Texture . . . . . New Challenge At ABAC

The second challenge goes live at ABAC today. We had a fantastic turnout for the first challenge and I really enjoyed looking at all the entries. It made me realise how many talented people there are all over the world.

The theme this fortnight is Texture and you can make anything as long as it's not a card, so the scope is endless! I love this theme because there are so many fantastic ways to incorporate texture into your work and I'm sure I'll learn a few more by the end of this challenge!

For my piece, I decided to make a canvas using a family picture (my beautiful daughter) as this is something I've wanted to do for ages. I've seen some amazing examples and have been inspired by people such as Finnabair, Trish Latimer and Michelle Webb to name but a few.

 I'm not sure that the finished piece works that well (my Husband thinks it just showcases techniques and has had everything but the kitchen sink thrown at it!!) but what it does do is show a number of ways in which texture may be added to a project.

 Here's what I made and I'd love to hear what you think:  (I had to take these in very bright light so they may look a little bleached - sorry!)

The canvas started with a layer of texture paste through a stencil, followed by some strips of fabric glued in various layers. A coat of gesso was applied to these. The different layers were then built up: paint, inks, die cuts, elements such as shells, charms, beads, scrap jewellery and wooden embellishments - I'm sure I've forgotten some too!

The hinges are die cuts which received the same finish as the flowers and the key plate. The inky spots which are randomly placed around the canvas, were made using distress ink and a stencil - I used a heat gun to dry them to avoid smudging.

You might also notice the edge of the photo was finished with embossing powder for a distressed look.

The flowers were made using die cuts then finished with an Andy Skinner paint technique. I wanted to make the rust flowers so they stood out against the other very feminine elements - not sure if this is what Andy intended for his paint techniques but I don't think he'd mind! I just love the 'rivets' and I have loads of ideas for using this in the future!

The letters are die cuts using Crafty Individuals paper which was stuck onto scrap packaging card. After cutting, some gold Rub & Buff was applied randomly to each letter and you will see it around the canvas and on some of the elements used.

The die cut behind the letters was given a coat of acrylic paint then some texture paste through a stencil; this was inked when dry. I love the way the acrylic paint and gesso changes the distress ink colour - Walnut DI was used. 

Various fabrics were used including hessian (burlap) and a beaded/sequinned fabric for texture.
A strip of corrugated card was embossed with shabby white enamel and some gesso was swiped across to tone down the brown. Even the metal heart didn't escape the treatment!

I know this post is very 'picture' heavy but I wanted to try and show you as many of the elements as I could - not an easy task in this case! Will I make another canvas like this? Oh, I think so because I have a beautiful 4 year old Niece who would be an ideal candidate. . . . . .and I had fun making this despite some misgivings and I'm realising that's what it's all about!