Good Morning everyone
Today its time for a new challenge over at Creative artist mixed media where we celebrate all things mixed media
Ive decided to go seasonal again and make a lovely little birds next. I used these digital bird images for my nieces birthday and had several left over cut out so thats what triggered my idea to build them a little nest.
8x8" Mdf shadow box frame. Pictures below show how I built up the background and texture. Once that was done I made a little nest out of orange and copper soft craft wire which I adhered into the box with glue gel. I lined the nest with feathers and added a few around outside the nest and added my little eggs into place.
I then added 2 of the larger birds - yes i know technically they are 2 different birds and wouldn't be a pair but hey this is craft land and artistic license😁
I created a hanging from the same wires used for the nest and 3 matching beads on each side - got to use my beads up some how and this seemed a good way and adds a bit of bling and interest.
You can see into the nest better here - Ive had these feathers for about 10yrs so good to use some! You can also makes out the gold dora paint better at this angle
The hanging loop I made with craft wire and beads
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and onto the step by step background
After making up the mdf box i added die cut feathers (great way to use up scraps of cardstock) and then added a little texture paste through a net effect stencil which I felt would give a little tree bark like feel. Once dry cover in white gesso
I randomly added yellow, orange, red and turquoise acrylic paints
Then a wash of van dyke brown - yep it looks a mess now but let it pool around the texture....if its too heavy in any area just dab with some tissue. Once the first wash was dry i added a bit more in areas to make them even darker
Dry brush on antique white, pale blue & lemon chalk paint
The top coat was Cadence dora paints which have amazing shimmer, you could use gilding waxes instead. I personally get on better with the dora paint as can dry brush it on very lightly - a little goes a very long way. Difficult to take photos off - but when the light hits it, it really comes to life.
To finish I coated it all in gloss mod podge to seal and protect.
How I made my little birds eggs. Took little foam eggs from poundland and coated in white gesso and then pastel blue matte acrylic paint and then splattered on darker watered down acrylics to give the speckles and finished with a coat of matt mod podge. I found it easier to handle them by sticking on a cocktail stick in some polystyrene....this does of course leave a little hole in the bottom of the eggs but easily hid when adhering them to my project
Items Used
Mixed Media birds clipart from Double Helix Digitals on etsy
Feather die - joy crafts
Woodware stencil
Texture paste
mini foam eggs - poundland
Cadence dora paint - gold, orange
Folkart Acrylic paints
1mm soft craft wire
beads from stash
Do hop over to creative artiste mixed media to join in, anything goes as long as you mix your medias, so cards, atc's, tags, art journal pages are just as welcome as 3d makes like mine
Thank you all for stopping by once again. Next week is the school Easter holidays so I shall be getting some crafting in with my 5 nieces, hopefully the weather stays fine too as they can get out and play. Emmax
Id love to enter the following:
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