Let it Snow - I am Meltinnnnnggggggggg

Hi ya, I am so sorry I haven't blogged since Sunday, I have had lots of work this week plus a few family hiccups.  But during this time I did still get to play and I have so much to blog, so this evening I am writing up a whole weekend of posts :-).  Today I am really excited to show you my calendar that I am altering for Darcy's Calendar Challenge, please pop on over there and have a look, her work is truly amazing, she is such a talented artist.  Now my main art resolution this year is to be ME, find MY art, stop hiding and to play and enjoy the mistakes and practice practice practice.  I have also started lifebook 2015, wow is so amazing.  With being ill and then waiting for some large watercolour books I am just starting but wow it's so cool to let loose.  As always I like to take step by step pics, but the last few were missed, I believe this is because I was so in the zone lol.  I am planning on altering the calendar for 2016 so I can enjoy this years work all of next year.  Because of this I haven't done the written part.  I shall do this later in the year as the months progress, I don't want to start changing and wishing the months away yet lol.
The Challenge Details - Keep some of the original picture (in the snowflakes and mountains, but I had put tissue over them so I was worried that it wouldn't count, so I didn't but tissue over the moon which has the original picture, a bit of stamping and some glitter paste in small areas, picture of original is 4th picture down.
Use Crackling - I had done some on the snowman as if he was melting and on the snowy hills.
Use Book Text - Mr snowman is made from book text.

My snowman praying to the moon to keep on snowing has he is melting :-)

Will decorate the written area and change numbers for 2016 later in the year.

Orignal Picture for January

The sun was shining when I took this picture, I kept it as it really looked like

the snowman was melting in the winter sun.

Lots of close up pics.

I crocheted the scarf and the nose and eyes are dried up Fresco paint,

you can see them in the step by step.

This is the full calendar for the year, initially I was looking for flowers but

fell completely in love with this, not very practical to say I have to keep bits of each pic lol. 

A glimpse of next months original picture :-)

A step by step (all products listed at the end of the post) ..............................

Clear gesso for a primer so I could keep some of the original picture.

I cut some masks to help keep the original picture while painting.

I decided on mountains, but I only had this mask, so I cut up the paperwork that

came with it so I could cut some masking paper around it.

I just went for it with my first light colour, using my hands to get colour down.

Then used a brayer for the rest.

I wanted sparkly snowflakes but the shimmer paste is almost translucent in places,

so I put texture paste down first and while wet just when over with another palette

knife the shimmer paste.

I definitely missed some pictures here.  I added tissue to the bottom and the snowflakes (die cutting the tissue), this way I was able to still see some of the picture.  Then I went mad with Snowtex and shimmer paste.

I die cut the circles for the snowman.

Using gesso, gelatos and crackle paste.

I added crackle paste to some areas of the mountain and then distress stain on top to

show the cracks.

I added over some varnish to stop the crackle moving while trying to flatten them,

I added distress stain to bring out the cracks plus some sparkle paste.

Here is my scarf I crocheted and my paints skins from Fresco paints, I used

some that was stuck together to get some texture on the nose and coal eyes.

I decided to glue the circles on cardboard as they kept curling.  I should have

done that at first, but in the end I am happy I didn't as they stuck down with

creases in them which look fab to the whole effect.

I added some shimmer paint around the edges.

I added some snow effects on the snowman and at the bottom.  The moon area and

snowflakes got an inktense pencil around them plus some stamping.

Next some stars with shimmer paste.

These are thickers which are like sticky alphabet foam.  To be honest I have had them

years and since I really want to start using up bits like that I decided to use them, but

they definitely needed some jazzing up.  I covered them with Polished Silk Glitter (seriously

this glitter is so fine, and so soft, plus you can stamp over it), I then used some lustre

embossing powder with a script stamp.  Then the shimmer paint around the edges.  Later

on I used Archival jet black as well around the edges.

Some snowflakes with the lustre powder and shimmer paste in the moon.  Some of the

shimmer paint on the snowflakes.  At the end I used paint around the snowman, then some

inktense black pencil and doodle white pen.  I added the arms with the pencil and

pitt pen, I also went around the moon and letters with the pencil.  Some black script

stamping, black paint around the edges and some Treasure Gold.

Hope you have enjoyed my post today, you still have one day left for the calendar challenge, but it's all for fun so you can join in anytime, so much fun.  Thanks for visiting.
Happy Creating :-)
Hugs Kezzy xxxxx

Product List
Paints - Paperartsy Fresco (space cadet, lake wanaka, antarctic, inky pool and dried  paint skins),  Eco Green Paint (black), Pebeo Studio Acrylic (iridescent green blue)
Stencils - Dylusions (let it snow), Clarity Stamps (mountains & hills), Crafters Workshop (mini punchinella)
Pastes - Cosmic Shimmer Sparkle Texture Paste (frosty dawn, warm gold). Decoart (snowtex), Ranger (texture paste)
Stamps - Paperartsy (LPC014 script stamp), Majestix (snowflake stamp)
Distress - Distress Crackle (rock candy), Distress Stain (tumbled glass, brushed pewter)
Prima Art Basics - heavy gesso
Pens and Pencils - Montana (white paint pen), Faber Castell Pitt Pen (cobalt green, dark sepia, black), Derwent Inktense Pencils (ink black, outliner, sea blue)
Ink Pads - Archival (jet black, aquamarine), Versamark (dazzle frost)
Gelato - silver ice, cotton candy
Crochet scarf
C Roberson & Co - universal lacquer
DIY thickers alphabet
Cosmic Shimmer Silk Polished Glitter - turquoise
Cosmic Shimmer Embossing Powder - artic pearl lustre
Dies - Tim Holtz Alterations (stacked snowflakes), Spellbinders (circles)
Woodware - mask it
Treasure Gold - sapphire, white fire