Zen Whimsical Girl Mixed Media

Zen Whimsical Girl Mixed Media
Created by Sophia Vida

Just a quick post to share my latest whimsical girl with you. She was lots of fun to create with my Ecoline Liquid watercolors. When I create one of these painting starting with the hair, I’m never sure who she will be. I’m literally creating as I go and have no idea as to where I’ll end up. Sometimes, that in itself is the greatest art adventure!

After her hair was completely dry, I lightly drew in her face with a pencil.  And when I was happy with the sketch, I used a mixture of watercolor crayons, markers and pencils to finish it off.

Next I added a little color to the background and let it dry. Then I added a few Zen doodles in her hair and to the corners of the page. She needed some bling, so I gave her glittery highlights in her hair with Stardust Stickles. I love how the Stickles pick up the color you put them on. They’re so awesome! And Voila! I had a beautiful, one of a kind Zen Girl.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

This original painting is available for purchase on my Etsy Shop – Color Explosion Studio: ColorExplosionStudio

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give Thanks Watercolor

give Thanks Watercolor
Created by Sophia Vida

I bought a block of hot press watercolor paper and wanted to try it out. I saw a demo online where they painted a leaf on cold press and hot press watercolor papers using the same paints. Interestingly enough, the paint on the hot press paper was brighter and bolder than the cold press. Also the texture was different. Cold press paper is a little bumpy. The hot press paper is smooth so the paints don’t get stuck in the ridges and flow more evenly.

I made this painting using maple leaf stencil that I traced with a pencil and painted with Ecoline Watercolor Paints. Once the leaves were dry, I painted the background in a vivid pink.

Next I practiced writing the sentiment on scrap paper until I came up with a design that I liked.  Using a Marvy Gold Metallic Calligraphy Pen, I wrote “give Thanks” on bottom. I also outlined the leaves and lettering with a Sakura Micron 01 Pen.

I mixed a little gold metallic paint with floating medium and added a little shading to the leaves. Last I added Stardust Stickles to the painting and Voila! I had a fun Autumn painting with bright cheery colors.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy!!

Supplies Used:

• 7″ x 10″ Arches Watercolor 140lb Hot Press Block
• Ecoline Watercolor Paints
• Marvy Gold Metallic Calligraphy Pen
• Sakura Micron 01 Pen
• Stardust Stickles
• Gold Metallic Paint
• Floating Medium
• Maple Leaf Stencil
• 06 Round Watercolor Brush

 

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Autumn Mixed Media Girl

Autumn Mixed Media Girl
Created by Sophia Vida

The vibrant colors of fall are just breathtaking. I created Autumn trying to capture the feeling of fall. Let me know what you think.

I painted this lovely girl using watercolor paints. I added highlights to her hair with a gold Marvy metallic pen. I’m having a hard time using punches on watercolor paper because most of them won’t work on this thick paper. Luckily the Martha Stewart punches work well so I was able to create the smaller leaves and butterflies from watercolor paper that I painted.

The larger leaves were made from watercolor paper using thin dies and my Cuttlebug. Once everything was glued into place I added shading and highlights. Last I accented the butterflies with a green metallic Gelly Roll Pen and Stardust Stickles and Voila! I had a new whimsical girl.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Thanks for stopping by!

This original painting is available for purchase on my Etsty Shop – Color Explosion Studio: https://www.etsy.com/listing/568192523/autumn-watercolor-mixed-media-9-x-12?ref=listing-shop-header-0

 

 

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Visit my Shop on Etsy: ColorExplosionStudio

Happy Halloween Vintage Decorations

Happy Halloween
Created by Sophia Vida

I love fall and the cooler weather it brings. It’s just wonderful!! I wanted to share with you a few real easy Halloween decorations I made from a sheet of vintage cardstock I purchased at a craft show.

I started by drilling small holes in the corners of the two larger wood plaques and then sanded them where needed. After brushing off the dust, I applied a good coat of gesso to all three pieces, front and back.

While the gesso was drying, I cut out my images. I then painted each piece with 2 coats of coordinating paints and let it dry. Next, I sanded the edges just a little and brushed off the dust.

I purchased black coated copper jewelry wire that I used to hang two of the plaques with. Once the wires were in place, I glued the images onto all the plaques with Aleene’s Tacky Glue. Last I added torn harvest fabric as an accent and also used it to hang the third plaque. And Voila! I had three unique vintage Halloween decorations!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoy!

Supplies used in this Project:

• 3 Vintage Halloween Images
• 3 Wood Plaques fitting your images
• Gesso
• Acrylic Paint: Black, Orange, Red
• Black Copper jewelry Wire
• Drill for hanging
• Harvest Fabric scraps
• Aleene’s Tacky Glue

 

 

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Create Some Magic Journal Page

 

Create Some Magic Journal Pages
Created by Sophia Vida

I have a few journal pages that I need to share with you. I’ve published so many posts that I thought these were on my blog but apparently I left them out. I had bought a hard cover 8.5″ x 11″ journal at the craft store on sale, which is always a plus!

The ivory colored pages are a decent weight with a little texture. However, they’re not thick enough to work well with water so I have to make sure to give the pages a good coat of gesso before starting.

Once the gesso was dry, I painted the background with yellow and orange acrylic paint. For a little texture I used a stencil with fiber paste which I later distressed and sprayed with glimmer mist.

The flowers were stamped on watercolor paper that I cut and glued into the journal along with the green stems I also painted on scrap paper. I added a leafy vine stencil to the background with distress inks.

Next I stamped “create some magic” with black staz on ink directly into the journal.  I highlighted both pages with stickles, distressed the pages a bit and Voila! I had 2 fun, fall colored journal pages.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies used:

– Golden Fiber Paste

– 8.5″ x 11″ Art Journal
– Palette Knife
– Assorted Stencils
– Gesso
– Yellow, Orange and Green Acrylic Paints
– Flower and Letter Stamps
– Black Staz On Ink
– Painted Watercolor Paper for stamping flowers
– Scrap paper for stems
– Stickles: Assorted Colors

– Tea Dye Distress Ink
– Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist – Pearl

Spooky Candy Bark

Spooky Candy Bark
by Sophia Vida

I wanted to share a fun and super easy Halloween candy bark with you that is absolutely delicious. I made this last year and had requests for another one this year.

This recipe was created by a very talented lady, Kelly Senyei.  You can you can find it on my Pinterest Board Fall-Halloween Crafts Board or go directly to her website at justataste.com/halloween-candy-bark.

Last year I was lucky enough to be in the right place, at the right time during the holidays and purchased a Chocomaker Melting Pot for next to nothing at the craft store. In the past, I used to make candy recipes the old fashioned way by melting the chocolate in the microwave or stove top. The down side was I needed the melted chocolate to stay liquid and if I didn’t move fast enough, it would start to harden. This melting pot has a warm setting so you can keep it liquid, which is a really nice feature.

The recipe for the bark is really easy to make and the variations are endless if you use your imagination!! Visit Kelly Senyei’s website for details and instructions on making this deliciously fun candy bark justataste.com/halloween-candy-bark.

Hope you all have a Spooktakular Halloween!!!

Enjoy!!!

Patchwork Pumpkin

Patchwork Pumpkin
Created by Sophia Vida

I’ve been away for a while and really miss everyone but I’m happy to be back!! My break wasn’t really a break. We had to replace our flooring and as a result, had to pack up the entire house which at the time seemed like a monumental task.

While waiting for everything to get done, I read the book “Clear the Clutter” by Karen Kingston. Most Feng Shui books I’ve read in the past were complicated and hard to understand. But Karen made this book an easy read, filled with great advice for clearing the clutter and getting the energy moving again. I highly recommend it!!

So when the time came to finally unpack, I couldn’t wait to get rid of the clutter. It was amazing how much “Stuff” you can collect over the years. I got rid of bags and bags of “Stuff” that I didn’t even remember I had. And it felt great!! My creative energy is zipping right along again. So now back to art and this fun project:

I purchased an inexpensive paper mache pumpkin from the craft store along with 3 different printed fabrics. To start, I coated the pumpkin with gesso and cut the fabrics into 1 inch squares. Using Matte Mode Podge, I adhered the pieces of fabric to the pumpkin making sure to overlap the squares. Once it was completely covered, I let it dry and finished it off with brown ribbon that I glued to the stem with Aleene’s Tacky glue. Last I added a few fall sprigs and leaves to the top and Voila! I had a cute patchwork pumpkin to display for Fall!

Hope you enjoy!!!

Supplies Used:

• 6.5″ – 7″ Paper Mache Pumpkin
• 3 Different Print Fabrics cut into 1 inch squares
• Matte Mod Podge
• Aleene’s Tacky Glue
• Fall Sprigs
• Fabric Scissors
• Small Foam Brush