Jars of Goodness Mixed-Media Tutorial

1. Use your sketchbook to inspire a new look at your creative passions. Sketch something simple and meaningful that you love. 

2. Cut out simple shapes from a variety of papers, including book pages and assorted paper scraps. 

3. Arrange the papers onto two separate canvases. Decide the size of composition and make adjustments by cutting down paper or adding layers.

4. Decoupage the papers onto the plain canvases.

5. Mix gesso with light modeling paste and apply to each canvas with a palette knife or plastic card. Use your fingers to work around the jars; this will leave the canvas with a plaster look and feel; let dry completely.

6. Apply a thin layer of brown ink or watered-down paint to the background. Allow the paint to seep into the cracks; let dry.

7. Create a mixture of cream and white paint, and then apply to the canvas with a palette knife or plastic card.

8. Apply layers of blue paint to the jars with your fingers in a variety of shades to add texture and depth.

9. Apply two layers of gray paint onto the lids.

10. Create labels from patterned paper, and adhere with decoupage medium.

11. Add a light layer of light modeling paste mixed with paint onto the label. Add textured circles using a skewer.

12. Add definition to the edges that were lost under the paint with a brown artist crayon. Smudge with a liner brush.

13. Add more definition with a Stabilo pencil.

14. Soften the lines with your fingers.

15. Add bits of pink paint with your fingertip.

16. Apply green paint with an angled paintbrush.

17. Add simple, sweet words and small heart elements. I chose, "abundance," "joy," "peace," "mercy," "goodness," and "love."

18. Soften the white paper with brown/gray artist crayons and water; let dry.

19. Highlight the jars with a white pastel stick.

20. Break the ends off a couple of old paint brushes, and sand.

21. Poke a hole into one of the lids with a straight pin, pushing through the layers of paper.

22. Thread a thin piece of wire through the poked holes.

23. Tightly twist the wire to fasten the paintbrushes onto the canvas. Leave curls of wire on top.