The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog: adirondack color wash

Welcome to the first Mixed Media Monthly Challenge - Spray Inks & Mists!!

We are thrilled to have you with us for our first challenge!! We are so lucky that the amazing online store Inspiration Emporium is sponsoring our challenge this month. They are generously offering a $25 gift card for our Random Winner and a discount code for anyone reading this right now!! Just use the code MMMC for 10% off your entire order!!

We are also excited to introduce our first ever Guest Designer - Shelly Hickox!! Shelly is an amazing mixed media artist who is also on the Inspiration Emporium Design Team. Later in this post you can read more about Shelly and see the fabulous project she made using spray inks.

I'm Donna and I'll be hosting the challenge this month. The theme for this month's challenge is Spray Inks. Just use spray inks to create any type of mixed media project. I want you to be able to make almost anything and have fun. And, who doesn't have fun using spray inks? I'm going to show you my project for this challenge along with a tutorial. Keep going and you will see the projects from the other MMMC Designers. I know you will be inspired to make something amazing!

If you are new to using spray inks we have an entire Playlist on YouTube that contains videos on how to use spray inks. Click here to check out our Spray Inks Playlist for fun techniques and inspiration.

Remember, if you don't own any spray inks, all you need is a spray bottle, a reinker, and some water and you can make your own spray.

I made an Art Journal Page where I used spray inks 3 different ways. By the way, I learned everything I know about spray inks from the classes I have taken with the lovely Dyan Reaveley, the creator of Dylusions products.

This page was made in a Dylusions small journal. To start with I always spray the pages with water so the inks will blend together.

Then I spray my first color - be sure to use BIG sprays. Don't be afraid to spray a lot!

Then a second color.

And finish it off with a third color. I like how the yellow and pink blend and make orange.

It was still pretty wet so I lifted it up and let the inks move around the page.

Finally, I mopped up the excess with a paper towel roll.

Before I finished my art journal page I wiped up the craft mat with a tag, added some water to blend in the colors, wiped with a paper towel and now I have tag all ready to go!

The second way I used spray inks was on the canvas butterfly. I sprayed the butterfly with Adriondack Inks that are made for fabrics. I used the colors Wild Plum and Stream. I sprayed the butterfly until I liked it and then let it dry. I also made a tag from the overspray on my craft mat.

The third way I used spray inks was to put a dropper full of green in a watercolor brush and color the leaves on my page. I used it full strength. I didn't add any water. I colored all the leaves with straight water before coloring it over with the green ink (another Dyan Reaveley Technique)

Materials List
1. Dylusions Small Journal
2. Dylusions Spray Inks- Pure Sunshine, Bubblegum Pink, Lemon Zest
3. Dylusions Leaf Stamp
4. Impression Obsession - Chicken Wire Heart Stamp
5. My Favorite Things - Circles From the Sunny Day Doodles Borders and Accents Stamp set
6. Ranger Archival Ink - Black
7. Maya Road Canvas Butterfly
8. Unity Stamp Company - Sentiment Stamp - Angie Girl: Dream With Your Heart
9. Adirondack Color Wash Sprays - Wild Plum, Stream

Guest Designer

We welcome our first Guest Designer - Shelly Hickox!!

Shelly Hickox is a paper crafter who loves experimenting with inks, papers, and all forms of mixed media. She has designed for many different companies, including Tim Holtz, Sizzix, and Artistic Outpost. She currently serves on the design teams of Karen Burniston, Eileen Hull, and Inspiration Emporium. Shelly has been fortunate to have her work published in numerous magazines as well. When not holed up in her studio, she loves nothing more than a good junkin' trip, or a hike in the woods. Shelly lives in the Memphis area with her husband, chickens, and a small herd of cats.

Shelly made a stunning mixed media project for us this week. Be sure to check out her blog for a tutorial on how she made this gorgeous creations.