Art Journal Page: Unicorn

How to create a fun art journal page using gel press print backgrounds

Hi everyone, Heidi here, today I’m showing you a fun art journal page. The base for this page was created with a Gel Press mono printing plate and I really enjoyed having a set of beautiful designs ready as my inspiration to start my project with (so if you don’t like starting with a blank art journal page then this is something for you!).

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The Crafter’s Workshop provided me with some product to create this project. The opinions I share are solely my own. This post also contains affiliate links.

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How to create a fun art journal page using gel press print backgrounds

How to create a fun art journal page using gel press print backgrounds

Step 1:

Since the Gel Press mono printing process is very intuitive and you’ll find yourself trying lots of things you might not like everything that you create, that’s okay, just go with the flow, you can keep layering until you like the results or start over with a new print. Or like I did today use your print as a base for something else because for example you like the colour combination that you used and/or the hint of faint designs in the background. On today’s prints I used the same paint colours in different combinations, with different stencils and also using black (chalk) card stock, cutting the black A4 size card stock in half before pulling the prints. Another fun element that I added to this project is the sheet of printer paper, with the same paint colours on it as the project, that I used to roll my brayer of on.

So I have two prints on black card stock and one sheet of white printer paper with the same paint colours to start my project with.

If this is the first time that you hear about this Gel Press plate then you can find a little bit more information about the Gel Press plate and more tips and another fun project HERE.

For today’s prints (that I’ll use as my base) I used the following The Crafter’s Workshop stencils:

Lacy Tiles (TCW735s)

Dahlia Blooms (TCW750s)

Onion Blossoms (TCW726s)

Flutterby (TCW206s)

Wanderlust (TCW744s)

And the following paint colours:

– Reeves acrylic paint in the colour “Copper“;

– DecoArt Americana acrylic paint in the colour “Light Buttermilk“;

– DecoArt Americana acrylic paint in the colour “Williamsburg Blue”.

How to create a fun art journal page using gel press print backgrounds

Step 2:

I’m working in my Winsor & Newton Heavy Weight Wire-O Sketch Book. After finishing the mono printing process and the prints are dry I cut the two prints in the size that I wanted (to fit my specific art journal) and then cut 1 cm / 1,5 cm strips from the white printer paper. I also used Distress Oxide ink in the colour “Faded Jeans“ (which is about the same colour as the Williamsburg Blue paint that I used for the print) and a foam applicator tool to stencil in one of the titles from The Crafter’s Workshop “Unicorn“ (TCW738s) stencil on the left hand art journal page left bottom corner.

How to create a fun art journal page using gel press print backgrounds

Step 3:

Then I’m tearing pieces of the strips of printer paper and I’m adhering them over and under each other over both pages, sort of filling in the blank spaces and adding more interest to the pages. I left the centre of the right hand page free of these strips because I knew I wanted to ad my title there. I adhered the strips of printer paper with liquid glue.

How to create a fun art journal page using gel press print backgrounds

Step 4:

Next I take the same beautiful Unicorn stencil and place it over the left hand page in the place I want the unicorn to be. I applied Versafine “Onyx Black“ ink over the unicorn on the stencil using a foam applicator tool and also adding some of the stars in different places around the unicorn. The ink will take a while to dry. On the right hand page I first pencilled in the title that I wanted to use with a graphite pencil and then I went over the lines with a black Faber Castell PITT Artist Pen (S).

And you know what is great about this Unicorn stencil? The same title you can find on the stencil so you can also go over the title with the same ink that we used on the left hand page (or any other black ink that you have) and you have a beautiful title on the right hand page done in no time!

When the inks were dry I finished these pages with a little doodling with my white Gelly Roll pen and let that sit to dry.

And when the pages are done and dry I adhered them to the art journal itself using The Crafter’s Workshop “Matte Gel Medium“ (TCW9011) and a brush (wash the brush afterwards).

How to create a fun art journal page using gel press print backgrounds

How to create a fun art journal page using gel press print backgrounds

That’s it for today’s project! I hope you enjoyed this fun process!

Thank you Gel Press for providing the team with this awesome gel printing plate, I had so much fun playing with it!

We would love to see what you create with The Crafters Workshop Stencils and Mediums.
You can share it with us on our Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest using hashtag #tcwstencillove.

Heidi Jakobs

The Crafter’s Workshop Design Team Member

 

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