Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Serendipitous Substrates

Wasn't that a mouthful!   I often peruse the aisles of the Dollar Store (yes, the Dollar Store) actually LOOKING for "fortunate discoveries".  The inventory ar the Dollar Store is constantly changing - so there is always something new for your consideration.  One thing that I keep my eye out for is "unlikely substrates" - items that can be used as substrates for my mixed media art creations.

Today I found shrink-wrapped pictures of flowers glued on 1/4 inch pressed board substrates.  Each picture measures 7 inches by 9 inches.  The back of each picture included the hardware to hang the picture.  The flowers were pretty, but not anything that I would display in my home (let's just leave it at that...smiles).  But the sturdy substrate that was used makes the pictures excellent (and economical) substrates for mixed media!  Added bonus - it's ready for hanging!  This what I did...
  1. Removed the shrinkwrap
  2. Sanded the picture surface to remove the glossy surface and prepare it to "grab" the media
  3. Glued miscellaneous papers from my paper stash onto the substrate using Golden Matte Gel
  4. Allowed papers to dry
  5. Added a wash of white Gesso
  6. Et voila!  A sturdy, economical background ready to hold my next mixed media creation
Look what a buck can get you!  I bet I know where you're going this weekend!  Have fun!

Stay Creative!

Lezlei

1 comment:

I hate to cook! said...

Good idea..Once I found these metal pictures ready to hang at the dollar store...would not hang in my house either, but I was able to prep and paint on them and make them my own...good to drop by the dollar stores now and then and see what you can find :)