A little play in the Den - Gesso rules!

I managed to get up to the Den this afternoon in the sunshine, after a couple of days of sorting out eyes - check up at hospital on Friday  (got the all clear to have eye test for new specs) and also got told that they were going to do the other eye in the next few months - that was a surprise as everything I had read said the local authority were only paying for one eye!

I managed to get a cancelled appointment at the optician yesterday, so am now on countdown to getting new specs .... can't wait!   Couldn't do any crafting as such miserable weather and so dark!

Anyway back to the Den ..... I made a start on my challenge project.  First picture shows the box.  I applied some texture past to the "pages" and the painted on some gold gesso.  I also did the inside, but that may not stay like that.  the rest of the book box got an application of black gesso.

White gesso on  3 of the 6 ATC greyboards

I mentioned that I had the idea of doing double-sided ATC cards.  So I applied white gesso to one side and black to the other.

I also had a play with one of the MDF skills I have. I was going to paint it with flowers etc in The Day of the Dead vain, but decided to play with the side with the markings on first to see how it would turn out,  which was a bit of a challenge as eyes are still a bit iffy until I get the new specs, as cannot see detail that easily - or more to the point I can't see the end of the paintbrush!  Here is the result, just painted with white acrylic and a little black gesso.  I didn't like the black initially as it was to blak, but a little blending with some of the white, water, and in some cases that good old tool called a finger, I was pretty happy with the result.

I have painted white acrylic on the reverse side - so that will have the Day of the Dead flowers etc painted on it.

Unicorn

on black canvas

Playing about with some new goodies - Creative Expressions Glitter Kiss.

I applied the Sea Green Kiss first of all, and then went over the top with Silver Chrome Kiss.  I also added a few random bits of Cosmic Shimmer Texture Paste in Gold Pearl.

I then took some twine and some of the Costmic Shimmer Clear Texture paste and made the mane and fringe (In hindsight I should have done the tail too).    The twine was coloured with various shades of DecoArt Metallic Lustre and some Luscious Poweders.  The horn had twine wrapped around it and painted with Luscious Powders, and some jewels added.  The tail and hooves were decorated with paper effects and puffy paint.  Finally more jewels stuck on the body.

Not quite the effect I had envisaged, but I don't mind sharing failures (although it does look better in real life)

I couldn't decide how to mount the unicorn, so tried it on a white canvas as well as the black.  I prefer the white canvas, and when it finally gets stuck on to it, I shall probably edge the canvas with silver.

on the white canvas