Sketchbook Project 2012: Our Distances

I completed page 4 (and 4b) last night. It was a mixed media page, using a couple different mediums: acrylic paint, matte gel medium, glass beads medium, gold mica flake medium, black marker, collage. I'll take you from the start, and then show you the end product :o) ... this is going to be a long post with tons of pictures!

Firs I coated the image that I printed out with gel medium, so that when I started painting and dabbling on it, it would not run / smear.

While this was drying, I rebound my sketchbook so that I could insert a page of tracing paper. I have never bound / rebound anything before, so I did not have proper tools. I ended up using a thumb tack and a screwdriver to make the holes a bit bigger, and threaded in green/white bakers twine. I had to do this twice: the first time, I rebound half the book upside down from the other half - opps! This also means that towards the end of the book, there's another piece of tracing paper! :)

So I ripped the edges, and then used the same gel medium to affix the image to my book.

I added some colour with some paint.

Now on to the fun part: I added glass bead medium. It goes on white, but dries super clear and adds a very interesting texture. I used a palate knife to add this, I find it works better if I want large sections of beads.


A close-up of it dry - those little beads just attract so much light into them! :)


The tissue paper makes this spread that much more interesting. The other piece that I have in this book, I'm going to try to make it so it interacts with both sides.

Next, I added more colour. The green I just dabbed on with a piece of shop towel (I find these 'paper towels' stand up better for my painting - you can get them at Canadian Tire ect.)

After a bit more painting, some more glass beads and some gold mica flakes - the page is complete!

A close up of those lovely beads:


The spread with the tissue paper on top. The tissue paper has indicated where either of us lived (since we were long distance for while), where we started and where we are now.


And, with it on the other side, the lightened areas are places where one of us have lived.

I hope you enjoyed this (thorough) look at my pg. 4 and 4b page :)