Follow Your #Cre8time Heart... Mixed Media Art tutorial by Melissa Johnson

Hello everyone! Today I would like to share with you a simple Valentine's inspired mixed media art piece using Amazing Casting Products.

One thing I love about mixed media is the ability to create multiple layers. Adding resin layers on top of that just gives my artwork so much depth. This piece contains several layers, as you will see. 

To begin, I mixed up some of the Amazing Clear Cast Resin and added some of the Red Alumilite Dye. I coated the entire surface of a small 4 x 4 hardboard panel, then swirled in a bit of the Gold Alumilite Metallic Powder. A hardboard panel is similar to a canvas in the way that it looks, but it offers a more rigid surface. I now work almost exclusively on hardboard panels. 

When that layer was dry, I took a copper StazOn ink pad and a script stamp and began stamping on top of the resin. I also used black StazOn ink and a stamp roller. 

  

Next I added some acrylic ink using a dropper and tilting the board around to let the ink spread. I added a few drops of alcohol ink and sprayed it with a little bit of water to get that flowing around also. 

 

I took some of the Orange Alumilite Dye and dripped that on the surface. I also edged the hardboard panel with the ink and smudged it in with my fingers. The orange dye with the other layers really brightens and adds some dimension. 

Now for the fun part!! I've been experimenting

with different mediums using the metallic powders. 

For this next step, I took Golden Glass Bead gel and mixed it with the gold metallic powder – so pretty!! I laid down a heart stencil, and using a small palette knife I spread the mixture over the top of the stencil.

I also added the "follow your heart" rub on in the top corner. 

I had a cute valentine clip art piece that I had planned to use in the next step, but I had a series of unfortunate events with her. First I cut off her foot, (yikes!) but I thought it was ok, that I could just glue it back on....then I laid her down straight on the piece without sticking her down first and poured on another layer of clear resin, but found she wouldn't lay flat no matter what I did. So I pulled her off of the piece and tried wiping off the resin in that area and gluing her down with some gel medium. Well, that got pretty messy. :( 

Then I got to thinking I'd just pull her off completely, re-add the resin, and use her after that layer dried. Unfortunately by this time I had lost her foot and she was pretty crusty and not looking so good. I tell you all this because you can't let mistakes get you down. I was bummed because she was cute, but I wanted to complete the project so I had to do a little re-thinking. That's what being creative is all about, right? :) Plus I learned a valuable lesson – glue everything down first!! 

I used this image that I had in my stash instead, and did a little painting on top of it using some red paint, a little bit of gel medium, and the gold metallic powder.

I finished the piece off by painting the edges.

and sealing it with another coat of clear resin.

What amazing things would you layer in resin? 

Make something that makes you happy :) ~ Melissa Johnson
Please visit my BLOG, to see more of my mixed media creations.

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