Elisa Ablett Designs : Art and Soul Studio

Wednesday, 19 July 2017

'The Blue Divide' Art Journal Page by Elisa Ablett

Hi Soul Sisters,

Elisa here from the design team for Art and Soul Studio with my latest project which I based around this month's soulful project quote.

the link to the facebook album is here for your entries - July Soulfull

there is a $75 voucher to the store up for grabs so get your entries in.

Here is my project, a very personal mixed media art journal page inspired by the quote and featuring products from Art and Soul Studio Store.

To me it symbolises the swirls of thoughts through our brains, the struggle between anxiety and panic and happy cheerful thoughts. How something so beautiful as your brain can be a little dented and scratched, so to speak ....

Here is a close up of the thoughts, words cut from an old book.

I wanted to show you how I achieved my page using some of the materials from the store.

Step 1 - Using a new Mixed Media Journal from X-press It, it has beautiful 300gsm aqua paper! draw a face silhouette with a waterproof black marker, add a circle and line down your page where you want to showcase the line drawn between your thoughts in your head... (more symbolism)

https://artandsoulstudio.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=226&product_id=18645

Step 2 - Grab your desired colours of acrylic paint - I used Vicki Boutin Mixed Media Acrylic Paint available from the store on the link below. The colours are glorious! and it spreads like margarine.

Using a palette knife or silicone spatula spread the three colours inside the circle on your page and let dry.

Mixed Media Acrylic Paint 1.7oz 4/Pkg: SET 2

http://artandsoulstudio.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=649&product_id=19229

Step 3 - Using an old sheet of music paper and a sheet of patterned paper (Abstract Art by Kaisercraft - Basecoast 4 collection) tear small strips of the papers and use to build the silhoutte's clothing on the lower half of the page plus also part of the background on the right.

I also used the patterned paper and using a new bohemian flower die from the store, I diecut my flowers and put them aside for later.

Cherry Lynn Designs - Mehndi Botanicals 4

http://artandsoulstudio.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&path=631_713&product_id=20611

Step 4 - Using a paint brush add a small wash of gesso over the top of your patterned and glued paper to dull the colours a little. Then grab your favourite watercolour inks and spray bottle and a paintbrush add colour to your silhoutte page on the right side. I used the FABULOUS ecoline inks available in store individually or in packs of 6 or 10 colours. -

Ecoline Watercolour Inks - Pack 10

Step 5 - Use a large paintbrush and water as well to add a wash affect over the top of your inks.

Last steps - Once your page has dried and you have added all the colour inks you want, using a versafine inkpad which is archival, stamp around your circle and line to create depth on your page.

Also add your title, either handwrite or use stamps as I have using the same black versafine inkpad.

To finish - add your die cut flowers, eyes that i ripped from a magazine and some important words from an old book to represent the war our brain sometimes has when we are anxious, sad and confused and stressed.

Add some finishing touches like colour to the lips or outline your flowers to give them more depth.

And you are finished!!

Hope you have enjoyed my project and the tutorial, the quote immediately 'spoke' to me and I wanted to create a page that symbolised the real struggle that a lot of people go through with the warring thoughts in their minds. Art is Therapy.....

Make sure you leave me some love and head on over to the store to check out the amazing products the store is stocking to help you on your artistic journey...

Elisa xx

Sunday, 2 July 2017

'Star' by Elisa Ablett

Hi Soul Sisters,

Hi I am up on the Art and Soul Blog today with a mixed media scrapbooking page.

Art and Soul Studio is now branching out to stock scrapbooking and papercraft products and what better way to showcase the new ranges in store for those who enjoy scrapbooking and especially mixed media scrapbooking then a mixed media tutorial. This tutorial is not only for those who scrapbook, you can use the techniques shown for Art Journalling or Artist's Trading Cards or even on canvases. You are only limited by your imagination!

Here is my layout

Here is the collection I used from Art and Soul Studio - 7 Dots Studio - Hazy Days Collection and I also used stamps from Carabelle Studios

Tutorial Time!

Step 1 - Using the 'Gelly' Hazy Days paper, grab your Marabu Art Sprays and carefully aiming at the centre of the paper, spray your turquoise colour in an oval shape. Then spray your black colour in the centre of the paper while wet, this will let the black merge with the turquoise to create a merging pattern.

Step 2 - Using an alpha stencil and the lovely bright yellow Marabu Art Spray, hold the stencil slightly above the paper and spray around the oval colour area on your paper through the stencil.

Step 3 - Add some black splatters to your background using your black spray. I take the spray lid off and tapping my finger on the tube over the page.

Step 4 - Make sure your page is completely dry then its time for stamping. Using an Archival safe black stamp pad for example a Versafine or Staz On and your stamp on an acrylic block, ink your stamp. Then stamp in the centre of your page as pictured.

Step 5 - Add some different stamping to the centre of your page and also to the left and right side of your page.

Step 6 - Add some splatters of the Turquoise and Black ink to your page by taking the lids off and tapping the ink onto the page.

Step 7 - Using the Alpha Drips Stencil and TCW Black Modeling Paste and palette knife, add some texture to your page to continue with the grungy look

Step 8 - Add some of the coordinating stickers to your page and paint the coordinating chipboard with black gesso or paint and let dry.

Also using a Kaisercraft Decorative Die - Texture Woven as pictured below - die cut two of the texture pieces out of black cardstock and put them aside.

Step 9 - Stick your elements down onto your page including the chipboard and die cut pieces. I use Helmars Acid Free Glue

Step 10 - Glue black cotton thread over the top of your texture pieces in a messy heap!

Last steps - A great technique and cheater's way of adding foiling to your page or chipboard is to use a glue stick and a paintbrush! Wait until your chipboard is dry and then using the glue stick, add glue to the top of the chosen chipboard pieces - I used the stars and the title piece.

Then using tweezers or just your fingers add some gold foil flakes over the top of the glue areas on your chipboard. Let dry completely.

Finish off by using a stiff paintbrush - brush over the top of the chipboard quite roughly to brush away the foil that is not glued down, this will result in a distressed foil effect.