My Besties Autumn Leaf Besties Girl Mixed-Media Canvas

The Finished October Canvas Artwork

For this second October project, I used the same Sherri Baldy My Besties Digi stamp - Leaf Bestie Girl.
The colour scheme is complementary as the girls' hair is blonde and the flowers in it are a range of purple tones which is different from the brighter coloured October card I made previously.
Initially, I had thought of making another card, but I have had a chipboard bare tree for a few years and finally, this was the project to use it in!
Due to the size of the tree, the card would have been extra large.

I explored a few compositional layouts. I cut out extra Maple leaves as well as punching out several Maple leaves & edged them with Tim Holtz - Distress Inks to fall from the tree and add to the stamped ones.

I had thought about attaching a chipboard fence at the bottom of the composition. It was painted with White Gesso and then Inka Gold - Platinum.

 Working out what words would be placed within the composition, relating to Autumn as well as the expression and action of the girl.

Transferring the composition from a card to a canvas.  The background was stencilled using Liquid Amber Tree Leaves in a variety of Autumnal coloured dye-based inks.

I chose to put a birdhouse hanging from the tree.  Some CTMH - small leaves were coloured using Tim Holtz - Distress inks in a variety of greens to have fallen from the tree at various points.

 I decided that the fence was disguising too much of the image and extra crumpled leaves scattered around the bottom third of the composition.

Two different views of the canvas near completion, including a close-up of the girl amongst the leaves.

  

I felt that the composition needed something in the tree and I had these mini gold and green lights on a strand, so I played with how to have them leading into the composition and around the tree.

The finished version of the canvas Mixed-Media artwork.

Recipe:

Stamps: My Besties Digi Stamps Leaf Bestie Girl by Sherri Baldy - http://www.mybestiesshop.om or https://www.etsy.com/shop/SherriBaldy; Heartfelt Creations - 

Papers: Cartridge Paper; CTMH - My Reflections - Pathfinding; Kraft Card; X-Press Blend-it Card;  Various paper and cardstock from my stash

Surface: 20 cm x 22 cm Pre-primed Stretched Canvas

Punch: Autumn Leaf from my stash

Inks: Memento - New Sprout;  Brilliance - Crimson Copper; Versa Fine - Black; Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint & Forest Moss; Marvy Matchables Dye-Based Ink Pads - Orange, Yellow, Terra Cotta, Magenta

Mediums/Paints: Montmarte - White Gesso; Imagination Crafts Starlights Metallic Paint - Topaz 130; Cadence Art & Hobby Paints Dora - Pearl 152; Zinober Gold 128; ViVA3D StampPaint - Silver gold Metallic & white; INKA Gold - Lava Red, Platinum, Gold, Green Yellow, Jade Green

Embellishments: Chipboard Bare Tree & Bird House; CELEBR8 - Happy; Mini Light Garland on a fine rope; Baker's Twine; Wooden stick  

Faber Castell Polychromos Pencils Used:

Skin: 103 - Ivory; 132 - Light Flesh; 131 - Medium Flesh; 183 - Gold Ochre; 189 - Cinnamon; 187 - Burnt Ochre; 127 - Light Carmine; 191 - Pompeian Red; 125 - Middle Purple Pink

Hair: 102 - Cream; 104 - Zinc Lemon; 183 - Gold Ochre; 182 - Brown Ochre; 179 - Bistre; 105 - Lemon Cadmium; 185 - Naples Yellow; 108 - Dark Cadmium Yellow

Top: 133 - Wine Red; 134 - Magenta; 125 - Middle Purple Pink

Flowers & Bows: 133 - Wine Red; 160 - Manganese Violet; 139 - Light Violet; 134 - Magenta; 136 - Purple Violet; 134 - Crimson; 108 - Dark Cadmium Yellow; 105 - Lemon Cadmium
Leaves: 174 - Cedar Green; 173 - Olive Green; 268- Green Gold; 168 - Earth Green Yellowish; 168 - Moss Green; 184 - Ochre; 105 - Lemon Cadmium; 185 - Naples Yellow; 108 - Dark Cadmium yellow; 102 - Cream; 106 - Light Chrome; 268 - Green Gold; 182 - Brown Ochre; 188 - Sanguine; 109 - Orange Yellow; 115 Dark Orange; 195 - Burnt Carmine; 217 - Middle Cadmium Red; 117 - Vermilion

Acorns: 189 - Cinnamon; 187 - Burnt Ochre; 183 - Gold Ochre; 179 - Bistre; 184 - Ochre; 182 - Brown Ochre

Birds: 118 - Scarlet; 121 - Pale Geranium Lake; 126 - Dark Carmine; 217 - Middle Cadmium Red; 192 - Indian Red; 177 - Walnut Brown; 176 - Van Dyke Brown; 198 - Slate Grey; 195 - Light Grey; 180 - Raw Umber; 252 - Cold Grey III; 103 - Ivory; 199 - Black

Thanks for dropping in 😊