Luminarte Blog— Vibrant and Brilliant

Take classes using Luminarte at CREATE California - May 30, 2012

Hurry,  time and space is filling up for the classes being offered by CREATE in California. So many artists with so many FABULOUS classes all using Luminarte products! 

The IrRESISTible Paper Engineering Mash-up (3-Hour)

Date: Wednesday, May 30
Time: 9:00am-12noon
Technique: Printmaking & Surface Design
Instructor: Jenn Mason
Price: $85.00
Materials Fee: N/A

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Fun and Nonsense (6-Hour)

Date: Wednesday, May 30
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Technique: Collage & Assemblage
Instructor: Sherrie Drummond
Price: $149.00
Materials Fee: $20.00

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Happy Harpies (6-Hour)

Date: Wednesday, May 30
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Technique: Collage & Assemblage
Instructor: Clarissa Callesen
Price: $149.00
Materials Fee: N/A

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Collage Monotypes (6-Hour)

Date: Wednesday, May 30
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Technique: Printmaking & Surface Design
Instructor: Helen Shafer Garcia
Price: $149.00
Materials Fee: $10.00  

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Mini Masterpiece Canvas Journal (6-Hour)

Date: Wednesday, May 30
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Technique: Bookmaking & Art Journaling
Instructor: Joanne Sharpe
Price: $149.00
Materials Fee: $20.00

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Stitch & Paint Pet or Animal Portraits (6-Hour)

Date: Wednesday, May 30
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Technique: Mixed Media Stitch
Instructor: Jeannie Palmer Moore
Price: $149.00

Materials Fee: $10.00

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The Archivist's Relic (6-Hour)

Date: Wednesday, May 30
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Technique: Bookmaking & Art Journaling
Instructor: Leighanna Light
Price: $149.00
Materials Fee: $15.00

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The Down-and-Dirty Paintless Journal (6-Hour)

Date: Wednesday, May 30
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Technique: Bookmaking & Art Journaling
Instructor: Dawn Sokol
Price: $149.00
Materials Fee: $5.00

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 Wednesday Evening

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Magical Markers Mystery Tour (3-Hour)
CURRENTLY FULL 

Date: Wednesday, May 30
Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm
Technique: Collage & Assemblage
Instructor: Joanne Sharpe
Price: $85.00
Materials Fee: $20.00

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Doodle Soup: Jambalaya (3-Hour)

Date: Wednesday, May 30
Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm
Technique: Collage & Assemblage
Instructor: Dawn Sokol
Price: $85.00
Materials Fee: N/A

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Whimsical Rings (3-Hour)

Date: Wednesday, May 30
Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm
Technique: Mixed Media Jewelry
Instructor: Jen Cushman
Price: $85.00
Materials Fee: $12.00

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Junk Birds (3-Hour)

Date: Wednesday, May 30
Time: 6:00pm-9:00pm
Technique: Collage & Assemblage
Instructor: Clarissa Callesen
Price: $85.00
Materials Fee: N/A

 

For more information on CREATE or a particular class go to CREATE Mix Media Retreat. To sign up go to CREATE Registration.

Thanks for visiting!

Silks Giveaway on Craft Test Dummies. Enter Now!

Win TWELVE prize packs of Silks Acrylic Glazed!! You could be one of the 12 LUCKY winners. Today, is the last day to enter!

 “Silks” Acrylic Glaze by Luminarte are amazing….shimmery, smooth as…yes, SILK, translucent, layerable- what’s not to like?

                                                                  Photo by Dion Dior

Who wouldn’t want to play with these! Aren’t the colors absolutely scrumptious???

So here’s the BEST news…. Lovely Leslie from Dreaming Color is offering TWELVE prize packs of Silks! Each winner will receive a gift of 5 assorted Silks colors, valued at $35.00. Can you believe it??

To enter, you MUST leave a comment on Craft Test Dummies post (scroll all the way down to the bottom) and let them know how you might use Silks acrylic glazes. THEN use the RaffleCopter Widget for additional entries. AND you can tweet daily for extra entries!

Go - ENTER NOW

Good Luck!

 

 

Take the on-line class "A Taste of Silks", by Dion Dior May 18, 2012

Today, I want to let everyone know that Dion Dior class A Taste of Silks begins on May 18, you can register by clicking here. There are 25 Silks colors in the regular collection and ten colors in the new release Silks. They are available through Luminarte by clicking here.

 

 

Silky Startfish

Dion here, my new class, A Taste of Silks begins on Friday, May 18th.  It is a class that explores the wonder and beauty of Silks Acrylic Glaze, a new product from Luminarte. I've been happily swimming in a silky pool of color as I put the finishing touches onto this class.  I am so excited as this class comes to you in two wonderfully full booklets with links to some terrific videos that will show you how versatile these little pots of wonder can be. In addition, there will be an exclusive online forum and Flickr group for participants to ask questions, share experience and display their silky work. Plus, I'll be showing you some wonderful techniques and projects to get lost in.  Registration is still open and don't forget, if you sign up for this inaugural run, you get a $40 coupon for the $10 material fee, which you can use on any of Luminarte's beautiful range of products.

I thought I'd give you a little morsel from this class in the form of a mini-tutorial.  I'm going to show you how I created this beautiful textured starfish using clear craft glue and Silks Acrylic Glaze.  I often create little icons such as this and then use them on greeting cards or journal covers.  You can alter the consistency and look of silks by adding mediums, but Silks have such a luscious texture straight out of the jar, that they are thick enough for all sorts of application.

Luminarte have just released 10 new colors of Silks Acrylic Glaze to celebrate this class, and I use several of them in this tutorial.  What you will need: A pencil, flat synthetic paint brush, clear craft glue, large skewer or stick with a flat end, Silks Acrylic Glaze in Honey Amber, Nutmeg, Black Ice, Rich Cobalt, Pomegranate, & Emperor's Gold.

Begin with a very simple pencil sketch of a starfish. 

 
Cover the pencil sketch with a thin layer of Honey Amber straight from the jar.

Using your clear craft glue, squeeze out glue over your pencil lines.  Let the glue dry completely before proceeding.

Using the end of your skewer, dip into your Silks pot and dot paint gently over the page.  Begin with Black Ice and dot it in the areas of shadow. 

Next, dot around a combination of Nutmeg and Honey Amber for the background sand.

Layer in more colors to create dimension. 

Cover the starfish with Rich Cobalt and Pomegranate.  Finish it off with a layer of Emperor's Gold for highlight.

Use your colors to crate the optical illusion of shadow and dimension by altering both the size
of the dots and the intensity of color. Don't be afraid to dot right over the glue, Silks will adhere to pretty much anything.

Dotting with Silks is a very simple, yet effective way to achieve some marvelous optical illusions. 
The shimmer of light against mica, combined with the texture created by the glue makes for some spectacular results.

Thanks for visiting.

 

 

Shimmering Wisdom by Marti Wills

Hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday! Marti stop by to share some of her pieces she has been creating in some on-line classes with our products.

 Hi! Marti here.  I have had the most wonderful experience taking Dion Dior's Wisdom Circles workshop as part of the 21 Secrets workshop.  Dion is magnificent with Luminarte Twinkling H2O's and the Silks Acrylic Glazed.

She is such an incredible teacher and has brought meaning to my perspective on my art that I didn't know was there.  This one was done using Twinkling H2O's shimmering watercolors.

This one uses Luminarte Silks Acrylic Glazed - Luminarte products makes my work glow like nothing I have ever used!

Thanks for visiting!

Craft Test Dummies's Review- Silks Acrylic Glazes by Luminarte

We are excited to share another review from the Craft Test Dummies today using the Silks Acrylic Glaze. Enjoy!

I’m on a bit of  a Luminarte products kick here at CTD WHQ- and today I want to share with you my impressions of the Silks Acrylic Glazes.

Photo courtesy of Luminarte

Silks acrylic glazes are translucent shimmering acrylic-based paints, but lack the opacity of your “normal” paints.

Here’s the description I found on a vendor’s website:

What makes Silks so special? It’s the secret mix of mica and other proprietary mineral particles that refract light, like a crystal. Silks are easy to use paints that create a semi-gloss glaze – not too shiny, not too flat, but just right. Simply brush Silks onto your project, using a wide brush for broad strokes or a fine brush for details. Or use a brayer if you want even wider swaths of color. Allow Silks to dry between colors to keep the glaze layers distinct and create depth, or blend the colors while still wet if you prefer that effect.

What surfaces are suitable for Silks? Silks are formulated for paper, wood, pre-washed fabrics, papier mache, acrylic and other plastics, canvas, gourds, silk and silk ribbon, terra cotta, paper-clay, air-dry clay, air-dry polymer, leather, faux leather, and more. They dry faster on paper and other porous surfaces, more slowly on non-porous materials. Thinner applications dry faster than heavier layers. Climate conditions are a factor as well. Silks are fully cured after 48 hours. 1 ounce wide mouth jar.

When you open the jar, you might notice a milky glaze. You’ll need to re-mix them to the the mica particles fully mixed in.

You can apply Silks with a paintbrush, stencil brush, or foam brush. Or you can pour in on and then brayer it around.

I made a little video so that you can see the swatches and the Silks in action!

 

Here are the photos of my swatches:

Swatches

Notice that if you layer when the Silks are wet, you'll blend the colors. Laying on a dry coat will give you a translucent layered effect.

This looks more dimensional than it really is- the translucency makes gives it that look.

Silks come in 35 luscious colors…and I heard a rumor that there will be a bonus color added at the end of this month! I kind of want them all.

Here are a few things I made with my Silks!

Playing in my journal

And here it is in my journal! I found that Silks have a pretty low water content, so it didn’t buckle my paper too badly.

I also made some ATC’s for a swap. I used the Silks to stamp the “2″ as well as the gold honeycomb effect.

So here’s the nitty-gritty. Silks retail for about $6.99 a pot,  which is about an ounce. That makes Silks one of the pricier items of it’s kind. However, it is very high-quality and artist-grade. (And with most paints, you get what you pay for.) So I can totally justify having a few pots in my stash. (Note to family- YES, these WOULD make a nice Mother’s Day Gift!)

They might be a challenge to find, so ask for them wherever you shop for art/craft supplies. And it just so happens that Silks are available online through Susana’s Custom Art and Card Design (SCACD.) **Yes, they are also an advertiser here at CTD, but that is just a happy coincidence.**

Thanks for cheking us out today.

Enter today!! Giveaway for Dion Dior’s online class - A Taste of Silks

Sign up while you still can for Dion Dior A Taste of Silks! This is such a great learning opportunity for anyone who is curious about the Silks Acrylic Glaze. You will want to take this online class and right now, Dion is doing a giveaway for one FREE spot in the class and a $40 coupon card from Luminarte.

Dion here, I'm so excited to officially launch my new online workshop A Taste of Silks. This wonderful new 2-week class begins May 18th, 2012.

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Silks Acrylic Glaze are a new product from  Luminarte. They are beautiful, shimmering fluid acrylics that are so versatile they can be used on almost any surface. For a sneak peak into this class, take a look at my new video.
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To celebrate the official launch of this class, I am thrilled to announce a Silks giveaway--you could win a place in this fabulous class, along with a $40 coupon card from Luminarte. Simply leave a comment on my blog Dion Dior & More telling me what you love most about the video, and why you'd like to learn about acrylics.

For a second chance to win, simply share this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, then go to my blog, Dion Dior & More and leave a second comment with a link to your share. I'll be randomly drawing a winner next weekend, so don't forget to include your email address so I can contact you when you win.

Registration is now open. For more information, or to register, please click here.

Good luck and thanks for checking in. xx

The Wisdom of Life

Today, I had to share these gorgeous pictures of Dion Dior mandala! The pictures are absolutely stunning and if you ever get a chance of taking a class from her, jump at the opportunity!

 

 

Dion here, most of us engage in art, particularly art journaling, as a way to connect to a deep part of ourselves.  It gives us a channel to understanding ourselves, what we're made of, and what we are capable of.  Art, in and of itself, is therapy. Anyone who has ever engaged in a creative or artistic pursuit knows the therapeutic benefits first hand of doing so. And the reason art journaling, scrap-booking, sketch-book keeping, or any number of other artistic pursuits has gained so much momentum, is because more and more people are discovering that art is a powerful way to connect to their creative soul, explore their own possibilities, and demystify some of their issues.  In my mind, every single person on the planet is born with a creative soul, but for a plethora of reasons, very few ever get to embrace it.

 

 

 I have been actively engaged in delivering several of my online classes this week, and one in particular, Wisdom Circles, has given me lots of food for thought. This is where I made the connection.

 

There are over 500 people currently enrolled in 21 Secrets and although not all of them have found their way into Wisdom Circles yet, there are over 100 participants who have.  The circles they are producing and the experiences they are sharing is truly humbling and very very moving. I've had goosebumps on my skin and tears in my eyes every time I read their stories, considered their questions, and gazed upon their work. If you'd like to see some of their work, I encourage you to visit the Wisdom Circles Flickr Group., or the 21 Secrets Flickr Group.  If you'd like more information about Wisdom Circles and 21 Secrets, please click here.

 

 

 I discovered the art of making mandalas about ten years ago.  I was convinced that I was not an artist because I couldn't draw the perfect landscape, or capture the contours of a simple hand.  But when I saw a beautiful, simple meaningful mandala I knew I had found something that I could connect to.

Creating a circle is so powerful, so meditative, and so therapeutic.  I become a prolific creator of mandalas, and a hungry consumer of mandala history and theory.  So now, whenever I feel blocked, (which is often), I stop, breathe, and place a dot in the center of my page.  From there, I let the creative flow take over and just move gently around the circle, letting my creative energy and symbolism flow down my arm and onto the page.  It releases any blocks, along with any tension I am feeling in that moment, freeing me completely to create.

 

 

 

This page was done using Silks Acrylic Glaze over pen journaling, and under flat watercolor.

Thanks for checking in. xx

 

Please take the time to visit Dion Dior & More Blog and check out her online classes.

Thank you for visiting.

Mixed Media Flower Girl by Marti Wills

hi all!

Marti here, I decided to take a break from my "work" stuff and just play in my studio the past couple days.  I am really venturing back to my roots and doing more mixed media stuff as opposed to the color an image, add layers, add flowers kind of stuff.

I am taking several online classes right now - Christie Tomlinson, Suzi Blu, Dion Dior - and learning tons! I am especially loving my Suzi Blu classes and today's project is a direct result of what I have been learning.

 

In the true spirit of going green I did this piece on one of the large wood blocks from a SU stamp. I never mount them on wood.  the best part - I drew this little girl myself!  Yep, I sure did!Better yet, I am sharing her with all of you. You can get her as a free digi image at the end of this post!

 

I began by adhering torn strips of a book page to the wooden base with gel medium. I painted the bottom green and the top blue using Luminarte Silks (fern & Sky Blue) - you can get them at SCACD.  The silks are an acrylic glaze meaning there are translucent so the book page strips shows through.  once dry I wanted to tone things down a bit so I swiped on some Luminarte Golden Opal Primary Elements powder mixed with gel medium.  LOVE this stuff - I can mix it into so many things depending on what I am doing.  I layered on some circles & the scallop border using Claudine Hellmuth's acrylic paints and foam stamps - which I ADORE! I also stamped a wildflower silhouette from a CTMH stamp set using brown staz on ink.

As I said, I drew the little girl myself then inked her and scanned her. I didn't want to color right on my original in case I messed it up or wanted to use it again.  Then, I printed her out and colored her with colored pencils (polychromos).  Last, I added the embellishments - some glittered skittles, the vintage crocheted border and some teeny prima flowers from 100 years ago :P  I needed something more than just the flowers at her feet so I mixed Luminarte Moss Green Primary Elements and gel medium to get a thick paste.  i just dabbed it around her feet in a "pile" and then stuck the flowers in it and dabbed some more in the flower centers.

When I drew her, I knew I would be putting a flower in her hands. So, I did not originally draw anything in her hands but I put a little flower in them for y'all!

Feel free to download her and use her but do not sell her!  Share your project on the Luminarte Fan page!.

Latest installment by Marti {Pez-A-Doodle

A Taste of Silks by artist Dion Dior

Well, it seems my world is an ocean of shimmer right now. Have you tried Luminarte's new line of Silks Acrylic Glaze yet?  Some of you may have seen me use them in my work before, and if you're doing 21 Secrets, you would have seen me use them in one of my videos in Wisdom Circles. 

Seriously, these stunning, silky acrylic paints have to be seen to be believed.  They are brand new on the market and are a translucent, acrylic glaze version of Twinkling H2O's.  Created by the ever talented Leslie Ohnstad, senior designer for Luminarte, who responded to a need in the market for a versatile, light-fast, waterproof iteration of her hugely successful line of twinkling watercolor paints.

No, I'm not on the payroll for Luminarte, and no I've never met Leslie face to face, but I've spoken to her on the phone, and I must say, she is one of the kindest, most positive people I have ever met.  I admire her talent, her generosity, and her passion, and when I came across her beautiful products by accident, I knew I had found my niche.  I simply LOVE these products, and more importantly, the feedback I get on my work when I use them is amazing. The colors are vibrant, the quality is excellent, and the shimmer and sparkle is breathtaking (even if they are not always easy to photograph).

I wrote Mastering Twinks as a kind of love letter to Luminarte, and because I would get asked ALL the time about how to use them. Now I'm following it up with a brand new class called A Taste of Silks.  So many artists don't know how to use acrylic glaze's, let alone how versatile they can be, so I wanted to share some of my Silky tricks and techniques.  In fact, as I wrote these classes, I learnt so many new tricks along the way, and I'm still discovering new ways to use them.
 

In A Taste of Silks, you'll learn about the basic principles of acrylic paints and glazes, I'll talk about the principles of luminescence and the dance of light and color, and I'll take you through some fabulous step-by-step projects that are simply gorgeous.  I use Silks mostly on paper and canvas, but the amazing thing about them is that they can be used on just about any surface.

This 2-week class comes to you in video and PDFs and starts on May 18th.  The cost is $30 for the class plus a $10 materials fee, and to celebrate the launch, Luminarte are giving every person who registers a $40 Luminarte Gift Card for the cost of the $10 material fee.  That is amazing value...in anybody's language.

So, as I said, right now I'm swimming in an ocean of shimmer, so I thought it would be fun to share this journal page I did in Australia recently.  These colorful tropical fish were done using Neocolor II water soluble crayons, Angora watercolor paints, and Silks Acrylic Glaze.  The detail was done in black ink and white get pen.

For more information on A Taste of Silks, or to register, please click here.

Thanks for checking in xx

Luggage Tag by Marti Wills

Hi everyone!

Marti here again today.  I really had fun with this project.  I needed a backpack to use when my daughter and I go on day trips or go hiking - you know the kind - lots of pockets for a change of clothes, wipes, lunch (because I am not about to pay $14 for a dry hamburger in the museum restaurant), plus wallet, keys, cellphone, drinks, etc.  We went searching and did not find much to choose from - especially much that was pretty.  We ended up with one that is all black - NOT the way we generally like to roll!

Luckily, I had a Creative Imaginations Bare Elements Javier Luggage Tag on hand - PERFECT! 

The tag comes in two pieces.  I laid them out on my table and painted them with Silks - Stargazer - all over.  Once dry, I dry brushed some Silks - Guatemalan Green lightly with a wide brush up and down and back and forth to create a subtle two tone pattern.

I stamped the random pattern using my own line of stamps called Polka Dot Pie.  I designed them in a way that makes it really easy to mix and match them to give you a wide variety of designs making the stamps much more useful.  In this case, I used the swirls from Sprinkled Backgrounds and then some tiny elements from the Pezzy's Garden and Chocolate Treats 2.

Next, I cut out a couple flowers using the Tattered Florals Die by Tim Holtz.  I cut them from the heavy cardboard you find on the backs of paper pads.

I covered them with a layer of white Gesso using a wide plastic pallette knife. I did not want to lay it down smooth.  Instead I wanted some texture.  So, I laid the knife down and then lifted straight up in a couple places randomly. Once I was happy with the texture, I let it dry.

I painted the large one with Blushing Rose Primary Elements powder and the small one with Deep Coral Primary Elements powder.  I wanted a thin watery paint that would settle into the recessed parts of the texture and sort of slide off the raised parts.  To do this, I simply mixed equal amounts of Primary Elements and Gum Arabic with water and painted it on.

I finished it off by printing my info from my computer and doodling around the edges. I put it all together with Scor Tape and it has jazzed up our plain black backpack rather nicely!

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!