May's Monthly Mixed Media Project

This swap is a mixture of my own creation and Mike Deakin's Mission Inspiration project (check him out on YouTube, he's great!). Every month Mike posts a Mission Inspiration on his Facebook group page, which has a specific set of instructions to create a mixed media canvas or art journal page. So I decided to create my own set of instructions, following Mike's format. I hope you enjoy this challenge!

Choose a heavy duty paper, cardboard, canvas board, or stretched canvas for your base. It should be 4x6 or larger. Then follow the steps to the best of your ability, adding anything else you'd like to your creation. You do not have to follow the steps in order, feel free to follow the instructions loosely. The theme and colors are suggestions. Feel free to incorporate them for an added challenge.

When you are finished give your project plenty of drying time then ship it off to your partner.

Suggested Theme(s): Springtime, Floral, Outdoors, Fresh Air

Suggested Colors: Pink, Green, Blue, Yellow

Step 1: Collage interesting papers on your background.

Step 2: Add a light layer of thin gesso.

Step 3: Add texture to the background using bubble wrap or stencils.

Step 4: Thin down some paint and paint your background using semi-transparent color(s) so that the collaged items show through.

Step 5: Add 1 to 3 focal points.

Step 6: Add splatters, drips, or speckles of color(s).

Step 7: Incorporate bling of some sort (glitter, rhinestones, anything shiny)

Step 8: Use a black and/or white pen, marker, or paint pen to add finishing touches and highlights to your page.