How I Made My Mermaid Collage Shadowbox Picture

 
Since making my mixed media summer themed paper dolls and art pictures with sponge painted backgrounds I decided to try something a little different.  

I had bought some adorable summer themed scrapbook papers at Scrapbook.com, ASCsupplies shop on Etsy, and ScrapLifeShop on Etsy. 

One of the paper sets I bought at Scrapbook.com was "Reminisce - Mermaid's Tale Collection - 12 x 12 Collection Kit."  Since blue is my favorite color I couldn't help but fall in love with the blue mermaid. I knew I had to create something using her.

So, I decided to take a 6" by 6" unfinished wood shadow box and turn it into a picture that I could hang on my wall.  Instead of creating a mixed media collage picture within the shadow box I decided to create the collage on the back side of the shadowbox and hang it on the wall like a cube.

I wanted to utilize the sides of the cube for some of the sayings that I liked and decided to use a paper that had an abstract summer themed blue wave design that I liked and the sayings pasted in the centers of each side.

Unlike most of the mixed media collage pictures I've created I decided not to sponge paint the background.  The kit had some beautiful blue, teal and white wave paper that I loved and wanted to use for the background.

Before doing anything with the unfinished wood cube I sized the papers I wanted to use for the backside and sides so they would be perfectly sized for the cube and aligned with each other.  Where needed I used a Friskars paper cutter to get my edges perfectly straight.

I cut out the mermaid that I wanted to use and cut out the images and sayings that I thought would be perfect for this collage picture.  I wanted the mermaid to be the main focal point with the saying: "Always be yourself unless you can be a mermaid... then always be a mermaid."  

First I applied Mod Podge to the back of the wave paper I wanted to use for the background on the backside of the cube and then pasted it to the cube.  I did the same for the papers I wanted to use for the four sides.  

After testing the placement of the images I had cut out I brushed Mod Podge on the backs of the scrapbook images I had cut out and then pasted them on my collage.  When it was dry, I brushed matte medium on the backside and sides.  After everthing was dried I hung it on the wall.

I loved how it turned out and it is now hanging in my bathroom along with the other summer themed pictures I made.

I also found two beach themed scrapbook papers from the "Beyond the Sea Collection - 6 x 6 Paper Pad" I had bought at Scrapbook.com that I thought would be perfect for two other 6" by 6" wood summer themed cubes I wanted to make.

Unlike my mermaid collage I just wanted to use the two 6" by 6" scrapbook papers just the way they were as I loved the watercolor images.  I wanted to use one for the bathroom and use one on top of the desk I had in my kitchen. 

Once again, before doing anything with the unfinished wood cube I sized the papers I wanted to use for the backside so they would be perfectly sized for the backside of the cube.  Where needed I used a Friskars paper cutter to get my edges perfectly straight.

Like the mermaid collage I was going to use the backside of the 6" by 6" shadowbox wood cube.  Instead of collaging the sides I decided to leave them plain. So, I just painted the sides and front of the cube with white acrylic paint.  I only used one layer as I wanted the white to be lightly layered on the sides.

After pasting the two images to the backside of their respective cube with mod podge I let them dry.  Then I brushed matte medium on the sides and front of each cube.  After letting them thoroughly dry I placed one on my bathroom wall and one on the top of the desk.  Perfect!

Over the years I've made many holiday and seasonal themed pieces.  Mainly for the fall season and all the holidays that occur between October - December.  I only had a few summer ones so I was pleased that this summer I was finely able to create some more for this season.  

I definitely think I have enough now.  

Then again, I never have enough - do I......LOL

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Copyright © 2004 - 2023 - All Rights Reserved - Written By Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals and Linda's Blog. Linda is a doll maker and doll pattern designer.

My Mixed Media Paper Doll Art Pictures

Back in May I posted about some mixed media paper doll art pictures I had made based on JoAnn Robinson's mixed media digital paper doll images I had purchased from her waifsNwhatnots Etsy store.   I saw them and just fell in love with them.  They were just adorable and I knew I had to create something with them.  

As I usually do I got carried away and ended up buying a lot of her digital images and making mixed media paper doll art pictures with them.  My Linda's Blog post is here.

If you've been following my last two Linda's Blog posts you know where I'm going with this.  After making my paper dolls for "The Progressive Paper Dolly Party" on Facebook I thought - hmmmm - these would make for some adorable mixed media paper art dolls art pictures utilizing my paper doll designs.  

So, not only did I make a bunch of stand alone paper dolls to hang on my walls for the swap but decided they would make for adorable mixed media paper doll art pictures of my own images.  So, of course, I made some.

And, as always, I got carried away.  Moderation just isn't in my DNA and it's time I got used to that....lol.

I ended up making eleven of them.  Seven that can be up most of the year and four that are seasonal and holiday related. 

I had intended several to be gifts for others but, like the stand alone paper dolls I made, they are just so colorful on the walls and hubby just loves them.  So, none of them will make it out of our house.....lol.

As is my usual modus operandi I sponge painted all of the backgrounds of the art boards.  After I was happy with the backgrounds I started adding the paper dolls and the embellishments.

I have made a ton of decorations for the fall, halloween, thanksgiving, christmas, winter, and spring seasons and holidays.  I don't really have a lot of summer craft decorations so I decided to create a beach themed paper doll and though that a mermaid would be perfect.  After all, what's more summery than a mermaid.

Her embellishments were paper flowers, silk florals, paper reeds, ribbon bows, metallic paints, and stabilo pencil shadowing.

I loved how she came out so much she became my favorite mixed media paper doll art picture.  

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I loved my beach themed stand alone paper doll so much I decided to create a beach themed mixed media paper doll art picture.  

She's wearing an early 1900's beach outfit and carrying an oar and sign.  She has a large headdress on with paper flower and coral embellishments, ribbon embellishments and fiber embellishments.  Metallic painted flip flops finish her feet.

I have always loved fairies, mother nature and nature fantasy art.  So, I decided to create a few faeries as I had a lot of scrapbook papers that I just loved.

The theme for the paper doll art picture above is "Magic Happens" and "She decided to start living the life she imagined."

I decided to make her more of a nature child as I couldn't find any images I thought would be suitable for faerie wings, so a nature love child she is.

Her embellishments were paper flowers, lace trims, a creative embroidery lace butterfly, fiber embellishments, metallic paints, and stabilo pencil shadowing.

I just love all her soft pink colors and love how she turned out. 

The second faerie I made was similar to the first except she was more 'Mother Nature" than faerie.

Her theme was "Anything Is Possible, You Just Have to Believe."

Her embellishments were paper flowers, silk florals, paper reeds, ribbons bows, a creative embroidery butterfly, metallic paints, and stabilo pencil shadowing.

I love her colors and love how her outfit turned out.

The third faerie I made was done all in my sister's favorite blue colors - just to drive her crazy.......lol.

Plus, she's really a blue butterfly faerie.

I know, I'm picking on her....lol.  Truth be told I love designing with my sister in mind.  Some times my creations make it out of the house and to her house.  Right now she's hanging up in my house as hubby just loves her.

Her embellishments were paper flowers, silk florals, paper reeds, fiber embellishments, metallic paints, and stabilo pencil shadowing.

She definitely is right out of a fairy tale.

My fourth fantasy art picture paper doll was similar to the steampunk stand alone paper doll I had made.  

Her theme is "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

Her embellishments were paper flowers, a creative embroidery lace fan, fringe trims, lace trims, fiber embellishments, metallic paints, and stabilo pencil shadowing.

My fifth fantasy art picture turned out to be a Victorian Cinderella like lady.

Her embellishments were paper flowers, lots of lace trims, silk florals, metallic paints, and stabilo pencil shadowing.

I just love how her Victorian dress turned out.  I was skeptical that all the lace would work for the dress and the art picture but it did. Yea!

Of course I couldn't create any mixed media paper art doll pictures without creating some with seasonal and holiday themes - could I?

I decided to create a Victorian lady for my Fall themed picture an utilize some of my own paper designs.  Her outfit consists of several of my fall themed scrapbook paper designs from my Linda Walsh Originals Fall Gallery.  Several of her pumpkin images were also from that collection.

Her embellishments were paper flowers, lace trims, silk florals, paper reeds, creative embroidery lace flowers, metallic paints, and stabilo pencil shadowing.

What I love about how she turned out is that all of her fall colors blend into the fall backgrounds in the picture.  Kind of like everything in the Fall does.

Of course I couldn't create any mixed media paper art doll pictures without creating a Halloween themed art picture with witches and ghosts and even a Frankenstein - could I?

For my Halloween themed art picture I decided to utilize some of my own digital images and scrapbook paper designs.  the scary house, scary witch, Frankenstein, ghosts, brown tree, and jack-o-lanterns all came from my Halloween scrapbook paper designs.

Her embellishments were paper flowers, fiber yarns for her braided hair, fiber embellishments, paper reeds, metallic paints, and stabilo pencil shadowing.

I love how this art picture came out and can't wait to put her up at Halloween.

You can't have holiday mixed media paper doll art pictures without including some for Christmas - can you?

Christmas is my favorite time of the year for decorating but I try not to forget the real reason for the holiday.  So I decided to create an angel, as shown in the picture above, and a nativity scene, as shown in my next Linda's Blog post.

My angels embellishments were paper flowers, fiber embellishments, lace trims, a creative embroidery lace and beaded embellishment, metallic paints, and stabilo pencil shadowing. Beautiful Victorian angel images surround her.

All in all I was very happy with the way all my mixed media paper doll art pictures turned out and hope you like them, too.

Copyright © 2004 - 2023 - All Rights Reserved - Designed and Written By Linda Walsh

The Other Mixed Media Paper Art Dolls I Created

 

As mentioned in my previous post, in May of this year Hally Levesque, who is an extraordinary artist and whom I've taken several doll classes from at Artful Gathering, asked me if I wanted to participate in a paper doll swap.  

I had never done an online swap before, let alone a paper doll swap.  In fact, I had never made a paper art doll before.  

As my bucket list contains trying every craft out there in my lifetime, if at all possible, this would provide me with the challenge of creating a paper doll - something I'd never done before.  So, I said I'd be thrilled to participate in a paper doll swap. 

Well, like everything else I do, I never create anything in moderation.  I always have to create way more than I need.  For me, when I start having fun creating I just can't stop. 

So, when I finished making my first paper doll for the paper doll swap I was involved in I had to make more.  And, of course, some would be for gifts and some would be seasonal and holiday oriented.

When I designed my first paper doll I decided to create her body in the computer so I could adjust her as need be.  I created a fixed body with head and an articulated body with moveable arms, legs, and head.

With multiple bodies being in the computer I could easily resize them for whatever size design I was going to need.

When I had all the paper doll bodies I needed I printed them off and then glued them to thicker watercolor papers so the bodies would be sturdier.

As mentioned in my previous post entitled, The Paper Doll Swap - My Rosalinda, the first paper doll I created was for the "Life Is A Cabaret" paper doll challenge.

I loved the way my Cabaret Paper Doll came out so I decided to make my second paper doll articulated like the first only her outfit would contain peacock feathers and metallic papers along with paper flowers, fibers, creative embroidery lace, and feathers.

I also decided to make her outfit in some of my sister's favorite colors - just to drive her crazy....lol.

I've have made a ton of decorations for the fall, Halloween, thanksgiving, Christmas, winter, and spring seasons and holidays.  I don't really have a lot of summer craft decorations so I decided to create a beach themed paper doll.  

Her body was fixed and not articulated.  

She's wearing an early 1900's beach outfit and carrying an oar and sign.  She has a large headress on with paper flower and coral embellishments, ribbon embellishments and fiber embellishments.  Metallic painted flip flops finish her feet.

My fourth paper doll turned out to be a combination of a summer paper doll and Mary Poppins fantasy character all rolled into one.

Her body is articulated and she has a moveable head, arms and legs.  She's holding an umbrella in one hand and carrying a sign in the other.

Paper flower embellishments, fibers and metallic paints all add to the finish of her outfit.

I had some adorable steampunk type scrapbook papers and decided I wanted to make my fifth paper doll be a fantasy type mixed media paper art doll using these papers.

She, too, would have an articulated body with moveable head, arms and legs.  And, her outfit would be embellished with lace and paper flowers.  

I love the way her outfit turned out.

I sent the Cabaret paper doll to my doll swap recipient and decided despite my good intentions of giving some of the four other paper dolls I created as gifts I decided to keep them and hang them on my half bathroom wall.  They were just so colorful and, truth be told, hubby loved them.  

So, they're hanging on the half bath wall most of the year.

Since four of the paper dolls are hanging on the half bath wall I had to create other paper dolls to replace two of them for the Fall/Halloween and Christmas/Winter seasons and holidays.  

Can't leave the walls vacant when you're used to seeing colorful paper dolls there....lol.  

I'll tell myself anything just to create more dolls - won't I.....lol.  

Moderation, Linda, you have to learn moderation.

Maybe in my next lifetime....lol. 

The Fall Scarecrow Mixed Media Paper Art Doll is definitely fall themed with fiber and paper flower embellishment.

Her outfit consists of several of my fall themed scrapbook paper designs.

As a side note - the two large sunflowers are rub-on transfers I had for close to 30 years.  I saved them all this time as you just never know when something will be perfect for something you're creating.  After 30 years the sunflower rub-ons were perfect.

Since I always combine my fall themed decorations with my Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations so they last from August through November I had to create a paper witch.

I didn't want her to be a scary, nasty witch so I made her more like Gilda the good witch who casts nothing but sweet spells.

She, too, is articulated with moveable head, arms and legs and is carrying two Halloween signs.

Her outfit is embellished with lace, paper flowers, creative embroidery with beads, fibers, plastic beads, and metallic paints.

Whenever I create anything I cannot resist making something for the Christmas holiday season which, as you all know, is my favorite decorating season.

So, of course, I had to make a Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus mixed media paper art doll set.

I decided to make my Mrs. Claus a little different than my other paper dolls.  Unlike the other paper dolls with graphic hair, she was actually going to have white wool hair.

She was partially articulated with a moveable head and moveable arms.  Her legs were fixed.

Her embellishments consisted of lace trim and paper flowers.

I love how she turned out.

My Santa Claus was also going to be a little different than the other paper dolls.  

He, too, was going to have wool hair, as well as a wool beard and moustache.  Fur trim was used as an embellishment around the edges of his cap and braided ribbon was used as an embellishment for his Santa bag.

He was fully articulated with a moveable head, moveable arms and moveable legs.

The funny thing is I didn't notice until I added the pictures that I covered up the little deers nose when I moved his legs closer for the picture....lol.  

Last but not least, I had to create a Victorian snow lady with one of my snowmen designs, on of my spruce tree designs, and one of my blue jay designs.

She is partially articulated with a moveable head and moveable arms.

Teal wool roving is used to create her scarf and paper flowers as well as lace trim are used for embellishments.

I was pleased with how all ten of my paper dolls came out and will probably be making some more.  You never know......lol  

Well, with me you do know - I can never do anything in moderation so there will be more.

Copyright © 2004 - 2023 - All Rights Reserved - Designed and Written By Linda Walsh