It is great fun filling your art journal but what about the cover? Hey makers, Nicole Wright here and in this post, I will be showing you how to add bling to your Art Journal cover.  I have adorned my cover with Finnabair Mixed Media products from Prima Marketing Inc.  It’s all about the layers so take that creative leap and express yourself. I used my Iris Tapestry stencil as my base layer.  Here, you can add patterns randomly to your journal using Art Extravagance Golden Nugget and the Mixed Media Silicon Brush. A layer of dictionary paper is applied with Soft Gloss Gel.  Spray the page with a little water until damp, tear and apply the Soft Gloss Gel on the top and bottom of the paper. I created flowers using the Cherry Blossom Mould using hot glue in a pinch.  There are a lot of Moulds to check out.  Apply Heavy Body Gel liberally and place onto your cover.  Give it time to dry… nothing will move. I applied Heavy Gesso randomly around my journal cover and coated my blossoms.  The Gesso is your primer helping other products to adhere. With all the foundation layers in place you can have fun adding colour.  A variety of Art Extravagance Texture Fantasy Pastes create texture and colour for your florals. Adding some grungy to these pretty florals is my thing.  Here I used a variety of Art Alchemy Liquid Acrylics.  My go-to is Carmine. Apply Art Alchemy Liquid Acrylics in small amounts and spritz with water.  Doing this allows the intensity of the acrylics to soften and blend.  Dry with a heat gun. Have some fun and lift up your journal.  Just let it run! The Art Alchemy Liquid Acrylic paints are intense with colour.  A little goes a long way.  Make sure you have really good brushes for these paints, gels, and mediums. Art Alchemy Metallique Wax comes in a variety of colours.  Here you can add some shimmer, highlighting elements and texture. OK, one more layer and then I walk away.  Not true, but I tried.  Rust Effect Paste is the bomb!  A dab here and there in the nooks and crannies really ages your project.  I may have added some microbeads… Finnabair was in my city to teach so of course, I took a class.  It was great to gain product knowledge and new technique.  I love learning!  Check out my blog for more photos.
Supplies
Iris Tapestry
Art Extravagance Golden Nugget
Mixed Media Silicon Brush.
Soft Gloss Gel
Moulds
Heavy Body Gel
Heavy Gesso
Art Extravagance Texture Fantasy Pastes
Carmine.
Art Alchemy Metallique Wax
Rust Effect Paste
micro beads
Art Journal Book
Spray Bottle
Heat Gun
Assorted Paint Brushes
Paper Towel
Baby Wipes

To see more of Nicole’s work visit here blog – Nicole Wright Designs

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