Book of Shadows Journal Cover with Nolwenn Petitbois

Hey guys I'm Nolwenn Petitbois and I'm so happy to share with you my first project for Artistcellar!

You'll see the amount that I use the stencils especially for texture and for backgrounds but that's not all. In this first project, I wanted to do the cover of my Book of Shadows; it’s a specific system using rings, the same that you’ll find with the Happy Journal line.

The first step was to cover the ring holes with some painter’s tape. Then, I use some gesso (I should have sanded the cover first, but I didn't… that's alright though as I'm not one for perfectionism in my creative process.) I just added some acrylic paint and applied it with various tools to see how it would look. You can simply use a big paintbrush: you do you!

Once it's dry, I can have some fun with the map stencil: they are very cool! I used some acrylic spray because I wanted something quite pigmented but you could use a sponge and acrylic paint instead of a spray for sure.  Mixed media is thing of patience because I work in layers I have to let them dry in between.

As my focal point, I wanted to use the Lotus stencil from the Tibet series. It’s absolutely gorgeous. I used an embossing black pen though the stencil, and dual-toned embossing powder to make it pop.

Because this cover is made from plastic, I had to be careful not to over-heat it when using my heating tool.

I love metallic paints and used a copper acrylic sprays on the borders, with Surf stencil of the Water series. I wanted it to act as a sort of frame around the cover. I have a thing for using sprays coupled with stencils because it is fast and easy but still builds pretty layers.

After this, I came back another day (I like to space the layers now and then, to be sure everything is 100% dry) and have this feeling something is missing… but what? I go through the stencils and find one in the Sacred Geometry 2 set that calls my name. (Quattro Flower) My guts tell me to do something that can appear a little strange: create a glitter gel to add on top of the embossed lotus. This could be a big failure but I won’t know until I try it, right? So that’s what I do. I suggest that if you want to do something similar, find some very fine glitters. I used some heavy gloss gel. It will dry transparent.

I really hope I inspired you to create a beautiful cover for your journal. Here are some more close-up photos :

Until next time,

Nolwenn 

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