Mixed Media Cardsby Christy Hartman

Mixed Media CardsBy Christy Hartman

This project uses combines Deco Art Media Fluid Acrylics and the Deco Art Media Misters with a variety of watercolor techniques. The Media Fluid Acrylics have the beauty of using acrylic plus the ability to add additional paint layers without lifting the paint color from the previous layer. While the misters are designed to be sprayed onto a surface, I have found that I prefer to use them as watercolor paints. Place a small amount of paint on your palette, thin slightly with water and they become a beautiful transparent paint similar to watercolor. The Media Misters and the Fluid Acrylics are interchangeable and often will have a similar paint color in either the misters or the fl uid acrylics. If you choose to use the fl uid acrylics instead of the Media Mister spray colors that I have used just remember to add a lot of water to get that thin transparent layer similar to a water-color. If you add a little water, add more and you might be light enough. It is easy to darken your paint but very diffi cult to lighten the paint once it is on the paper. I have placed an * next to the paint colors in the supply list which are interchangeable between the Media Misters and the Fluid Acrylics.

I have designed these cards using a layer glued onto the cards, this ensured a sturdier card and helped the card not to curl.

Palette: DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics*Cadmium Orange Hue 16014 Carbon Black 16004Cobalt Teal Hue 16009 Hansa Yellow Medium 16047 *Primary Cyan 16026 *Primary Magenta 16028*Primary Yellow 16027 Quinacridone Magenta 16034Quinacridone Violet 16033 *Titanium White 16038Vermillion 16044Deco Art Media Mister*Orange 16066 *Primary Cyan 16032*Primary Magenta 16063 *Primary Yellow 16064*Shimmer Mister White 16073 Purple 16068Red 16067 Shimmer Mister Turquoise 16070Shimmer Mister Violet 16071 Shimmer Mister Yellow 16072Yellow Green 16065

Surface: Sue Scheewe Greeting Cards - set of 10 #82076Sue Scheewe Watercolor Paper Pad #82067

Misc. Supplies:Snowfl ake Background Stencil #70815Media Gesso – White 87415Rubbing Alcohol, Table SaltBook Paper (if this is older and yellowed slightly the paper is more interesting)Glue (your choice)Identi Pen Black #70830

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White Gel Pen (Your favorite brand. If you do not have a white gel pen use white paint. )Saral Wax FreeTransfer Paper (Sampler Pack) #82069 Sharp ScissorsSoft Grip Embossing & Stylus #70125Small Spray bottle fi lled with clean water

Brushes: Papillon by the Artist’s ClubRound, size 2 #20158; size 4 #20161; size 10 #20165Glaze Wash, size 1” #20103Script Liner, size 18/0 #20136Angular Shader, size ½” #20111; size 3/8” #20110Deerfoot Set #20167Stencil Brush Set #20189Artist Inspired BrushesMaxine Thomas Mop, size 3/8” #27182

Painting InstructionsPaint the Backgrounds:Use the 9” X 12” sheets of watercolor paper as you will use these various backgrounds in more than one card as both backgrounds and in the foreground. You will be using the sprays to develop the background but will not be using them as a spray. Instead place a small amount of each color onto a palette and use them as watercolors. The backgrounds are all developed as a wet into wet technique; you will need to work quickly so that your paint colors will mix and blend naturally. Wet into wet means that you work on a wet surface with very wet paints. Always wet your paper fi rst with clean water and work quickly to achieve that natural blended look. I have listed the Media Mister color fi rst in each set of instructions below.

Background #1: Shimmer Mister Turquoise, Primary Cyan, Primary Yellow, Primary Magenta, Shimmer Mister White. Spray or wet the watercolor paper with clean water and wash Primary Cyan around the out-side of the watercolor paper, wash Turquoise near the Primary Cyan and Primary Yellow on the inside of the paper. Drop small amounts of Primary Magenta into the Cyan areas and splatter White randomly onto the watercolor paper.

Background #2: Primary Cyan, Shimmer Mister Tur-quoise, Primary Yellow. Wet your paper with clean wa-ter and wash Primary Cyan around the outer edges of your paper, blend Turquoise next allowing it to blend

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Background #4

Background #3

Background #2

into the Primary Cyan and add Primary Yellow to the inner areas of the paper using your brush to blend the paint out into the two previous paint applications. While the paint is still wet randomly drop Rubbing Alcohol onto the paint and watch the magic happen. You can either dry this with a heat gun/hair dryer or allow it to dry naturally. You will need to experiment to see which you prefer.

Background #3: Shimmer Mister Violet, Purple, Primary Magenta. Wet your paper with clean wa-ter and wash Violet and Purple around the outer edges of your paper, use your brush to encourage the paint to move through the wet puddles toward the center of your paper. Allow the white paper to show through in certain areas. While the previous paint application is still wet blend Primary Magenta randomly onto the paper and sprinkle household salt into the wet areas of your paint. Al-low this to dry naturally and once completely dry brush the salt away. Once you have applied the salt, leave it alone, you have to resist the urge to continue playing and allow to dry naturally for the salt to do its job.

Background #4: Red, Primary Yellow, Shimmer Mister Yellow, and Primary Cyan. Wet your paper and wash Red, Primary Yellow and Shimmer Mister Yellow randomly onto the paper encouraging your paint to mix and blend. Let this dry completely and splatter Primary Cyan randomly onto your paper.

Welcome Spring Gerbera Daisy Card:• Transfer the daisy design to a clean white piece of watercolor paper. Thin Primary Magenta down to a thin transparent consistency and wash the paint to basecoat the petals. Shade the pet-als of the fl ower with thinned down Quinacridone Magenta, keeping this paint application trans-

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parent will allow you to slowly build the paint color up adding shadows slowly. The Media Line of paints is very pigment heavy and by slowly building your paint colors will allow you to use the same paint color only deepen each value by using less water until you have built the paint colors to the point that you prefer. Allow each layer to dry, however you use such a thin transparent paint layer that it dries very quickly. Wash Quinacridone Violet into the darkest petals to add that deeper value and wash thinned down Media Shimmer Mister Violet over the darkest petals. Place a small amount of the Shimmer Mister Violet on your palette and thin it down to a transparent con-sistency before using the paint. Use a white gel pen to add the highlights to the fl ower. • Base the center of the fl ower with thinned down Primary Yellow washing that transparent paint out to highlighted area, while the center is still wet wash Hansa Yellow Medium into the lower por-tion of the center and add Cadmium Orange Hue to deepen that shadow. • Transfer the Welcome word to a piece of book paper and outline the letters with a black perma-nent marker. Wash thinned down Shimmer Mister Violet into the letters.• Cut a section out of Background #2 so that it measures 4 ½” square and glue onto the card. Cut another piece out of Background #3 so that it measures 2” X 4 ¾” and glue onto the card. Glue the Welcome word and fl ower onto the background and randomly outline around the Welcome word and any details on the fl ower with a black permanent marker.

Cool Penguin Card:• Transfer the penguin to a piece of clean white water-color paper. Thin Carbon Black down to a transparent con-sistency and wash beginning at the base of the head near the ribbon around the pen-guin’s neck and wash the paint slowly up toward the top of his head. Repeat this process on the wings keeping the darkest portion of the wing near his belly. Wash the thinned down Carbon Black onto the legs; this is a lighter value than the head and wings. Wash thinned down Primary Yellow to highlight. Remove a small amount of the White Shimmer Mister from the bottle and place on your palette and do the same with the Primary Cyan mister, mix a small amount of blue into the white to mix a light blue and wash onto the outer areas of the wings and head and base the center of the belly, base the

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dots on the belly with thinned down Violet Shimmer Mister. Use a white gel pen to develop the eyes and color the pupil with a black permanent marker. • Base the ribbon, top knot, and feet with thinned down Primary Yellow, while the area is still wet wash Hansa Yellow Medium to shade and add Cadmium Orange Hue to deepen that shadow. Cut out the penguin. • Cut a piece of background #1 to fi t your card approximately 5”X7” and glue to the front of the card. Using the snowfl akes stencil blend a combination of the following Fluid Acrylic colors with white to develop an ombre snowfl ake design: Cobalt Teal Hue, Primary Cyan, Titanium White. Work from your dark value to light on each snowfl ake. • Transfer the word Cool to a piece of book paper and outline the letters with a black permanent marker. Wash thinned down Shimmer Mister Violet into the letters. Cut randomly around the let-ters in imperfect shapes. • Glue the Cool letters and Penguin to the front of the card and use a white gel pen to add further highlights to the card and outline any other details with a black permanent marker.

Chalkboard Welcome Card: • Base a piece of 9” x 12” water-color paper with Carbon Black (you will use on other cards as well); cut it the 5”X7” size to fi t the card. Transfer the check-erboard on the top and bottom and use a white gel pen to color in the white squares. The checkerboard is developed in ¼” segments and can be added using your ruler or the line art provided. • Cut the bottle out of Back-ground #1, remove a small amount of Primary Cyan and Shimmer Mist Turquoise from the bottle and place it on a palette, mix these two colors together until you have found a turquoise mix that you pre-fer. Using the turquoise blue mix shade the bottle. Outline a few of the details with a black permanent marker and use the white gel pen to add highlights and the stem. • Cut the fl ower out of Back-ground #3, remove a small amount of Media Mister Pri-mary Magenta and Shimmer Mist Violet from the bottle and place it on a palette. Shade the fl ower with Primary Magenta and then deepen the shadows

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with Shimmer Mist Violet. Use a white gel pen to add the highlights and outline the petals with a black permanent marker. Paint the center of the fl ower using the instructions listed above in the Welcome Spring Gerbera Daisy Card. The previous fl ower that we painted was painted on white paper with base coating and shading but I wanted to show you how you could use the background paper to develop your fl owers as well. • Transfer the word Welcome to a left over piece of the black painted watercolor paper and color in the letters with a white gel pen. Cut a piece of book paper 1 ½” X 4 ½” and cut a piece of the background #3 slightly larger than the book paper.• Glue all of the pieces onto the card and use the white gel pen to add the fl ourishes, lines and dots and outline any further details with the black permanent marker.

Fall Gerbera Daisy:• Transfer the daisies to background #4. • Remove a small amount of Media Mister Orange and Shimmer Mist Yellow from the bottle and place it on a palette, begin shading with the Shimmer Mist Yellow and deepen with Orange. • Wet the center of each fl ower with clean water and blend Media Mister Primary Cyan into the center washing it toward the highlighted area. Continue building the blue shadow until you have the value you prefer. • Cut a piece of Background #4 so that it measures 2” X 5” and cut a piece of Background #2 so that it measures 5” X 5”, cut a piece of black painted paper 4 ¼” X 1 ½” and transfer the Fall letters to it and color with a white gel pen and line the border. • Glue all the pieces together using your favorite glue and add any further details with a black per-manent marker.

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Snowman Just Chillin:• Transfer the snowman to a clean white piece of watercolor paper, do not transfer the arms. We will add them at the end of the project. Thin Media Mister Primary Cyan down to a thin transpar-ent consistency when you think it is thin enough. A good rule of thumb is to always thin it down further You can always darken but it is diffi cult to lighten on watercolor paper. Wet the body and face with clean water and wash the blue in to shade the snowman. While the paper is still wet thin Media Shimmer Mist Turquoise down and wash small amounts into the shaded area and onto the body and add Media Mister Primary Magenta. • Base the nose with Primary Yellow, shade with Cad Orange Hue and deepen with Vermillion. • Wet the scarf and hat crown area with clean water and wash Cad Orange Hue, wash randomly Primary Magenta into the scarf and shade with Vermillion. Base the dots on the scarf with Primary Magenta. • Base the hat brim with Primary Yellow, shade with Cad Orange Hue and deepen with Vermillion. Line the hatband with Primary Magenta. • Base the ear muffs and buttons with Media Mister Yellow Green, and highlight with Primary Yel-low. • Outline the snowman details with a black permanent marker. Cut out the snowman. • Outline the highlights and dots on the scarf with a white gel pen.• Cut a black painted piece of watercolor paper 2” X 4 ½” and transfer the word chill and color with a white gel pen. Using Titanium White stencil the snowfl akes on the front. • Cut Background #3 so that it measures 5” X 7”and glue to the front of the card. • Cut one of the blue background papers 2 ½” X 5” and glue to the front of the card and glue the black chill to the center of the blue paper. • Glue the snowman onto the card and outline the arms with a black permanent marker.

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Pattern at 100%

1” x 1”

To ensure your pattern is at 100%, this box should measure 1” x 1” when printed.

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Pattern at 100%

1” x 1”

To ensure your pattern is at 100%, this box should measure 1” x 1” when printed.

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Copyright 2016 by Christy Hartman and Crafts Americana Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. #332042

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