Capture the colors of nature in this mixed media page spread, made with DecoArt Media®.

SUPPLIES

• water container
• palette or plastic plate
• paper towels
• #8 flat brush
• #12 flat brush
• palette knife
• white gel pen
• cosmetic sponges
• charcoal pencil
• cotton swabs
• ultra thin black marker
• 3/4" brush
• glue stick
• fine black marker
• computer printed text
• large art journal

INSTRUCTIONS

NOTES:

Allow paint to dry before continuing to the next step. Wash stencils between uses.

1. Basecoat a 2-page journal spread with White Gesso and a 3/4” brush. Paint the center of the pages with Burnt Umber. Mix 1 tablespoon of White Tinting Base with two drops of Cobalt Turquoise Hue. Use a cosmetic sponge and the Honeywire stencil to stencil the tinting base/paint mix over both pages.

2. Using the Botanical stencil, sponge the ferns with Yellow Green Light, then again using Phthalo Green-Yellow on the bottom areas of the ferns. Sponge the berries in Pyrrole Red and the stems with Burnt Umber and Phthalo Green-Yellow. Shade around the leaves and berries with a #8 flat brush and small amounts of Cobalt Turquoise Hue.

3. Using the Sunflower stencil, sponge the outer edges of the petals with Pyrrole Orange and the insides of the petals with Pyrrole Red. Using these same colors, stencil the small and large flowers with the Funky Flowers stencil.

4. Paint the centers of the sunflowers with the #12 brush and Burnt Umber. Mix 1 tablespoon of Crackle Paste with two drops of Diarylide Yellow using a palette knife. Spread the mix thickly over the Sunflower stencil with the palette knife.

5. Continue stenciling leaves and flowers using the technique and colors in STEPS 2-4. Add highlights to leaves with a #8 brush and Diarylide Yellow. Add curly ferns using the Funky Flower stencil with Phthalo Green-Yellow and Burnt Umber.

6. Stencil two birds using the Feathered Friends stencil with Colbalt Turquoise Hue. With the #8 brush, add a stripe of Pyrrole Red to the fronts of the birds. Stencil the birds' feet in Burnt Umber. Outline the sunflowers in a fine black marker, adding detail of lines and dots. Using an ultra thin black marker, outline the leaves and funky flowers and add veins and details on curls. Highlight leaves, curls, and flower centers with a white gel pen.

7. Darken edges of journal pages with watered down Colbalt Turquoise Hue. With a #8 brush and Titanium White, paint short marks around edge.
8. Print out quotes using 18 point on computer and glue down with glue stick. “ Where flowers bloom So does hope” and “ Nature always wears the color of the spirit”. Add tiny dots with Pyrrole Orange. Outline quotes, flowers, birds and leaves with a charcoal pencil and smudge with a cotton swab. With the #8 brush, highlight the white border with yellow, then detail with the black pen.

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