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

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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 :)

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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

A Monster Birthday!

Ok my life has been a bit of a roller coaster lately, working fulltime, teaching at the weekends and my Mum in hospital with a serious illness. I'm wondering when will it all end. :(

Hopefully the consultancy work I'm doing will be coming to an end in the next couple of weeks and I should have more time to care for my Mum and get some me time in the craft room too. Please be patient with me, normal service will resume at some point. xx

I'm still creating, but mostly making class projects, which I can share on here once I've done them :)

Here's a little snippet of a mixed-media canvas I'm working on right now.

I made this card for my Son's birthday and I thought it would be nice to share it.

I've used Dylusions stamps and spray inks. I love the grey theme, it makes it more sinister.

I've also used lots of stencils to add hidden layers of inks.

My Son loved his card. 

Hope you're having a good day especially with the sunshine being out today :)

Hels weekend 25th & 26th January 2014

We had a fantastic weekend with Hels Sheridan last week, there was lots of fun and laughter as always. Hels repeated the performance this weekend too, so I nipped up for a quick cuppa with the ladies at lunchtime. 

It was really nice to meet people who I know from Facebook and the blog world but hadn't met yet. :)

Here is what we got up to on our weekend and my two projects below.

Look at this motley crew, from back left to right Janella, Pat, Susan, Jayne, Jane, Sara, Karen, Helen, Joan, Jean, Dimps, Gemma, Tracy, Fallon. Front row from left to right. Sam, Joanne, Susie, Donna and me with a naughty Hels growing out of my head, doing bunny ears!

 This picture is so funny, Sam looks like she's pulling out a wedgie, Joanne looks like she's got a bit of trapped wind, and maybe Gemma too, Donna is protesting and I'm feeling the need for a little dance!

Payback for the bunny ears Hels! ha ha! Thats my girl Helen. :)

 Gemma's eying up Jayne's art work, and well what can I say, Susie just wants to be in on all the action I'd say!

 I caught Fallon and Tracy having a selfie moment!

Susie's ahead of the game and waiting for the next course of action.

This was my background before I started putting all my embellishments on the ATCs.

 My finished ATC piece. 

Finished canvas, with a bit of grungy paintyness :)

I'll be back with a monster birthday card later this week. :)

Ta ta for now Michelle xx