2017 #2 Blooming {by Jo Firth-Young}

2017 Topic 2: Masks

As soon as I saw this idea, I was hooked! I love how Jo has used her sunflower mask to protect the fabulous, colorful background, and then obscure the exposed areas with white paint. Hard to bring yourself to paint over such beauty, but i'm sure you'll agree the effect is amazing! So pretty! She is partial to an offset bit of stamping, and this adds detail so perfectly, particularly when embossed! Check out the process as explained by Jo.

Hi everyone Jo Firth-Young with you tonight to share with you a way to use one of my new stamp-stencil-mask combos. The big flower (or sun, depending on your interpretation) is from JOFY51 stamp set.

  I like this stamp and stencil/mask VERY much, I hope you do too!

The technique I've chosen for tonight's blog post is a type of masterboard - a simple painted one that I cut up to become cards/panels but could be adapted to be a wall piece with the addition of extra words or images.  I really like this technique because it can be so easily adapted with different colours, stamps and masks.

Let me show you.

I had two masterboards on the go at once created with 'technique'  - so the colours in my photos may vary slightly but the process was the same - this turned out to also be a good way to illustrate how different two masterboards can be even when created with the same colours... and thats one of the reasons I like masterboards - no two are the same!

The masterboards are 'quite' bright - I painted the colour on in quite rough 'stripes' and patches - almost drybrushing in places - I wanted colour but not 'solid' colour... The colours also needed to be bold because I would be painting over the top using solid colour.

Even though I was quite relaxed about the backgrounds - not being too fussy about straight lines etc I did concentrate on getting the best placement for the mask/stencil. I cut each masterboard in half and spent time choosing my selection. This is easy if you use the stecnil to pick an area, then I would place the mask inside the stencil (held down with a piece of blue-tack), remove the stencil and paint over and around the mask in white.

The current theme on the blog is 'masks' but I couldn't resist using the stencil too to create the opposite version... Opaque paints would be the best option for stencilling on the bright background. I used Snowflake Fresco Finish to paint over/around the mask (top photo) therefore protecting the background which results in colourful flowers. 

The lower part of the photo above shows the stencilled version. If white is applied through the stencil, you get white flowers and the colour background.

I really love how striking they both are.

I cut them up and mat and layered them ready to be made into cards or framed wall art.

I had a couple of pieces left over....hhhhmm lets see what the masked version would look like painted with black gesso... I don't think I can choose which I prefer!   I think there are lots of possibilities with this.

I really enjoyed creating these quite simple backgrounds/masterboards using the stencil and mask combo - give it a go yourselves - I think it could be a little addictive.  This particular stencil/mask combo is quite large - why not try it with smaller designs where you'll get more pattern in the same area.

Have fun!

Jo

Blog: www.jofirthyoung.blogspot.co.uk
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/JoFY.JoFirthYoung
Twitter/Instgram:  @jofyjo
Pinterest:  https://uk.pinterest.com/jofyjo/

This is such an awesome idea, and it really is surprising how different the background looks when sections are selected and highlighting by masking them off. I love the white contrast so much, but black too!! Oh my!! ~ Leandra

We hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. Our bloggers deeply appreciate your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired! Why not join our challenge by blogging your interpretation of the current topic and link it here?

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2017 #2 Take Chances...Explore {by Wanda Hentges}

2017 Topic 2: Masks

I threw Wanda in the deep end for this post, and as ever, she gave it her all! One of the exciting sneaks you have seen on some of the live streams we have done this year is a look at the new infusion colours we have coming. I sent some to Wanda, and with masks, new infusions and masks to boot, she seems to have had a ball!

Hi everyone!!!  Wanda Hentges (Art By Wanda) here.

It's GREAT to be here on the PA blog tonight sharing with you a project using Infusions for this topic, Masks.  I've been playing with Infusions a lot lately and am growing to love them more and more.  They are a heap of fun and I love how you can get so many different looks just by how much water you use, how long you leave them sit, other products combined with them.  Oh, the list goes on.

I wasn't sure exactly where I was going when I started, however my piece ended up being 7 1/4" x 8 1/4" so I will be looking for a frame to put it in and then on my wall it will go.

JOFY has some wonderful new stencils and stamps.  I've used PS057 and JOFY50 for my project.  The stencil is actually a versatile stencil/mask set so you have the flower stencil part and then a mask you can use for more detail.  I've used just the largest mask in my project.

I placed the mask onto Heavy Smoothy Card and then made a square around it using Tissue Tape (Tim Holtz).  Then comes the fun!!!  I sprayed the piece with water, sprinkled on infusions (Golden Sands, A Bit Jaded, and that last color is a new release coming up later this month), sprayed more water any where I thought needed it, and laid a paper towel over the whole piece to blot.

Isn't that gorgeous!!!!  There was a bit of seepage under the flower mask but I love how it came out!!  I had thought about doodling around and in that masked flower area but I liked how it looked so much that I was afraid I would totally mess it up.  In the end, I was glad I'd left it alone as it's a perfect backdrop!!

I also used the flower mask as a stamp with Infusions (A Bit Jaded).  I inked the mask with Embossing Ink, sprinkled on the Infusions, rubbed them about with my finger, spritzed the mask lightly with water and pressed it onto the paper.  I repeated the spritzing and "stamping" several times.  The first two times I only got the outside edges of the mask.  After the first two, the color was more fluid on the mask and I got more coverage.  The last couple of times I "stamped" the mask, I just pressed it into the puddle of color I now had on my craft sheet and the onto the project. 

While removing the tissue tape, I had a spot that tore the paper a bit.  Note - remember to pull the tape slowly and close to the paper not straight up which I remembered as soon as it started tearing.  I was really bummed and considered starting over but thought I would try to save it.  First, since I wanted to stamp words in the "frame" and I knew the ink would react differently over the torn area then elsewhere, I put a light coat of Collage Medium Matte (Ranger) in the frame area.  I just used my finger and did not stress about getting all the way to the edges of the white area.  This worked well for the stamping but you could still see the torn area.  A strategically placed butterfly hides it well!!!      

I stamped a complete flower on my piece, painting in the stems and leaf (Hyde Park, Limelight) and then made extra flowers to cut out and layer on top.  I colored scraps with the same infusions as used on the background.  

While working I was thinking if there was another way of masking that would work on my project.  I took another scrap, stamped a flower on it, painted some areas with Fresco Finish Pearl Glaze, dried it, and colored the piece with Infusions.  Technically this is doing a resist since the Glaze is not removed but the effect is fabulous!!  Yes, I squeezed out way too much Glaze but I made good use of it by spreading it out and stamping with it onto an ATC blank that I will finish up and share on my blog. 

The variety of "stamping" from the mask really gives a nice variance to the piece.  

Extra detail was added to the flowers on the stem using a white gel pen. The black cardstock I layered my main piece onto wasn't as "black" as I wanted it to be but Fresco Finish Little Black Dress painted on the edges was the perfect fix!

If you own some Infusions, I really encourage you to "Explore" them!!  Play... Have Fun... and find out all the wonderful looks you can get with them and don't forget to incorporate masks or masking and then enter your project into the challenge, you just might win the prize and who doesn't love shopping.  

Thanks for following along!!!

Hugs, Wanda

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Wow, I'm glad you are an explorer Wanda! Lots of infusions masking fun here that's for sure! Love your strategically placed butterfly too! Haha. ~ Leandra

We hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. Our bloggers deeply appreciate your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired! Why not join our challenge by blogging your interpretation of the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, 26th February 2017, (note you have 3 weeks for this challenge) and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

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2017 #2 Let your Imagination Fly {by Ingrid Vichova}

2017 Topic 2: Masks

Are you ready for a bright and cheerful post? Something to whisk us away with the fairies into crafty heaven? Well Ingrid has certainly cheered me up no end with this delight! I really think she needs to frame these 2 pages and pop them on the wall, they look so fabulous! I'm going to be visualising you all grunging, painting, and layering with gay abandon tonight!

Hi everyone! Ingrid here.

Great to be here on the PA blog tonight. I've chosen to share with you my art journaling process using the fabulous mask by The Crafter's Workshop and a few PaperArtsy products. I can safely say that this is a match made in heaven!

A big part of being a Card Designer for magazines is to follow directions... colour schemes, supplies, card orientation and more, so art journaling for me is a way of relaxing. This is when I can completely let go and let my imagination fly freely. If you are familiar with my work, you will know that I love creating textures, playing with colours and my journal page today is exactly about this.

It's about playing and enjoying the process itself rather than concentrating on the final result. I truly hope that today's post will inspire you to not be afraid to just play without any pressure on yourself. Where do you start? Read on to find out what I did...

I don't tend to overthink it when it comes to journaling. I have a good rummage through my half finished items or embellishments and usually get inspired by what I find. 

It's amazing what one can find!!!! In this case I fell in love with the colours on the Prima flowers I coloured some time ago. I'll write another post on how to make them, so easy and fun! 

I continue to journal in my good old handmade file journal I made some time ago. The pages are sturdy and can take a lot! Which is great, because I really like to LET GO! :) A few layers of white gesso, old curtain, cheese cloth, book pages of a rubbish brain rot book I refused to read... and there... I satisfied my need for a textured background! 

Using this beauty with the PaperArtsy Grunge paste was a real treat. I think I need to buy some more paste though as I am in a danger one of running out of the paste!!! I use it a lot.. I love the grungy texture it provides me with and the way it takes colours.

I added some stamping with the journaling stamps by Sara Naumann - ESN03.  

A simple combination of the Stampendous Embossing Shabby White powder with some Potting Soil Archival ink on a chipboard embellishment was my next choice. This is when I start thinking about what direction I would like this to go to, but not necessarily know where exactly I'm going with it. 

I think die cuts are a perfect way to add dimension to any project. They need to coordinate with my other bits and bobs though and so I reached out for the gorgeous Fresco Paint in Gold and oh my!!! I got butterflies when I saw how beautiful they turned out! The colour of gold is to true it's amazing...Look! 

Now that I stopped oooh-ing and aaah-ing over the gorgeous golden die cuts, I proceeded to add colour to my background. I chose similar colours to the ones on the flowers. Why? I don't know, maybe I like things matchy-matchy :) PaperArtsy make my life so easy by creating such a wonderful range of colours. It was super-easy to find similar colours... I used Mermaid, Zesty Zing, Teresa Green, Coral and Blush. If you haven't tried this combo, you must! 

What would be the point of creating all this fab texture, if you can't see it as much. To make it pop out, I took some Snowflake Fresco Paint and dry brushed over the raised areas here and there. Yum! 

The next step is something you can completely omit in order to save yourself swearing like a farmer and making an almighty mess. That, my dears, is the Glass Glitter by Stampendous that ended up all over me! But it was all worth in the end and after I hot-glued my embellishments, I ended up with this...

In between the textures, colours and adding sparkly things to jazz it up, I can say I thoroughly enjoyed the process.

I used colours that worked well together, I think, and most importantly they made me happy and I hope the look at the pics will somehow uplift your mood too! :) It always is a pleasure working the Fresco Paints. 

It was my friend Donna Gray who introduced me to them and I never looked back. We all make crafty friends on our journey and discover new supplies, new technique and inspire each other.

The PaperArtsy blog and Leandra together with the team do a fabulous job bringing the community of artists and crafters together in the mot beautiful way and I am grateful to be able to share my work here with you today!

Thank you and all the best,

Ingrid x

Blog - https://ingridscraftscorner.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ingridscraftscorner
Twitter - https://twitter.com/IngridKristinaV
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Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/ingridkristinav/ 

Ohh Ingrid, what a riot of colour, and gorgeous layers!! THis looked like so much fun, even if you did wear some glass glitter along the way!! Goes with the territory though! Haha! Thanks for sharing this with us, very cheerful and makes me think of the warm summer to come! ~ Leandra

We hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. Our bloggers deeply appreciate your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired! Why not join our challenge by blogging your interpretation of the current topic and link it here?

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2017 #2 I just wanted to say... {by Gabrielle Price}

 2017 Topic 2: Masks

Masks are used to cover things up. And in crafting terms, this can be a bit of a 'thing' to get your head around, as you can use the technique to layer in very clever ways. Gabrielle has one such technique to share tonight - time to dog out the post-it notes!

Hi everyone Gabrielle from Crafty Thoughts here.

Great to be here on the PA blog tonight. I've chosen to share with you masking using post-it notes.

I chose to use post-it notes party because I'm a little stationery obsessed so I always have a lot to hand! Also because they can be really adaptable and I've tried to incorporate two ideas here. My finished item is a page in my black journal but it's really easily adapted for any project!

To make the background I used several brayered layers of paint, Snowflake then Pewter and White Fire. If you leave some of the black peeking through this give a really grungy textured finish that I really love. This is my new favourite start to backgrounds!

I used my mask in two ways; firstly by stamping the frame on the page and then on a post-it note and secondly by tearing up some post-it notes to add highlights. The Matte Glaze and the Black Knight Infusions on the top of the page will finish the grungy look. I really like the anticipation of spreading the Infusions on the page. The effects are always so rewarding!

This is what the page looked like when the post-it notes were removed. Look at all that lovely texture!

I wanted to add lots of stamped images to the background  and so repositioned the frame mask and stamped the background flowers. If you've never done this before it makes the stamping look as if it's behind whatever's being protected by the mask. An easy but hugely satisfying and effective trick!

Then the really fun bit! Painting with Infusions! I put a tiny sprinkle on my craft sheet, added a drop or two of water and painted in the flowers. For the bottom border I used water to remove some of the infusions from the petal shapes and added A Bit Jaded to the outside. I had a little left and so gave the outside of the frame a wash of colour which looks fabulous against the under metallic colours.

I hope you'll have a go at my super simple mask idea. Next time I'd even more torn pieces because I love those lightning shaped highlights! I have only really tried adding Black Knight Infusions to this metallic background so my next experiment is to try other colours - I'd love to see what colour combinations you might try! 

Gabrielle x
Blog: Crafty Thoughts
Facebook page: Crafty Thoughts
Twitter: @freyatom
Instagram: _freyatom_
Pinterest: gabrielleprice

I imagine in real life this must look so metallic, it's such a hard thing to capture on camera how the metallic paints really look! The infusions falling into the texture looks amazing, and gives such awesome depth! I would never have thought to mask the patterns too! Inspired!! ~ Leandra

We hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. Our bloggers deeply appreciate your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired! Why not join our challenge by blogging your interpretation of the current topic and link it here?

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2017 #2 Sneaky Mask {by Anneke de Clerck}

 2017 Topic 2: Masks

Not only does Anneke share a great masking technique, but as ever, she creates contrasting layers with thoughtful simplicity and in doing so, highlights the perfect contrast of colour and shape.

Hi everyone Anneke here.

Great to be here on the PA blog tonight with a post about masks. I'm one of the lucky wingmen who already could work with the brand new (and not yet released!) masks designed by Kim Dellow. I'm allowed to give you a little sneak peek tonight, how cool is that!
I used one of the masks to create a background for a birthday card. Below I'll show you two ways of working with masks. As there will be a bunch of PaperArtsy masks available soon (stay tuned!) this little tutorial will come in handy, won't it :)

In my opinion, when creating a project the most important part is choosing the colors. PaperArtsy has a wide range of Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics so making a choice between all those yummie colors is often hard. Usually I'm looking for 3 colors in different shades, supplemented with white. Limiting the colors ensures unity. For color inspiration I often flip through my own art journals. 

While experimenting with the following masking techniques I experienced that a grounded background worked best. So I applied a coat of Snowflake to start with. This layer took away the porousness of the paper. I could easily remove paint and it prevented the paper from damaging while rubbing with a baby wipe.

After randomly coloring the panel with Candy Floss I started with the regular masking technique. I applied Smoked Paprika through the Kim Dellow mask with a cosmetic sponge. I made 3 prints as I'm always doing odd prints.

Next I continued by the reverse masking technique. I applied Mermaid paint first, put the mask on top...

...and rubbed away the paint around and in the mask with a baby wipe.

To finish I repeated the regular masking technique using Snowflake paint. I alternated the position of the mask while progressing and I made sure to overlap the previous prints. 

I didn't want to cover this background entirely therefore I've chosen to work with a single flower as focal piece. The moment I saw the new ETS08 stamp set by Tracy Scott I was in love with that beautiful flower! I stamped it on a sheet of paper I painted with Pixie Dust first.

I decorated the petals of the flower with Flower Soft. Flower Soft was very popular around here a few years ago. It was often used to create landscapes on cards. I applied PVA glue to the petals with a brush and sprinkled the Flower Soft on top.

Tip: When working with embossing powders or things like Flower Soft or glitter I'm always using a stencil packaging to work on. This plastic works great to collect leftovers.

Look how tactile this flower became. Love the texture! 

I often mix and match different letters and texts on my cards. For the birthday wish I combined sticky alphabet letters and a word from the JOFY 26 set.

I'm very into 'use what you have' (and never use any more) lately. So that's why I preferred to work with Flower Soft. You could easily replace it by embossing powder, glitter, glass beads....Just go through your stash, I'm sure you'll find something that can add texture!

I love what you can accomplish with just one mask and some paint. I'm very fond of this kind of layering techniques. Sometimes it's a bit scary because you have to work in layers and sacrifice some of the beauty of the layer underneath but at the end it's worth it! The layers start to interact and provide a beautiful end result.

I hope I could inspire you to grab a mask and join the challenge. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Thanks for stopping by!

Anneke

My blog

http://somefiddlingonthekitchentable.blogspot.be

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Wow, it is so good to see the steps of how you used Kim's new mask so well with different colours! It can be confusing when building up overlapping layers, and you have managed to merge and soften the layers perfectly! Thankyou, and how lucky to get a sneak peek of a new product too!

We hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. Our bloggers deeply appreciate your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired! Why not join our challenge by blogging your interpretation of the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, 26th February 2017, (note you have 3 weeks for this challenge) and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store.