Mixed Media Menagerie with Gwen Lafleur

In an ongoing effort to help out friends who own independent craft stores and also continue to provide access to social distancing-friendly live mixed media classes, I’ve partnered with Everything Scrapbook & Stamps in Lake Worth, Florida to bring you the second live online workshop offered via private Facebook group.

Class Description:
Get ready to tap into your inner child, mixed media style. Mixed Media Menagerie is a hybrid live / online class where we’ll combine mark making, stamping, stenciling, mediums, and more to create our own whimsical menagerie of animals (or flowers, or even abstract compositions.) This workshop will have two videos (at least 4 hours of demos) where we’ll learn an easy and addictive way to marble paper with items you already have at home, make our own patterned papers, and work through three methods (including a set of my original, printable patterns,) for making our critters and incorporating those papers. We’ll assemble an accordion album and use a fun layered background technique, add in our characters, build interactive elements (optional,) and top it off with some finishing touches to pull it all together.

In the first video (about 2 hours; in the group ~2 weeks before the scheduled class and then available on-demand later,) I’ll demonstrate marbling and show you how to make your patterned papers and the animals for your menagerie. You’ll then make all of your papers and animals on your own time and at your own speed. We’ll create the book itself, assemble everything together, and build in any interactive elements (optional) in the live class on June 27th. ​Note that the base structure of the book will be completed together, but the number of pages you finish is based on how quickly you work and how detailed you want to get. You do not have to have your animals completed in order to work along with me on the 27th.

Student Supply List:

Tools:

• Stamps or stencils to use to create your patterned papers. (I’ll be using my stamps from PaperArtsy plus a few others and my stencils from StencilGirl.)
• Scissors
• Heat gun

​Paper & Substrates:

• 4 pieces of heavy ~5″ x 7″ paper (I used white 140lb watercolor paper, but you can use heavy cardstock, bristol, mixed media paper, etc… You just want it to be sturdy.)
• A variety of cardstock or plain papers to turn into your menagerie and possibly for other handmade embellishments.

• 5-6 pieces of collage paper (book pages, patterned papers, etc…)

Inks, Paints, Pens, etc…:

• Ink Pads (I will be using a mix of VersaFine Clair pigment inks, Archival Inks, and StazOn inks)
• Pens, markers, watercolors, water-soluble crayons or pencils… etc… any or all of these supplies (or other favorites from your stash) for mark making on our handmade patterned papers, our animals, and on the book pages.
• Paints (I’ll be using PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylic paints, but use what you have or like.) You’ll want several colors for your handmade patterned papers in the colors you want for your animals as well as 1-2 opaque neutral paints for your book backgrounds.
• 2-3 colors of spray inks (I will be using Seth Apter Aladine spray inks and Tim Holtz Distress Oxide spray inks. I do not recommend Dylusions sprays.)

Miscellaneous: 

• Adhesive (I’ll be using an Avery or Coccoina glue stick, PVA glue in a Fineline bottle, and a white glue like Sobo or Tacky Glue.)
• Masking tape (or similar – it needs to be strong , not washi. I used 1″ wide tape.)
• Baby wipes, paper towels, pencil, and eraser

​Optional Tools & Supplies:

• Gelli prints, painted papers, collage papers, patterned papers, etc… if you would prefer to use those as the papers to create your animals instead of making your own.
• A few pieces of ephemera, washi tape, or other items to use for final embellishment if desired.
• 2-3 colors each of Seth Apter Aladine Izink Ice and Pigment inks (you can substitute other spray inks, acrylic / pigments inks as well. You can also use thinned acrylic paint instead of ink and I will also show you how to make your own Ice.)
• Animal stencils (or large stamps) or other motifs of your choice if you want to create your own patterns from these tools (I’ll demo this in class.)
• An awl and mini brads (if you want to make articulated parts on your characters.)
• Palette knife (if you’re going to use Ice or the homemade equivalent.)
• Supplies for marbling paper – to be shared in class (you probably already have them in your kitchen and / or studio.)