Wednesday 28 August 2013

Altered Paintbrush - Little Miss Art Mojo

Oh yes this was fun! I must confess that when Tracy chose 'Altered Paintbrush' as her theme for the eclectic Paperie's eTeam Picks Challenge, I was more than a little scared, 'oh yes' I said, 'that sounds like fun' but really I was thinking oh my goodness where do I start!. Well of course the answer is at the beginning..... find a brush. I hunted about, discarding brushes that any life in them, and settled on a rather old cheapo, nylon bristled brush that looked like it could work. After some rather vigorous washing, I noticed a few bristles left in the sink. A little more shaking and pulling and I was left with a bristleless brush. 'Hmmm does this count?' I thought. So here is the before shot....
I covered the 'brush' with book pages adhered with Studio Matte Multi Medium. Once dry a gave it a light coating of Studio Gesso. I still wasn't sure where I was going with it so the brush sat on my work table for a couple of days. Then, I decided to just get on with it ! I started by spraying on some Dylusions with the vague idea of creating a rainbow effect. I used lots of Bubblegum Pink which could possibly be my favourite Dylusions colour. This was good as it started to give my brush a distinctly feminine character.
 I applied antique linen Distress Paint in a vague face shape, and thought about painting a face. I had a little practice on some spare card and decided that this was not going to happen, especially after seeing Micki's wonderful altered brush over on the eP challenge blog. I decided to use this wonderful face stamp from a set I've had for many years, the polymer is actually split but it still works. I stamped it onto a tissue using black Archival Ink.
I tore one of the faces out and separated the tissue. This leaves a very delicate image which, when adhered to the surface looks more like a transferred image as the edges are barely detectable. Once the face was applied, I used Distress markers to colour her eyes and mouth. It was then that I realized that she had to have wings. I used a chip board set from my stash, which I think are by Maya Road, I coated them with Studio Gesso and used a technique Tim Holtz demoed, to colour Distress Stickles Dry Glitter with alcohol ink. I just added a few drops of Water Melon Alcohol Ink to a dessert spoon full of Dry Glitter and stirred until it was fully mixed. I really like her sugary pink wings. The sentiment just came to me, 'She painted till her hair fell out'. I printed this out onto a tissue using a set of letter stamps and adhered each word with Studio Matte Multi Medium.
 Some flowers, a net bow, a couple of tags bearing some of my favourite Donna Downey quotes from her Unity Stamp Company, Art and Possibilities stamp set and my Little Miss Art Mojo was finished.  I must confess I just love her! Here's a back view...
So a big thank you to Tracy for making me do something out of my comfort zone. If you fancy having a go at altering a paintbrush, we'd love to see the results. Hop over to the eclectic Paperie Blog, follow the link to the e Team Picks Challenge, on the sidebar and you'll see Tracy's brilliantly altered paintbrush along with full instructions on how to enter your creation. You'll also find plenty of inspiration from other members amazing eclectic Paperie design team. Who Knows, you could even win a gift certificate for the fabulous eP shop. where you'll also find many of the supplies I've used for this project. I'm also entering Little Miss Art Mojo into the Vintage Stamping Challenges Wings and Things challenge. x

16 comments:

  1. I loooove "Little Miss Art Mojo" Toni with her pretty set of wings and inspiring words...oh my giddy aunt her face, jaw droppingly gorrrgeous girl!!
    Can`t stop looking and going wowowowow ... adore the fact that she has no hair..she soooo doesn`t need any... oh my you have inspired me to find more brushes and to pull out the bristles,lol!!
    I am soooo glad you joined in Toni she is "FABULOUS"
    Big hugs
    Tracy
    xoxox

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great job Toni. It's fabulous. Love the face.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Toni! Your originality and flair gladden my heart! This is just such a fabulous piece of art I can't think quite how to show my appreciation of your creativity! I am in awe! Julie Ann xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love it!!! The sentiment makes me laugh. Just brilliant (:o)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I can see why you love her......she is just stunningly gorgeous! Her face is perfection and I love those wings - fabulous work Toni. Hugs, Anne x

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow Antonia who would think that is a paintbrush and the sentiment made me giggle just a little.

    Thank you for sharing with us at Vintage Stamping Challenges.

    Crafty hugs from Shirl x x x

    ReplyDelete
  7. LOVE her!!! The face is gorgeous, and the sentiment minus the bristles is brilliant! Love the bright colors too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Absolutely fabulous altered paint brush Toni!! She is beautiful!
    sandy

    ReplyDelete
  9. Toni, she makes me sigh and laugh at the same time...and that's hard to do. I am sighing because she is so beautiful right down to the last detail. Her face is gorgeous and I love the softness of the colours on her body. The wings are so cool and her hair(or lack of hair) adornments are so funky and fun. I am laughing because the sentiment on the handle is so funny and could be any one of us :) Delightful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Just when I think you cannot surpass yourself you do. So in awe of your talent. xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ok, first I gotta say that I absolutely LOVE those wings and love how the brush is "hairless". The colors and the tags all just fit and that face........ I really, really love this brush. She turned out awesome!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hello Toni! I admire your house whenever I walk past and knew you'd be a creative sort! That is the best paintbrush ever, I love her face! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hey Toni!i! Diggin' the paint brush. I love the facial expression, the text and overall it really is fantastic. I hope to see more of your art soon!! - SIL

    ReplyDelete
  14. She's absolutely delightful, Toni - hair or no hair! The face stamp works brilliantly, and I love the sentiment on the handle! Such fun to jump out of your comfort zone, and the result is fabulous.
    Alison x

    ReplyDelete
  15. You GO girl! She's fabulous. I really love that you used a brush without bristles and that face is fab.

    ReplyDelete
  16. So imaginative Toni. You have certainly risen to the challenge again. A very glamorous paintbrush and no mistake! Hugs, Jenny x

    ReplyDelete