Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Textured gesso...again

Okay, I know I have shared this technique before but I do like it a lot! The challenge this week for DLP (Documented Life Project) was to use gesso so I went a little crazy with it.


 I started my page with some random book paper glued down with matte medium. Most of it will not be visible so I didn't care which direction the text was in. I use clips to hold my pages down when I am using glue or gesso in journals so it doesn't shrink and curl the page as it dries.


 Next I used my very worn old sea sponge to apply gesso over the book paper. I tried not to cover the whole page because any areas without gesso will stain darker later on. It is a look that appeals to me. I took my book outside and used a heat gun to make the gesso bubble. It adds even more texture than just the sponge.


 I spread gesso through a stencil in a few areas to make even more texture. I was careful when lifting the stencil off so it doesn't smudge.


 Next I used the distress inks to colour the background. I started with the brightest blue and edged the page with the browns.


 The page was a little too bright for me so I decided to spray it with my dye sprays. That was a big mistake. The dyes washed most of the distress ink off and changed the gesso to blue. I quickly wiped the whole lot off with a paper towel. Now I had a mess but I kept going.


I redid the distress inks but I left out the really bright blue this time. In the final image I also added a little green distress ink to tie the images in to the background more.


The final page, almost. I stamped the birds on separate paper, colored them with pencils and cut them out. The are glued to the page with matte medium. I wrote the quote out with a black permanent pen.



I thought the writing didn't stand out enough so I colored in the letters with a green pencil. Now it really is done. 

2 comments:

  1. This is fantastic. Thank you for explaining it all so clearly. When I make a mistake, I don't always know how to fix it. Blessings, Janet

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  2. Thanks Janet. I often make mistakes so I just keep going. If I really make a mess I can always add a new layer of gesso or paint and start again, so I tend not to worry about what will happen with each new step. There are lots of new discoveries to be made when you allow yourself the freedom to create without rules or hesitation.

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