Gaia and the Earth for Louise

For Louise's theme, Gaia, I've created a highly textured mixed media artwork with a "few" left over yarns, wools, ribbons, strings! The ribbons and yarns were used to create the hair of Mother Nature while texture paste was used to create the Earth. Most layers seemed to take forever to dry... normally my forever is 10 minutes, but some (the hair) took a couple of days! Well worth the wait :) She's turned out much better than anticipated (phew!).

Starting out, I scribbled ideas and thoughts into my notebook and once I knew where I wanted to go, I sketched the idea onto a large sheet of Strathmore Watercolour Paper.

Above photo shows the sketched image with a few wooden embellishments. Normally I'd use a watercolour pencil to draw the outlines but as I needed face and hands to still be visible after the next few steps, I've used a 2B graphite pencil.
I worked on a loose sheet of paper as I didn't have the book yet :)

To create dimension on the Earth, use a spatula to spread the Tim Holt Distress Grit Paste (its a totally groovy sandy feeling, thick texture paste) for the land. This paste doesn't shrink so what you place down is what you get, whether raised for hills and mountains or smooth flat for the plains.

Left to dry... only for a short time while I gathered my ribbons.

Wools and ribbons are the best inspiration for hair!

I used Ranger's Tim Holtz Multi Matte Medium to adhere all the strands in place, crossing my fingers that it would even stick the plastic shiny ribbon... which it did!

In the photo above, you can see how I've twisted and woven the ribbons, string and yarn to give an illusion of wavy hair. I used the gel medium to glue down the wooden pieces as well.
Left to dry for a few days...!

I love texture... all the hair was covered completely with white gesso.

The above photo shows an overview of Mother Earth keeping an eye on the planet and her hair as it all dries. Took another day or 2... lucky I like to watch paint dry :) lol

Back to the Earth, added 4 or 5 drops of Finnabair's Liquid Acrylic Paint in Ultramarine (blue) to the whole area. Sprayed the blue paint with 2 or 3 splashes of water and encouraged it to spread using a flat wide paint brush.

While the blue paint was still wet, I added 7 drops of Finnabair's Liquid Acrylic Paint in Pure Yellow onto the raised areas of the page.
Finnabair's Pure Yellow looked slightly green in colour until water or medium was added, then it turned a gorgeous clean yellow. Its quite amazing!

More water was sprayed... I love watching paint blend.

The yellow got carried away so added more blue paint to the rivers and oceans.

Using Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks in the dark brown, I coloured the whole background and skin areas, added water and blended with a waterbrush. I added more dark brown paint into the shadow areas. Not quite enough so let it dry and started the hair.

The hair was painted using a paint brush with Finnabair Art Alchemy Liquid Acrylic Paint in Avocado Green. Even though all the strands were covered in gesso, they all took on different tones, some soaking in more paint than others.

I put on two coats of Finnabair's Avocado Green Liquid Acrylic Paint and it turned a beautiful dark green seaweed colour.

And because I'm so heavy handed with paint, it had to dry for an eon... not as long as the gesso or gel medium though! Only a few hours :)

Using the Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks, I coloured the background areas around the head and hands with dark pink and orange in the triangular areas.

Then with a waterbrush, wet all the pink and orange to dissolve the paint and make them blend.

Added more dark brown (Scribble Sticks) to the face and neck leaving the eyes white. I like making the shadows darker to create a more rounded look rather than flat.

Highlights on the hair were painted on using Finnabair Art Alchemy Sparks Acrylic Paint in Fairy Wings... a gorgeous shimmery pearlescent green paint.

The valley areas of the hair was painted sparingly with the Finnabair's Ultramarine Blue Liquid Acrylic.

The two little wooden birds in the hair were painted using Finnabair's Art Alchemy Metallique Acrylic Paint in Pearl White. Then I added a smoosh of blue...

Finished off the face with paint pens for the eyelashes, eye pupils and white highlights. Scribble Sticks were used for the green eyebrows and heart shaped lips.

I didn't do her nose very well but I figure its art, not a photo - and besides, Mother Nature isn't a human so can look however she wishes to look!

Leaving the page aside to dry completely, I stamped out a bird from Dyan Reaveley's rubber stamp set "Clockwork". Coloured him in with Dina Wakley's Scribble Sticks (pink and brown) using a waterbrush to blend the colours.

I cut out some leaves from watercolour paper using the Tim Holtz Thinlits "Skeleton Leaves" die templates (and die cutting machine), trying to keep some of the leaves intact and separated the inners from a few others.

Coloured all the leaves and spare pieces of watercolour paper with yellow and green Scribble Sticks.

Glued the leaves with separated inners to the spare watercolour pieces using the iCraft Mixed Media Adhesive (just like gel medium). I then scribbled on some dark brown to the edges of each leaf while the glue is still wet and encouraged the brown paint blend into the outer edges with a waterbrush.

In the photo, the colours look a bit murky but the glue dries completely clear with a matte finish, allowing all the colours to show beautifully.

On the craft sheet I added some gold metallic watercolour paint and both dragged the side of the leaf across the gold paint as well as used a brush to paint it onto edges of the leaves.

In the above photo with the leaves, I've also applied gold watercolour paint to Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits "Adorned" shapes and have saved them for another day.

Once the leaves were completely dry, I trim off the excess using Tim's Mini Snips. My fave sharp and easy to use scissors for detailed fussy cutting. 

Using the dark brown Scribble Stick, I roughly coloured around all the cut edges of the leaves before glueing them and the bird to the page.

Using the black paint pen, I wrote some words, drew some leaves and added curly tendrils all around her head and hands. The hands also have dripping blue from when I took photos while the Earth was still wet :) Looks like water!

Thanks so much for reading and checking out my artwork. I do love creating with so much colour and texture. I hope it makes you smile!

Have a wonderful, happy creative day!
:)
Jenny