DON'T GIVE UP on a HOT MESS CANVAS in Mixed Media Art!! Here's Why...

I'm not gonna lie, today's project started off as a HOT MESS CANVAS. I fought with my mixed media collage background WAY longer than I thought I would. I've had this happen WAY too many times in my journey with mixed media art to give up. I chose to push through what I call the "ugly phase," & I'm SO glad I did!! ​

If you were with me last week- we did a very similar NO DRAW, decoupage collage project using scrapbook paper, wood canvas & the same female body template :) I loved doing that so much, I thought we'd do her one more time in a totally different way!

Here is your supply list for today's mixed media art tutorial: 
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• Karen's FREE Female Body Template  so you can make this exact project!
• Canvas panel, canvas board, or art journal page (or wood panel / wood canvas)
• 3-5 pieces of scrapbook paper 
• 1 sheet of transfer paper (to easily transfer my template to your scrapbook sheets!)
• 1 sheet of trace paper
• 2 colors of Acrylic Paint to match your scrapbooking papers & paintbrushes
• Matte Medium, Mod Podge & a foam brush (or Weldbond Glue if you're using wood - TRUST ME!!!!)
• Gesso if you're in the mood!
• Stencils, stamps, pitt pens, paint pens - whatever else floats your boat today!!

As you'll see in the tutorial, if you choose to work with a wood canvas or wood panel, this material will TOTALLY soak up your matte medium, mod podge, and acrylic paint - just like a sponge! Luckily I knew that going in, and reached for my Weldbond glue to get my scrapbook pieces onto my wood.

Even so - I ran into issues, soon after. I used WAY more paint & covered more of my cute scrapbooking paper than I had intended.

​Y I K E S !!!!!!

 Instead of giving up- I reached for my stencils and stamps to help me, and KEPT GOING!!! ​​

When you've got your background to a place where you're happy... it's move on to your girl! 

You'll need your sheet of transfer paper, a sheet of trace paper , 1-2 sheets of scrapbook paper for your girl's clothes, a separate sheet of scrapbooking paper (or sheet music, etc.) for the girl's body, and a printout of my body template.

We'll start with the sheet of paper you want to use for the girl's body. Lay that sheet face down on your art table, then lay the transfer paper dark side down on top of that, and my body template printout over that. Use a sharp pencil or pen to trace the body template.

When you're done, you'll see her on the back of your scrapbook paper- all ready to be cut out ;) 

At this point, it's time to create some clothes. Lay your girl cutout right side up on your art table. Then lay a sheet of trace paper on top of that. Using a pencil, simply draw an outfit right onto your trace paper. We're basically making a pattern for her clothes! If this part of the video goes too fast, you can click on this video from last week to see me working in real time on this step. 

For this project I decided to create a one piece, flowy dress.  If you want to do a 2-piece outfit using multiple pieces of scrapbook paper, and are feeling stuck at this point, click over to last week's video for a quick demo of how I did that. 

When your clothes pattern/s are all drawn out onto your trace paper, you'll need the scrapbook paper you've selected for her outfit. You'll also need your transfer paper again. 

Lay your clothes scrapbooking paper face down on your art table, then lay the transfer paper face down on top of that. Finally, lay the trace paper with your pattern right on top! 

Cut your outfit pieces out once everything has been transferred the way you want. Set those pieces aside and pop back to your canvas to glue your girl & her clothes down with some good old mod podge! 

After my girl and her outfit were glued down and dry, I added a cute little bag, drew in shoes with my pitt pen...

Added hair with a paint marker, and shaded a bit of dimension on the sides of her dress and arms (with faber castell pitt pens).  When I felt like she was all finished, I added a few stamps as well - one of which came out TOTALLY crooked. 

​OOOOPS!!!! 

The good thing is- THIS is mixed media. If ya don't like how something looks- keep going. Try something else! When I hit a point like this - I tend to throw a quote over my mistakes ;)  Just like this ...

And there ya go!!! 

I HOPE you have even MORE FUN than I did making this girl. And YES- I STILL had TONS of fun even though I had a hot mess canvas for a while (twice in one project actually!!).  I hope I've inspired you with some new ways to work out the kinks if run into any while you're making your own creations!  

Just remember to KEEP GOING. Try everything until you're happy ;)