Riikka Kovasin - Paperiliitin: Patinated Queens

Hiya there! May is almost over and June starts. I guess I say this every couple of weeks but boy does time fly! Today I'm sharing my project for the Finnabair Brand Ambassador post in May. You can see the original post here (link) with marvelous pieces by Karolina Bukowska, Vasilis Kontos, Iwona Marchewka and me. The theme this month is "Patina Effect - three different ways" and it's by Karolina.

This time the theme got me thinking. First, I thought to ask if the different ways would be divided among Ambassadors. Or did it mean different projects? But then I decided it would be fun to follow my intuition and see what others make, too! So, I interpret the theme by doing a triplet of mini works and treated them all with different mediums to create a similar patina.

I started each project by painting the coaster I used as a base with Heavy Gesso Black. I then made the composition on top using different bibs and bobs, Mechanicals and moulded elements. I chose the "Queens of Steam" as my focal points. After drying I then painted all thee with black gesso and then started treating them a bit differently.

For the first one I used the Patina and Texture Fantasy effect pastes. I mixed different sets and chose colors that went with the copper patina I had in mind. I picked the Blue Green from the “Anemone and Coral” set and Cream from the “Old Wall” set. Blue is from the first patina set, now sold as separate jars.

For the second project I used Impasto paints to add the patina to the metallic surface. The metallic parts are painted using Metallique and Sparks paints. I then dulled the colors partly with dry brushing with Impasto. The black splashes in all of the three pieces are made using Sparks “Raven Black”.

The third project I colored using waxes. I first added the metallics, let the project dry for a while and then layered the matte waxes on top for the patina effect. I used more of the “Patina Blue” and just hints of “Old White” to bring some change to the turquoise color.

All of these have same color scheme and going for that copper or brass patina, but yet they are totally different. Here I used each product category kind of on their own whereas normally I’d mix everything together. The patina pastes bring that extra texture sometimes needed for the project. Impasto paints are easy to use and matte finish fits to patina so well. And I just love using the waxes for the metallic finishes!

Thank you for stopping by today! Wishing you a wonderful week!