LITTLE YOU

Hi everyone!! I hope you all had a good weekend and have had a good start to the week so far? Today it is once again my turn to share with you here at 13 Arts, and today I have simply put together a start to finish step-by-step for you, quickly showing you how I have put together the following layout.

'Little You'

The photo I have used is of Jet when he was about 7 months old, and remains one of my favorite pictures of him.

Some details:

Here is the tutorial I have put together for you:

Step 1: Take a sheet of paper from the Mental Vacation Collection, then using a palette knife spread gesso carefully on your background from left to right, coming right across to the other side of the page in the center.

Steps 2 and 3: Mix a decent amount of gesso with the new Magic Powder! You want the paste to become quite thick. Use a palette knife to spread the paste through the Grid Mask from the Mental Vacation Collection. Move the stencil about your page as you go, sticking roughly to the areas of paper covered with gesso. Dry it with a heat gun, then turn your stencil a different direction, lay it over the top and spread some more paste through, once again moving about the page. Dry and repeat a third time if you think it necessary.

Tip: Make sure your paste is completely dry so that it doesn't just flatten and smudge when you lay the stencil back over it. The Magic powder makes the paste thick enough that you don't have to worry about it seeping under the edges of your mask if it is not laying flat, making it great for layering paste. 

Step 4: When your background is completely dry spray Chalk Blue light mist and Pastel Green Mist quite closely to your background to get 'puddles' of mist, then use a wet paint brush to move the colors around and blend.

Steps 5 and 6: When you have finished painting, use your brush to add flicks of paint around the edge. When your misted background is thoroughly dry add some stamping. I have used a triangle texture stamp, and butterflies. I have also painted my butterflies with the same mists used on the background, using paper towel t dab off any excess. 

Add some random flicks of Black and White SPLASH! Inks.

Steps 7 and 8: Cut your papers and distress the edges, then attach them to the left of your page using layers of foam tape. Add some calico, natural waxed twine and Gold thread, along with some gold washi tape at the top and bottom of the page to add a little warmth.

Sand and distress the edges of your photo then secure it above the twine circle.

Steps 9 and 10: Now you can begin to embellish. I have begun with a few flowers to the right of my photo and a white vine, on which I have misted the tips of the leaves. 

I have taken a decorative chipboard heart and painted the entire thing (including the edges) white with gesso, then I have mounted it up on 2 flowers for dimension.

Steps 11 and 12: Continue to build up your flowers/embellishments around the photo until you are happy with the look. 

Add some Gold word stickers to the top and bottom of the page for your title, and add 2 little chipboard hearts covered in Gold glitter to the right of the page to create a visual triangle with the Gold.

 Next randomly spray your flowers/papers with Pearl Turquoise Light Mist and add a few small squirts of pastel Green to them as well.

Step 13: For the final touch, use a small brush paint Gel Medium onto random petals of random flowers then sprinkle some of the Dark Green Grit into the wet Gel.

So there you have your finished project!!! 

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial and found something to inspire you!!!

13 Arts products Used:
Mental Vacation Collection - Papers
Starlight Collection - Papers
 Mask - Tattered Grid (Mental Vacation)
Gesso
Modelling paste
Gel Medium
MAGIC! Powder
Splash! Ink - White
Splash! Ink - Black
Ayeeda Mist - Pastel Green
Ayeeda Mist - Chalk Blue Light
Ayeeda Mist - Pearl Turquoise Light
Ayeeda Mist - Pearl Silver
Colored Grit - Dark Green
Twigs and White