Faux encaustic technique- Grand Finale Giveaway!

So this is the finale of the My Craft Channel series Everyday Creative with Liz Hicks. This final video is one of my favorites as it shares an inexpensive way to create an easy encaustic painting.
What is Encaustic art? Click here to find out more :)

In short, encaustic painting is a form of art that uses beeswax mixed with pigments to create art on prepared surfaces such as wood or canvas. This technique takes a little finesse as you have to constantly keep your wax hot, as well as have a separate container and brush for each color. Another thing to consider is the space this would take up as well as the cost... altogether it is something that you may be intrigued by but may not make it on your short list of easy to delve into endeavors.

So this video that I share gives a great way to utilize basic art and craft materials to your advantage.. we bring back our faithful crayons from the last segment... BUT add in a few other friends... Make sure to check out this weeks Faux Encaustic video on My craft Channel for the full experience... This video may share a technique that you can use in the future or inspire you to adapt this to your own needs, either way... its a win win :)

 

Here is the 4x6 canvas that I created with this technique... The video that I shared shows the basics of creating the faux encaustic, but due to time I wasn't able to share the entire canvas preparation, so if you have any questions... feel free to ask. 

This technique offers a wonderful way of blending as well as depth in layers due to the beeswax creating distinct layers on top of each other. It may seem a little overwhelming, but it is fun and worth it once you get the hang of it.

For this weeks prize package, we are going BIG... since this is the finale... we are going large and adding a little something from every manufacturer featured in the videos. This prize package will include a selection of products from: Clearsnap, Graphic 45, Spellbinders Paper Arts, Creative Imaginations, Sakura of America, Ice Resin and Prima Marketing Inc. I will try and post a picture of the prizes this week so you can get an idea of how much fun it will be!

 

For this prize package please enter using the widget below if for some reason it does not show, please refresh the page and it will pop up on my blog.

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And our winner from last weeks giveaway is...

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On another note... I am starting a new fun venture with a few of my good friends. Virtual Gallery Walk will start next week, but I posted about it yesterday on my blog. Make sure to check it out as well will be having a ton of fun next week with this. Tell your friends, the line up of artists is amazing, and we are sure to have something to offer you all.

Thank you again for your support these past few week as I share a sneak peek into my crafting world. You can tell that I like to do things on the cheap and work with products that offer a variety of uses. I hope that these video have shared my passion with you all.

And if you have any questions, feel free to email me, I am still a bit under the weather so it might take me a little bit to get back to you, but I will.

Thanks again!

~Liz Hicks ♥

Virtual Gallery Walk

Last semester when I saw in school I was introduced to the true beauty of art. Living in an art rich community I became enamored with all of the art galleries in town and their first friday gallery walks. This event allows the public to view local art and walk through each store or museum for their viewing pleasure. I love this idea of community and support of the arts. Art has become more than just a hobby for me, it is my life. It is my retreat when I need it, my resort when I need to clear my head... it is me. It has also become a big part of my family's life as well.

This idea of communal art got me thinking of just how much this fellowship was missing in my industry. I want so much to support my friends and fellow artists but the only way this has been available has been through a blog hop or promotion. So this offered the birth of  something new.... the Virtual Gallery Walk. 

What is the Virtual Gallery Walk? Well this is the start of a group of artists that love art and want to share it with all. This is a peek into a gallery that you might not have ever been able to see in your area. It is a group of 10 (or less) artists who are gathering with the sole purpose of sharing their love of art, inspiration and aspirations in hopes that this intrigues you to follow your passion. It is kind of like the Gallery walks that I mentioned earlier except that it will all be done here on line  and the exhibit will take a week to open. The wonderful thing about this type of gallery walk is that (as long as our blogs are up and running) this exhibit will never expire! This exhibit will forever be available for you to browse, recall and grab inspiration from. This is a true never ending exhibit! 

How is this different from any old blog hop? Well the artists are all gathering together in support of each other.  The artists will not just direct you to one blog... they will encourage you to visit with each of the artists in the Gallery Walk. Each artist will share their take on the exhibit topic and this will allow you to take the information that each of them shares and leave with the info that best helps you in your mission or passion. This is about community, so leave a comment, ask a question this is an event where you can engage with the artist (which hardly ever happens in real life!) and get to know them and their artistic style.

 Since this is the first time that we are doing this Virtual Gallery Walk... we are excited yet still learning about what we have to offer, so this may evolve through time. I may invite other artists... or choose to work with some of the same... but what I do promise is that the information that each exhibit or artists offers will be a great insight into creating, styles, techniques and well art itself. 

Our first exhibit will begin October 1st and will be called:

Artistic Inspiration: Then and Now

For this exhibit I have invited 9 of my good friends whom I love to view art from. These girls share the same love for art and teaching that I do and I am sure that you will enjoy visiting with them as much as I do. Together the 10 of us will share of take on this exhibits topic.

Camille McClelland

CatherineMatthews-Scanlon

Cheryl Waters

Jen Cushman

Kathy Cano-Murillo

Lorraine Bell

Martha Richardson 

Tracy Weinzapfel

Jamie Dougherty

 

Do me a favor and check out their sites. Each of them comes from a different aesthetic or view point when approaching art. I love the fullness that this group offers. Take a moment to check out their sites, get to know them... leave some love as they are preparing their piece to share with you all RIGHT NOW!

This event will start on October 1st and run through the 5th... Some of the girls are out of the country right now, still trying to participate so give them grace as they join us from a far :) My main goal for this project is to share with the crafting world how the art and craft worlds coincide in so many ways... Art can seem so overwhelming for crafters (it scared me to start my art courses!) yet the same approach is taken by both. Both set out to put their ideas into a reality... and well it really is that simple. So whether you buy your paint at Hobby Lobby, Home Depot... or Dick Blick... the same love care and thought goes into each piece... that is something that needs to be remembered :)

Thank you all for this... I can't wait to start this with you all... this is going to be SO MUCH FUN!

If you didn't see the giveaway I posted last week make sure to check it out here.

Thanks again!

~Liz Hicks ♥

 

Creative Crayons- Clearsnap Giveaway!

We are counting down to the last TWO episodes of Everyday Creative on My Craft Channel. I hope that this has been a fun adventure of techniques for you to enjoy. I know I have enjoyed getting to share each week with you a little tidbit of fun.

Next week is our GRAND FINALE which we will be creating a faux encaustic canvas. Along with that, we are having a BIG GIVEAWAY full of prizes from all of the companies that have participated with giveaways. So you will want to make sure you check back for that.

For this weeks episode, I am sharing a bit of creativity with wax crayons. you may remember a video I had created back a bit with using crayons in a glue gun... well this weeks video of Everyday Creative shows you that and BEYOND. Watch it here. Here are the two projects I used it this weeks episode.

Thanks 6x6 Card

The Real Me Art Journal Cover

Originally a part of PAJWLH (Progressive Art Journal Workshop with Liz Hicks) seen here.

Products used for both of these products are from Prima Marketing Inc and Clearsnap Inc

Both projects were created with techniques using crayons  and are featured on the episode of Everyday Creative- Creative Crayons. The art journal is a part of the free art journal workshop I offer here on my blog. If you would like to see more art journal prompts, click here.

The winner of last weeks prize package is: KATINA! Congrats!!!!



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And for this weeks giveaway... We are featuring a collection of Clearsnap Goodies (Smooch ink and Smooch Spritz!) to enter in to this weeks prize, use the widget below. If it doesn't show up, refresh the page and it will load.

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This was another fun episode to share. I can't wait for next weeks episode... It is our last :( but It is good... and a whole lot of fun!!!

Thanks again!

~Liz Hicks 

9/11/2001- PAJWLH

Yesterday I woke up and could feel that it was 9/11.

9/11/2001 I remember this day so well. I was newly wed and expecting our first child. This was the day that we were going to go into the doctors for our very first baby appointment. What should have been a day full of hope became a day that I will never forget for reasons beyond imaginable.

I remember the series of texts and phone calls I got during this time. Friends telling me they were ok, friends worried about family members who later on were found to be ok. It seemed like such a time of uncertainty even the thought of driving to the doctors office which was 10 minutes away seemed scary.

Suddenly what use to be normal, now was not so certain. I think life comes at us with a certain force in which we learn to deal with things on a day to day basis taking certain liberties for granted. On this day I knew that safety was one of those liberties I had taken for granted.

Through the passing of days I saw a certain camaraderie in people begin to emerge. It seemed that everyone realized at the very same moment that life was precious. That nothing is for certain and that each day is a blessing. I saw churches coming together in support opening their doors to everyone to unite in prayer for our nation. Strangers helping strangers for the sake of humanity. At this point we were all equal, people seemed to look past what differences or labels that the person next to the carried and saw each other in one simple form. Human.

As tragic as the events were, from this came a mutual respect for human kind. A certain vulnerability that joined enemies and friends alike as a human race. I have to say, I still remember this. Through the years as safety became more apparent, I have seen this sense of camaraderie seem to dwindle. But still to this day, I remember the only good thing that seemed to come from this horrible incident was that we united as a nation, and the world knew this.

This is one of those things that I miss from 11 years ago. Of course I wish 9/11 never happened. I thank God every time that I see the pictures of the babies who lost their fathers in the events, never to have met them. I look at my son, now 10 and think, why were we so lucky to be spared? I can't help but think of this when this day rolls around. I just can't.

So in an effort of remembrance, I ask for you to take a moment and reflect yourself.

Journal Prompt: What does FREE mean to you? What of this day do you remember most? Do you remember fear? Love?Compassion?Unity? Do you still feel that way, or has time changed your perspective.

Creative Prompt:  Use red, white and blue... it can be bright bold colors, solemn colors, vivid colors, you can even mix them up... just get creative with these three colors.

 FREE 8x8 Altered Canvas

Adhesive: SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L Paint: Folk Art (Plaid) Craft Foil and Glitter: Clearsnap Letters: American Crafts, Stars: Fiskars (punches)

Another story I found about remembering is this article here from Mamiverse CEO Rene Alegria in regards to undocumented immigrants that perished in the attacks at the world trade center. It never occurred to me how hard it would be to find someone who had no identity in the US. Her accounts of this event are beautiful and I highly recommend you take the few minutes to read her article.

I pray that this journal prompt finds you in peace and that your 9/11 was a beautiful day of reflection.

~Liz Hicks

Faux Copper embossed album- (Giveaway)

I can't believe that we are already on week 5 of Everyday Creative on My Craft Channel. These segments have been so much fun to share with you all. I am so grateful to be able to share some of my crafty ideas.

This week I am sharing an inexpensive way to create a beautiful mini album. This technique can be used in a variety of crafting from altered decor to scrapbooking... the choice is yours!

Make sure to watch the video to see how I took a dollar store item and made this fun mini album... YES I said dollar store crafting (made chic!). The base of this album only cost me 50 cents since this came in a set of two for one dollar! :)

Watch the video HERE. (Thanks for letting me know Mary and Lynn!)

Faux Copper Embossed Mini Album

 

Once again we are having a giveaway for this week using companies that were seen in this weeks video. This week we have some great prizes from Spellbinders Paper Arts, Clearsnap and Creative Imaginations.

Here is what this weeks prize package will consist of:

 

(5) Spellbinders™ M-Bossabilities™  Folders plus one raspberry spacer plate

(2) 6x6 paper pads from Creative Imaginations

And a selection of Clearsnap goodies

(not pictured)

Here is our winner from last week, Congrats Lisa F.!

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And for this weeks giveaway here are your options to enter :)

Make sure to use the Rafflecopter Widget below to enter. If it doesn't show up.... refresh the page and it will be there.

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Thanks again for your support, I hope this weeks video sparks your creativity to take a stroll down to the dollar store.

~Liz Hicks

Who I was...and Where I am now... PAJWLH

A few weeks ago I was in a mood to try something different. I really love when that happens because its times like this I can dig into the products that I have and truly delve into what they are. I knew I wanted to try a different substrate (surface). I had some products that my friend Lisa Fulmer had given me at CHA. Lisa knew I loved Mixed Media, so she introduced me to the world of Lutradur .  Funny thing is that Lutradur actually started out as a roofing material. It is now used in Mixed Media and Art quilting and has some fabulous effects that can be created with it. It is a synthetic material that is woven, a bit stiff and is similar to interfacing for sewing.

Another fun product that I wanted to try out were Koi Coloring Brush Pens by Sakura of America. You are probably familiar with Sakura because of their wonderful Micron Pens, as well as their wonderful selection of artist materials. Did you know that they have a great resource of videos for you to view as well? Their YouTube channel has recieved over ONE MILLION views? They are a wonderful wonderful wonderful resource for artists and crafters... So if you can go check it out and subscribe. They have some great artists working with this.

So with these two products in mind... I decided to have some fun in my art journal... This is what I came up with :)

Who I am- Art Journal Page

(click on the image to make it larger)

 Flowers Stitched with thread in a star burst pattern.

Leaves organically stitched to add texture.

 

And a close up of my words (I used The Sakura Permapaque dual edge pen for my title)

This pen is great because as it is wet, you can dilute it with water, but when it is dry it becomes permanent and you can watercolor over it. It works on any surface too.

 

So with this page, I was just ready to have some fun. I have learned through the years that through the good and the bad... be  grateful. It is a tough lesson to learn... but I think having gone through tough times in life. It teaches you to be grateful. We all make mistakes and well this is something I don't always remember. For some reason (I blame human nature) it is so easy to feel like you are an island. To feel that you are the only one that is going through your situation or that has ever dealt with the amount of problems you have dealt with. It is really easy to look at your situations add them up in your head and consider it failure. It's not fair. Truly it's not. 

What if instead of looking at each issue that comes our way as a bad ending we decided to look at the bigger picture and see the full story of our life that is being written? When we view ourselves and our failures as an accumulation of things gone wrong, it is so easy to forget to recognize the little blessings that our lives are made up of. I have had to re-adjust myself PLENTY of times, not ashamed to say it! Perspective is so important in order to maintain a healthy outlook on life. I have found that when I accurately account my mishaps and forgive myself, I am a happier person moving forward. I have a tendency to assume responsibility for things gone wrong in my life... I have always been that way which has made it really tough for me to talk to people that have hurt me. As I have grown older I realize that the responsible thing isn't necessarily to just assume responsibility... but to accurately observe the situation and from there talk about it openly to figure out what direction to go. It is so easy to shame ourselves into believing it is our responsibility to make this world work. In all reality, it is much to big of a task for one person to handle :) But yet we all find away to feel responsible or guilt ourselves into believing it is our responsibility to fix what has gone wrong.

The truth is, we are all learning. We go through some great highs and some enormous lows...but we get through it. My goal is now to respect my past and bring that knowledge into my future. Not to judge myself because of who I was then but to realize that I am still that person, maybe just a little bit smarter or older. this is me... and well that is just fine. I am not perfect, I don't live a perfect life, but I really like it this way. I can only hope that I can remember to take this knowledge with me each day as I live. I will still make mistakes, but I have my values that I hold dear that I hope to stick by as I travel along this road called life. I won't get far if I constantly meet the same road bumps or read the same story over and over again. I believe that my past has happened to me for a reason, and that at some point all of the bad things that have happened will come full circle and help those that can learn from my experience. I have already been able to relate to so many that share my stories, so I know that this is true. Truth and love have a great way of rectifying the wrongs in life. Be KIND to yourself and remember that you as well as those around you are still learning.

****Oops... forgot to add the art journal prompt :) (edited to add prompt)

Journal Prompt: What is your story telling you? Do you agree, is it accurate? It is your story.

Creative Prompt: Use a new substrate, use a surface that you have never used before. Here I used lutrador. You can use anything that you can later stick into your art journal. Fabric, Cheesecloth, aluminum, canvas, tissue paper, wood... use something different than you are use to.
 

So I am still a little under the weather, more tired than anything. Our week has been filled with parental obligations... I am hoping to finish the page I promised to you all that coincides with my DIY shadow Box video this weekend and post it Monday. For now... I am going to take a break, maybe a nap and try and rest myself up.

I pray that this blog post meets your heart in the right place and that it perhaps will help some that might be a little down or critical of themselves. Know that you are not alone, we are ALL critical about something in ourselves and at some point we realize what matters most and that is to live a life that you love, part of that is loving yourself and your story.

Thanks again!

~Liz♥

Quiet... PAJWLH

So today I was going to post a prompt and art journal page using yesterday blog post technique I shared for My Craft Channel episode... I had to switch gears a bit due to a complete crash on my part this week... I think we caught a school bug, so I have been up and down sick for the last few days... hoping it ends soon. My goal is to get the prompt up either Thursday or Friday... With this being said, we are going to have an extra PAJWLH post this week... I wanted to try and squeeze a few extras in anyway, so hopefully this will help. Again, there is no pressure to get each one done each week, that is not how this works... these are prompts to just get your creative juices going... grab them when you can :)


So here we go :)

Psalm 46:10:  He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

I don't get extremely religious on my blog, its just not my way. I love God and am grateful for all that he does for me, but that is my relationship with him. I don't agree with bible thumping and I believe we all have our own relationships with our maker or faith... it is a personal issue. But for this I had to share scripture as it is part of my story. 

This past Monday was Labor Day. If we are friends on Facebook then you know that I had proclaimed Labor Day to be a NON MOMMY holiday... I said this in jest, but in all honesty as the day went forward my brain cells became fewer and weaker... I can only answer so many questions at one time from so many people!

After hearing the chorus of :

 ♫ ♪"MOM.MOM.MOM.MOM.MOM.MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM...." ♪ ♫

I needed a mental break... It was around 4pm and I had no idea what had happened to my kids in the few weeks that they had been in school, but it just seemed like they needed my every moment. I later realized that it probably felt like this because I have not been feeling too well... so sorry kids, it is not your fault.

In an effort to claim back some sanity, I went downstairs to my studio and picked up a canvas I had yet to finish and seriously just attacked it... I just started to paint and ink and stencil and paint again... and well just let loose. I needed this, even if it was just a few minutes of solitude it helped me to pull myself together and clear my head.

So here is what the result of my day was:

Quiet 8x10 Mixed Media Canvas Board

I have some pictures on instagram of my progress of this piece if you would like to see them (Liz_Hicks). I based my canvas board with collaged images and covered with tissue paper to make it cohesive. From there I sketched my face and laid down my face color of paint. I sketched my face in pencil and then used pen and ink to add the detail and hair (India ink). I amplified the lines with a black Perma Opaque pen from Sakura.

To create the background I masked the face and parts of the hair with art masking fluid. It is a siliconish style product that you brush on and it creates a removeable mask on your piece. Test it out first to make sure that your substrate can support it, some surfaces are delicate and may pull. This should allow you to do some fun technique. My hair has some of the colors where I left the mask off of in it. I love it this way!

 Simple is not always easy for me so this face was really hard not to add shading or coloring too. I wanted to have that pop art feel, so I did just the minimal amount of detail that I needed. I am so glad I did because her face stands out among the chaos that is the rest of this piece.

 Carved flowers... I drew these our with my Perma Opaque pens and then painted them in white. From there I painted when the white paint was almost dry... at this point I carved with a dry embossing tool some detail into my flowers.

 I have a thing for graffiti art... especially stencil art... just love it... so this is a technique I love adding to my pieces to add depth.

I added the side title QUIET during my retreat to my studio. At this point all I could think of was I just need a little quiet time to clear my head. As I began to create the scripture above rang through my head... as well as this song, None but Jesus by Hillsong. The beginning of the song says, "In the quiet, in the stillness....I know that you are God".  Art journaling has become a wonderful way for me to relax and be at peace. Creating art allows me to shed my day and to retreat into a quiet place of thanksgiving for all that has happened in my life.

The thing is at this point, I had not allowed myself to be quiet or still for a very long time... I mean a LONG time... I love the idea of meditation and reflection and I can not remember the last time I had allowed myself to rest, breathe and just release my day and meditate on what good has come of my life. I needed this reminder, not only to allow myself to rest, heal and restore my heart but also to remind myself that I need to stay on track. So many of life's factors can easily deter me at any point. Even something as silly as a holiday... can easily allow my focus to stray. So this piece is a reminder that I need to rely on QUIET and remember the beautiful things that are planned and promised for me (those are the flowers in my head, lol I couldn't think of a better way to represent them).

So hear is this weeks prompt focusing around the word QUIET.

Prompt: Be still and see what comes to you. Allow a small amount of quiet time to happen and see what comes to your head. Write that down.

Creative Prompt: try out the carved flower technique I share above. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Integrate what you wrote down into your journaling and subject of your page.

I love the learning process. As I have slowed my life down, I have realized just what areas I need to work on in myself. Allowing quiet is one of those places... I am a talkative person by nature, so quiet goes against the grain of my being...lol. Sometimes doing the opposite of what you are is just the break you need :)

Let me know what you think of QUIET... do you think taking a few breather moments is necessary, or do you believe something else? I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

~Liz ♥

DIY Shadow Box frame- (Giveaway)

Today I am sharing a little DIY trick over on My Craft Channel show, Everyday Creative with Liz Hicks. For this fun project we are using plaster cloth, some Graphic 45 papers and some goodies from Clearsnap.

I have always been a fan of plaster cloth for 3D arts but thought it would be fun to use on a paper crafting project. This is a cute little 6x6 shadow box I created using plaster cloth and a sneak material that you will see on the video. This shadow box is a little different from the one I created in the video, but some what the same. I gave the original to a sweet friend of mine which gave me a reason to create a new one!

You gotta love the depth of this little guy.

Here is a little close up of the depth with the stamp details (Graphic 45 stamps)

So make sure to check out this weeks giveaway featuring some wonderful products from Graphic 45 and Clearsnap... Here is what is being offered by both companies! (edited to add Graphic 45 picture).

I will be sharing another fun project tomorrow using this technique in a scrapbook/mixed media/art journaling way, so you will want to make sure to come back and check it out! Also Graphic 45 is sharing a beautiful shadow box on their blog today as well, make sure to swing by and show them some love too!.

Here is our winner from last week... Congrats Christine on winning the wonderful prizes from Creative Imaginations and Clearsnap!

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AND for THIS weeks Giveaway, follow the prompts in the widget below for your chance to win! REMEMBER there is both Clearsnap and Graphic 45 products in this giveaway! If the widget doesn't work, just hit refresh and it will show up :)
 
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Thank you again for being a part of this fun web series... I keep thinking of so many fun techniques that I need to try and sit down and video. Hopefully after this series ends, I can spend some time taping again :)

Thanks again!

~Liz