Hi everyone, nice to be back with you again!
Tracy Hickman aka @anonymous.palette here with you today with a brand new PaperArtsy Project.
This year on the blog, we have free rein to do a deep dive into a PaperArtsy product ranges of our choosing. For this post I have been exploring 3 PaperArtsy Eclectica Stamp Sets by Courtney Franich (ECF05), (ECF06) and (ECF07). I’ve also used some PaperArtsy Tissue by Scrapcosy - (PT05) and a few favorite PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylics, a couple Mattints and finally, a few PaperArtsy Infusions that I’ve turned into an Alcohol Ink.
Today I'm looking forward to sharing with you what I figured out when I decided to go too colorful on a project that wanted to be more classically colored and neutral. I am a landscape painter (I finally said it out loud..) and wanted to repurpose a beautiful wooden box to house my smaller paint tubes: oil, gouache and watercolor all fit as well as the larger Kuretake paint pans which I’ve used here. Holding onto the idea that I can take this box outside to paint plein air, on trips, or just have it looking pretty on my studio table to lure me into a more consistent daily practice.
There is a second small removable paint tin on top that has been crackled, stamped, embossed and collaged that houses more watercolor half pans or can be used as a mixing palette for the big box.
Keep reading to see the layered steps: creating an ombré crackle, glazing the tissue map that surrounds the box with PaperArtsy Mattints and working in Fresco finish Chalk Acrylics for an additional hit of color that surprisingly worked really well (and a technique I’ll be using again in the future ;)
The colors above ended up being more in line with a classical landscape palette versus what I thought to use initially. I’ve included a shot below of the original brighter palette that I abandoned when the idea of colorful ombré leaves popped into my head..
A recycled box, inexpensive plastic palette from an art store and a repurposed tin are about to be transformed into a Plein Air Artist’s Box, PaperArtsy Style….
I used the map from a beautiful PaperArtsy Tissue by Scrapcosy, - (PT05) and placed over a coat of Mod Podge applied to the box with a lightly damp brush and followed with another light coat over the adhered tissue.
Painting tissue doesn’t get much better or easier using PaperArtsy Mattints in (Shark) and (Fern) with a side of Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics in (Surf’s Up) and (Green Olives) that added a bit more saturation into the glaze.
After coating this plastic palette in Gesso, I used two PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylics: (Taupe) on top and (Slate) toward the bottom to Ombré the background imperfectly which will become the crack color.
A thin layer of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish (Crackle Glaze) was applied next, very thinly, with a plastic key card to both the palette and repurposed tin. Then the fun part, painting on Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics in (Buff) and (Taupe) to be immediately rewarded with a crackle effect!
Some stamping from PaperArtsy by Courtney Franich (ECF05) in permanent brown ink here and there while trying to keep the type relatively straight…
Additional Stamping using PaperArtsy by Courtney Franich (ECF07). Both the palette and tin were stamped and embossed using a bronze embossing powder. I did warp the plastic palette slightly but heat set the back to offset the damage. Not perfect but a save nonetheless.
I loved painting the tissue and learned that I can tint Mattints with Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics for added depth. In the end though, I wonder if leaving the map unpainted would have created a greater contrast thus allowing the painter’s palette to shine.
The adorning of these substrates follow and the promised picture of brayered ombré leaves that I loved, just not quite right for this project ;). But having a stash for a later project, a win for sure!
Where I started… love the ombré but realized the palette was too saturated for my vision.
Where I ended up, a simpler more monochromatic set of stamped leaves that shows the vintage book pages of an art journal underneath. I came in and splattered the leaves with my palette colors (see below) for interest. Slightly obsessed with these stamp sets, the perfect mix of vintage with contemporary elements!
The “palette”, PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics in: (Chantilly), (Glacier Ice), (Venice Blue), (Caramel) and (Holly). I used a palette knife for the paint swatches but chickened out applying them directly to the project and aired on a substrate of deli paper instead.
Creating Alcohol Ink out of PaperArtsy Infusions, my new obsession… - in (Golden Sand) and (Olive Tree) mixed with Isopropyl Alcholol to color an embossed transparency with that wonderful quote. The icing on the cake for this plein air art box.
See how it all comes together and the colorful eye candy inside each of the boxes below! 🎨
This tin has two Velcro circles on the bottom that adhere the tin to the box below for hand holding, easy reloading and clean up.
A glimpse of the half pans of watercolors inside the tin and watercolor brush attached with a marbled ribbon.
A repurposed clear zip pouch for brushes and pencils also fitted with that same PaperArtsy Tissue from Scrapcosy over Gesso and adhered with Modpodge completes this paint kit.
This box fit these paints perfectly but a cigar box would work equally well. I’ll be adding a clip inside the top lid to hold paper or a small canvas and possibly a tripod mount to the bottom of the box for a true plein air experience .
This vintage inspired art box will be the perfect companion for some outside creative play with the hope of capturing the world around me one color and brushstroke at a time. 🎨
Instagram: @anonymous.palette
Instagram: @tracyhickman_artist
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