. Everything was glued down by means of versatile Soft Gel.

To add a bit of dimentional effect, I applied a thin coat of Modeling Paste through a Weaving stencil using a palette knife and then let it dry.

I couldn’t resist but enhance the contrast with the bold lettering I created with Black Gesso and Alpha stencil.

The next step was based on Art Alchemy paints which were applied in a messy and artistic manner. I also decided on some freehand stamping with black ink here.

Such a vintage look makes a perfect framework for the composition of a rusty Mechanical Pocket Watch, washers, type writer numbers, a feather and a domino tile. Although all the little elements used in the work look old and worn, they used to make a vital part of daily life in the past.

To create some more interest and texture, I added a pinch of black, copper and bronze Micro Beads along with a  handful of bigger Glass Beads. Then they were also given a few brushstrokes of acrylics.

Then I accented the edges with a metallic copper tape.

I finished with putting a bit of Rust Pastes in chosen areas such as the corners and the Mechanicals.

I hope you enjoyed my collage story of time long gone...

Products used: