My little crafting world....


Hi all
I'm a complete craft addict! I have a small business called Surrey Crafts teaching craft workshops from my studio in Esher, Surrey and at venues around the country. I teach mixed media, decorative painting, card making and papercrafts, jewellery making and creative embroidery classes. If you'd like to find out more just leave a comment, or take a look at my other social media pages:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/surrey.crafts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surreycrafts/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/surreycrafts/
Crafty hugs & stuff
Suz

xx

Wednesday 10 August 2016

Freddie the Ferocious Fish


Hi all

Here is my second project for the DecoArt 'Under the Sea' mixed media challenge. Freddie the Ferocious Fish! 

It started with a shampoo bottle!




A coat of black gesso then once dry a coat of black modelling paste with bits of card stick into it and textured with a pallet knife.


Painted with a mixture of phthalo turquoise and tinting base


I used paper clay to make a fishy mouth.
Then because I didn't like the blue, I mixed Diaxazine Purple with Metallic Silver. Makes a beautiful metallic purple. Once dry I then painted over again with Magenta Interference Paint.


Dry brushed with Neon Green.

Used a damp brush to then paint Fuchsia Metallic Lustre into the center of the scales. That was easier than it sounds as I just splodged it on!


Notice anything different about the fins???


By that point I was being influence by the Rio Olympics, thoughts of carnival etc. So I changed the colours of the fins and added sequins and glitter - had to be done!!!!


Took a stalk from a manikin doll kit. I put Freddie onto the stem to see how high up I needed to decorate the base as I knew quite a bit would be hidden inside the fish.


I wrapped torn bits of material around the stick tied in simple knots. Glued some scraps of pink organza to the spiky bits. Painted white card with Green Gold and once dry used a Sharpie marker to draw the fronds of seaweed and scaly shapes inside and cut out the shape. I stuck this around the base of the stem with Matt Medium.


To make the eyes, gesso onto bottle caps and add the P.Turquoise. Take a couple of glass beads. Drop a teensy bit of Neon Pink and Neon Green onto your mat and dab the flat side of glass beads onto the mixture (keeping the colours seperate and vibrant). Once dry glue beads into the bottle caps and add some fuchsia lustre around the scalloped edges of the caps.



Thanks for looking! Suz xxx


Monday 8 August 2016

Fun fish for the DecoArt 'Under the Sea' challenge

Loving the DecoArt mixed media challenge this month which is 'Under the Sea' and runs to the 12th August. 

I started off making another project, and while waiting for bits to dry on that, and to use up leftover paint from it, I decided to do an art journal page also of a fish! 

So here it is, just for fun, along with the few pics I remembered to take during the process. Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions and I'll do my best to remember the answer!
Ta for looking. Suz xxx



Black gesso. Pounced over with various blues and a paintbrush. Rough fish shape drawn and painted in with carbon black. Seaweed painted with a fineliner and quinacridone magenta (this paint neat has a lovely shiny finish).


Neon green body again pouncing with a blender brush this time to get that scale effect, two colours of yellow on the mouth, interference paint on the fins. Tiny end of a dotting tool and titan white paint to start adding white dots to the seaweed. White highlighter and black liner pen to add detail to the fins.  Various oranges and reds used for the anemones and I just dabbed my finger in them to get the shape. Black charcoal pencil to define the shapes and add shading. 

Dots of white paint used on the seaweed and fins.  Neon pink paint dots on the tummy and stipes of paint across the body. I painted a white circle for the eye, punched a small circle and painted it gold around the outside adding a black centre and white outer circle.and stick this onto the white painted circle to finish the eye. Went back around the fish with the charcoal pencil then with a sketchy motion in white pen. Wrote some words around the frame of the page and there you have it. Funky, fun, fish!
Looking forward to seeing your entry.
Suz 

xxx