Information

[Renee]

I love using mixed media in my art journaling and I love scrapbooking but I never combine the 2 and I don't know why! LOL
I loved your tutorial and I'm feeling inspired to give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration, Natalie! 

[Kayla S.]

yay I'm excited to watch! I don't even know where to begin with mixed media. Thank you for providing a basics video!

[MTCanuk]

Great video with lots of inspiration.  I made 2 layouts.  This first one I mixed Vicki Boutin pigment powder in Blueberry with water.  I applied the stripes with a wide flat brush.  I applied glitter mixology with matte acrylic gel using an art wedge.  I was not too happy with the way it turned out so I made a 2nd page also.

I did apply splatters with my flat brush but next time I'll use a smaller brush for that.

Melissa; I think you’re making great strides with your mixed media attempts!!!  Keep working on it!
 

[lissahope26]

Great video with lots of inspiration.  I made 2 layouts.  This first one I mixed Vicki Boutin pigment powder in Blueberry with water.  I applied the stripes with a wide flat brush.  I applied glitter mixology with matte acrylic gel using an art wedge.  I was not too happy with the way it turned out so I made a 2nd page also.

I did apply splatters with my flat brush but next time I'll use a smaller brush for that.

Melissa; I think you’re making great strides with your mixed media attempts!!!  Keep working on it!
  

Aww thanks!  I keep trying.  Here was my attempt at gel plate.

This was my first try.  I like the medium.  There is so much you can do with it. I don't like wasting paper though.  I did two prints with acrylic and tried to stamp the stars in the acrylic but I didn't like the way that looked. You can kind of see some peeking though.  I decided to stamp and die cut the 2nd print with starts to use as embellies on the 1st print.  I'm pleased with the result.  I can tell you stamping on acrylic paint is something else.  I think I should have hit it up with a heat gun because I had black ink everywhere!  Lesson learned that stamping on acrylic takes extra drying time.
 

[Natalie Dill]

Natalie, you've probably tried alot of different mixed media products and I wondered if you could maybe do a series and explain the different products and what they're used for. I see different designers Vickin Boutin, Heidi Swapp, Tim Holtz and others promoting their products, but I don't wanna buy the same product in each of their lines if they ultimately do the same things. 

While searching for Cherries this morning I ran across a TCW Gel Medium Products linked here...
https://www.acherryontop.com/shop/new/4 ... ate/408431

I know in a recent FB Vicki Boutin mentioned a Gel Medium, but what does it actually do? and....is it the same as Gesso?

This is a great question, Deanna. I will start to compile some similar products and kind of tell the difference between the brands. It may take me a bit, as I might have to order some more.

As far as the Gel medium, in my experience - it is definitely not the same as gesso. Here is an example of gel medium I have used on a layout:



So you can tell it's clear, and I added dry pigment ink to tint it. The product you listed says "tacky when dry" and IDK if I would call it tacky, but it's definitely springy. Like Jelly shoes from back in the day is what it reminds me of!

So Here I used it the same as I would use texture paste.
We actually had it because my husband had bought it to create a gift for me.
He laser printed a photo, then put it face down on a wooden plaque and spread the gel medium over the paper. I'm not sure the specifics honestly, if he put the medium on the laser printed side of the other side
but it caused the ink to stay on the wood plaque and t was sealed. So the gel medium is almost like a... polyurethane but not as hard.

I think sometimes gel mediums come with different textures. I had one once called glass bead gel, but it dried up. So they would dry clear, but give your product texture. So you could spread it atop paint or a stamped image, and it would give a portion of the image or paint texture like sand or glitter b/c it dries clear.

I hope this answers your question! Let me know if you have more, and I will try to start compiling a list of similar products among our favorite brands. Go ahead and throw some in the thread if you can think of some!

[Deanna13]

Thanks for the info on that product, Natalie.  I'll see if I have some other particular products I'd like to know more about. 

[lissahope26]

Thanks for the info on that product, Natalie.  I'll see if I have some other particular products I'd like to know more about. 

I had no interest in matte gel medium! I happen to find some of Vicki’s at Tuesday Morning. I’m so glad I did. I’ve seen her use it several ways. Mixed with art crayons and glitter.. I attempted that and it came out gorgeous. I mixed it with distress oxide and applied through stencil. When it dries, it will resist. I saw her use it on you tube today to apply tissue. It is very versatile.

[Deanna13]

Thanks for the info on that product, Natalie.  I'll see if I have some other particular products I'd like to know more about. 

I had no interest in matte gel medium! I happen to find some of Vicki’s at Tuesday Morning. I’m so glad I did. I’ve seen her use it several ways. Mixed with art crayons and glitter.. I attempted that and it came out gorgeous. I mixed it with distress oxide and applied through stencil. When it dries, it will resist. I saw her use it on you tube today to apply tissue. It is very versatile. 

Thanks Melissa! I haven't watched that one yet. 

[Natalie Dill]

 

Aww thanks!  I keep trying.  Here was my attempt at gel plate.

This was my first try.  I like the medium.  There is so much you can do with it. I don't like wasting paper though.  I did two prints with acrylic and tried to stamp the stars in the acrylic but I didn't like the way that looked. You can kind of see some peeking though.  I decided to stamp and die cut the 2nd print with starts to use as embellies on the 1st print.  I'm pleased with the result.  I can tell you stamping on acrylic paint is something else.  I think I should have hit it up with a heat gun because I had black ink everywhere!  Lesson learned that stamping on acrylic takes extra drying time.
  

OMG! Melissa! This is AMAZING! drying time - WORTH IT! I love this SO SO SO MUCH! Did you gel press with acrylic then let that dry and tehn stamp on top of it?

I wonder if you could get a similar effect by doing a black layer on gel and letting that fully dry, then building layers with color and stamping to let the black show. I'll have to test it and try it. It may be that the colors wouldn't fully cover the black..

But IMO your drying time was worth every second b/c this is a SUPER COOL layout!!!
 

[MTCanuk]

Vicki Boutin is certainly the mixed media guru.  I have learned a lot watching her, even though I don't really play with it much.  It just feels like a little part of me is home, since she lives not far from where I grew up.  

[lissahope26]

Aww thanks!  I keep trying.  Here was my attempt at gel plate.

This was my first try.  I like the medium.  There is so much you can do with it. I don't like wasting paper though.  I did two prints with acrylic and tried to stamp the stars in the acrylic but I didn't like the way that looked. You can kind of see some peeking though.  I decided to stamp and die cut the 2nd print with starts to use as embellies on the 1st print.  I'm pleased with the result.  I can tell you stamping on acrylic paint is something else.  I think I should have hit it up with a heat gun because I had black ink everywhere!  Lesson learned that stamping on acrylic takes extra drying time.
  

OMG! Melissa! This is AMAZING! drying time - WORTH IT! I love this SO SO SO MUCH! Did you gel press with acrylic then let that dry and tehn stamp on top of it?

I wonder if you could get a similar effect by doing a black layer on gel and letting that fully dry, then building layers with color and stamping to let the black show. I'll have to test it and try it. It may be that the colors wouldn't fully cover the black..

But IMO your drying time was worth every second b/c this is a SUPER COOL layout!!!
 

I let the gel press acrylic dry first (fast dry time.)

[Natalie Dill]

Volume 5 is up today - all about "color wash" backgrounds and different ways to achieve them. I hope if this is new to you, you'll be inspired to try this technique and show me what you make!!

Read all about it on the blog: https://www.acherryontop.com/articles/M ... me-5-18113

[emmapaige]

I just received a gel press last week so I'm going to watch all your videos (some will be a re-watch). 

[Natalie Dill]

I just received a gel press last week so I'm going to watch all your videos (some will be a re-watch). 

Yay! That's exciting. I don't have a ton of gel press videos yet, but just have fun and experiment. That's the best way to learn. It really can spark creativity! Have fun

[Aztam]

I watched the video from the 1st page and I was wondering if you have tried putting your dried background through a laminator (of course, you would have to have quite a large one for 12x12 paper) to flatten some of the buckling? I made a few experimental pages and thought I might cut one up and see if it would work through my old laminator. It’s on my “try this” list! Haha

[Natalie Dill]

I watched the video from the 1st page and I was wondering if you have tried putting your dried background through a laminator (of course, you would have to have quite a large one for 12x12 paper) to flatten some of the buckling? I made a few experimental pages and thought I might cut one up and see if it would work through my old laminator. It’s on my “try this” list! Haha

I have not tried that. I only have a smaller minc machine. However, the buckled page doesn't often bother me much. 
I do know that Heidi Swapp does that. I find mine typically flatten well once I put them in my giant 12x12 albums. I tend to stuff all my albums super full and tight so they get smushed in there.
But that's definitely a solution for someone who doesn't like buckling!!

[blbabe1234]

Awesome techniques!

[Aztam]

I watched the video from the 1st page and I was wondering if you have tried putting your dried background through a laminator (of course, you would have to have quite a large one for 12x12 paper) to flatten some of the buckling? I made a few experimental pages and thought I might cut one up and see if it would work through my old laminator. It’s on my “try this” list! Haha

I have not tried that. I only have a smaller minc machine. However, the buckled page doesn't often bother me much. 
I do know that Heidi Swapp does that. I find mine typically flatten well once I put them in my giant 12x12 albums. I tend to stuff all my albums super full and tight so they get smushed in there.
But that's definitely a solution for someone who doesn't like buckling!! 

I did mention to my friends on a zoom chat if you put a mix media page in an album in about 10 years it will be flat as a flitter. haha I

[VickiR]

I've used gel medium to transfer photos printed on regular computer paper to another surface. 

Here's a card that I made this week using glass bead gel and a heart stencil.  I love this stuff and use it a lot.  The hearts are cascading down the right side of the card.  There are cIose up photos in my blog.  It also comes in black although I've never tried it.  The white goes on opaque and dries clear.  It gives so much texture to projects.  I use either a Cricket Spatula or used gift cards to apply it.

[Natalie Dill]

I've used gel medium to transfer photos printed on regular computer paper to another surface. 

Here's a card that I made this week using glass bead gel and a heart stencil.  I love this stuff and use it a lot.  The hearts are cascading down the right side of the card.  There are cIose up photos in my blog.  It also comes in black although I've never tried it.  The white goes on opaque and dries clear.  It gives so much texture to projects.  I use either a Cricket Spatula or used gift cards to apply it.

This is so stunning! I love the colors and everything about it. That background is just all the heart eyes!!