Marine life makes my heart skip with joy because it's bursting with natural wonder! Seahorses - so I knew I wanted to create a project featuring one + of course a hand lettered quote.
Supplies:
DecoArt Americana® Decor Stencils:
DecoArt Media® Fluid Acrylics:
- Diarylide Yellow
- Phthalo Turquoise
- Phthalo Green-Yellow
- Quinacridone Gold
- Translucent White
DecoArt Media® Specialty Products:
Matte Medium
Texture Sand Paste
Metallic Lustre (Gold Rush + Blue)
Other Supplies:
gesso
transfer paper (black)
angled + round paint brushes
watercolor paper
palette knife
scissors / craft knife
jar of water + paper towels
INSTRUCTIONS
NOTE: Let dry completely between painting steps.
Creating the Seahorses
Step 1:: Draw image of seahorse on watercolor paper
I slide a piece of black carbon paper under my drawing to transfer it onto watercolor paper.
Step 2:: Cut out two seahorses
I cut around the seahorse with a larger pair of scissors, then, with a sharp craft knife, I cut out those pesky little corners + squiggly shapes that frame the seahorse.
Step 3:: Brush on Texture Sand Paste
Let's bring this little guy to life! Grab some texture sand paste + three fluid acrylics.
Fluid acrylics are super saturated - which I LOVE! Literally, just TWO drops of each color was more than enough to paint the entire seahorse.
Squeeze out Quin. Gold, Phthalo Turquoise, Diarylide Yellow onto a painting palette. These colors will be watered down, painted in layers + will give our seahorse a nice, warm color.
Brush on a thin layers of texture sand paste to build dimension + texture on the seahorse. (I found that using an angled paint brush was helpful in pushing the medium into smaller areas.)
Step 4:: Paint seahorses
While the texture sand paste is still wet, use a soft paint brush to apply watered down Quin. Gold. Notice that the edges are darker (less diluted) than the middle of the seahorse's body.
Next up is Diarylide Yellow! Such a bright, intense color. I think it makes a perfect flesh tone.
Ooops! Obviously, I was a lil' bit impatient...see how Phthalo Turquoise looks green?? Well, that's because some areas on the seahorse were still damp. ::sigh::
No worries! This actually looks more realistic than flat layers of color, don't ya think?
Step 5:: Apply highlights with Metallic Lustres!
Oh, the things I could say about these mediums! They're soft + creamy, they have rich colors + the shimmer is irresistible. I don't know how I managed to not cover my entire seahorse with gold!
To apply, I just used the tip of my finger + smeared the medium over the surface of the seahorse.
Gold for the head, belly + top of the tail. Blue for the edges and inside of the tail.
Oooh! Smearing this over the texture sand paste tickles my fingertip! You should know by now that I geek out when I'm around so much texture... Here's a detail shot:
Prepping the Background
Step 1:: Create a monoprint
Here, I used a Gelli plate to create a simple monoprint. This will serve as a background scene for our seahorse.
(Color used: Soft Jade)
Phthalo Turquoise applied to the gelli plate with a brayer + Quatrefoil Stencil on top.
Deli paper was laid on top of the stencil, rubbed with my hands, then removed from the stencil. This is what we have:
Remove the stencil from the gelli plate. By now, the fluid acrylic on the plate is DRY. To lift the color, we'll need to add more paint.
Step 2:: Remove leftover paint from gelli plate.
Squeeze out your choice of 2 acrylics, directly onto the gelli plate.
Use a brayer to blend + cover the plate.
(Colors used: Soft Jade + Bahama Blue)
Place a sheet of watercolor paper on top of the gelli plate, rub + pull from one corner to release your monoprint.
Admire your print! (I felt that my background was darker than I wanted. I toned it down with a layer of Soft Jade on the gelli plate, then pulled another print - using the same paper.
Step 3:: Add stenciling to background
Using a palette knife, I scraped white gesso into small sections of the Dandelion stencil.
Step 4:: Add Interference paint, splatters + darker color
Interference Blue gives the effect of a shimmering sunbeams, flickering through the water! Splatters of white paint represent bubbles + Phthalo Turquoise helps give a sense of depth.
Step 5:: Stamp all sides of the monoprint with a leaf stamp.
(Colors used: Phthalo Green-Yellow + Phthalo Turquoise)
Step 6:: Glue down seahorses with Matte Medium
Add dimension with 3 pieces of matboard. Glue in place.
Place the second seahorse right on top of the matboard pieces.
Step 7:: Write quote with pens + markers
"The Sea...Once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever".
Step 8:: Mount onto matboard
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