Steampunk Skeletons

Hello Everyone!

Just popped in to share a project using 2 of my favorite group's products, Retro Cafe Art Gallery and Finnabair, for a ghastly little frame. 

It was really fun to drag out the resin pieces I made up this summer. I used the Fancy Ornate Frame Kit from Retro Cafe Art and base coated it with white gesso. Then I painted the front of the back section with different red metallique paints and dusted with gold. I added some crackle stamping to the edges later.

Here I think instead of a white back for the inside of the frame, a color or black would've been better. Who knows. I always second guess myself after it's all done and photographed. It's what I do.

The center 4 pieces I painted with Ancient Coin metallique paint, stenciled with the Fire Ruby Icing Paste and Book of Numbers stencil, added some more crackle stamping, and glued it together. 

The front opening of the frame is more complicated. First I glued everything on except the 2 bird skulls. In hindsight it would have been easier to do the large skull after all the other layers.

  Everything is base coated with black gesso. The large skull has Metallic Flakes and paints. The Bird Skeletons are painted with various reds and golds. The large Bat Wings are dusted with Brass Hardware and Mermaid Teal. And the gears and background of the frame have layers and layers of Metallique paints, crackle paste, and Liquid Acrylics. 

I added black micro beads and 3 small black bats as filler and just because. It's finally done. At first I thought I'd hang it on the wall, but now I just like looking at it on my desk where I pay the bills. I think it seems appropriate there. 

This is a side view of the frame with the stenciling. You can also see more of the liquid acrylics and their bright colors.

It's not exactly how most people would've used this frame, but if you know me, I like to dabble in the unconventional. 

As always, I'm here if you have any thoughts or questions. Stay safe. Be well. Hugs to you all.

Linda

Products Used:

Fancy Ornate Frame Kit

Amazing Casting Resin

Bat Cut-Outs/Black

Finnabair - Heavy Black Gesso, Heavy White Gesso

Finnabair - Heavy Body Gel

Finnabair - Soft Gloss Gel

Finnabair Moulds - Bird & Bats, Skull & Bones, Machine Parts, Queens of Steam, Anabelle

Finnabair - Metallique Paints- Royal Red, Brass Hardware, Red Wine, Mermaid Teal, Ancient Coin

Finnabair - Liquid Acrylics - Umber, Tiger Orange, Violet, Carmine

Finnabair - Micro Beads/Black

Finnabair - Gilders Glue

Finnabair - Metallic Flakes - Copper, Gold

Finnabair - Texture Paste/White Crackle

Finnabair - Patina Effect Paste - Green

Finnabair - Stencil - Book of Numbers

Finnabair - Icing Paste - Fire Ruby

 

"Haunted Door" MEGA Shine Gift

Hello everyone! 

No I'm not rushing Halloween when it's not even Memorial Day, I just needed a 30th birthday gift for my oldest granddaughter I affectionatly call "the Ghoul." She has always loved bats and cats, and just anything along that line. So this Haunted Door MEGA shrine from Retro Cafe Art Gallery was right up her little ghoulish alley. It ends up about 9.5 inches tall. 

The spiders and shrine all come in the kit. I used Finnabair moulds and resin for the skulls. Then I embellished them with Metallic Flakes and Jewel Effect Pastes. The top spider is adorned with 2 Melanage Art Pebbles.

The door opens on the right and you can hide, store, capture, torture, whatever you want in it. I am fully confident that Britta will find something to place inside. 

I used the Checker stencil with Diamond Rings Jewel Paste. The web on the door is painted with the Blue Opals Jewel Paste. 

Using the Wings and Bones Mould and resin, I created these little lovelies. Then I covered them with Copper and Gold Metallic Flakes using Gliding Glue. 

The sides of the shrine were painted black and the stenciling is applied with a silicone brush. Here you see the Golden Dust and Crushed Amber using the Tapestry stencil, and the black skull before the flakes are applied. As always, the kit is put together with a bit of white glue. I used 3D Matte Gel for the embellishments. 

Most of the supplies can be found at Retro Cafe Art Gallery and Mixed Media Place. 

Check them out and have a jump on creating for your Halloween fun.

Linda

Products Used:

Haunted Door MEGA Shrine

Finnabair - Heavy Black Gesso

Finnabair Jewel Effect Paste - Blue Opals, Crushed Amber, Diamond Rings, and Golden Dust

Finnabiar Mould - Wings and Bones

Finnabair Metallic Flakes - Copper and Gold

Finnabair - Gliding Glue

Finnabair - Melange Sugar Art Pebbles

Finnabiar - 3D Matte Gel

Amazing Casting Resin 

Less Perfection - More Authenticity Please

 Here it is time to show you another project using Mitform Tool products. I love putting Finnabair pieces with them for a really steampunk look. 

The Story:

The ship's wheel here is the steering mechanism for your art journey. You alone need to set the level  of steam for how you navigate your journey. It's difficult not to be too hard on yourself creating pressure for perfection. Just being yourself, and not trying to be someone else, makes your art more authentically "you". Keep your eyes to the stars, looking up, and let the gears of your creativity move in the right direction. 

This starts with a small canvas board. I added metallique paints and archival inks over the white gessoed board. I added some Sparkling Onyx jewel paste with the Passiflora stencil and white paint splatters.

The Machine Floral Decor chipboard set is painted and also has Steampunk Metallic Flakes added.

I sprinkled some Mechanicals and resin cast pieces into the mix. The Old Plate has painted brads and a bit of paint for contrast. 

In this project, I liked the shiny brass of the Mitform pieces, so I left them as they were. They were perfect with the color of the other elements. 

Layer the pieces on chipboard scraps and adhere with Heavy Body Gel or 3D Matte Gel. 

This is a simple project that can come together quickly or it can me elaborated on with many other layers. You can add stamping or tissue paper and still have the same basic ending.

Be well and check out the links below with Retro Cafe Art Gallery here in the USA for most of the products used. 

Your Friend in ART,

Linda

Products Used:

Mitform Castings - Scale 1, Marine 2, Flowers 5

Finnabair Art Basics - Heavy White Gesso, Heavy Black Gesso , Heavy Body Gel 

Finnabair Art Extravagance - Jewel Texture Paste - Sparking Onyx

Finnabair Stencils - Passiflora

Finnabiar Mechanicals - Old Plates, Mini Stars, Mini Knobs

Finnabair Prima Art Decor Mould - Machine Parts

Finnabair Art Alchemy Métallique Paints - Stormy Ocean, Mermaid Teal, Brass Hardware, Red Wine

Finnabair Decorative Chipboard - Machine Floral Decors

Finnabair Art Ingredients - Metallic Flakes - Steampunk

Finnabair - Gliding Glue 

Amazing Casting Resin

Canvas Board 3x5

The Sun is Shining-Steampunk Gears

Hi Everyone!!!!!

I've been the lucky recipient of several wonderful products lately and I'm thrilled to see how they work so well together to create great project. Being on the Retro Cafe Art Gallery DT brings all sorts of great masonite cuts, and since she works with both Mitform Castings and Finnabair, almost all these products can be found on her site here. Links are at the end, so check them out.

Having said that, I'll give you some tips on creating this project. This starts with a large gear of masonite from Retro Cafe Art Gallery as a substrate. I used black gesso to prime it, and then added a layer of Golden Dragon Effect Paste. This is what adds the sheen with bits of foil. Then I stenciled on the stars using the Blue Opal Jewel Texture Paste. Lastly, I stenciled the gorgeous Crushed Amber Texture Paste onto the center using the Oriental Wall stencil.

I loved using the Effect/Rust Pastes on the 2 sizes of Gears, Assembly, and Corner from Mitform. These are wonderful when it comes to detail. 

The Stars and Moon are made with resin in Finnabair moulds as well as the Wings and a gear. They are decorated with Metallic Flakes from Finnabair. It's a simple step of brushing on Gilding Glue, letting it dry, and then adding the metal foil. 

Rust Effect Pastes and some paint create the vintage layer to the Mitform pieces. My favorites are the Clock Hands.....just saying. The metallic flakes are so amazing on the resin pieces. They have a different shine when you turn them in the light. 

Métallique Paints add some contrast and shadows to the stars, wings, and large flower under the moon. I think it now looks to be a Sun. But that's just me. The green and purple spots are pieces of foil in the Golden Dragon paste.

So this just shows you how 3 different groups of products can work to create a fantastic outcome. I love it when the plan comes together. Check out the different links below at Retro Cafe Art Gallery for 

Mitform Casting and Finnabair products.

Stay Safe. Be Well.

Your Friend in ART,

Linda

Product Links:

Mitform Pieces-Clock 4, Gear-30 and Gear-40, Corners 5,  Assembly, Flowers 2 and Flowers 3

Finnabair Products 

Art Ingredients - Metallic Flakes-Vintage, Gilding Glue, Jewel Texture Paste-Blue Opals, Crushed Amber 

                            Patina Effect Paste Set/Rust Paste, Effect Paste-Golden Dragon, Effects Paste/Rust Paste

                            -Powder Blue and Purple

Art Alchemy  -   Metallique Paints-Stormy Ocean, Steampunk Copper, Gold Amber, Rustic Brown

Moulds    -          Nocturnal Elements, Cogs and Wings   

Stencils   -           Oriental Wall, Stars

Art Basics  -        3D Matte Gel, Heavy Black Gesso

Retro Cafe Art- Mixed Media Creative surface Board - Gear Style 2

                            Amazing Casting Resin Kit - Quick Cure

Steampunk Journey Canvas

I've been honored to be asked to join the Mitform Castings Toolbox group. If you're not familiar with these great products, you're in for a real treat. They're gorgeous galvanized brass castings made in Poland and used all over the world by artists. We've partnered together with Retro Cafe Art Gallery to share some works using products found there. I'll link to that online store for your convenience, but know they are found many other places around the globe.

This is my 8x8 wooden canvas piece. I love working on wooden substrates as well as masonite. I used a lot of Finnabair products (all these wonderful art elements work so well together) to bring about a Steampunk creation. I hope you enjoy.

This shows the frame, hot air balloon, clock hand, and valve by Mitform.  I used lots of chipboard gears from RCAG decorated with Finnabair's rust pastes and paints. I also covered a couple of gears with the new metallic flakes for some shine. Finnabair's Metallique paints and rust pastes work perfectly on the 

Mitform pieces. 

Micro beads and glass glitter are added to fill in spaces.  The Lady Vagabond image is colored with Tombow markers for a bit more vibrance. 

This is the base before I added all the goodies. It starts with a layer of tissue paper. Next comes the white crackle texture paste and liquid acrylics. I needed to lighten up the center so I added some buff fresco paint and stamped images to break it up.

These are my steampunk chipboard gears with black gesso and some with my favorite colors of rust pastes and paints. They were really fun to create. 

This is a "laying it out"phase of my creative process. The hardest step for me to take is the initiative to start gluing down everything. I am not a spontaneous creator by any means. It takes me forever to make up my mind.....hence, I don't create a ton of things. But, I still like to stay in the game. 

This is a closeup shot of the amazing hot air balloon. The detail in these pieces is really amazing. You can paint them, or just leave them as is. I like to leave some parts unpainted just to show how great they are.

I hope you enjoyed my Journey here. I will be back with more projects from my favorite companies. Check out the links below and have some creative fun.

Be Well. Stay Safe. 

Your Friend in ART,

Linda

Products Used:

Mitform Castings - Travel 5, Tubes Valves 4, Clock 4, Frame 2, Travel 4

Finnabair Art Basics - Heavy Gesso Black, 3D Matte Gel, Soft Gloss Gel

Finnabair Art Extravagance - Texture Paste White Crackle, Rust Pastes

Finnabair Art Ingredients - Gilding Glue, Metallic Flakes Steampunk

Finnabair Art Ingredients -  Micro Beads Black and Copper, Glass Glitter Copper

Finnabair Art Alchemy Metalliques-Rusty Red, Mermaid Teal, Flame

Finnabair Art Alchemy Liquid Acrylics - Prussian Blue, Tiger Orange, Umber, Crimson

Finnabair Tissue Paper - Celestial Music

Finnabair Stencils - Vintage Wall Paper

Stamperia Lady Vagabond Paper Pad 8x8

Retro Cafe Art - Large Steampunk Gears Style 1, Steampunk Gears II, Ornate Ivy Flourish Cut Outs

Wood Canvas 8x8 from Blick's

Just Breathe - A Journal Cover

It's been a journey. And so there's a journal. I've teased you along the way with different parts of the Finnabair square journal - inside, back and front. Here's the finished project that has an enormous amount of product all over it. I'll list as many as I can that I remember. (I did take notes, but you'd be overwhelmed)

 

First let me just say the new Effect Pastes were used a lot here, as well as the Liquid Acrylics. Stencils and Mechanicals, plus lots of Rust Pastes, are the basis of the project. 

This is how the cover started. I used white crackle paste and the Grungy Grid Stencil from Finnabair. Then I added Mermaid and Golden Dragon Effect Pastes that creates the amazing shine and gold foil effects. 

Lastly I dripped, sprayed and painted Liquid Acrylics to add more pure, deep color. 

I still love the Finn's Resist Canvas from way back. So I tore it into strips and added paints. Pretty cool effect I think. I took several Mechanicals and painted them with Paints and Rust Effects. The Clock Key chipboard takes the effect pastes and liquid acrylics really well. 

Here the key is loaded with Rust Pastes and paint. The vintage image of the girl and the saying are both from the Art Daily paper pads. 

This is the inside cover pocket I decorated with different layers of tissue papers and paints. Golden Dragon Effect Paste and a stencil are the last layer.

This, if you remember, was the start of the journal. For some reason I like to do the back first. I take the journal apart so I can cover it all, but be very careful to keep the rings integrity in mind. (Spoken from experience) The center here also has the gorgeous Phoenix Effect Paste. It's even more impressive in person with the light hitting the flakes of metallic foil.

Lots and lots of products here can be found at my mentor's shops. Retro Cafe Art Gallery is a Finnabair distributor in the United States, and Mixed Media Place in Ireland is Finnabair's own shop. Here's a majority of the product links for you to check out. 

I hope you're well and staying safe. And I would love to have inspired you just a bit to play.

Your Friend in ART,

Linda

Mixed Media Place - Finnabair Products

Art Extravagance Effect Pastes - Golden Dragon, Mermaid, Phoenix

Art Daily - 5.5 x 5.5 Journal, Vintage Photo Booth, Sentiments

Art Basics - Heavy White Gesso, Heavy Black Gesso, 3D Matte Gel, Soft Gloss Gel

Art Alchemy Liquid Acrylics - Tiger Orange, Prussian Blue, Carmine, Emerald, Crimson, Violet

Art Extravagance Patina Effect Paste, Rust Effect Paste, White Crackle Paste

Finnabair Moulds - Moons and Stars

Finnabiar Mechanicals - Vintage Snowflakes, Washers #2, Roman Numerals

Finnabiar Tissue Papers - Celestial Minis, Ladies World, Science Lover

Retro Cafe Art Gallery Products

Finnabair Effect Pastes - Golden Dragon, Mermaid, Phoenix

Finnabair Art Basics - Heavy White Gesso, Heavy Black Gesso, Soft Gloss Gel, 3D Matte Gel

Finnabair Liquid Acrylics - Tiger Orange, Prussian Blue, Carmine, Emerald, Crimson, Lime Green, Violet

Finnabair Patina Effect Paste, Rust Effect Paste, Rust Pastes

Finnabair Tissue Papers - Celestial Minis, Ladies World, Science Lover

Finnabair Texture Paste - White Crackle

Finnabair Moulds - Stars and Moons

Finnabair Art Daily - 5x5 Journal, Vintage Photo Booth, Sentiments

Finnabair Mechanicals - Roman numerals, Washers #2, Vintage Snowflakes

RCAG - Chipboard Clock Hand Cutouts

Angel of Peace

 Here we are again. It's a new year, but it's still a crazy year. The United States has had some horrific and sadly historic events lately, but it seems to have driven me into a shell/studio phase to create.

So here is my Angel of Peace. She is a Paintbrush Doll from Retro Cafe Art Gallery as a base that's loaded with Finnabair products in layers. I hope you enjoy.

Oddly, I started out wanting this to be more of a "simple" creation. (who was I kidding) That's why she has no real physical face. She morphed.....that's all I can say. I have no defense. 

The Mechanicals are painted and some are wire-wrapped. The collar is a piece of the Vintaj Passion Flower Filigree. Usually an epiphany comes to me at night when I'm trying to go to sleep. Hence the wire. It just needed something. 

The black paper dress for the angel was stenciled with the gorgeous new Effect Pastes from Finnabair. The brush is painted with Metallique Paints and the wings are screwed onto the handle. I applied clear gesso to the metal part of the brush.

I cut apart the flower for the collar and painted it and the Steampunk Gear for her halo. The Wings mechanicals have White Pearl paint and wax added to make them shine.

A painted star was the last element to be added. Almost went with a heart, but the star just looked better in this space. It's made with a mold and paper clay. 

You can also see the cold connection here with the copper etched piece and the embossed brass piece from Vintaj where I used a Sizzix DecoEmboss folder by Vintaj. 

The wire is a decorative wire I bought years ago on a trip to Galena. 

I learned to etch metal in my lovable and crazy, dear friend's class, the infamous Jen Crossley. She also taught us to make the cold connections. There's no glue involved in this type of art form. It's very challenging, but so cool. Check out her classes. I've saved this piece for just the right spot, and now it's where it belongs. I enjoy creating things that dangle with wrapped beads. Don't know why....

 I added rhinestones around her neck for some additional sparkle. The large metal Mechanical flower is from a discontinued set. 

This is the original photo I took, but when I laid her down on the new and fabulous Journaling Minis Celestial Music tissue paper, well it was just, WOW! So I used an 8x8 wooden canvas and some soft gloss gel to glue it on, and the rest is history. Who knows where this will lead.

Last shot here shows the Rusty Red Metallique Paint and Burgundy Wax on the ferrule and crimp of the brush. The etched piece has brass Pilot Wings with 2 Swarovski crystals that were wire-wrapped. The dangle is added with a jump ring as was the star. I didn't hang this up straight on a wall, so the beads aren't hanging well, but you get the idea. Forgive me there. It will some day.

I guess that's all for today. I hope I've inspired you in some small way. Check out the product links below. You can find them at Finnabair's Mixed Media Place and in the USA at Retro Cafe Art Gallery.

Be well. Stay safe. And wear a mask.

 Hugs to all,

Linda

Product List Retro Cafe Art:

Finnabair Mechanicals - Steampunk Gears, Winged

Finnabair Effects Pastes - Mermaid, Golden Dragon and Phoenix

Finnabair Metallique Paints - Mermaid Teal, Steampunk Copper, Rusty Red, White Pearl, Royal Red

Finnabair Metallique Wax - Burgundy and White Pearl

Finnabair Stencil - Laurels

Finnabair Decorative Paper - Journaling Minis Celestial Music

Finnabair Moulds - Stars and Moons 

Finnabair Clear Gesso, Soft Gloss Gel 

Skinny Paintbrush Doll Kits

Brass Pilot Wings

Mixed Media Place:

Finnabair Effects Pastes - Mermaid, Golden Dragon and Phoenix 

Finnabair Metallic Waxes - White Pearl, Burgundy 

Finnabair Clear Gesso, Soft Gloss Gel

Finnabair Tissue Paper - Journaling Minis Celestial Music

Finnabair Stencils - Laurels

Finnabair Mechanicals - Steampunk Gears, Wings

Finnabiar Moulds - Stars and Moons 

Finnabair Metallique Paints - Mermaid Teal, Rusty Red, Steampunk Copper, Royal Red

Other Products:

Vintaj - Passion Flower Filigree, DecoEmbossing Folders