here's how I got started...

here's how I got started...
a 20 minute podcast by Crazy BeYOUtiful

Friday, August 26, 2016

butterfly specimen...

happy Friday, friends!

today I wanted to focus on
distress crayons,
 to create a specimen, 
that looks like it's under shattered glass...

here's my example...



working on a small piece of 
I painted on a thin layer of

I usually don't paint to the edges, because the areas that have no collage medium accept the color differently & organically create a cool distressed background layer...


after the distress collage medium was dry, 

 I lightly swiped the potting soil archival pad randomly over the les roses background stamp & added just a bit of stamping to the background, mainly to the edges...

next...
I used jet black to stamp
 my new butterfly & dried it...


I did the large area with the mini blending tool, then swiped the archival pads onto the craft sheet & used the detailer water brush to paint in the smaller areas...

then dried it...

the next step was to spread a layer of
 over the whole thing...

while the paste was wet, I lightly misted 
my new all cracked up background stamp with water, then stamped into the wet paste...

the paste looks white, right from the jar, but as it air dries, it creates a 100% clear surface...

***clean the stamp before the paste dries***
I used a toothbrush...
very quick to remove when the paste is wet...
and set it aside to dry...

when the translucent paste was dry, I scribbled the peeled paint and vintage photo distress crayons over the whole surface...
at this point
it looks terrible...
keep going...
just wipe off the surface gently with a moist paper towel...

the crayons tint the surface and remain in the cracks, to create a shattered glass effect...

now the butterfly is under the glass &
 looks like a specimen...

I added some tiny black pins in the corners...
I've had them for 100 years...
not sure where I got them...
but I thought they fit the theme well...




I added the tarnished brass paint to 
finish off the edges of all 4 pieces...

I mounted the butterfly piece onto a larger piece of black magic mat board, then

I mounted this piece onto a 4 x 4 canvas that was inked with fern green...

I added some remnant rubs...
yes...they stick very well to 
the embossing paste...

and I used the hex fasteners to attach it...

here's close up of the surface...
I think it's pretty cool & it shows another way to use 
this time for texture, with no color!


I frequently get asked about drying time 
for the paste...

there are several factors that are involved...

the thickness of the layer that's added & the humidity...

this paste needs to air dry...
if you blast it with the heat tool, 
it gets cloudy & never changes to clear...

to speed up the drying, I put it next to the air conditioner vent & that cool air did help...
you could use a fan too...

this piece, done in Illinois in HUMID August, 
took about 2 hours to dry...

give it a try...
make a specimen!

it's really very fun...

I hope your weekend is fabulous & 
YOU
can
make art!
wendy

14 comments:

daisylover said...

Thank you for sharing this! You made a beautiful piece of art that is definitely wall worthy!

Debby said...

Thanks for sharing the directions for this. May give it a try later!

Terry said...

It is another stunner Wendy, looks lovely underneith the "glass" Thank you for this amazing tutorial hun loved it xxx

Vic said...

Very cool! TFS

bev said...

Stunning Wendy! Thank you for sharing this great project and tutorial...you are always so inspiring😊 Hoping that you have a wonderful crafty and relaxing weekend!

Jenny Marples said...

Truly inspiring Wendy!!! Gotta give this a go - LOVE how the stamped translucent paste looks. Thank you so much for sharing your creative genius again xx

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

Completely AWESOME to stamp the shattered stamp in the paste...love that! The crayons really brought out the cracks too! You are brilliant, and what a gorgeous piece!

Redanne said...

Wow, wow, wow, I am a bit at a loss for words Wendy! The butterfly is gorgeous and it does indeed look like it is under glass - love the look of your new paste and it looks wonderful with the crayon treatment. Love this!! xx

Karen Goulet said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Karen Goulet said...

I love the cracked glass effect. This is a beautiful piece!

Art Joy of Sharing with Peg and Shel said...

Lovely.

Dorothy said...

Looks really cool!!!

Art By Wanda said...

LOVE this!!!

LadyHaase said...

Wonderful concept and artistic crafting. I read and re-read and will probably read this post again. You gave us so much information. Thank you.