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Spotlight on the Media Journal: Burlap!

Last up in our spotlight on the surfaces in the Dina Wakley Media Journal is burlap.

Don't let the burlap intimidate or confuse you. Use your creativity! Or, just think if it like bumpy paper and do what you'd normally do to it. Can you paint it? Sure. Draw on it? Yep. Sew? Absolutely. Build collages? Heck yeah!

Here are some ways I have used it in my work so far:

I like to cut a decorative edge in it to make a cool page divider:

On the page below, I cut a frame in the burlap page. Then I took the bit I cut out and used it to make a pocket for a tag (on the left side).

One of my FAVE things to do with the burlap is to treat it like a bulletin board. I pin, sew, or staple tags or other bits and bobs to it. If you don't have Tim's Idea-ology Tiny Attacher, you NEEEED it. I use mine all the time to staple things to the burlap.

I adore the burlap and it adds such a great visual and textural element to the journal.

How are YOU going to use the burlap pages? Can't wait to see!

Spotlight on the Media Journal: Watercolor Pages

Time to shine a spotlight on the watercolor paper in the Media Journal.

This is not an ordinary watercolor paper. It is a handmade, textured paper that has some cotton in it. It is very absorbent and reacts to wet media in an interesting way. It is a fun surface to work on. You can leave it unprimed, or you can apply gesso. I tend to apply a thin coat of gesso to everything, because I like how paint behaves on gesso. Experiment with the paper and see how the different mediums you have work on it, both wet and dry, both primed and unprimed. Here are some pages I've done on the paper:

I can't wait to see the magic you create on the paper in the journal! Be sure to share your work in my new Facebook group, Dina Wakley Media Tribe. We love to see all of your creations!

 

Spotlight on the Media Journal: Canvas Pages

Hope you enjoyed the spotlight I posted before on the kraft pages in the Media Journal. Next, let's highlight the canvas pages.

The canvas is a lightweight, textured surface. Here are some of the ways I've used it:

Below I've cut the canvas page down and used it as an interesting divider. I stick collage and tags and even pieces of Media Board to it.

On this next page, I had done a painting on the canvas that I didn't like. I cut the icky part out by cutting a large heart in the page. It ended up being a really cool frame for the following page.

On the pages below, I treated the canvas just like I would treat paper. Draw on it? Sure. Layer collage? Absolutely. Sew on it? OOOOH YES. BTW, my new Scribble Sticks draw like a dream on the canvas.

I can't wait to see how you use the canvas pages in your Media Journal!

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Spotlight on the Media Journal: Kraft Pages

I'm shining a spotlight on the amazing Dina Wakley Media Journal over the next week. The journal has, bound right into the signatures, four surfaces to work on: kraft, handmade paper, thin canvas, and burlap. It should be shipping from the Ranger warehouse by mid-Feb.

First up in the spotlight: kraft! The weight of the kraft in the journal is lovely. It's heavy and a delight to work on. Sure, you can gesso it, but then you cover up all that glorious kraft color (though clear gesso is an option if you feel your work requires that under layer). My Acrylic Paints really pop on the background, and it makes a fun change from standard white or ivory.

At the trade show, Tim Holtz gave me some of his new Idea-ology Paper Dolls. Oh my. They are like Found Relatives, but they are die-cut out of the background so you just have the figure. I am a wee bit obsessed with them. Okay, more than a wee bit, as you can see in the pages below.

Products used in these pages: Idea-ology Paper Dolls, Dina Wakley Media Scribble Sticks, Dina Wakley Media Tape, Dina Wakley Media Acrylic paints, Fudeball black pen, white paint pen.

 

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January 2017 Dina Wakley Media Release

Hooray, the day has come to share with you the new Dina Wakley Media releases for 2017!

If you've been paying attention on Instagram and SnapChat, I have been peeking of these for the past week. Have you noticed anything new? I've been subtle about it, but I've been using some of the new stuff in the posts.

First up…the new Dina Wakley Media Journal.

Yes, I said journal. People. I am beyond thrilled with this journal. It's unique and full of interesting surfaces to play with and alter. It has a smooth black cover, and is filled with signatures that have handmade cotton rag watercolor paper, burlap, kraft paper, and thin fabric canvas. Be still my beating heart.

I have spent the last couple of weeks filling an entire journal. It is chunky and textural. I found it re-invigorated my journaling. I would work on one surface, turn the page, and find a new surface to challenge and inspire me. I love it so very much. Words cannot express how meaningful it has been to fill it up with art and thoughts.

I have dozens more pages to show you from it, but I will save them for future posts. I am excited to show you more. Working in this journal has been exciting and therapeutic and I cannot wait to see what magic you make in it.

Next up, three new metallic paint colors. I adore my metallic paints and I am thrilled we added three more options: Rosy (a rose gold), Ancient (a bronze) and Medieval (a pewter).

In this sample, I used Rosy as part of the face color. It gives her a lovely sheen. This is painted on the watercolor paper in the journal.

 

Next up…new Accessory Bags. All of the designers got to create a set. We all need more storage, and it's a plus that the bags are just so COOL. Here are mine. My original art from the bag design is hanging on my wall in my studio. I can't wait to collect the bags from all of the designers! They are fabulous.

And okay…can you see me jumping up and down about this one, too? New Dina Wakley Media Scribble Sticks! Water-soluble pigment sticks that actually color on dried paint. I know, I know, SO EXCITING!!! You can draw with them, color images, make backgrounds, draw on wet paint, draw on dried paint, draw on plain paper….you get the idea. These are in my hands constantly. I start pages with them, end pages with them, draw with them. Love, love, love.

 

In our efforts to broaden the appeal of my awesome paint, we're now offering the colors in 1 oz squeeze bottles, in addition to the tubes. What is awesome about these little bottles is that they are CLEAR, so it's easy to find the color you're looking for. Also, they have a pointed tip which means you can draw and scribble with them right from the bottle. Sa-weet!!!

I'm also excited to add new brushes and tools to my line! We're hoping to now have brushes and tools for every taste. These new brushes have a shorter handle a finer bristle, but are still stiff enough to push around my heavy body paint. The smallest brush has softer bristles for detail work. Woo hoo, the perfect brush for creating catch-lights in pupils when you paint portraits! The Media Tools are brushes with silicone tips. I'm addicted to using them for making interesting marks on my work, but you can also use them for gelatin printing and scribbling into wet paint. Look for a blog post on the Ranger blog later this month with some ideas for using the Media Tools.

Finally, we come to new stamps and stencils. I have many, many samples to share with you in the coming days and weeks, made by me and also by some guest artists.  There are six new stencils and six new stamps.

I have lots of samples to share in the coming weeks with the new stamps and stencils…are are a few!

Are you excited??!!! Let's make some ART!

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Neck deep in CHA prep…

I am neck-deep (well, let's be honest…I'm kinda drowning here) in CHA prep. I can't wait to show off the new products that are coming in just a couple of weeks!

I did this little 12×12 abstract painting yesterday as a demo. It's on cradled wood. All my acrylic paints.

More SOON….

Early Bird Price for Creative Jump Start Ends Tomorrow!

You have until tomorrow at midnight EST to get the early-bird price for Creative Jump Start! Join us!

Click Here to Learn More about CJS!

Throughout January, you get access to 27 downloadable videos from 27 featured artists. I'm proud to be one of those artists, called “JumpStarters.” Take a peek at this promo video:

Head on over to Nathalie's site to sign up:

Click Here to Sign Up for CJS 2017!

It will be $45 until December 31st, 2016. On Jan 1, it goes to its normal sale price of $50. Still an amazing value, less than $2 per video.

Join me and let's have some fun!

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12 Tags of Christmas with The Crafty Scrapper

I am excited to participate in The Crafty Scrapper's 12 Tags of Christmas. Are you in a festive mood?

Supplies:

Dina Wakley Media stamp and stencil set Scribbly Vintage Holiday

Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Paint Colors Evergreen, Ruby, Gilt, Night, Sky

Ranger Texture Paste

Dina Wakley Media Glazing Medium

Dina Wakley Media paint brushes, palette knife

Ranger Watercolor Cardstock

Ranger Archival Black Ink

Scissors

Ranger Foam Tape

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Plain Tissue Wrap, Tiny Attacher, Grid Block, Crinkle Ribbon

Ranger #8 Manila Tag

Book paper

Ranger Multi Medium

Extra piece of scrap cardstock to paint on, any type

Black Fudeball pen

• Start by putting texture paste through the reindeer stencil onto the tag. Let dry.
• Mix an Evergreen glaze by putting a tiny bit of Evergreen paint in a dollop of Glazing Medium. Glaze over the texture.

• Stir a bit of Night paint into the glaze to make a darker green, and glaze over the tag again.

• Stamp the Santa with black Archival ink on watercolor cardstock. I stamped four images. Water down some Ruby paint and paint in the hat and cheeks. Cut all the Santas out and layer them on top of each other with foam tape. Also stamp the frame and paint it with Gilt, Evergreen, and Ruby paints. Cut the frame out. Stamp the "happy Christmas" sentiment and cut it out as well. Lightly wash over the sentiment with Sky paint.

• Use your extra paint on a piece of cardstock–you need a red area and a green area. From the red area, cut some circles to represent holly berries. From the green area, free-hand cut some holly leaves. When they're dry, outline them a couple of times with the Fudeball pen.
• Stamp the toys onto a small piece of plain tissue wrap. Layer some book paper and the tissue wrap piece on the tag. I used the Tiny Attacher to attach all of the elements to tag. You could also use Multi Medium.
• Layer on the berries and leaves that you cut.
• Layer on the frame.
• Add the stacked Santas and the sentiment. I like there to be dimension so the I made sure the sentiment popped up.
• Edge the tag in black and add a piece of Crinkle Ribbon that you've painted with Ruby paint.

 

Oooooh, Mica Spray

I think Mica Spray is one of the most underrated products out there. It's one of my most faves, though! It adds a bit of shine and iridescence to just about anything.

Unfortunately, I find it really hard to photograph the mica effect. The shine just doesn't show up in photographs. Hope you get some Mica Sprays and try them…I think you will be addicted, like I am!

I’m on the Stampington Blog….

Check out Stampington's blog for a little tutorial on how I made this: