Mixed Media Blog

Bring a little bit of magic to your cardmaking with the Dance stamp from Andy Skinner’s Imagination release. In this project, the detailed ballerina with wings image is set against a “Moving Ink” background, where softly blended water-based inks create clouds of colour that appear to drift around the figure.

This project showcases Andy Skinner’s Make a Wish stamp, paired with a beautiful burnt–orange background created using his new blending technique. By combining Cosmic Shimmer Watercolour Inks with chalk paint, the colours gently blend together giving the little fairy a softly aged storybook look. Finished with delicate white pencil highlights, the result is a dreamy mixed media tag that’s perfect for cards, journals or gift wrapping.

Princess Attitude by Andy Skinner is the perfect stamp for anyone who prefers their fairies fierce, not fluffy. This brilliantly detailed design pairs butterfly wings and Doc Martens with a gloriously sassy stance and the tongue-in-cheek birthday sentiment, “Happy birthday! Now get over yourself and let’s eat cake.”

Combined with soft, watercolour-style colouring using Cosmic Shimmer water-based inks, the stamp becomes the focal point of a clean, elegant card. Transparent layers of ink gently tint the image without hiding the detail, while a few simple colour mixes create warm golden wings, denim blues and pretty pastels. The result is a charming keepsake that looks hand-painted, yet is easy to achieve with just basic brushwork.

This instalment of the Cosmic Shimmer Education Series explores three versatile gesso resist techniques that turn simple cardstock into richly textured backgrounds. Using white gesso and Cosmic Shimmer water-based inks, Sheena shows how to create a mottled paint effect, faux wood grain effect and a soft woodland glow over stencilled trees.

Step into a dreamlike, mixed media fairy tale with the Dance Stamp Set by Andy Skinner from the Imagination series. This beautifully detailed design has been brought to life in stamp form, capturing every fine detail of Andy’s illustration – from the delicate wings and tutu to the expressive pose of the dancer.

Create atmospheric, painterly landscapes without advanced drawing or painting skills using Sheena’s “Draw the Line” technique. This simple method combines mixed media cardstock with Cosmic Shimmer water-based inks, with the flowing inks doing most of the work for you.

Using clay butterflies made with Cosmic Shimmer silicone moulds, Sheena shows you how to paint them with Cosmic Shimmer water-based inks and then simply wipe back the colour to reveal all the beautiful detail. It’s a fast, forgiving technique that gives you beautifully shaded, realistic butterflies in minutes – perfect for cards, journals, mixed media and home décor projects.

Give your air dry clay moulded pieces a striking antique bronze finish with Cosmic Shimmer paints. In this project, black clay is cast in the Let the Adventure Begin Silicone Mould by Andy Skinner, then finished with a deep brown base and three stages of metallic Shimmer Paint dry brushing to create a realistic aged bronze look.