Artist Found

Over the last few weeks I have really started to started to feel like an artist ... someone who uses various mediums and materials to creatively express the feelings and ideas in their soul.  Before, I felt like I was just trying to create pretty images and learn how to use various products.  I'm still doing that (my goodness ... you should see my "trial" piles that are overrunning every surface in my craftroom), except now it seems to be attached to something deeper inside of me ... art as an expression of me.  As I look back over what I have written, the words don't seem to convey exactly this change in perspective.  Alas, they will have to do for now.  So on with today's project ...

In celebration of this new perspective, I've created a my "Artist Found" tag.  I am submitting it to this week's Simon Says Stamp and Show Button Challenge since one of my favorite buttons (bought on clearance years ago and hoarded for a special project) seemed to be a perfect match with the rustic feel of a new background I was experimenting with.

I started by using Barn Door Distress Stain to cover my tag.  After it dried, I used a thin layer of Delta Texture Magic Dimensional Paint in Golden Pear over The Crafter's Workshop Mini Chicken Wired Template to create the hexagonal pattern on the background.  I used a stiff bristle brush to create striation textured in the thin layer of paint. On my craft mat, I mixed Claudine Hellmuth's Glossy Multi-Medium (love this stuff!) with some Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Ink that I had applied directly to mat.  I went over the entire tag with this to highlight the texture of the paint and give it a grungy feel.  I used sandpaper to roughen up the edges of the tag.  Walnut Stain and Vintage Ink were added to the edges with an ink blending tool.  Finally, I took the fine end of a Black Soot Distress Ink Marker and went back into the fine grooves of the hexagon pattern to give them a little more dimensionality (blending the ink with a fine paint brush and a tiny bit of water).  

I stamped the word "ARTIST" in black archival ink and added some teardrop black gems in a circular pattern around the end of the word.  I wanted a little more black to link to the Tim Holtz Remnant Rub "FOUND" that was rubbed on at the bottom of the tag. So I mixed some Black Soot Distress Marker and Ranger's Glossy Accents on my craft mat and added it in a teardrop and dot pattern with the eye-end of a small yarn needle (it was handy) leading out from the word "ARTIST."  Below "FOUND" I added this great partial quote "straight inside of my soul" from a Splash of Color Mixed Media {101} sticker set. 



Now I got to add my favorite button.  It has such great texture to it.  I used some Vintage Photo Distress Stain so that the ink would get into all those lovely crevices.  I used a fine paint brush to help distribute the stain and then dried it with a heat tool.  I attached the button with fine black yarn (that's why the yarn needle was handy before :) ).

For the left side of the tag, I embossed two pre-cut grungeboard hearts with Tim Holtz's Regal Texture Fade.  I colored the hearts with Barn Door Distress Ink.  Then I sandpapered the flourishes and went over them with Black Soot.  I painted the hearts with multi-medium and Barn Door Distress ink mixture and outlined them with a black alcohol ink marker.  (The same treatment was given to a cardboard die cut heart from my stash.  This heart was cut with a craft knife and fit around the button on the right side of the tag).  Foam adhesive squares were used to mount the small grungeboard heart on top of the larger one and also used to attach the stacked hearts to the left side of the tag.



I was thrilled to learn how to add a "patina-look" with Distress Paints to metal embellishments on Tim's April 2013 tag tutorial.  I used that technique here on a TH Ideology Philosophy tag and on a key hole embellishment (I think this is a Spare Parts embellishment).  The tag was then attached to the black fiber ribbon with a cute Spare Parts button brad.  The last detail to be added was a clear key sticker.

The finished product ...

Going back to work after my vacation brought many unexpected issues to deal with and projects that needed to be finished.  This tag slowly emerged into a finished piece during this time.  I loved playing in the paint and going to work with ink on my fingers :) 

I've learned a great deal from this experience.  EVERYONE has an artist inside of them.  We just have to believe it.  A very special thanks to those of you who have been encouraging me to find and believe in the artist in me.

-- Mary Elizabeth