Art journal page Love yourself | Rocío López

Hi!!

Rocío here with a new project to inspire you to use your paints. In this ocasion I've created an art journal page. I think that art journal gives you a freedom to create that other projects don't and I get so much fun when I am creating one page. 

In the background I added some scraps of decorated paper to get some texture. Then I applied a coat of gesso and draw my whimsical face.

One I had my girl, I started to play with my Shimmerz's paints to add color to the background and to the girl. I used Vibez Deep Blue Sea, Vibez Grape Escape, Shimmerz Peacock's Plume, Inklingz Green Goddess and Inkling Plum Crazy for the background.

For the girl I used: Inkling Lover's Lips, Shimmerz Magenta, Inklingz Green Goddess and Dazzlerz Tutti Frutti.

When I got the background and the girl colored, I used a few stencils with Dazzlerz Tutti Frutti, Dazzlerz Sea U in the Mornin', Dazzlerz Grapetastic and modeling paste to get more texture.

Of course, I had to use my new Stampz! I used the set Fresh Start in some places around the border with black permanent ink (Archival).

Now I leave you with some close ups of the details and the process video.

Don't forget to write Rocío in the comments of your order to get a freebie! 

I hope you like it and see you soon!

PRODUCTS USED:

STAMPZ: Fresh start. 

SHIMMERZ: Magenta, Peacock's Plume.
INKLINGZ: Plum Crazy, Lover's Lips, Green Goddess.
DAZZLERZ: Tutti Frutti, Sea U in the Mornin', Grapetastic.
VIBEZ: Deep Blue Sea, Grape Escape. 

Swatching Creameez and Shimmerz | Simone Schermann

Hello Shimmerz Fans. Even though I am not an art journaler I love watching other artist share their journaling process on youtube. This is how I found this idea that I had to try when I recently received a small package full of Creameez and Shimmerz. As I told you in my very first blogpost for Shimmerz in the beginning of the year, I am still new to mixed media and all the beautiful products Shimmerz offers and so I wanted to test out these paints before adding more of them to my stash. And let me just tell you, I'm in love!

Instead of swatching my paints on a piece of paper, I followed an idea that I saw James Burke do in one of his recent videos. He jokingly called it "Neighborhood Swatch Tutorial". The rectangular swatches are arranged horizontally across your paper and colors are repeated, then using a pen, all you do is draw quirky houses on top of the rectangles. And that is basically it!

If you have ever watched from the sidelines (like me) when others just do and create beautiful artwork and itched to try but never knew how and where to start, this is another way of dipping your toes. You do not need a lot of supplies: use paints you have on hand, mists like the Vibes and Coloringz or paints like the Creameez, Shimmerz or Inklingz work perfectly fine for this. You only need three of four different colors, a paint brush and paper and a pen. I, again, used what I had on hand, a black Sharpie Pen.

After my first try in the sketch book that I usually use to swatch paints which I was basically doing as well, I decided that I loved this so much, I would do another set of houses in my weekly traveler's notebook insert. I cannot wait to share this page with you on instagram once it is finished!


Here is a link to my process video on youtube. If you place an order in the Shimmerz Store, don't forget to mention my name Simone in the comments at checkout to receive a free mini surprise product! Thanks for stopping by today!
SUPPLIES:
Creameez - Ride the Tide, Boogie Boardin' Blue, Daffodil, 1 Hot Mama
Shimmerz - Key Lime

Markmaking with Shimmerz Watercolors | Zinia Amoiridou

Hello artsy friends! It's Zinia here and I'm back with my last project in the Shimmerz Education team. It's been such an amazing year and I am so honored to be part of the Shimmerz family but unfortunately I have to step down for 2018. I had a really great time creating with these gorgeous products and I really hope to return in the future. But for now let's take a look at the project I created for you :)

I decided to work with a mix of Inklingz and Creameez and just do some scribbles and doodles on my page. You can also see this as a creative way to swatch your colors as it lets you explore the different ways the paint reacts depending on how much water you add or what brush stroke you use to apply it.

I started with one color at a time and created all sorts of different marks and shapes to fill the page.

When the first layer was dry, I went back in to add more details on each shape. In some cases I layered different colors and in others I used the same color to create a glaze over the initial layer.

For every color and shape, I tried to do something different. The more variety on the shapes and marks, the more playful the page will look in the end.

I also picked a white pen marker to add even more doodles on top of some shapes. You can use any marker you want or even a fineliner pen to add scribble details on top of your shapes.

The colors I used on this page are: CREAMEEZ in Purple Peony, 1 Hot Mama, Lapis Dance and INKLINGS in Blue Lagoon, She Packs a Pack, Gosh Garnet, Old Yeller, I'm not Limon, Blue my Mind.

I really hope you enjoyed this project and also all the previous projects I shared with you during the past months.

Magical Misted Background | Zinia Amoiridou

Hello artsy friends! It's Zinia here and welcome back to the Shimmerz blog!

Today I'm back with another art journal spread using my favorite Shimmerz products. For this spread I had some fun with some sprays to build a magical background.

When you are using sprays the secret is layering. Letting one layer dry and then adding another will create beautiful variations as well as make the colors more intense.

Once I was happy with my colors, I used a stencil and some light modeling paste to create some texture on my background. I added some leaves and greenery to create the impression of a scene but went over it again with more color to help it blend with the rest of the background. I really wanted to keep everything very subtle and blended.

I created a white border at the top of my spread with drips of paint. I used a bottle of Acri-tonez and diluted it with water to create this drippy ink-like consistency. Since the paint became translucent with the addition of the water, I added a few layers to make sure my drips are opaque.

For my focal point, I used another stencil and some heavy gesso to create a silhouette. Although my background was dry, the ink is still reactive with water so it slightly colored the first layers of gesso. I had to go over it a few times to end up with a crisp white coverage.

My last step was to add some journaling. Since I'm not very confident with my handwriting, instead of scribbling something on my own, I used some beautiful stamp sets by Donna Downey.

Here is a full list of the colors I used on this spread:

• AcriTonez - 3 Sheets to the wind
• Creameez - Lapis Dance
• Coloringz - Heidi Ho Blue
• Spritz - Ruby
• Spritz - Sapphire
• Vibez - Sweet Heart
• Vibez - Mango Tango

If you want to grab a some of these gorgeous supplies to create your own version of this project or just to expand your Shimmerz collection, make sure to mention my name "Zinia" at the comment section of your order to receive a FREE Shimmerz product!

I really hope you got inspired to use your Shimmerz products in new creative ways. Until next time, happy crafting.

Gelli Printing with Shimmerz Products | Zinia Amoiridou

Hello artsy friends! It's Zinia here and welcome back to the Shimmerz blog!
Today I'm going to show you how you can use a gelli plate with your Shimmerz Products. If you are not familiar with a gelli plate it's basically a big piece of soft silicone that you use to create unique prints.

The most common paints to use on gelli plates are acrylics. You can totally use your favorite Acri-Tonez but for this page I decided to do something more interesting and show you how to use sprays and watercolors on your plate.

If you tried this before you'd notice that when your medium is watery and thin it tends to bead up and doesn't cover the plate evenly. To fix that we need to use some other medium to hold our watercolors/sprays in place.

You can use a couple of different things. Depending on what you use you might get slightly different results so go ahead and experiment with whatever you have. So to keep the colors from beading up you need to cover your plate with a layer of gel medium. This will basically work as a transparent layer of acrylic paint that will make your mists and watercolors stay wherever you put them on the plate.

You can use gel medium with any finish you prefer. I usually go for matte but if you want to use shimmery colors you should probably try a gloss medium that will allow the shimmer to shine through.

Some alternatives you can try instead of gel medium are our very own Dazzlerz and Paste-eez (I'd avoid Texturez as the gritty parts may damage your plate). Even though they have some opacity, if you don't put a very thick layer on, your colors will still show through beautifully. Also you can make use of the fact that these pastes come in different colors and use that to your advantage.

Here is a full list of the supplies I used to create this page:

• Dazzlerz - Gummy Berry Blue
• Dazzlerz - Spun Sugar
• PASTE-EEZ - Salt of the Earth.
• PASTE-EEZ - Raspberry Sherbet
• Shimmerz - Bubble Gum Blast
• Shimmerz - Tickle Me Turquoise
• Shimmerz - Ultra Marine
• Creameez - Boogie Boardin' Blue
• Inklingz - She Packs a Punch
• Inklingz - Gosh Garnet
• Inklingz - Steely Blue Eyes
• Inklingz - Coral Reef
• Spritz - Sapphire
• Coloringz - Heidi Ho Blue
• Coloringz - Pink Stilettos

If you want to grab a some of these gorgeous supplies to create your own version of this project or just to expand your Shimmerz collection, make sure to mention my name "Zinia" at the comment section of your order to receive a FREE Shimmerz product!

I really hope you got inspired to use your Shimmerz products in new creative ways. Until next time, happy crafting.

Colorful & Whimsical Balloon Scene | Zinia Amoiridou

Hello artsy friends! It's Zinia here and welcome back to the Shimmerz blog!
Today I have a really bright and colorful art journaling spread to share with you using a mix of Shimmerz Sprays and Pastes. 

The star of the show today is the white AcriTonez (3 Sheets to the Wind) which we are going to mix with shimmerz pastes to create custom acrylic paint colors.

The best part is that you can mix all the different colors of pastes to create custom shades that will match the project you are working on. I'm mostly going for some colorful pastel shades but you can make them even more intense by adding a few drops of your sprays or even drops from re-inkers (since they are really strong and concentrated).

The whole process is really simple. I started by adding some color on my background using some of my favorite spray colors in blues and greens. I initially wanted to create a globe/map inspired background but in the end I turned it into a sky.

The inspiration for the page came from the cover of "The Little Price". I decided to draw a little girl standing on a planet (most likely earth :P) and then spread a ton of colorful balloons around her.

I used the same colors for both the balloons and the dress of my little girl to keep the color palette consistent across the whole page. 

I used some markers to add shading and highlights to my balloons and the dress to add more depth and interest to the page.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I really hope you enjoyed the process of this page. If you got inspired and you want to grab some gorgeous Shimmerz goodies make sure to mention my name "Zinia" at the comment section of your order to receive a FREE Shimmerz product! 

DIY Absorbent Ground & Shimmerz Watercolors | Zinia Amoiridou

Hello artsy friends! It's Zinia here and welcome back to the Shimmerz blog!
Today I'm going to share with you an art journaling spread I created with my Shimmerz watercolors.

To start with my page I decided to prime my journal with a layer of absorbent ground. That is pretty much like a gesso for watercolors. It creates a nice absorbent base for your watercolors to sit on.

There are a few companies that make such primer but if you don't want to invest in it, you can create it on your own by mixing gesso with light modeling paste. The general ration is around 1:1 but I usually add a little bit of extra paste to make it extra absorbent. 

I decided to tint my primer with a tiny dot of AcriTonez in Roses are Red. 

Before you start adding watercolors on your page you need to make sure your ground is completely dry. I usually let mine sit overnight cause I like adding a relatively thick layer.

Then I picked some of my favorite colors of Creameez and Inklingz and randomly added them on my page to create a watercolor splash look. The products I used were: Creameez in Just Peachie, 1 Hot Mama and Inklingz in Gosh Garnet, Coral Reef, She Packs a Punch and I'm not Limon.

When that layer dried as well, I decided to add some doodles as focal points. I used one of my Coloringz in Pink Stilettos and instead of adding color in a palette and picking it with my brush, I used a droplet tool and I filled a waterbrush with the color. This way I had my own DIY Shimmerz pen to doodle with.

When my doodles dried too, I went over them with a white paint pen to add more details and finished the page by adding some opaque white splatters all over.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I really hope you enjoyed the process of this page. If you got inspired and you want to grab some gorgeous Shimmerz goodies make sure to mention my name "Zinia" at the comment section of your order to receive a FREE Shimmerz product! 

Easy & Textured Cityscape Art Journal Page | Zinia Amoiridou

Hello artsy friends! It's Zinia here and today I'm back to share with you a really easy and full of texture art journal page I created using my Shimmerz pastes.

Before we get into the process let's take a look at our palette.

The products I'm using today are:

• White & Black Gesso
• Paste-eez in Baby Boy Blue, Tree Hugger & Raspberry Sherbet
• Dazzlerz in Sea U in the Mornin', Foiled Again (mixed with a few drops of Distress Oxide in Cracked Pistachio) & Pucker Up Pink
• Texturez in Crushed Coral, Gold Mine & Maroon Over Miami (this last color won't really make it to the final page but it is in my initial palette)
• Shimmeringz in Heavy Metal
• Vibez in Glorious Day
• Coloringz in Well Blue Me Down

We are going to start on a primed page. Make sure to evenly cover the whole page with a thin layer of gesso. Then we are going to start adding intuitive brush strokes using a big flat brush.

For the first layer, I started by adding some building with black gesso and darker colors so my lighter shades will have a nice ground to sit on.

As I started moving forward I decided to tint my background with some sprays. I randomly sprayed over my page till I was happy with how everything looked. To help the drying process, I blotted some areas with a towel and accidentally left some marks on the paste that wasn't completely dry yet.

I liked that look so much that I intentionally pressed my towel on top of different areas to add even more texture.

After that I continued adding my buildings but this time I switched my brush for a palette knife. The effect you get with the palette knife is completely different and definitely worth it. I really loved how the color of the Texturez skipped at some areas when I applied it with this way.

While working on this page my brain malfunctioned for a bit and for some reason I decided that the front buildings should be smaller than the ones behind. I only realized that when I was editing my video but you know what, I'm really glad I did it this way. There's no rule that says that my art journal pages have to be realistic! Same goes for you. Never worry if you create something out of the ordinary, as long as you enjoy the process and have fun, there are no mistakes in art journaling.

The final touch was to add some white gesso around the edges with a dry brush to help every thing pop nicely.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I really hope you enjoyed the process of this page. If you got inspired and you want to grab some gorgeous Shimmerz goodies make sure to mention my name "Zinia" at the comment section of your order to receive a FREE Shimmerz product!