Suncatcher with Mattints {by Dounia Giant}

Hello everybody Dounia right here with you right this moment.

This 12 months on the weblog, we’re being given free reign to do a deep dive into one of many PaperArtsy product ranges, and for this submit I’ve been exploring Mattints! I certainly one of their major properties is their transparency so I made a decision to discover and exploit that in some semi clear artwork, a fall impressed suncatcher cell.

I actually love the way it transforms relying on the sunshine! For the bottom of this undertaking, I am sharing with you certainly one of my favorite approach with Mattints, making ’tissue skins’. It’s is admittedly easy and ‘brainless’ with beautiful outcomes. I hope you get pleasure from it too.

For a undertaking about Mattints, I used… Mattints! additionally for his or her transparency. I considerably restricted my palette, to assist create a united look. Any theme would work so I selected my favorite, fall colors! I like heat hues so went for yellow/orange/crimson with some greens and browns to fully cowl the foliage vary. I additionally added the ‘wild playing cards’ The Pink (MT08) et Dragonfly (MT07) to spice issues up and create selection.

I first ready the constructing blocks vital, by colouring clean tissue with my chosen Mattints.

I painted roughly A4 items in all my fall colors, and half that within the ‘wild playing cards’. The depth of the color relies upon quite a bit on the amount of Mattint utilized. Right here I did two coats on one facet and one other coat over solely half the opposite facet. That manner I had two shades of every color, for extra selection and depth.

Right here is my very high-tech drying system. With the present climate, my initiatives are having fun with the wooden range with me! Because the Mattints additionally work as a glue, you need to watch out to not let the sheets stick to 1 one other!

I like so as to add opaque elements to all clear initiatives, to create distinction & texture and spotlight the transparency. For this one, I did some very primary mark making on extra clean tissue with a opaque Fresco End Acrylic Paint. I selected Cloud 9 (FF149), a heat white, as a result of white reveals off colors the most effective and I believed heat model labored the most effective with my chosen colors.

As you possibly can see, not a lot considering is critical for these steps, simply enjoyable taking part in with paint! Now it’s time to begin placing the layers collectively.

 

The precept to creating the ‘skins’ is to connect layers of tissue on prime of one another with a clear and moist medium, like Matte Glaze (FF52) or Mattints. For the tissue ‘disappear’, it’s essential to completely saturate it with glaze when gluing it. I like to use the glaze on the again of the tissue and on the highest of receiving substrate earlier than connecting them, then apply one other layer on prime of the glued down tissue whereas it’s nonetheless moist. Right here you possibly can simply see the distinction between the already glued items and the nonetheless dry ones.

As my base, I used half of 1 the large sheets of painted tissue, this one is the Ladybug (MT12) one. I created a layer on prime utilizing items of the Backgrounds tissue in addition to the tissue with white mark making. To create extra variation and depth of color, I made a decision to connect the items with Mattints as an alternative of a colourless glaze. I selected Ladybug (MT12), Squeezed (PT06) and Nutty (MT02) to coordinate with the background. The boundaries of the tissue items are extra noticeable that manner however I didn’t thoughts for this undertaking.

I repeated the method with Nutty (MT02), Glow (MT01) and Fern (MT03) backgrounds. That is the outcomes after this primary layer. The white opaque patterns shall be softened by the next step.

On prime of the ‘sample’ layer, I added one other one, this time with items of the colored tissues, utilizing coordinated Mattints to connect them. The image appear to suggest I planed their placement however in actuality, I didn’t suppose an excessive amount of and simply glued stuff on prime of one another. If the items overlay in some locations, it simply creates much more color variation.

Because the Mattints are additionally sealants, they make the tissue much less absorbent. So I’ve discovered that you just typically must ‘work’ the glue a bit extra into the painted items, however they too find yourself disappearing.

As soon as all of that was a bit extra dry, I repeated these two layers on the opposite facet of the bases. This creates much more variations and likewise makes a stronger ‘pores and skin’. I actually love how they turned out, with the bits of sample poking out and all of the totally different colors. Nonetheless, I feel their true magnificence shine when seen in transparency.

There you possibly can actually see all of the layers and the brand new colors they construct. I just like the darker touches created by the opaque white paint. I may simply make these ‘skins’ for themselves and show them on my home windows, however right here I additionally needed to indicate you a use for them.

Right here is my pile of leaves and my (additionally very high-tech) construction for the cell: a minimize open soda can. It then solely wanted a pair hours of threading the leaves onto fishing wire and including them to the can…

The purpose was to have gentle shine by the leaves, creating shadows and patterns, and right here within the rising solar, it doesn’t disappoint!

However I feel additionally it is stunning within the solar gentle, with out transparency. The depth of color actually reveals right here and, I feel, seize the sensation of an early autumn day.

With no direct daylight, the colors are softer and extra harking back to fallen leaves. I like how the golden beads pop then, including much more whimsy.

Inside, lighted by a lamp, this factor strikes with the slightest air currant and forged loopy wispy shadows. So moody!

I go away you with a few element photographs of the leaves.