What is Mixed Media Stamping?

Hey Everybody,

I'm feeling a bit better and all of my classes are done for the month, so I can get back to posting regularly. Today my challenge was April Showers. You can find the challenge here.

This challenge is also called, The Mixability Challenge. You need to use more than one art medium to complete your card.

I started by stenciling the background in three different blue colors. The colors I used were dye inks from Stampin' Up. They were balmy blue, misty moonlight and night of navy. I used a light, medium and dark blue for the raindrops.

I put distress ink on my glass board and spritzed it with water. The distress ink colors for the flowers I used were picked raspberry and spun sugar. I used brushed corduroy for the branch and peeled paint and shabby shutter for the leaves.  I used my water brush to paint the image. The image was stamped with basic black, a new Stampin' Up hybrid ink which can be used with water coloring or alcohol marker coloring. 

When it was dry, I fussy cut the flower to better see the background. I added dimensionals to the image and sentiment areas. I added clear wink of stella to the image and gold stickles in the flower centers. Lastly, I added gold gems.

So on this one card I used Stampin' Up colored ink, distress inks, Stampin' Up Hybrid ink, clear Wink of Stella and gold Stickles. As you can see, I mixed different media and it wasn't mess at all.

Keywords: MIX688

Stamps: SU-Indescribable Gift, SU-Rolling Waves

Paper: white, azure afternoon

Paper Size: A2

Ink: distress inks-picked raspberry, spun sugar, brushed corduroy, peeled paint, shabby shutter, SU-basic black hybrid ink, balmy blue, misty moonlight, night of navy

Accessories: scissors, Frantic Stamper-raindrop stencil, 1 1/2" circle punch, gold gems, clear wink of stella, Gold Stickles

Techniques: stenciling, coloring, fussy cutting

Dina Kowall, an experienced artist from Splitcoaststampers explains Mixed Media very well. She also demonstrates it. Check out her explanation here.

This is a list from Dina's article of some of the supplies you could use for mixed media art.

Here's a list of art supplies you may use or have around your crafting area - if you have used any 2 or more of these together, guess what?! You have done mixed media.

• Pencils - wax, oil, watercolor, graphite/charcoal, chalk/pastel
• Pastels - chalk, oil
• Markers - watercolor, pigment, water-based, acrylic
• Pens - ink, glitter
• Pigments - Gelatos, watercolor crayons, metallic rubons
• Paints - watercolor, acrylic, oil, poster, tempera
• Inks - dye, chalk, distress, reinkers, pigment, hybrid
• Powders - mica, pigment, chalk
• Sprays & airbrushing
• Dimensionals - embossing paste, gesso, fabric, found items, papers (collage, piecing) , ephemera
• Heated elements - encaustic, embossing

When I googled the difference between inks, here's what I got.

Key Differences Between Distress Ink & Standard Water-Based Dye Ink:

• Transparency/Opacity: Distress Ink is translucent (transparent), allowing backgrounds to show through. Standard dye inks can vary but often aim for faster-setting, bright color coverage.
• Reactivity: Distress Inks are specifically formulated to re-activate when water is added, even after drying, to create splotchy, lightened rustic effects.
• Purpose: They are designed to create a "weathered" or vintage look rather than crisp, clean, bright images.
• Blending: While both are good for blending, Distress Ink is designed to blend seamlessly into paper and with other colors, perfect for creating smooth backgrounds

Well, I hope with all of this information your head isn't spinning. LOL The more you know, the more you can use of your stash of things. The more we use, the better we feel about purchasing them. They are being used and not just sitting on a shelf or in a drawer.

I'm so glad you stopped by today.

Blessings,

Sue