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.

Developing your Artistic Ideas with Simple Materials

Susan Walls is a Mixed Media Jewelry Artist with a charm for creativity and art. This is well explained by the jewelry and clothes she had made and wears despite having taken a different pathway after college, that of a restaurant business.

Susan began to make her own jewelry in 1990′s on a part time bases and started playing with resin about 5 years ago while watching the increase in popularity of ICE resin along the way. It is until when she began having kids that she found herself at cross-roads with the restaurant business and immediately transitioned to a stay at home mom, which, as we all know, has its own challenges. She ended up with the artistic business which she began by painting murals. Eventually she shifted her focus and on to the mixed media jewelry.

In her pieces of art, she will include such materials like Resin, metal elements and shrink plastic. Her themes on the jewelry will have humor and words that capture our imaginations. According to her she wants people to laugh and respond. As a result of her obsession of her style of mixed media jewelry, Susan keeps a notebook beside her bed to capture those inspiring ideas in the middle of the night and jot them down so she can remember them in the morning. You too can develop your passion.

Travelling on a Creative Journey

For you to achieve in art, you have to develop a creative journey. Mixed Media Art brings to you a creative journey travel to advise you on what you need to put in place to kick start on your journey. Tamara Dinius has a way with artistic expression even though she learnt it the hard way. This is what she says you should embrace towards the road to creative freedom:

· A can do attitude - According to Tamara Yoda was right when he said “Do, or do not, there is no try”. Make and make more art.

· Self Confidence - Believe in the self that all the artistic point of view you have is all yours lest you try to emulate others. You will only be true to yourself if find your own style.

· Patience - It takes time to develop your own style and since you didn’t learn to walk before you crawled, embrace your imperfections and continue to practice your art. It does not matter how many times you fall but how soon you get up.

· Support - Seek support from those whom you are sharing your creative journey with. You could join groups with similar interests as well as appreciate other people’s work with encouraging comments.

· Freedom - Don’t limit yourself in expression using a creative process.

· Your wings that will facilitate your growth.

Now you know what to brig on your creative journey!

Become a Self Creating Artist with your own Creations

If you love artwork creativity, Mixed Media Art has brought to your attention various wonderful gallery Ranger booths from different designers and artists whom in their own creations tried to answer the question of “How do you Distress?” Below are a few artists who displayed their creativity and which caught everyone’s eye:

• Julie Fei-Fan Balzer presented metallic rectangle stack up which was full of color and amazing texture. 
• Donna Downey had wonderful 3D poppies with lots of texture and depth. You would have loved to touch this all the way.
• With soft bluey, green background and using stencils and a paint wash, Dina Wakely created gorgeous face sketch of 3D elements. 
• Using a range of inks and stamps to frame the central focal point, Richele Christensen created a lovely piece while adding a variety of garden elements to compete the work. 
• Vintaj Design Team created gorgeous 3D butterflies which were such a delight with their colours and 3D design. The beauty was enhanced by the tree branch, using a real twig, and leaves.

All the pieces that were created by the above artists and others had a way with inspiration especially with the variety of colours used. This was all courtesy of the Mixed Media Techniques. It is very possible that you will find all styles interesting. Good luck.

How the Concept of Craft Test Dummies was Created

Probably you have no idea what Craft Test Dummies have to do with presentation of beauty and review of products. This is according to Jenny Barnett Rohrs who carries out simple product reviews and tutorials on a remarkable website. Markers will be used on different papers, inks across different mediums and unusual ways will be used to make cards and other crafts.

Craft Test Dummies website was born after Jenny realized that she could not find answers online regarding which markers were suitable to include on her fabric quilts and how long the adhesive she used would take to dry. Since 2008 the website has been growing steadily and attracting like-minded people who want to be online craft – mentors. The website so far has four other “Testers”, all volunteers.

The success for Craft Dummies website is based on these two key principles:

• “we are provided product to review, but the review will be honest first, and helpful second”
• “Our audience can smell a fake and we will turn stuff down if it’s not right for the blog”.

Jenny and her testers will also provide manufacturers with feedback about their products. She enjoys a range of craft and will “play with anything”. “Paint, mist, stencil, draw, Zentangles – whatever is at hand”.

She is a working mother and will juggle her family and business. Besides, she has a supportive partner. Jenny has her passion for all things crafting shines through and her parting shot is that “You need to believe in what you are doing”.

Making your Own Ribbon Wrapped Journal

Mixed Media Art will always be at hand to help you out with your creativity. We all love to give gifts and MMA have packed a secret for you of a personalized gift; that of a ribbon wrapped Journal. You will need items like Needle and thread, Ribbon and journal of choice, cutters and markers, Metal D ring, adhesives, Velcro strips and embellishments.

The process of making the journal is as follows:

• Wrap the ribbon 1.5 times around your journal but ensure the D – ring is at the front and Velcro closure at the back. Then sew a seam on both ends of the ribbon.
• Sew the D ring on to one end of the ribbon then, wrap the ribbon around the journal and thread the ribbon through the ring to determine the placement of the Velcro strip. The ribbon should not be twisted and the D – ring should be straight. 
• Mark the placement for the Velcro strips with a fabric pen or marker. While the ribbon is still wrapped around the journal go ahead and mark the place for your embellishments. 
• Now Remove ribbon and attach the Velcro strip according to package instructions. Using your imaginations and creativity, add your embellishments.
• Once the embellishments are attached to the ribbon, wrap it around the journal again while gluing it to the spine of the journal.

You have finished your journal project!