Funky Mixed Media (using Lori Whitlock)

Happy Monday everybody!  I was looking at Lori Whitlock's cutting files, which are all so wonderful and perfect for everyday home decor and projects.  But, this time, rather than doing the "usual thing" I decided to challenge myself and do something a little different (that I have been wanting to do for a LONG time) - a mixed media canvas.

First, since I didn't have a clue where to start (other than by looking at all the great projects on Pinterest), I let my fingers take me over to Youtube where I found a very helpful TUTORIAL on how to make a background on my Canvas. 

Next, I headed over to Lori's STORE, where I found her Summer Icons and Water Titles files, which were exactly what I needed for my mermaid art.

After I Gessoed and painted my background, I applied a Gel Medium to the backs of my shapes and stuck them in place.  I then brushed more Gel Medium over the tops of my shapes; it dries clear so I didn't have to worry about the vibrant colors of my papers getting diminished one little bit.    I used American Crafts papers this time because I wanted something super bright that would match my daughter's room.

My mermaid was a LOT of fun to make!  First, because I DO NOT DRAW WELL AT ALL, I found a simple image of a mermaid that I converted to black and white and printed out.  Next, I cut out a picture of my youngest child's head, and I simply glued it on top of the mermaid.  I wanted her tail to have scales so I used my paper hole punch and punched and punched and...punched some more.  Then I layered and layered and layered until I got just the right look I wanted.  I painted in spots around the body to help blend it into the painting.  The crown was hand-drawn (about the extent of my drawing skills) and added last.  Here's another close-up of the tale - because it took me for-ev-er to do...

And here are some close-ups of Lori's files that were used on my canvas...

And that's it for today.  Now it's your turn.  Go ahead - take a chance - do something you've never done before!  Go on!  I dare you!