Category: Paper Crafts

I love mixed media.  If you are not familiar with mixed media, it just means no limits on materials and mediums.  You can use paint, ink, markers, pastels, transfers, and you can use canvas, wood, metal, cardboard.  You can layer all the fun elements you have ever loved.  What I love about mixed media is you can just keep layering and it just keeps getting better and better.  I saw this pin with cardboard:

I am seeing all these great pressed board embellishments but I can’t find them at my local craft store.  ( the down side of living in a small town.  You don’t get murdered when you go to the store, but the stores don’t have anything fun to buy anyways.  It’s the price you pay.)

I also found this great tutorial working with cardboard:

Experimenting with Cardboard Mixed Media

So I just had to run out and find the nearest hunk of cardboard to experiment on.

One thing I learned is that all cardboard is not created equal.  To make good use of the corregated look, you want your top and bottom layers to not be too thick.  It makes it hard to cut.  Thicker corregation with more ripples also makes your project more sturdy.  Once I removed the top layer of my cardboard, my base was flimsy.  If I was creating a serious piece of art, I would have had to mount it to some pressed board or wood.You need a very sharp blade or you will get jagged cuts.

I will be the first to admit, this is not my best work, but after all, that’s what art journals are for.

I basically just went around the house and looked for a few odds and ends.

Another new item I was trying out was Pearl Ex powder.  I found a clearance bottle at Hobby Lobby and was curious to see what it was like to work with.  It has been a bit difficult for me to research exactly what to do with it.  I ended up mixing it into some paints, and then I mixed it in with glue.  It is pretty and sparkly, but so far I prefer to by the metallic paint.  A bottle seems to go a long ways, so I will have to do some more research.

The dragon was also a jar of mystery I bought on clearance.  It is called Snow Tek.  I am sure I grossly misused it, but it has been sitting in my drawer for more than 2 years.  It was fun to work with.  The texture is like floam.  It probably IS mico floam.  It was fun to sculpt with.  It dried overnight and holds up well even when thick.  It also paints easily as you can see.  I would definitely try to find something else if I had to pay full price for this product.  It would get expensive quick, and it is not intended for sculpting.  It is really made for adding snow texture to wintery scenes.

While my first attempt at cardboard mixed media was kindof a flop, I cant look at all this great art and give up just yet.  Check out the inspiration!

Something that yields spectacular results with zero investment?  Sold!  Let’s go find a dumpster!