Mixed Media Backgrounds: What’s on your spray sheet? November 10 2015, 3 Comments

I’m excited to share with you one of my favorite things to do: make background papers.  Background papers are the foundations for my art journals, cards and Art Journal Pockets (even more so as there is a lot to say on that 2.5”X3.5” rectangle).  I want to be able to get my story across on those 9 pockets, so foundation is important.  Like most of you have experienced, I’m sure, time can be limited and I’m always looking for a way to get it done faster without losing quality or impact.  A while ago, I was rushing to complete a project when I looked down and saw some amazing color and dimension on my spray sheet.  I quickly took it to my scanner and have been playing and saving my spray sheets ever since.  I hope you find some inspiration and wonderful background papers in this share.

I want a good color blend and the illusion of some great texture.  Why the illusion of great texture and not the real thing?  Over time gesso, gel medium, paint, etc. will react with the plastic sleeves causing distortion and discoloration.  So illusion it is for my AJP backgrounds.

One of my favorite things to use are my spray sheets.  I have several in use at any given time and I’m hard pressed to discard them unless they’re falling apart.  They mutate over time and are layered with paint, gesso, washi tape, masking tape and bits of paper that have adhered to the wet substances.  One of my spray sheets is a mat for one of my die cutting machines and it’s my all time favorite, in size it’s 12”X12” and will probably never fall apart.

 

My Spray Sheet

By taking the spray sheet to my scanner and scanning in just a portion of the image I am able to get an abstract background with a lot of depth.  After scanning I open the file in PhotoShop and crop it to 2.5”X11” and save it to my desktop.  Then with my Silhouette Software (a photo editing software, PhotoShop or PS Elements will do the same thing), I import and copy it so that I have three images on one 8 ½” X 11” page and then print it out.  This gives me 9 - 2.5” X 3.5” backgrounds for my AJPs.

This is the portion I chose for my AJPs

The next image is my completed AJP, I left the last three cards blank so that you see the texture and dimension achieved in the individual cards.


I love using Tangie Baxter and Rebecca McMeen images.  I love Tangie’s freestyle and wild random color, Rebecca’s feminine, soft and muted colors.  When I am doing AJP pages I also want my fingerprint on the cards.  It all creates a synergy, (synergy being - the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects.), backgrounds are a wonderful way of achieving this.  For this page I used kits from TB&CO: Tangie’s “Wizard Boarding School” kit available in The Vault,  “Bestiary of Beasties” kit and Rebecca’s “Wren” kit, the pen 

is from my stash.

For more information on Art Journal Pockets visit Art Journal Pockets- Tangie Baxter & Co.

[Posted by: Sandi Kelly]