the Colour Press: (Tutorial) : Beginner Mixed media Grungy Masculine Scrapbook Layout

Hello creative friends,

My project today is a grungy, masculine scrapbook layout using Colourarte's Vivid Ultra Metallics and Primary Elements Artist Pigments and 2crafty chipboard made in May as a Father's day If you are a beginner, this is an easy layout that can be completed within and hour or two including drying time.

Here is a step by step of how the page came together.

1. Start by applying clear gesso on the pattern paper. Take a closer look at the photo on the left, you can see a very thin layer of texture paste through a gears stencil.

Before adding paints and more, I like to place the photo and decide on a sketch of sorts so I know where the next layer of paints should be applied.

2. Stick a few of the pattern papers and wire mesh tape. Mix some Spiced Pumpkin,Majestic Blue Primary Elements Arte Pigments individually with gel medium and a tiny blob of sand texture. Mix well and apply through a stencil as below.

After applying the paste, I placed the stencil as is and cleaned it on the pattern paper with a dry wipe. That gave the faded brown marks on the far right.

3. Dilute some Teal Zircon Vivid Ultra Metallics and using a paint brush apply around the stenciled gel paste and spray with water to move the paint around. This helps reveal the gears texture. This is the reason I gesso the entire layout before adding any medium. I like to use water to make drips and move the paint around. Without gesso, the paper will soak up the paint and it wont move as much.

You can use a heat gun to dry the paints, but I didnt want to wake the kids with my noisy heat gun. So, I went on to prepare my embellishments while the background air dried.

4. Apply a layer of white gesso on all the 2crafty chipboard pieces using a sponge dabber and then using your fingers add some blobs of sand texture very unevenly and in a few random places on all the chip boards except the title.

Dry and then add any remaining paints from the previous steps onto the cogs. Spray some water so the paint gets into the cracks and the crevices of the sand texture so that it gets highlighted.

5. Here is a close up of the layers behind the photograph. Just cut some pattern paper, distress with the edge of your scissors, layer behind the photograph with a wire mesh tape. In between the layers, Ive glued cardboard (instead of foam dots) so that I can tuck in some chipboard pieces. Can you see the shiny paints!

6. For the title, after a layer of white gesso, only one word was painted with some Primary Elements in Spiced Pumpkin. Here is a closeup of the title. Finish off by stamping using Black Archival Ink & texture stamps from Kaisercraft & Prima.