True Love...ATB

Today I have a fun project to share with you...

and Artist Trading Block!

I am using products from DecoArts Media line.  This is a fun newer line of products from DecoArts that is geared towards the mixed media artist.  I have to say I was very excited when I heard about these products.  Lots of fun mediums all designed to work together or on their own.  I have used several on this block....

I started off using the Matte Medium to glue down the vintage text and collage images.  I really like the matte finish - it allows you to use other mediums on top of it without issue.  I have found that many glossy collage glues have compatibility issues - especially when it comes to acrylics or color mediums you want to add on top of your collage.  The Matte Medium doesn't have any trouble and it can be used as a clear ground on many projects besides collage.  This allows your foundation to show through the upper layers you might want to add. 

Next I painted on  a layer of the Crackle Glaze which produces a fine crackling over the entire surface.  Now you might ask why I did so directly over the collage instead of a layer of paint.  Well, I wanted the fine lines but I still wanted to high light the collage underneath.

Once it had dried I rubbed DecoArt Antiquing Cream (Raw Umber) over the crackle which gives a beautiful vintage look.... 

This close up shows the lovely crackling pattern the glaze created!  I love it...very cool effect I think.

Next I cut out a heart shape from chipboard and roughed up the edges...

I then applied a layer of DecoArt Media Crackle Paste... I used a palette knife but you could use a paint brush if desired.  I wanted really big cracks so I used a very thick coating.  Thinner coats will yield more and finer cracks.

After it had dried I painted with DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics and finished it off with a coat of the Titanium White Antiquing Cream again to highlight the cracks as I did with the Crackle Glaze but it also highlights the texture I achieved with the Crackle Paste.

And here's my finished block....

I am very excited to play with these mediums some more to test their limits and see what I can do with them.

Additional supplies... Altered Pages Collage Sheets - Vintage Travel; Stupendous Stamps; Postcards;  Victorian Butterflies; Artist Trading Block; Copper Foil; Pen Nib; Burlap Fiber;Vintage Text; Aleene's Tacky Glue;