For this post I took an A4 blank hardcover sketchbook and decorated it with some 2 Crafty chipboard goodness. The book will be one of my many art journals I have going at any one time- some big, some small, some inbetween. These are the books I jot down ideas in, create backgrounds in, sketch in, play in. Some of my favourite creative ideas have been born on the inside pages of these books.
For this book cover I chose the 2 Crafty "Dream Big"title. One of my FAVOURITE things about this company is the fantastic range of pre-cut words they have available, in fantastic fonts. The phrase DREAM BIG carries a lot of meaning for me right now, hence choosing it for the cover of this book.
The other piece I have used for this project is called Ariel's Spray (product code DB0002) - isn't it just divine? It was perfect for embellishing this A4 sized book too!
To create the cover I have first given the entire book, front, back and spine, a coat of gesso - allowing it to be slighty thicker in places. This layer is heated with a heat gun and when the heat is concentrated on certain areas the gesso will bubble creating fantastic texture. I also painted the raw chipboard with gesso before proceeding to the next step.
Once everything is white I glued down the chipboard pieces to the cover of the book. Any strong PVA will do for this, or a gel medium would be good too. I then pulled out one of my favourite colouring mediums - my pan pastels! Using the special sponge applicators that are designed for use with the pan pastels, I started adding colours to the cover, over the whole lot including the chipboard pieces. It is simply a case of building up the colour, blending as you go. At times I added more gesso in certain areas with.
Once everything is white I glued down the chipboard pieces to the cover of the book. Any strong PVA will do for this, or a gel medium would be good too. I then pulled out one of my favourite colouring mediums - my pan pastels! Using the special sponge applicators that are designed for use with the pan pastels, I started adding colours to the cover, over the whole lot including the chipboard pieces. It is simply a case of building up the colour, blending as you go. At times I added more gesso in certain areas with.
The combination of pan pastels over a gessoed surface gives a lovely softness which is a look I love. If you haven't tried colouring your chippy pieces with these wonderful products I urge you to give it a go!
Go colour some chipboard!
Natalie xxx
