Q&A: All about misting...

Back in May, I asked if you had any burning craft-related questions. I'm slowly working on my responses....you asked some tough questions. *winks* Here's the first question...by Julie Tucker-Wolek.

I use a variety of mediums to create the "misted" look on my layouts, depending on how much "control" I want. Here are some of the mediums I like to use...:)

1. Bottled mists from Maya Road, Tattered Angels and Mister Huey.

These are the 3 brands I use because I can get them locally from my LSS. 

Maya Road is my fave go-to mist bottle brand. The colours are rich and vibrant and a little goes a long way. 

Mister Huey has a lovely colour range but it's more pricey for me because I tend to use a little more of it.

I only use Tattered Angels when I want a subtle effect. They have more shimmer in them and take a little longer to dry. They work better if you apply thin coats and wait for each coat to dry before adding more colour. 

Neon card

This look was achieved using Maya mists and an Artistcellar stencil.

2. Faber Castell Gelatos.

These can be used as both a dry medium [apply a little and rub with finger] and as a wet medium [mash it up into a paste and add water to a mist bottle]. Add more colour for a vibrant look OR more water for a muted finish. It is a super versatile medium and comes in very pretty colours. The coolest thing about this medium is that it can be used on a variety of surfaces including wood. Plus it works well with the other mediums in the Faber Castell mixed media family.

Gang wood album

The base colours of this wood album were coloured with gelatos and water. No need for a layer of gesso! What a time-saver!

3. Ranger Distress Stains.

The colours are light and great for creating soft washes of colours over large areas. The key really is to add the secret ingredient - Ranger Distress Stain in Picket Fence. This particular stain is a white opaque formulation...[like adding milk to tea] that gives a little more "life" to the rest of the Ranger Distress Stain family. And when you mist water to blend the colours...that's when the real magic happens...you get really cool mottled effects. 

Canvas memo board

The effect on the canvas was created with wrapping tissue and Ranger Distress Stains.

4. Derwent Intense Blocks/Pencils.

The colours are super vibrant because they are ink-based. Colour your surface, then mist with water and let it drip. Not enough colour? Just add more. You can work it when it's wet OR dry. For more precision, use the pencils instead of the blocks.

Journal page

The background of this journal page was created with Derwent Inktense Blocks and blended with water.

5. Daler-Rowney Liquid Acrylics/inks

I love these because the rich pigments  in them make the colours very vibrant even though they are very fluid. The pearlescent ones are shimmering bottles of goodness. Drip a few colours over raised surfaces [created with masks and fiber paste] and watch the colours blend...mist some water...you never know what you get..:)

Cupcake tag

The background on this tag was created with a stencil, fiber paste and Daler-Rowney Pearlescent Inks.

6. Daler-Rowney watercolours

These are very light and great for creating subtle backgrounds especially if you are playing with pastel colours. Probably the easiest medium to control with a brush and water. the soft effects are very pretty. For best effect, blend your colours before applying them to paper.

Birthday wishes card

The background was created using an Artistcellar stencil and Daler-Rowney watercolours.

7. Caran d'Ache Neocolor II Artists' Crayons

My latest "toy"...*winks* I love the soft look when I mist water on the coloured areas.  It's easy to colour with it because it is softer than a pencil but harder than a pastel so there is a certain degree of control. It is awesome for building layers on mixed media projects. :)

A moment in time

The background of this layout was created with the negative print of a stencil, Neocolor II and misted water.

I like to do a few backgrounds at a time because I don't like to waste mists or have to take out my "misting" box..*winks* so probably a couple of minutes for each background. It doesn't need to be precise. People choose patterned papers to work with when they start a project....I choose from my ready-made custom backgrounds! *LOL* 

There are really many ways to create interesting backgrounds using bottled mists or mediums misted with water. My suggestion is to buy a few colours in each medium to try out...see what you like. There is no need to buy ALL the colours. I tend to buy complementary colours so that I mix the mediums to achieve different effects.

Has this been helpful?