Deep In The Forest – Mixed Media Place Mood Board June 2019

I was inspired by Mixed Media Place’s Mood Board for June and thought I would try to make what was in my head.  This is the first time I have submitted to this challenge but I really loved the mood board which you can see below:

The Inspiration

The Project

All I could think of was dark forest greens and secret life of plants – what does happen on the forest floor, deep in the forest?

I finished this project with two hours left till the deadline, so I will update the post later, after I have had (very late) dinner and have a chance to sit down and write it all out including the recipe for this project – could be a long one!  Meantime, I hope you like it!I

In the Beginning

The idea was cooking in my head and I knew I wanted to use two things – the old wallpaper that we’ve been stripping off the walls (hateful paper but for mixed media – great texture!) and these little funky floral and foliage dies which I spend several happy hours cutting, sticking and painting. What else I was going to use and how it was all going to come together, I didn’t know yet, but I could see a picture forming in my mind.

Deep In The Forest Shadow Box

I pulled out this old IKEA shadow box frame and covered it with black gesso, before using a woodgrain stencil and paper texture paste to create texture on it and left it to dry.

Then I painted it with Hazelnut Metallique paint.  I should point out that this is not a process or a tutorial post, so it will not have complete instructions.

I created the background from the old wallpaper, painting it with liquid acrylics and tearing it up to make hills and sky.

I found this stick in the garden and some pine cones, moss and lichens to add to my forest floor, and then I started to build the scene from the back working forwards. Using some Prima/Finnabair moulds for moon and stars, I used hot glue to make them, and then painted them in Frosty Pearl Metallique.  I made a hole in the crescent moon so I could suspend him from the top of the frame and have the full moon behind.  The stick was the perfect size to wedge into the frame with no cutting required.  Then I added some of the cardboard leaves to it and highlighted some of the texture with brown and silver paint.

Working forward, I placed the little cardboard diecuts in place, gluing and holding in place until they were dry.

The final touches were to add the leaves flowing over the edge of the frame and some Nuvo Drops to look like rain drops on the leaves.

 

PROJECT RECIPE:
Finnabair black gesso,
3D gel,
paper texture paste,
Tim Holtz woodgrain stencil,
Hazelnut, Frosty Pearl, Golden Moss Metallique Alchemy paints,
Finnabair/Prima moulds,
Liquid Acrylics
Hot glue for moulds
Silver thread
Tim Holtz Funky Foliage and Funky Florals 1 and 2
Distress Inks
Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive
From the house:  old wallpaper, old IKEA shadow box frame
From the garden: stick, moss, lichen, pine cones