Pretty PaperArtsy Canvas and Crafty Goings On.

It's been far too long since my last blog post, so I have lots to catch up on.

Now might be a good time to grab a cuppa :)

Yesterday I was teaching at the Craft Box in Barnsley, it's in the Heritage centre at Elsecar, its lovely there and the shop is a joy to walk around, full of amazing crafty stash and fabric. I'm gonna buy me a jelly roll next time I'm down there.

I was teaching this lovely canvas using the new JOFY stamps from PaperAtsy, and the new limited edition paints and stencils.

There's lots of lovely layers of interest from the background papers, stencilling, texture paste, stamping and treasure gold

Here are some of the lovely ladies in the class, everyone finished their canvases and they were all stunning too :)

I had a fabulous time and I can't wait to go back and taste Vicky's gorgeous cakes, and see Julie's mad as a hatter personality again :) xx

Thank you ladies it was a lovely day.

***********************

The She Art Class went super well at Art from the Heart in mid-May. And Sandra came up from Hull to join in too. Me and Sandra started this crafty journey together way back in March 2012 when we first visited Art from the Heart and had a life changing experience. So much has happened since then, and boy have we changed our crafty tastes. No more peel-offs!

        

 I love a messy studio!

Here is everyone's canvases, don't they look amazing?!

I love she art canvases, they just make me feel happy :)

*********************

Look what Ellen Vargo has sent me!!! Can't wait to use them on my canvas backgrounds, they are going to be well used thats for sure. They'll be perfect for making texture layers. You can get them from PaperAtsy here. :)

**********************

On another note I'm busy not only working full time as a geologist but also trying to make lots of paintings for a new Mexican restaurant opening in Stockton on the 7th July. 

So far I've only been able to get this far with a Mexican tree of life! It stands 3 foot high and 2 feet wide.

I've painted the flowers in gesso first before I'm painting the colour on, so the colour stands out better.

I've been mostly using Dina Wakley's new paints on this too. They are wonderful and bright!

Hopefully I'll finish it this week. I want to do an ornate day of the dead Mexican skull next. Maybe a Frida Kahlo one.

Here's one I made earlier for the restaurant a while back.

Its based on Huichol Yarn Folk Paintings They are so colourful, I love them.

Well no rest for the wicked. I'm off to Welsh Wales tomorrow to Llandudno for a little jolly with Helen..

Hope the weather stays sunny for us :)

Have a great week

Michelle xxxxx

Latest Classes, Sneaky Peeks and new Paints

Went to visit my Grandmother in Burnley yesterday which means I have to drive through Harrogate to get to Skipton. Which means I had to drive past Art from the Heart! Sacrilegious I hear you cry! So I popped in on the way home instead, Ha Ha! It would've been rude not to really. :) I had to go stroke some of the new Dina Paints anyway! Of course they just jumped into my basket, those lively little buggers. I bought 5 to play with.

I'll be back into Art from the Heart on Thursday next week on the 15th of May as I'm teaching my She Art canvases class (pics below). Lots of gorgeous layers in the background I love it. I'll be providing templates of 6 girls all hand drawn by me with interchangeable heads!

I've discovered a new product that I love too, I don't know why I've only come across them now, but I LOVE them! It's the Faber Castell Big Brush Pitt Pens. Now I thought these were just big felt tip pens last year and I didn't really give them a chance. But after playing with them this week, they are much more than that, and a mixed-media artist's best friend. You can move the ink around with your finger and get amazing results. So we're going to be using these too to have a play with them on Thursday, so if you want to come and join in there are a few places left HERE

****************

It's sneaky peaky time. 

Below is a sneaky peak of a canvas I'm teaching at Barnsley on the 31st of May at The Craft Box, playing with all the latest PaperArtsy paints and JOFY stamps. Looking forward to finally meeting Lynn who runs the shop too :)

**************

Here's another very close sneaky peak of the canvas I'm teaching on the first day of my Mixed-Media weekend at Wynyard Teesside on the 26th and 27th of July. This one makes me very happy. It's a place I always like to be at! Any guesses where it is?

You can book your place on the Art Workshops page on Facebook (just send them a message), or email Sue Tucker on  sue.tucker1@btopenworld.com to secure your spot.

I'll have another sneaky peak for the Sunday's project when I've finished it :) xx

I have lots to be getting on with these next few weeks as its Preview Day at Art from the Heart on the 14th of June and I need to get the new class projects finished (time is running out and I'm back at work on Monday! eeek!) then prep the preview day taster class too. It's a corker!

Oh and fill a restaurant full of paintings too.

I like to be busy! Or crazy maybe 

Have a great week

Michelle xxxxxx

Give your heart the wings to fly class

Today I've been teaching my angel wings canvas at Art from the Heart. What a great day, loved seeing everyone again. I just love being there it makes me feel instantly happy and creative.

If you've not been before then give it a go, everyone is welcome :)

Here's Gemma and Donna in the naughty corner again.

Little Ella is just brilliant, she has no fear and just gets stuck in.

Ruth, Marilyn, Pam, Dawn

Lovely messy workdesk!

We ran out of time today and didn't quite finish the wings. 

I said I would put up pictures on how to finish it.

After you've stuck on your feathers start putting on the top shorter feathers.

Here's a closer look. I've painted some dark brown on the feathers under the next row to add some shading. I also painted some gesso and gold paint on top of the fabric.  

Paint your heart and stick it to the canvas with gel medium, or glossy accents or even Pinflair.

Cut out your words and distress the edge with Evergreen Bough distress ink.

I've used a crackle stamp with some gold pigment ink to crackle the words too.

Hope you can finish your canvases xxx

See you soon

Michelle xxxx

Secret Garden folding photo book

When Leandra over at PaperArtsy asked the Alumni guest designers if they wanted to join in one more time to making something for the blog, I jumped at the chance. 

I wanted to make something little and pink! And here it is, its a Secret Garden photo book. 

I have a walkthrough of how I made this over on the PaperArtsy blog.

Tiny arty things make me smile :)

Michelle x

Love the Simple Things. Wynyard Mixed-Media class

What a magic day its been!

I was teaching a Mixed-media class in Wynyard,Teesside.

Loved every minute of it, even though I was very nervous this morning.

I don't know why really they're all a lovely bunch of crafter's and one serious potter (Bryan).

Here is everyone making merry with the paints.

There was definitely a hive of activity, and lots of funny conversation. Daisy Lou was in tears at one point!

Me with the canvas they were creating.

Susan in deep concentration and her daughter Jane watching on.

Debbie Happy, Lou serious!

Donna is taking on the challenge of doing it all with her eyes shut!

Errr actually Donna what are ya doing here?

In family corner 

Daisy showing me my stamp! lol and Gemma needs to be reminded of her name 4 times! ha ha love it Gemma x

Karen and Jane, lovely ladies x

What are Gemma and Annette saying to Susie lol!

Naughty Sam, nuff said! 

Joan, what's up luv?

Sue tries to rein in Lou, ....no chance! 

Helen's canvas, loving the texture.

Action shots

This is Sam stroking again, only its her own this time! lol

The END

What a day, what a blast!

Roll on the next one.

From left to right. Back: Sue, Bryan,Karen, Annette, Joan, Juliet, Susan, Debbie, Jane, Diane, Gemma, Jane. Louise Wither's hiding her face!
Front: Daisy Lou, Kay, Sam, Me, Donna.
Susie lying down :)

She was in charge of her own destiny

I'm loving this sunny weather, it means I can get in the garden and get an early start on the Spring clean up. I hope the snow doesn't come back and bite us in the butt though!

Today I felt like a bit of drawing, so these little iddy biddy (4" x 4") canvases just needed something small and dainty on them, so I drew the house, the flowers, the mushrooms and the girl under the tree. I drew them on paper and coloured it with promarkers, then cut them out and stuck them on with gel medium.  I painted the tree directly onto the canvas, (love the way that it continues around the edge).

Here's a little walkthrough. Get 2 iddy biddy canvases and stick lots of bits of paper and washi tape on them with gel medium. (Yes even the phone book didn't escape this!)

Paint up the canvases with 3 paints, here I used, teal, white and lime green.

Edge with gold paint and stamp a text stamp with dark blue paint.

Add gesso and a bit more teal paint to knock back the harsh colour. 

Add some background stamping and some coloured texture paste through a stencil.

Then rub the edges of the canvas and the raised bits of the paste with Treasure Gold.

Here's a close up of the house with it's climbing plants and the mushrooms.

You can see the raised texture of the paste.

I always invite the edges of the canvas to the texture party :)

Here I've also used Kate Crane's amazing self made stamps (arrows).

Kate sells her handmade stamps on Etsy, but you gotta be quick, they sell out fast.  

Off to have a nice soak in the bath, we did 26,000 steps yesterday walking round Newcastle before the Russell Howard gig and now I'm aching!

Have a great week 

Michelle xx