Mixed Media Art with Antique Postcards

Want to learn how to do this?
Art Class Scheduled on: September 14th, 2013    2:00 - 4:00 pm
30.00 per person (materials included)
Choice of 6 different postcards to choose from.
Where:  Frou Frou Galore 26420 Preston Ave, Old Town Spring, TX
Call today to reserve your spot (limited space)  281-459-0711
Artist/Teacher: Tamyra Crossley

The Sweet Life

Pearls of my Heart

No. 6031 Lady

No. 27 Lady

Mermaid

Gypsy Queen

Gypsy Girl

Farm Girl

Evette

Bird Watcher

Ballet Toes

Enchanted Wood

My newest Mixed Media works start with a vintage postcard (some I own and digital downloads can be found in my etsy shop; Ivory Coast www.etsy.com/people/ivorycoast,  others I have digitally downloaded from favorite etsy shops; French Kissed; www.etsy.com/people/FrenchKissed  , MDR Grafix Postcards; www.etsy.com/shop/MDRGrafixPostcards , just to name a few.  I use canvas, scrapbook paper, paint, stamps, ephemera and pens.  I start with a blank canvas (handboard canvas is easier to work with but you then have to frame it or glue on a ribbon and backing piece).  I mix 2-3 coordinating colors together and paint (acrylic) the entire canvas.  While it's drying, I will take my vintage postcard and start collecting coordinating scrapbook papers, stamps, bits of paper ephemera, etc. to add to the canvas.  I used just plain old Elmer's glue, clear, but you can also use a Gel Medium to adhere each layer.  After I glue the back of the sheet I use a plastic putty knife to work out any air bubbles.  I like to start with the largest piece of paper first then slowly build layers.  The last layers are the small ephemera or stamps and then I will either use a stamp and ink pad or hand write areas with a sharpie.  A fun project and great way to preserve some vintage postcards.  Originals for sale at; Frou Frou Galore, in Old Town Spring, TX http://www.froufrougalore.com/
Prints can be purchased at; Etsy, Shop Studio Quest, www.etsy.com/people/studioquest , or Fine Art America, artist: Tamyra Crossley , www.fineartamerica.com , or tamyra-crossley.artistwebsites.com

Art and Music

Mistress of Music

Just finished my painting called Mistress of Music.  Decided to use only sepia brown paint and painted directly on old sheet music.  The paper is generally a bit thicker and if you do not get too much water on it works nicely with watercolor.  Love the mixed media feel of the finished product and the historical element of using vintage music sheets.

Bella Whisper Bridal Shop

My newest shop on Etsy.  My daughter is getting married next month and I have been very busy making her veil, modifying her wedding dress and getting everything ready for her special day.  While creating for her I decided to make other unique one of a kind products for Brides.  At this point I am sticking with only Bridal Accessories but who knows what ideas will float into my head down the road.  I will only show a couple of items here but feel free to take a look at my etsy site; Bella Whisper for the full view :).

Sepia Brown Only

The Wait

Like using only one color to see what you can do with shading.  This is a classic look and something I had a lot of fun with.

Out on the Town

Out on the Town

Wanted to see what I could do with only black watercolors.  The finished result has a timeless, classic feel to it.

Lady of the Forest

Eyes of the Forest

Love the deep color and mystery of this piece.  It was done in watercolor and was happy with the intensity of the color.

Fashion Statement

Hibiscus

I've been challenging myself with portraits   I liked the floppy hat and the idea of only putting color on the flowers.  I call it Hibiscus.

Pencil Sketch "Perrrrfect"

Perrrrfect

I am trying to draw daily, sometimes I do well and others......life just has other ideas!  I usually take some time each morning, when my household is still quite, grab my cup of coffee and get out my pencils.  I am working on people, they are the most intimidating to me, so that is the area I want to practice the most.  This image was done with pencils and a few lines of charcoal.  I had fun with the hair and her pose made me think of a cat, thus the name Perrrrfect.  

Charcoal and Pencil Sketch Midnight Escape

Midnight Escape

 I got my first charcoal sticks and decided to give it a try.  I have loved the loose drawing other artists have done and thought that is what I would end up with.   As you can see, the finished product did not turn out very loose.  The nice thing about the sticks is that you can get a very dark value and they smear nicely. I did also use some pencil as it is hard to get any fine detail with just charcoal sticks. The woman in the image I imagine fleeing into the night under the cover of darkness.  She is alert and has a frightened look in her eyes.  What is she running from?  That is up to you, imagination is a wonderful thing.  I will try these again and see if I can come up with a looser image.

Postcard Art

Dreamed of in a Girl

Always looking for new ways to market existing pieces of art and decided to create some new pieces from both full works of art and parts of an existing piece.  I took my original work "Dreamed of in a girl" and added some scrapbook paper to the bottom to create a different postcard.

Dreamed of in a girl postcard

Then decided.....what if I cut into two pieces, one to highlight the eyes....

Blue Eyes

One to highlight the red lips...

Dreamed of in a girl

What I ended up with is four potential postcards, each a bit different and unique.

ATC Cards

Daisy Girl

Fairy Girl

Love the history of the Artist Trading Cards and have traded a few with my sister.  I was invited to a gathering the other night of fellow artists and we were asked to bring along two cards (one to give away and one to keep).  Since I was busy looking through the book Fairy-ality, a wonderful collection of fashions created by using God's beautiful bounty, I decided to use this as my inspiration.  What I love about these are they are quick, fun and don't require a huge commitment.  It is also the perfect place to try your hand at something new. I traded mine and received a beautiful one in return entitled "Dream".  I had a wonderful evening and came away inspired.

Peacock Lady

Peacock Lady

Loved working with Pen and Ink and decided to use two of my favorite colors; blue and green.  Again, I find myself putting blue (and green) hair on my lady.  I started with a pencil sketch and went over the main design with ink.  Much of the background work was freehand.  While this can be tedious it is relaxing and fun to do.  The original is available on my Studio Quest Etsy Site.

Angel's Voices

Angels Voices

Found these wonderful song sheets in a cute little shop.  Thought they would be great for my mixed media projects.  I had intended to use bits and pieces but loved the title of this particular song and decided to draw directly on the music.  Again, I found myself drawn to blues and greens and the celebration of women.  I used watercolor, pen and ink, paper ephemera and colored pencils.  The sheet measures 9 1/2 x 12" and the original is available on my Studio Quest Etsy site.

Mermaid Dreams

Mermaid Dreams

Blues and Greens.....I seem to be drawn to these colors.  Perhaps it is my love for the sea and all things near the ocean.  I see these colors pop up time and again in my work and love them together.  My latest collage is made with vintage photo ephemera, acrylic paint, stamps, paper, ink and watercolors.  It is adhered to a stiff canvas board.  The quote reads:  she lived in the deep under the sea where the seahorses swim and the seaweed flows...... Makes me think of my times snorkling in the deep.

Cleopatra



Cleopatra

 Could I make something interesting with just a fine black marker?  That was the challenge I set for myself.  I had picked up a few technical drawing books at a used book store and was amazed at some of the detailed drawings.  Got out my smooth drawing pad, began a rough sketch in pencil then went over my main lines in ink and thats when the fun began.  My favorite was the outside border of just scribbles.  No thinking is involved in this and it was really relaxing.  I stressed a bit about trying an ink drawing, afraid that there is NO room for error.  That really isn't true, if you make a mistake simply add on to make it part of the overall design.  It was fun and I will have to try it again.  Maybe with other colors!

I dreamed of a girl.....

I dreamed of a girl

It is quiet this morning so I started to sketch.  Pretty soon the watercolors came out, then the ink and next thing I know paper scraps, stamps and glue.  As I added a bit of this, then a bit of that the woman became a bit clearer in my minds eye.  It isn't everyday I paint a woman with blue hair but I think it works.  I looked through my word cut outs and found "I dreamed of a girl", perfect!  Overall, I am happy with the result.  Hope you like it too.

Contemplation

Contemplation

Found this wonderful brown thick paperbag like paper at Home Depot on a large roll.  I've been looking for a nice brown paper for awhile now and this really fit the bill.  I decided to try my hand at a combination watercolor and pencil piece.  After a few tries, I finally got the combination right.  It turns out you cannot get the paper too wet and do not work it too much.  My lady is called Contemplation because she is simply looking ahead in deep thought.  I really like the simplicity and timelessness of this type of work and look forward to future projects.  I certainly have enough paper to last for a long time.