A workshop at Emlems

 I forgot to take photos on the day, but here are my finished pieces.

Ray Ray’s Creative Circus Class of 2024 - Part 2 - Finnabair

 

After a mammoth task of trying to find a supermarket to buy some lunch and being run off the road by a fire chief in an unmarked car, we finally got back to the hotel in order to make a canvas like the one above with Anna (Finnabair).

So Anna's style of teaching is completely different and she has everyone come up to the top table so that she can demo what to do.  

So the plan was to gesso the wood, then use three different colours of acrylic, water them down and create a sort of wood effect on one half.  The more water, the more streaks.

Next we added tissue paper to the top half and dried it thoroughly because the next step was to add guilding flakes. I chose to use all 3 available colours (gold, silver and copper) and on the wings of the moth.

There were lots of different colour combos going on.

Everyone still having fun.

Next step was to create the composition and unfortunately I totally forgot to take any more photos, so here is what I ended up with.

 

I used the same 3 colours of acrylic (avocado, umber and ink black) that I used for the bottom half. We then used white gesso and gesso'd all of the elements.  I took the black acrylic and painted around the outside of all the elements and used lots and lots of water to get the drip lines on the bottom half and dried each time between the spritzing.  Now the next thing we did is totally new to me, I used a matt wax (sage leaves) but like paint and totally covered all the elements.  Next I used a green metallic paint and randomly painted over the waxed areas using lots and lots of water, sort of washing the paint away but leaving the mica behind.  This also created more drips for me. I kept drying between adding more water.  Once happy with this, I chose the silver metallic wax and used it to bring back the highlights on the elements for a contrast.  I still have to stick the moth and add some pebbles.

And a huge thank you to Anna for bringing my prize with her from the latest patreons party.  This is so generous because there is only half of it here, I shared the paper with Janet.

I absolutely love these sticker sheets.

I am happy to say that the drive home was much less eventful than the journey down there. In fact, nothing happened at all - lol.

Finn Class - Day 2 - Altered Canvas (AM)

After a little bit of a panic not being able to find the car keys, but then finding them in the safe place I'd chosen to put them, we wandered back over the bridge.

This time I remembered to take a few photos.

It's a lovely setting and there were lots of people taking their dogs for a walk on the green by the river.

Back in the classroom.  Today we were a bigger group of 15 as opposed to seven yesterday. The same seven, plus eight new people.

So here we are, all at the front again watching Anna demoing the first steps of the smaller than yesterday canvas.

We used tissue paper again to cover the canvas, a different pattern to yesterdays.

Everyone working away and having fun.

I added some textures to the canvas, including stencilling with 3d transparent gel, masking tape and some computer bits.

Next I started to build up the composition.  Thanks Jules for the Tim Holtz paper doll from the Halloween set!

I took this as nothing was stuck down, so I had to take it all off and rebuild it.

I chose to use purple shades of mica powders to colour the elements.  Mixed them with fluid acrylic and sprayed with water to make them flow and drip.

Placed it on the shelf behind me to take the photo.

And finally added my wicked lady, a spider and some splatters.

Close ups of the canvas.

This is the one that Janet made.

Close ups of the lovely colours and textures.

Jules and Vicki working on their canvases.

Vicki admiring hers with encouragement from a fellow crafter passing by.

After this class, we went out to get some lunch and came back ready for the last session of the weekend.

Finn Class - Day 1 - Altered Canvas (PM)

                         

Next was the very large oblong canvas.  Jules getting the wrapping off hers.

Prepping the canvas ready for the tissue papers.

This one was mine.

We used icing paste through a stencil on the largest of the mdf circles.

Jules deciding which bit of the tissue paper to use.

This was a large project and we got lots and lots of embellishments to use on it.

This is everything out of the packets, there was absolutely loads to choose from.

So this is how I arranged mine on the canvas.

Next we painted everything with white gesso.  We gave it two or three coats in some places.

I added a combination of prussian blue and black, sprayed with water, twisted the canvas to move the paint around and finished off with silver metallic wax.  I didn't have a suitable image to finish it off, so I left it until I got home.

And finally a group photo, had to be inside as it was dark outside - lol.

I won a Patron prize too, I pulled out the apron.  Thanks Anna, so generous.

And this is my shopping.  It's all Dusty Attic as you can't get it anywhere else in the UK that I know of.  And, it was lovely to see it in the flesh.  Could have easily spent loads more, but thankfully I didn't!

We didn't get finished until 8pm, so straight to the restaurant to order food at last food orders were 8.30pm.  The portions were massive, I had gammon, egg, pineapple, chips and salad, was lovely.