Working on a Mandala Design

Shari Welch has been creating art for as long as she can remember after having studies graphic design in Portland and thereafter putting all her focus on mixed media art. She gets creative with any simple design that comes her way.

This time round, she intends to put her creativity on a simple Mandala design. Mandalas are useful devices for concentrating with yourself and getting in touch with your own inner reality. The secret of connecting with your spiritual core is by use of color on a Mandala.

But how do you create a Mandala? You can use lines, dots, circles, and a few diamond shapes:

• Create a circle on a 4×4 canvas and using a lid as a template.
• Paint around the outside of the circle black and use the end of a paintbrush to create dots to fill your circle. Make sure you get the right size of the dot.
• You can use different shades of the same color family, complementary colors or otherwise. Though it is up to you, you can choose to add small dots around larger ones to define them.
• Be creative and experiment with dashes, diamonds, curved and straight lines and only stop when you are contented with your piece of work.

Since creation of Mandalas could be very detailed works of art, all you need to do is exercise some creativity and you can create one in an hour or less.

Making your Own Canvas Fabric Bag

Tamara Dinius loves creating things from her own accord which she comfortably does from her studio. Out of her own imagination, she attempted to create a functional mixed media tote bag using canvas fabric and Tattered Angels High Impact paints.

This is how she did it after gathering her items which included spray bottle, Tattered Angels High Impact Paints, stencils, brushes, and permanent markers:

• On the left and right sides, Spray your canvas fabric with water and then apply your yellow paint in a haphazard motion.
• At the bottom left, and while it is still damp, apply your orange paint using a stencil and stencil brush.
• At the bottom right, add water and your yellow paint using a stencil of your choosing. 
• On either side, you can add the writings of your desire using a stencil. 

At the finishing stage, use a contrasting thread to topstitch the seams you want. At this point you are allowed to add some freestyle quilting to the bag using different colored threads.

You will then add long handles to the bag using the same red canvas fabric that you used at the middle portion.

With any form of creativity and imagination, this project can turn out to be really fun. For example, Tamara used permanent markers of varying colors to add various writings on the bag. According to her, creativity is a way of life in which you can experiment so many styles.

Understanding Intuitive Painting

Melanie Statnick is a Published Writer/Artist who’s with more success in written publication of articles in Interactive Artists Magazine. She loves Intuitive painting which besides being a free style that uses your creative instincts to guide you through your painting with minimal instructions it allows you to make happy mistakes. However there is always room for an error in every project.

With intuitive painting, it requires to:

• Start with a light paint colors first and apply a generous amount of paint directly to your 11x 14 canvas.
• Then using your flat brush create bottom to top motion to spread the paint to your vertical surface. Application of the other light colored paints should follow the same motion.
• Rinse brush between colors and dry using your heat tool between layers then turn your canvas horizontal. Apply a pea size amount of Teal directly to your canvas.
• Using your Brayer roller, roll over the paint in a side to side motion and the paint will spread in an uneven and grungy look.
• While the canvas is at a horizontal position apply neon blue directly onto it. 
• Repeat this step with the dark color and don’t forget to dry in between layers.
• Place canvas in vertical posing and using your flat brush and some of your lighter paint colors apply them to the spots on your canvas that are unpainted dry. Take your time here to relax and become familiar with your piece.

Once all is done, your canvas will look so pleasant and well created.

Mixed Media Art and Biography Writing as a Therapeutic Tool

One of the struggles that are faced by the dying and their careers is in finding meaning in the inevitability of death. However, while quite often we overlook the day to day course of our lives as we get on with the business of living it, we miss out on the fact that a meaningful death can be achieved only through the appreciation of a meaningful life.

The use of Palliative Biography Writing would go a long way in helping the dying person to find order in the recollections of their life. There are so many ways to achieve this. You can do voice recording which could be documented and written in such a way that the voice of the person whose life story is being told remains their own. Small remembrances like birthday cards and little notes, often long-forgotten can be recalled and brought to light as the story-telling process unlocks the door to memories long stored away.

Many more families choose to put Memory Boxes together as their loved one draws nearer the end. Some choose to recount the important aspects of their lives in a sequence of poems and verse. Others arrange the telling as a family history, firming up their place in the family tree.

Assembling a mixed media expression of meaning is (and should always be) a pleasurable activity. It does not have to be a commercial work of art because it is foremost a spiritual work of art.

Experimenting with Pan Pastels

If you are true artist, you must have heard about the over the 80 colors of the Artists color pastels. According to Terri Sproul who is a Mixed Media Artist with her own line of stamps and own paint line with Sakura Hobby Crafts, you can easily mix, blend, use with stencils, stamps and much more including the same way you use paint.

The latest colors which include six pearlescent colors will give you a new adventure since you will not be able to put these Pans down, from Canvas and Art journals. In several videos, Terri has showcased the various features attached to these pan pastel colors and the techniques she uses can be applied to many different mixed media projects. From panpastels.com you can get more inspirations and more videos from which you can get more learning materials. She also recommends CreatingMixedMediaArt Facebook page to every artist to like, comment and possibly leave a message.

As a result of her creativity, Terri hosts a live Art Journal Show on Tuesday nights where she teaches online on her YouTube channel. In addition she has a blog page with terrisproul.blogspot.com from where you can get to see more of her work and creativity. Creating is fun and it give so much satisfaction. Try it out!

Have you Tried Dina Wakely Paints?

Michelle G. Brown has this drive that it’s only by learning few basic techniques that would make the world of Mixed Media art exciting and accessible to everyone. At one point she was so excited to have the 12colours of Ranger’s Dina Wakely paints as well as the black Gesso. You will love the name of the colours because they are also unique. She has this passion of drawing and writing over the paints.

So far Michele has discovered that most colours are fairly opaque and thick and luscious. More often than not, they are described as creamy. And even as Dina talks about choosing her favourite colours; she stresses on the importance of having her paints in tubes to make them easier to apply and close the lids with one hand. Michelle loves the nature of Dina’s paints their thickness and “open time” (longer drying time to allow blending). However the packaging is a bit frustrating. When these paints lie on the table, the back side of the label don’t show what colour it is. You have to pick several tubes before getting the colour you want.

All in all the colours are of great quality and at a reasonable price. Her prayer right now is that there will be more colours out.

Water Colour Painting with Simple Materials

You will find a lot of Melanie Statnick style artwork in many art galleries and shops in NY as well as within international collections. Being a published artist, she creates art daily from her private studio and you could also get to learn more from her website www.melaniestatnickart.com.

One or the activities she loves most is watercolour painting on Old Paper Ephemera and this is how she does it:

Materials Required:

• Old papers from textbook and Paint Brush
• Pencil and Eraser
• Clear Gesso and Gel Medium
• Water Colors
• White uniball
• Micron
• Form Board

Step to follow include:

1. Cut foam board to 8×10 and while using gel medium, cover one side of old paper taking care to get each corner and the sides.
2. Flip glued side down to foam board and use brayer to roll flat and to get out any bubbles or folds in the paper.
3. After drying use the clear gesso to prep you surface to accept the watercolour. This will dry clear and leave a “tooth” texture to the paper that will feel somewhat like sand paper.
4. When the gesso is dry you can draw a boarder around your paper and begin to draw your pictures where and what you like.Go over your drawings with a micron pen and white gel pen before you add your watercolours.
5. Your drawings are ready for the watercolour. You can paint just your designs and leave the background plain or paint and splatter it all.

It’s all about creativity at its best.

Using DecoArt Media Line Products on Mixed Media Canvas

Kathi F. Rerek who is a mixed media artist has been crafting for almost fourteen years and has been lucky to have served on several design teams. After receiving a package containing products from DecoArts’ new Media range she decided to try them out on a flat canvas. This is what she did: -

• She started out by applying White Gesso to smooth out a bit of the canvas texture as well as cover up a rejected project.
• Mixing Primary Cyan, Titanium White, and Paynes Grey Media Fluid Acrylics (MFA) on a palette and sponging them onto the canvas.
• White Modelling Paste using Media Fluid Acrylics. She scooped out a palette-knife bladeful of the paste and blended a few drops of Primary Yellow MFA into it.
• Using a palette knife, she again scooped out some White Crackle Paint onto a palette and mixed in a few drops of Pthalo Green-Yellow MFA and Primary Yellow MFA.
• Adding colours but first Quinacridone Gold MFA was painted and allowed to dry.
• She scooped some of the paste onto a palette and added Burnt Ochre MFA and Transparent Yellow Oxide MFA to it, then used a palette knife to apply it to the base of the canvas.
• Pthalo Green-Yellow MFA and Interference Green MFA were combined and spritzed with water to thin it to a wash-like consistency.
• The last step was to combine Cobalt Turquoise MFA and Cobalt Blue MFA with some water to create a wash, which was brushed over the entire canvas.

Kathi applauds the performance of the products from DecoArt’s Media line and can’t wait to explore them further.

Encaustic Painting for Beginners Part 1

Elaine Brady Smith loves creating acrylic mixed media and encaustic collages. However she would like to help take the mystery out of “getting started” with encaustic painting since she has met a lot of people who are fascinated about the same. There is a lot of information to relay but she would rather start with FAQs about Encaustic Painting:

What does Encaustic mean?

It is a Greek word which means to burn in. this element of heat is necessary for a painting and so to be called encaustic. Encaustic painting uses numerous techniques to produce a wide range of results.

What is Encaustic Medium?

It is made of beeswax melted with Damar resin with a ration of 5:1 up to 10:1. While is it is less expensive to make your own encaustic medium, ready-made medium is as clean and pure as you can get for clear coverage and bright colors.

What Substrates Can I Paint Encaustic On?

Wax will adhere to a variety of surfaces. The most important thing to remember is that the surface must be absorbent and porous.
What Equipment do I need for Fusing?

A heat gun is more preferable because it can be control the amount of air when fusing layers. It is the best heat source for beginners.
What Equipment do I need for Encaustic Painting?

You will need a palate on which to melt your medium and pigment cakes.
What Other Tools do I need for Encaustic Painting?



You need tools to apply the wax to your surface. Cheap bristle brushes are great for this and can be purchased at the hardware or craft store. Get started in encaustic painting.

A Late Afternoon Elk Meadow Painting

The scenery of Elk Meadows which is a region in the Rocky Mountains is vibrant with fresh and brisk atmosphere. You will come across Cascading waterfalls, rivers and brooks abound with rock formations in many shapes.

Gloria Malouf-Marsh gets creative ideas for painting when she is in nature. She loves listening to nature’s sounds, watching and hearing the birds. She would do various paintings in an effort to experiment on nature. Manipulating the swirls, tucks, turns and working with the gesso in creating texture and shapes is all fun for her. She developed this when she once sat in a class and as she skimmed through the books, her imagination had ideas of free flowing curves and instead of defining scenery, she wanted to listen to her intuition and carry it out without criticism or judgment. That is how she was able to choose an area in the Rockies with snow-capped mountains.

She rises early to go for brisk walks, do her yoga practice and she inspired to face the day with inspiration and confidence. She is in the process of developing discipline in creating and making time for herself to daily paint since she wants to hone her skills and techniques in the art medium. She is curious to further her techniques.

Enhancing your Skills in Art

Mixed Media Art wants you to grow through into your creativity and art. In their 50 pages of a technical sheet, they have outlined techniques, skills and projects that you can apply. Read below some of the painting techniques:

1. Credit Card Painting -You use this when you want to get onto lots of paper fairly quickly. It is more preferable for large swaps or large journal pages. Use of different colour combinations an exciting experience of endless, unique background papers which will be ready for journaling. 
2. Mixed Media Stencils - This helps to add shapes and patterns to your art work. It gives you control over your creating process and originality. It’s a better way of doing your pictures using stencils of drawing your own scares you.
3. Purple Painted Background - You will create simple backgrounds by the use of many layers which will eventually add visual interest to your piece of art. You can make use of different colors to create all sorts of backgrounds. 

Mixed media Skills include:

• Edging and Sponging which will alter the way a finished piece
• Antiquing where you can use different mediums and papers to achieve different shades and colours
• Tissue Paper images.

Mixed Media Projects are:

• Sticky Note Book 
• Art in shapes
• Ephemera Paper Mache Shrine
• Simple bound book. 

All the above if well followed will help you achieve a great piece of art.

Mixed Media Painting Tip

When creating mixed media paintings, I love using water color paper but it's hard to keep it flat or to prevent paint from getting on the wrong side. Here Michelle explains how she uses a backing board to keep the paper safe.

Key materials:
- Piece of Coreflute; this piece is 11.5" x 20"
- Cereal box plastic
- Masking tape

Note: any thick cardboard will be sufficient. It just needs to be stiff enough to hold its own weight.

** Have you tried this technique? ** I'd love to hear what you have tried! **

Get that Gloves Off while Painting

Painting is among the famous art work today. There are lots of people expressing their artistry through painting using different techniques that will boost up the appearance of their work. When painting, there are different tools that you can use to paint. You can use a paintbrush, your hands with gloves and some other tools. These tools can help the artist to make his/her painting look good and beautiful.

However, There are painters who use their bare hands when painting. This is actually among the most exciting technique when painting since you can feel the paint in your finger tips and will make you more careful since you don't want your painting to be messy. Using your bare hands when painting is like going back to your childhood days where you just grab a paint, dip your fingers and stroke it anywhere - remembering the good old days which is really fun and exciting.

It is really nice to experiment sometimes. Painting with that gloves off will certainly make you feel free while painting making your artwork more expressive and personalized. Letting go of your inner child to express your thoughts and feelings can be an outlet to create that masterpiece!

What are you waiting for? Take that gloves off and start painting now!

Details about Acrylic Paint and Acrylic Painting

Acrylic Paint is one of the fast drying paint which contains pigment suspension. It can also be mixed with water but when it is dry it becomes water-resistant. Acrylic paint durability depends on how much it is diluted in water or with other pastes or gels.

Acrylic painting offers a versatile method of painting. Acrylic painting in its any form, thick or thin (like ink) gives a 3D effect. If you add various available substances then it will create a different type of texture. With this, you can create different textured effects. Some artists create acrylic paints using different items such as rice and sand giving it a different style and texture.

While painting, it is important to know that you choose the best kind of painting surface so that you may not feel any difficulty in painting. You must choose a light weight object. If you choose paper, choose a heavier paper because paper is the lightest item that can be used.  Traditional painting is done on wood, masonite and canvas.

Gather your tools, materials and colors. The idea, inspiration, pictures which came in your mind. Set that photograph and start fleshing it out on the painting surface.

Decide what style of painting you want to explore. Try to search something new. Use attractive colors and if you are a beginner then keep your painting simple.

When you completed you acrylic painting, leave it in a cool, dry place for ventilation. It will dry soon then it’s good to go. Use it for yourself or sell it in the market.

I hope that your painting would be attractive and an interesting one! Enjoy creating!