2016 #6 Textured Canvas {by Lin Brown}

2016 Topic 6: Liquid Sculpting Medium

Hi everyone Lin Brown from Yoursartfully here. Tonight I'd like to share with you, a post about Powertex in conjunction with things that I use everyday in my artwork.

I have been aware of Powertex for some time now but only recently purchased some to experiment with. I was drawn to some fabulous abstract canvases on display at a show last year and really wanted to have a dabble for myself. 

As many of you are loyal PaperArtsy followers, I wanted to try and combine Powertex with PaperArtsy stamps, stencils and other products that I frequently use, so that my canvas would be recognised as my style and not influenced by the artwork I had seen. I'm not gonna fib, it was a challenge, the finished piece is not the vision I had in my head but hey ho, it's all about learning, discovery and understanding a new product.

Step One: For this project, I decided to recycle a canvas that had been used for a previous experiment. It has scraps of fabric stuck to it along with sections of Bead Gel. If my memory serves me correctly, I think I had painted it with "Silks" by LuminArte, followed by some Gesso to tone it down.

Step Two:  I poured a puddle of Ivory Powertex on the surface of the canvas and used a palette knife to spread it out. It seemed to be self levelling so I left it over night to dry. In the morning, I was surprised to find that some of the underlying colours had seeped through, but that was OK  I quite liked it.

Step Three: Realising that the consistency of Powertex is too runny to use through a stencil (you can apparently mix another of their products with the Powertex fabric hardener which I guess may enable you to use it through a stencil but I didn't have any of this!) I reverted to my trusty Grunge Paste to add some texture through my new stencil PS024. I used a pokey tool to create little holes in the leaves while the Grunge Paste was still wet.

Step Four: I stamped some images from ELB26 on some interfacing using Archival ink which needed to be heat set. I chose this fabric as I knew it wouldn't fray when I cut it out. As the fabric was quite thin, I stamped double the amount of images so that I could stick two together to create a more substantial flower.

ELB26

Step Five: This is the part of the project where I started to struggle. I now wish I had used a different fabric, something with a bit more texture to it and also a fabric that is more flexible. My flowers are looking rather rigid in my opinion. As I said earlier, I'm not too bothered, it's all part of the learning curve. If you look closely, you'll see that the fibres I used have much more movement to them and were definitely easier to coat with the Powertex. When using Powertex on fabric, you really need to massage the product into the weave of the fabric to achieve the best results. Those little balls are also a Powertex product, they stuck to the Powertex easily and are great for added dimension.

Step Six: It was at this point that I decided to sprinkle on some of the brand new Infusions. The Powertex was still a little wet at this point so it did stick to the surface quite well but I needed to give it a light mist of water to help dissolve the crystals and spread the colour a little more. Loving this effect!!!

Step Seven: At this point, I decided to grab my Fresco Finish paints and start painting. I also added some Treasure Gold to highlight the textures.

Step Eight: As a finishing touch, I painted Powertex on a paper flower and sprinkled it with Infusions. I love how that enabled me to shape the flower.

Here is a close up photograph of my favourite part. I love how Treasure Gold really enhances the texture of the fibres and little balls.

I hope my project inspires you to have a play with some Powertex. My head is certainly buzzing with ideas for future projects. Personally, I'd really like to try making a selection of 3D fabric flowers that could be placed in a vase.

Lin Brown
Yoursartfully (blog)
@yoursartfully (Twitter)

Thanks Lin, the texture here is fabulous. My favourite part is the section of fibres too, to be able to give something so floppy such great body and strength is wonderful and opens up so many possibilites.  The whole canvas is definitely your style, but with added depth and dimension. ~Darcy

We would love to see how you interpret this topic by linking what you make to our 2016 Challenge #6: Liquid Sculpting Medium, on this page HERE.

All of our bloggers love to see your twist on their ideas, particularly if you were inspired directly by their post. 

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Liquid Sculpting Medium link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, April 3rd. The winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.