Rustic Dragonfly Watering Can - By Deb Stephens

 

Hello iCraft Friends! It's Deb here again, explaining how I created this rustic watering can using lots of iCraft products.

Start by applying gesso with a sponge all over the metal watering can and dry. Once cooled, apply a second coat and dry. Apply iCraft chalk paint in Cypress Green all over with a sponge. Trim Ancient Timepiece decoupage paper to get the elements to fit around the can. Glue down with iCraft decoupage glue and let dry. Apply crackling gel all over and allow to dry. Apply iCraft  chalk paint Autumn Valley with a broad flat brush, fast, so that the paint doesn’t “pull” and clump. Let it dry and watch the magic happen as cracks appear. Sand certain spots so that the green is more visible. Apply a thin coat of iCraft  decoupage varnish, making sure not to fill the cracks. After it dry’s, apply brown oil paint all over the surface with a brush and then rub back with a soft clean cloth. The oil paint fills the cracks and gives a more rustic effect. Allow to dry. Apply the iCraft mini gold dot insta transfers to the top of the can. I painted the dragonfly element from my stash using a mix of iCraft metallic colours and topped off with Moon White Metallic for a shimmer. I then adhered it to the middle of the can. Once the glue dried, I applied another two coats of iCraft decoupage varnish to seal all surfaces. Here are a few close up photos. Have an iCraft-tastic day everyone!

                

iCraft products used are listed and linked below:

Heavy Gesso White 

Romantic Pink Metallic Chalk Paint

Golden Moss Metallic Chalk Paint

Moon White Metallic Chalk Paint

Autumn Valley Chalk Paint

Cypress Green Chalk Paint

Decoupage paper Ancient Timepiece

iCraft Decoupage Glue

iCraft Decoupage Varnish

iCraft Gold Dots Insta Transfer

Do Not Surrender. Art Journal Page by Deb Stephens

 

Welcome to August with iCraft and Deb Stephens! 

Do Not Surrender- Art Journal Page Instructions:

Start by using iCraft modelling paste with a palate knife through stencil 8511, but only applying so there are 3 roses in the center of the mixed media paper. Dry. Apply more modelling paste through stencil 8605 so there is an assortment of texture around the page. Dry. Apply iCraft white gesso over everything. Dry well. Cut pieces of the decoupage paper and stick around the page with gel medium. This process is about building layers in your work.

iCraft Modelling paste, Stencils and Decoupage paper.

Use a wash of gesso again to push the patterns into the background. Take a baby wipe and remove some gesso from parts of the patterns so they don’t totally fade into the background. Apply iCraft paint (colours listed below) with a broad, flat brush and blend. Use a bamboo skewer to scratch some texture into the paint while it is wet. Dry well. Use a water soluble black pencil to apply in the crease of the rose petals. Use water to break down the pigments of the pencil in the petals to create shadows.  Draw in stems for the roses with the same pencil and then use a black and white gel pens to roughly sketch some leaves around the flowers. Stamp some background marks with black archival ink around the page. Finish off with a wash of the moon white metallic paint over the raised texture paste to get a beautiful shine.  Adhere the sentiment to the page and outline with black pen. Sign and date your work.

Products used are listed below:

Heavy White Gesso 

Billow Chalk Paint

Supernova Chalk Paint

Lights Out Chalk Paint

Golden Moss Metallic Paint

Moon White Metallic Paint

Decoupage papers - Floral Dreams 3010