Hello, I’m Gracie Chavez from Graciellie Design and today I’ll be showing you a technque I call Paint Smooshing! Have you ever heard of ink smooshing? It consists in touching the paper with usually watered down inks to create an abstract background, with the help of a piece of acetate… Well, I wanted to try out this technique with paints and it worked out great! I have a video tutorial in which I guide you through my creative process and I’ve added that below.

All products used were sent by The Crafter’s Workshop and Grafix. All opinions stated here are my own and based on my personal experience using these products.

Supplies:
TCW733 Leafy Texture
TCW750 Dahlia Blooms
TCW9003 Gold Gesso
TCW9008 Clear Modeling Paste
TCW9012 Shimmery Goodness
TCW9020 Raspberry Sorbet
TCW9021 Blueberry Pie
TCW9016 Spun Sugar
TCW9017 Lemon Custard
TCW9023 Grape Jelly
TCW9024 Kale Smoothie
Grafix Monoprint Plates – Duralar 6″x9″
Grafix Essentials Vellum 24#
Unicorn Wishes Digital Stamp Set
Therm O Web Mixed Media Adhesive
Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Transfer Foil in Vintage Tin
Electronic Cutting Machine
White Leather Textured Cardstock
Metallic Gold PanPastel
Sofft Art Sponge – Bar Round
Milan #22 Brush
Water Mister
Iridiscent Glitter Mix

On this video tutorial you will see me using a Grafix Duralar Monoprint Plate. This tool is one of a kind and it was the tool itself what inspired this tutorial, as it is lightweight and flexible and perfect for the technique I’m featuring today. The best part of these backgrounds is that it gives you freedom to instinctively create textures as you go and in that sense it is similar to techniques like alcohol inks on yupo and even acrylic pour. Of course, this process is way simpler and just as enjoyable which makes it great for quick mixed media projects. But I warn you, it is extra addictive and I know you’ll end up with half a dozen backgrounds as a minimum by the end of the afternoon!

Try out different color combinations and move your Grafix Duralar Monoprint plate in different directions to get new textures every time. Here’s another project example using this technique:

Hope you have fun with this technique -as much as I did. I also enjoyed putting together a video tutorial with The Crafter’s Workshop, using Grafix tool!  Make sure to check out the supply list to take a closer look to everything I used to complete these mixed media cards. That’s all for now. Until next time.