Hi Lulu Art Fans!  Kate (aka Sparkle Tart) here with you on the blog today with a cool idea for using some of that gorgeous packaging you get on your art supplies!  Today I’m going to let loose my slightly WEIRD side!  I hope I’m not alone when I buy a new art supply and spend a minute or two marvelling over the beautiful packaging.  I mean that’s not so weird right – they MAKE the packaging to be attractive, eye-catching and pretty so we want to buy the product!  Well, my latest purchase of a Black Dylusions art journal from Ranger had packaging just too pretty to throw away – so I decided to incorporate it into my journal as the very first page.

BASIC TECHNIQUE

Cut packaging into a variety of interesting shapes and glue onto your pages using Matte Gel Medium.

Use a Dylusions stencil (I picked patterns that were similar to the images in the packaging, and the shapes I cut out) and Black Gesso to break up the shapes of the packaging by adding stencilled images over both the packaging and the background.  Then get in there with the paint left on the brush and really scruff up those edges!!

Add texture using Light Molding Paste and stencils, you can use the same ones you used before or introduce new images.  You are again aiming to break up the background and blur the line between the collage papers and the journal page.  Also smear a little of the paste around on the page to create interesting texture and a bit of shape to the page.

Add colour to the Stencilled shapes using acrylic paints (Golden and Dina Wakley) – choose colours that compliment, though stand-out, against the background – make sure there is some variety in the paint you use, for maximum interest.   Try adding one colour while another is still wet, for interesting blends and then let other colours dry between layers for a different look.  Also flick a little of each colour over the background to scruff up that clean black paper.

Add some of the  Gansai Tambi metallic paints onto and around the textured elements.

Add some of the art alchemy paints to both the images, the texture and around the patterns and make sure whatever you do on one side you add a little to the other side as well.  Look at the amazing shimmer from the Art Alchemy paint – super gorgeous.

Once all the paint is dry, highlight some of the texture on the page using a gold wax paste and add some white paint pen and embellishments to really make the design pop.   Leave some of the paint pen as white lines and use your fingers to blend other sections into the background.

And your finished pages might look something like this, a blend of packaging and new texture, metallic and bright painted elements.  If I hadn’t told you I was using packaging you would never guess!

Here are a few close-ups so you can see the yummy details.

You can watch this page being created in the video clip below.

SUPPLIES

• Liquitex – Matte Gel Medium
• Golden: Light Molding Paste, Fluid Acrylics – Green Gold and Quinacridone Magenta
• Viva Inka Gold Wax Paste
• Prima Finnabair Art Alchemy Acrylic Paint – Metallique Light Patina and Opal Magic Rose Gold
• Gansai Tambi – Starry Colors Paint set
• Golden Fluid Acrylic – Quinacridone Magenta
• Ranger: Dylusions Black Creative Journal 8×8  and Dylusions Stencils Holes & Number Jumble
• The Crafters Workshop Stencil – Mini Life Masks
• Dina Wakley – Black Gesso, Heavy Body Acrylic Paint (Turquoise)
• Collections – Word Strips and Word Accessories