Category Archives: art tutorial

art tutorial, craft, crafts, mixed media, shrine

Make a mini shrine

July 11, 2019 Maria G

Make a mini shrine today I told myself, and make it a tutorial. Yes, that sounded like a good idea. I have some digital print-outs of the Virgin Mary. I love the old-style art. I also have some Tim Holtz metal frames sitting around, so I decided to use one.

But, I have also made some molds lately, including frames. Check it out:

make a mold

The metal hair clip made a terrific indent for polymer clay flowers. I have already made a bunch of those. I used some on this mosaic mirror:

Polymer clay mosaic mirror — polymer clay mosaic mirror

Back to the tutorial:

I used an empty Altoids tin for this mini shrine.

But you can use any old tin on hand or buy one. I used the tin as a pattern for the heavy-duty decorative paper I used to cover the embossed lid.

I then gessoed the back and sides of the outside tin to cover the printed metal.

I glued down the paper with craft glue that I spread evenly over the entire surface. The Mary icon I brushed with Mod Podge front and back to preserve the ink image. Then I glued it to the frame and filled in with some cut out white flowers. Then I spread Judikin’s Diamond Glaze all over the image and let it dry. Depending on how thick you spread it, expect to wait a few hours for it to dry.

I used some starred tissue paper to make a second layer of interest to the lid.

It took me a while to add the small mosaic tiles since the corners are rounded, and I had only so much space to play with. I was happy with the outcome though.

I had glued down the paper on the front, and then I decided to add a paper border. Lots of measuring and gluing to get everything to fit. I pondered what to use for embellishment on the front. I had many tiles to choose from. I ended up with a leaf tile and the word soul.

On the inside cover, I glued down a heart charm and the word peace.

I painted the outside lavender and added a paper border to the edge of the lid for more interest. I was happy with the end result. I made another tin the other day. Check out the pictures.

I never know what will inspire me from day to day, but as I consistently show up in the studio, something calls out and I make it or paint it. Life is good!

If you are not happy with your life, make something with your hands. Crafting is very satisfying, and it takes your mind off other not-so-pleasant things. Word!

I made some different polymer clay mosaics lately, one of them the mirror above. They don’t make mirrors like that with a flat rim anymore, so I had to buy a plain frame and have a mirror cut for it.

You are loved…

You are loved wall plaque is something I listed in my Etsy shop this week. You can check out all the new items on Earth and Faery.

A couple of years ago, I made a YouTube video on how to make a tin shrine. If you prefer watching to reading, check it out HERE.

I have posted another tutorial lately on how to take an old painting and transform it. You can check that out for inspiration From Drab to Colorful.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Lots of love,

Maria

live with gratitude — Live with gratitude

art making, art tutorial, craft, earth and faery, mixed media, tutorial

Magic Journal Box tutorial

June 26, 2019 Maria G

Magic is in the air in my studio lately. I have been inspired to try new and different things, as in making this type of journal box where you can write down and hide all your secrets. 🙂

I have gone into silicone mold casting adventures and making imprints with my polymer clay or air dry clay. I found small frames and other baroque metal borders and do-dads to use in my mold making. So much fun, and there is never a boring moment as you wait to see how everything turns out.

Anyway, try this journal box

I found a wooden box at Michael’s shaped as a book. It’s pretty big, approx. 7×8″ and it would be too big for polymer clay mosaics. I decided to experiment with mixed media paper, paint, glue, and found objects. I made the tutorial for this box.

Magic mixed media journal box tutorial — Magic mixed media box

I did not take pictures of every single step, but here goes. I painted the entire outside box a dark blue. The inside is painted green, but that does not show in the following picture. I’m giving you an idea of the size.

Magic box mixed media tutorial — Inside view of the box

I glued white tissue paper all over the front of the box with Mod Podge, making sure it was good and creased, squeezing it into a ball before I spread it out.

Magic box tutorial — Glued down white tissue paper on the front and spine of the box

On top of the white paper, I glued some yellow tissue paper for contrast and a pale layer of lavender.

Magic box with tissue paper — I glued down some yellow paper on the front

When I was finished with the tissue paper, I made liberal blobs with white craft glue for added texture. I had to let that dry overnight. You can also use blobs made with a hot glue gun and glue the hardened texture down–it’s faster.

Then I rubbed several layers of paint over the dry and creased tissue paper and glue. I began with a dark brown, rubbing it into the deeper texture. I also used dark purple and some turquoise. To tone everything down, I finally spread some white paint over the whole front.

Magic box with layers of paint — Layers of paint

When everything was dry, I started digging through my stash of do-dads. Placement can sometimes be tricky. I painted the inside green.

What I used

The metal frame is from a Tim Holtz kit. I stamped the word Journal on a piece of paper, glued it to the back of the frame, and filled in the opening with Judikin’s Diamond Glaze. The flower is a polymer clay imprint from a hair ornament. The key used to be part of an old wind chime, and the hummingbird and the dragonfly are die cut paper, which I sealed carefully front and back and edges with Mod Podge since paper can easily deteriorate. I painted those with Perfect Pearl powder and sealed them again.

Magic felt on the bottom of the box — Some felt to make the box softer inside

I cut some green felt that had a sticky side and put that on the bottom of the box for a softer interior. I placed a bought paper border on the outside bottom of the box for more interest. Below is another box I made in the same style. Both of these are available in my Etsy shop Earth and Faery.

If you missed my previous post, Mixed Media Greeting Card Tutorial, you can still find it HERE.

It’s vital to try new creative things, even if it’s a struggle. You master something by doing it. Resistance and self-doubt be gone!

Have a great weekend, and may you always be inspired! 🙂

Lots of love,

Maria

art tutorial, craft, handmade card, mixed media

Mixed media greeting card tutorial

June 7, 2019 Maria G 2 Comments

Mixed media cards are easy to put together. I have so many fabric and paper scraps that I could wallpaper an entire house! I often think about what to do with them as I don’t throw much away, especially the hand-painted fabrics. I have used most of them, so now I have mostly scraps. Why not make some handmade cards and give them along with the gifts to friends?

Two benefits from that: You have fun making the cards, and then passing on the joy (hopefully.) If they don’t like a handmade card, they can “gift it forward.”

The Queen of hearts

I came up with a combo of fabrics and paper to make this Queen of Hearts card. I have many watercolor paper pads, and I don’t paint with watercolors so I’m using the heavy-duty paper in many other ways.

I cut one 9×12″ sheet in half, and then I used a bone folder to press the two pieces of paper into cards. You can also buy blank cards with envelopes at the craft stores.

mixed media base: watercolor paper — Mixed media base

I flattened the card and covered it with a paper background on one side. I like to use cool colors to create backgrounds, so I chose blue tones.

I used an old rubber stamp I have of a female face to print onto tan cotton with Stazon deep purple ink. The face looks grayer in the pictures.

To frame the face I needed bolder tones, so I layered some paper outlines. I started with black, and then used some gold wrapping paper as a halo. I added some paper light beams in yellow for more drama.

I used some hand-painted fabric for the gown and attached it along with the face that I cut from the fabric.

mixed media embelliishments — mixed media embellishments

It’s all in the details!

I added small touches, like a red /pink heart, some “wings” and some do-dads at the bottom. I also decided to cut out a small bird from a piece of paper to attach across the top circle.

Added drama

I used black Stazon ink to color the edges to give the card a faint frame. I used a light touch. I also outlined the bird and the heart with a ballpoint pen to make them more pronounced. As you can see, the red bits gave some spark to the card.

There she is, the Queen of Hearts. It’s a good idea to stamp some words inside the card or write a personal message. In my opinion, it makes a great gift to someone you care about, but I might be biased, haha. A suitable caption might be; “Queen for a day, Happy Birthday!”

I used the same watercolor paper to make this simple art journal. Check out the tutorial in this post: Make your Own Art Journals.

If you are in a crafty mode, check out my tutorial on how to make a Spirit Box.

If you feel like making a Spirit Doll, I have faces for sale you can use. They are available in my Etsy shop: Earth and Faery.

Have a great creative weekend!!

Lots of love,

Maria

art journal, art journaling, art tutorial, texture

Creating texture using only paint

February 7, 2018 Maria G

Creating texture is easier than you think. Here is a picture tutorial I made using only paint to make some texture for the background on this art journal page.

I used these tools:

Paint, an old credit card, hair pick, wall texture dodad, nib of a pencil, baby wipes or tissues.

This is the end result.

This is how I made it:

I had no plan for this page other than creating texture. First, I took some unbleached white and spread it liberally on the page. I used the edge of a credit card to make some grooves in the paint.Then I used a pencil to dig more marks into the paint.

After that I used a hair pick to get some thinner grooves.

On top of that I used a dodad from the paint store and made some wider grooves. You need to wet the paint to make it pliable.

After that I used the corner of the credit card to slice some smaller grooves sideways over the others.

Now I let it dry, and then I chose a green paint to rub over part of the surface with a tissue.

As you can see, it’s kind of messy and the green covers more the top than the bottoms of the grooves. I took some dark umber on a stiff brush to dig the paint down into the grooves.

Now you can see the grooves well, so the rule is, use dark colors to enhance the grooves if they are important to the project.

Then I decided to add some red paint, which I smeared around with a tissue.

The grooves at the top of the page are not as deep, but it makes for a good contrast. (The white spots is sunlight through the blinds in the window.)

Close up of all the grooves when the paint was laid down. I did add some red paint to the depth of the grooves.

To soften the effect I added more of the original unbleached white over the other colors. Applied carefully so it wouldn’t get into the grooves.

Then I saw a face and decided to enhance that with markers and more paint.

The black marker was pretty harsh so I softened that a bit. I also used a Crayola brown to draw the contours. I softened the effect with my fingertip.

I then gave her a blue top and you can see the markings I made on that and on the pink background that I added.

The girl with the flaming hair was born!

How do you like to apply texture to paper?

Here is another blog post of a painting with mixed media and lots of texture, What Jane Wanted.

Try some texture in your art today! Easy peasy.

Maria

P.S. Looking for a unique Valentine’s gift? I have some mosaic heart plaques in my etsy shop, ready to go. Earth and Faery.

Maria Greene @ Greeneearth

Category Archives: art tutorial

Make a mini shrine

If you are not happy with your life, make something with your hands. Crafting is very satisfying, and it takes your mind off other not-so-pleasant things. Word!

You are loved…

Magic Journal Box tutorial

Anyway, try this journal box

What I used

Mixed media greeting card tutorial

The Queen of hearts

It’s all in the details!

Added drama

Creating texture using only paint

Artist and writer