Getting messy!

I've been playing with paint and gesso for the last week or so, trying out some techniques that I've seen on various talented people's blogs recently.

I invested in a pack of small canvases from The Works - only 6 x4 sort of size, but big enough for a little play.  One of my friends from church is leaving to move to the Midlands so instead of a card I thought I would see if I could make a little farewell canvas for her.

I learnt a lot!!

I started with a yellow inkpad in the middle of the canvas, then blended paints into the edges in shades of blue and green.  Then I dried it with my heat tool, and stamped with my Kaisercraft script stamp, music stamp and worn grid stamp in various colours randomly across the canvas.  I dried it again.  I added more stamping using a Technique Tuesday petal stamp with the word 'love' scripted across it, then stamped my text.  Huge search for my little wooden alpha - I'm sure I've got more than one but I felt lucky to have found anything at all!

The next move was a bad one.  I sprayed a little mist onto the corners, but that messed up the text, making it run.  Fortunately, as the canvas was gessoed (is that a word?), the ink sponged off and I could do it again, but I won't be trying it again!  Mist before text, and dried I'm guessing.  So the bottom left hand corner is a bit of a repair job but you live and learn.

Materials used: Acrylic Gesso, Adirondack Dabbers - Aqua, Citrus and Pool.  Inkpad - Stampin' Up! Yellow, Vivid! - Cobbles, Versacolor - Marine Blue and Gold. Also pale green and blue chalk inks. Stamps by Woodware, Technique Tuesday, Kaisercraft. Dimensional paint - cream..

I then added some stamping in gold and edged the whole thing to try and 'frame' it a bit better.  Still not happy I added some deep turquoise to the edges and on a tiny stamp.  I still couldn't leave it alone, so I filled in the flower centres with some dimensional paint.  I would have liked more time but I think I could ruin it so I've stuck with this, and I hope she likes it.

But there is definitely more to come, it was such fun.  I've had to scrub my fingers very hard!