I'm Sorry for what I said Before my Coffee Piece with Sandy McTier

I’ll admit… I’m addicted to coffee! I love the smell, the warmth when holding the cup and, of course, the taste!! I also love coffee art and knew I had to do something with these adorable SRTC chipboard coffee/tea pieces.

Prepping the Pieces:

• Using an IPC Large Oval Foam, paint a thin layer of Gesso over the chipboard; let dry.
• Load a palette knife with Gesso and scrape over the entire wooden canvas to give it some texture.

• Spritz the dry surface with water and then using a #14 Wash, slip slap some Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide along the top third.
• Wipe the brush off. Load with Quinacridone Gold and repeat for the middle section.
• Wipe the brush off. Load with Raw Umber and finish painting the bottom section.
• Wipe the brush off. Softly blend where the colours meet. Wipe the brush off often!
• Let completely dry.

• Load the stencil brush with Titan Buff and wipe almost all of it off on a paper towel. Using a circular motion, brush over the Zig Zag stencil. Make sure to do the sides as well. Let dry.
• Load the stencil brush with Carbon Black and wipe most of it off on a paper towel. Repeat the circular motion over the coffee stencil. Load the liner brush with Carbon Black and fill in the bridges to take away the stenciled look.
• Load the liner brush with Quinacridone Gold and paint a shadow on the words BEFORE and COFFEE.

• Load the IPC Large Oval Foam with Carbon Black and run across a paper towel to get rid of excess paint. Lightly rub back and forth along the edge to give the top of the canvas a framed in look. Let dry.

• Load a very wet #14 Wash with Carbon Black. Tap the handle over another brush handle to add splatter here and there. Lightly lay a piece of paper towel over the splatter and lightly press to soften the look. Repeat with Titan Buff and then Cobalt Teal Hue.
• Paint the coffeepot and cup with Extreme Sheen Vintage Brass. Let dry.
• Load the toe of a damp 3/8" Angle with Raw Umber and shade around the shape to give the chipboard pieces some dimension. Let dry.

• Load the Medium Mezzaluna with Titan Buff and wipe almost all of the paint off on a paper towel. Dry brush some highlights on the coffee pot, front of cup and on the steam. Load the liner brush with Titan Buff. Paint a small highlight on the dry brushed areas.
• Add a pop dot to the back of each piece and attach to the canvas.
• Load the toe of a damp 3/8" Angle with Paynes Grey and shade underneath the coffee pot, to the right of the top finial, underneath the cup and handle.
• Let everything dry.

I think this would be adorable on a tag as well! Hope you enjoy creating this piece!!

Southern Ridge Trading Company Supplies Used:

- Tea Time Chipboard set

- Zig and Zag Stencil

Other Supplies Used:

- Surface: 10x10 Wooden Canvas – www.bearwithusinc.com

- Dynasty Brushes – Black Gold #14 Wash, IPC Large Oval Foam, 1/2" Stencil Pro, 3/8" Angle, Medium Mezzaluna and liner brush of choice.

(All available from TheBrushGuys.com – use promo code: sandymc for an additional discount)

- Coffee Stencil – www.CreativeArtsLifestyle.com

- DecoArt Media Products & Fluid Acrylics – White Gesso, Titan Buff, Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide, Quinacridone Gold, Raw Umber, Carbon Black and Cobalt Teal Hue.

- DecoArt Extreme Sheen – Vintage Brass

- Foam Pop Dots

- Misc. Supplies: Palette Paper and Water Basin

Website: www.sandymctierdesigns.com

FB: www.Facebook.com/SandyMcTierDesigns

©2018 Before My Coffee, Sandy McTier Designs ~ all rights reserved

Y’all have a GREAT day and Happy Creating!!  Sandy

Starfish Scallops with Sandy McTier

Hi Y’all!!

I know SPRING just arrived but many of you still have snow on the ground. Hopefully this project will let you daydream of an escape to the beach!!

There’s always been something about the beach that speaks to my soul. There is a calmness that comes over me when my toes are in the sand and my feet are in the water. When I got the Southern Ridge Trading Company Starfish and Scallop Shells, I knew I had to create a seascape just for them!

As I started painting, I was flooded with wonderful childhood memories! They spoke to my heart; my heart spoke to my brushes and ta-da… the results! So for just a moment, I hope you’ll look at the picture, then close your eyes and escape to a secluded beach, feeling the sun on your face and the sand between your toes while enjoying the wonderful starfish and scallop shells!  

My palette inspiration came from the new 2017 acrylic colours by DecoArt! I mixed them in with a few of my other favourite colours and then finished it off with DecoArt’s New Vintage Effect Wash in White to give everything a soft, subtle tone. Can’t wait to hang this in my home as I wait for summer to arrive! I love that the SRTC scallops and starfish come in a variety of sizes so that I can create additional projects using the bits I didn’t use for this piece.

Surface:  This project is painted on a panel wood surface; however, you could paint it on a piece of reclaimed wood or canvas, or even RocLon and make it into a garden flag.

I sealed the surface, let it dry and gave it a light sanding. Even though I did this, I didn’t want to use my good brushes to put on the initial base colours. I used a large bristle brush, the Large Joiner, by Dynasty; it’s in their Urban FX line. It worked great working the colour into the surface and blending from colour to colour. I also used a pretty wet brush, wiping off in between colours.

I love pinks and purples in the sky, often referring to them as ‘cotton candy skies’ ~ they’re just so yummy!! Started at the top with Brilliant Purple and then, appropriately enough, Cotton Candy. I added some Primary Magenta and Titanium White to soften the pinks and continued that down to the horizon line. I used Bright Blue at the horizon line and added Laguna and Titanium White as I continued to paint down to the sand. I added more white and a touch of the pinks to finish the bottom of the surface. I painted a few waves, some soft clouds and a lone seagull flying above the water. I painted a wash of Vintage Effect Wash – White over the entire surface to tone everything down and then wiped it back with a paper towel. I also added some Metallic Lustre to the waves and foam for some added shine!

I knew that the shell and starfish were going to be in the sand somewhere but wasn’t quite sure what else it needed. I kept hearing the word ‘Calm’ so I grabbed a stencil and added it, then added ‘Drift’ and ‘Beach’ and finally stenciled on the boat.

TIP: If you’re not quite sure where you want to stencil something, stencil it onto a piece of transparency. That way you can lay it down where you think you might want it and move it around to find the best place! 

The scallop shell needed very little to bring out the beautiful and intricate curves. I loaded a wet brush with a little bit of blue paint and White Frost Metallic Lustre and brushed over the surface. Then I painted the starfish with the pinks and painted white dots using a stylus. Before gluing them in place, I splattered some White all over the sand and then varnished the project with Soft Touch Varnish. I used a toothpick to add the E6000 glue on the back of the starfish and scallop shell and set them in the sand.

I hope this inspires you to create a soft, calm seascape and a beautiful place for your starfish and scallop shells to call home J Happy Creating!

Southern Ridge Trading Company Supplies Used:

- Starfish (set of 3)

- Scallop Shells (set of 3)

Other Supplies Used:

- Surface: Bear With Us (www.bearwithus.com) 2868-3 Panel Fence Board

- DecoArt Americana Acrylics

- DecoArt Americana Multi-Purpose Sealer

- DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics

- DecoArt Media Matte Medium

- DecoArt Vintage Effect Wash

- DecoArt Metallic Lustre – White Frost

- DecoArt Media Soft-Touch Varnish

- E6000 Glue

- Dynasty Brushes (Available from TheBrushGuys.com – use promo code: sandymc for an additional discount)

Website: www.sandymctierdesigns.com

FB: www.Facebook.com/SandyMcTierDesigns

©2017 Seaside, Sandy McTier Designs ~ all rights reserved

Y’all have a GREAT day!!

– Sandy