New swap material!

I just finished this for a swap. I really like it. It's not like the other, gorgeous pieces I see the other swappers doing, but it's my style, and there's not much I want to do to change me.

How did I do this? It was pretty simple. So simple I almost don't want to tell. I started with a 4x4 canvas board. Using direct to paper technique, I smeared distress inks on the background. I didn't like it, so I decided to cover it with tissue. I slathered on the Mod Podge to lay the tissue over, and the color lifted. Magic? Not really. Distress inks are water soluble so it's really common if you put something wet over something water soluble, it dissolves. So the Mod Podge lifted the color which then seeped into the tissue.

I added alcohol ink to a glossy glaze medium, which makes for a very interesting substance, not at all what I expected. I painted the green (Bottle) on top of the tissue in light strokes. When it dried, I wet the entire piece with the glaze medium and squirted more of the Bottle alcohol ink onto it in spots. When that dried, I spritzed it with water and pushed a gold paint pen down on the surface in the corner. The paint pooled in the water and I tilted the board to spread it randomly. And voila! That's all I did for the background.


The puzzle piece is one I did a bunch of a few years ago. I love it, though, so I am always happy to be able to use it. It was done with alcohol inks, stamped, then UTEE was added on top. Gold leafing around the edges. Easy peasy, right?

And that was my adventure in art today while I was home sick. I almost don't want to give this away. I think I'll be making another.