I am entitled to be me!

So, here I am, playing for the April Challenge at the Scraps N Pieces Challenge Blog.
The theme is "Be Me" and there is this lovely moodboard. Not only I really love the colors, but also the challenge instructed to use watercolors, mists...

 

What a great excuse for me to use my Faber Castel watercolor pencils. I just love it when I go over them with the brush and watch the transformation of the color coming to life!

A few days ago I finally got my hands on a book I wanted a long time ago, the Mixed Media Girls by the gifted and original (in my opinion) Suzi Blu. 

I practiced a little bit the technique she teaches through this book but I couldn't wait to actually make something with it.
The "Be Me" challenge with the inspiring moodboard and my most favorite colors in the palate (purple and teal), the opportunity to use my watercolor pencils and my mists, along with my impatience to make a whimsical girl resulted to this page.

So, I'll talk you through it:
1. Glued 2 pages together from each side and then applied a layer of Gesso
2. I used Dylusions Ink Sprays in Crushed Grape, Funky Fuchsia, Lemon Zest and Calypso Teal
3. I used my "hearts stencil" by Teresa Collins with purple, and teal by Claudine Hellmuth Studio and magenta by Winsor Newton

 



4. I played a bit more with flowery stencil by Teresa Collins again and some blackboard paint and modeling paste, to add some dark accents on the background and some texture.
5. I stamped a chandelier with some grayish acrylic randomly all over the pages. Then I added some white lines with Gesso and some dripping with the Dylusions.
At this point my background was done!

Time for my "whimsical" girl.
6. I used a 2B pencil and a standard photocopying paper to make the face. For coloring Suzi Blu uses prismacolor pencils, apparently these have beeswax and allow you to make these smooth smoky eyes. I dint have these kind of pencils, and I decided to try her technique using my water pencils instead. I used all the flesh tone colors. I played a lot around the eyes. My doll is not half as pretty but I think it's good enough for a first attempt. Actually I am pretty proud of it because it's not a copy, but my own design, using the principles described in the book with different equipment. I cut the face, glued it on my page using matt medium underneath and over it. Then I added more layers of colour. I tried to make it darker on the right, under the nose, the lips and the eyes. The eyes.... I have miles to go before I achieve this smoky look  

 

Oh, I had so  many back and forths with the eyes... My watercolour pencils was not ht ebest choise for the eye-lines and I had problems with the iris as well. It started in hazel, then made it a dark blue using acrylics and in the end I used the Silks Acrylic Glaze in Emperos Gold (the one I fell in love with and used on the sun on my Enjoy The Little Things page!)

7. Then I drew the rest of the body and the hair. For the hair I used a water colour pencil. For the body I used several things.

 

 

8. The top is a washi tape, kids quality, I bought it from Imaginarium last week when I bought an Easter present for my son (lol).

9. The skirt is a wide pink ribbon. Under the skirt I put some tulle that I painted purple using my acrylics and on top I put some constructors tape bought from the neighborhoods hardware store. Then I added some purple satin ribbon at the bottom and purple paper ribbon around the waste. On purpose I added many different and contradicting textures. At this point I felt like a fashion designer!  LOL

10. She is holding a banner made by purple thread, I painted 4 triangles in silver and wrote "TRUE" in purple Stickles. Again used matt medium to glue it but made sure the curl the corners, just to give it a bit of dimension.

11. I stamped the quote. I decided to use the exact quote provided on the moodboard. Again used matt medium and then I traced around the boarders with my purple Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens and smudged it with my finger.

12. Finally, I created a frame around the page using silver pen, purple glitter and a black marker.

 

 

I think by now you know that Purple is my favorite color. It's true. I can't hide it. :-)

 

I guess, I am entitled to love the color purple!

 

At this point I thought that it would be cool to have written all the things that I like, all the things that I am  and believe in, but I would prefer these to be in the background, behind all the layers off water sprays, acrylic stencils, modeling paste etc. This would represent all the base, the foundation of the page.... Never mind. I log the thought here so that I won't forget and will do it in the future, once I have mastered my technique of making whimsical girls with smoky, tranquil and wise eyes.

 

Till next time..... remember to be you!