This mixed-media heart project is all about texture, bold color, and creating from the space you’re in. We start with a vibrant sprayed background, build a raised heart with gesso and stencil texture, add rich teal acrylic paint, deepen the edges with an Aquarellable pencil, and finish with two different sealers for a fun contrast between the soft background and the dimensional heart. It’s messy, colorful, and full of heart – literally!
Start by taping off your art journal page with painter’s tape to create a clean border. Since this project uses sprays, water, gesso, and acrylic paint, protect the surrounding pages of your journal before you begin. You can also use a binder clip to help hold your journal pages down while you work.
Begin the background with Distress Oxide Sprays in Mustard Seed and Candied Apple. Lightly spray the page and allow the colors to move downward, creating natural drips. You can pre-wet the page with water if you want more movement, but if the color starts traveling too much, simply stop, set the book flat, and let the color settle where it is.
Next, lay your stencil down (I am using a fun Honeycomb design) and bring in Blueprint Sketch Distress Oxide Spray near the upper corner. Keep this area a little darker and more dramatic. Add Prussian Blue Hue acrylic paint or ink over the blue area to deepen the color and create a rich contrast against the warm yellows and reds. Dry with a heat tool.
Once the background is dry enough to work on, paint a large heart shape with gesso. Because the background underneath is water-reactive, the gesso may pick up some of those colors as you paint, and that is okay. Let it become part of the mixed-media look. Apply the gesso thickly enough to give the heart shape presence and texture.
While the gesso is still workable, press or stencil additional texture into the heart – I am using a circle stencil. This gives the focal point dimension and makes the heart feel more tactile. Use your heat tool carefully to dry the surface and create a little extra texture, but keep it moving so nothing scorches.
Paint over the heart with Cobalt Teal Hue acrylic paint. Let the teal settle into the raised texture and cover the gesso.
Use an Aquarellable pencil around the heart to deepen the edges. Since the pencil is water-activated, mist it lightly with water and allow it to smear, drip, and soften around the heart. This creates a beautiful shadow and helps the heart feel grounded into the background instead of floating on top.
Use Carbon Black acrylic paint and a liner brush to reinforce parts of the heart outline. Add sketchy marks, loose lines, and a little extra definition where needed. Keep it imperfect and expressive. The black linework helps the teal heart stand out and adds that signature mixed-media edge.
Once everything is dry, apply Dorland’s Wax around the heart and over the background. Try not to get wax on the heart itself if you plan to use a different sealer there. The wax gives the water-soluble background a protected, soft finish and helps lock down the layers.
To create contrast, apply DuraClear Satin Varnish only over the heart. This gives the heart a slightly different finish than the waxed background and makes the dimensional texture stand out even more. Let it dry completely before closing the journal.
Carefully remove the painter’s tape to reveal the clean border. If needed, pull the tape slowly at a 45-degree angle. Sign your artwork and let the page dry fully!
This project is a true mixed-media adventure. The background is loose and reactive, the heart is textured and dimensional, and the combination of wax and satin varnish adds a beautiful finishing contrast. It’s proof that you don’t need everything perfectly planned before you begin. Sometimes you just start with color, follow the next idea, and end up with a page that has a whole lot of heart!
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Supply List:
- Strathmore Watercolor Journal
- DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics: Carbon Black, Cobalt Teal Hue, and Prussian Blue Hue
- Stencil: Honeycomb Stencil Duo
- Ranger Archival Inks (Jet Black, Spiced Marmalade, Fossilized Amber, and Barn Door)
- Dorlands Wax Medium (clear wax medium)
- Distress Oxide Sprays: Blueprint Sketch, Candied Apple, Mustard Seed)
- Paint brushes – Tracy Weinzapfel Brush Sets
- 10/0 Micron Liner Brush
- Black Aquarellable Pencil
- Painter’s Tape
Check out Tracy’s Art Journal Starter Kit!
Tracy’s Resources Page and visit Tracy’s Shop