A moonlit sea with mixed media Powertex

In May I created a moonlit sea scene with Powertex and mixed media for the Powertex UK design team. I used mdf pieces and products from Powertex UK and made two large mdf plaques with a nautical theme. This project first appeared on the Powertex UK Mixed Media Magazine.

The kits were perfect for creating art in a popular mixed media style. I chose to use Black Powertex for one and White Powertex for the other, creating two different looks.

Creating a Moonlit Sea mixed media art piece with Powertex

Here’s a time lapse video of how I created the black one. This has a background of tissue papers and then the dimension is created with pieces of black Stone Art clay like “rocks” and then pressing in the mdf shapes and textures.

I made some Stone Art clay from black Powertex and Stone Art to create the tiny ammonite fossils from a mould (Powertex UK).

Scraps of fabric, 3d balls and sand add extra smaller textures. I layered them up to create a focal point off centre and used Powertex to adhere them. It’s hard to photograph black on black but I hope you get the idea.

When everything was assembled I left it to dry for a couple of hours. You can use a hair dryer to speed it up. It’s important to have a dry base layer before applying the powder pigment colour.

Dry Brushing

Dry brushing technique uses a dry paint with a flat brush. Create the paint with Easy Varnish and powder pigments of your choice. I used pearl pigments, Golden Olive, Blue Curacao and Violet Valentine for a moonlit sea atmosphere.

I layered up the colours until I was happy with the results. You can layer up gently but don’t be afraid to add plenty of colour to highlight your textures! I added a few last flicks of Golden Olive last as highlights.

A moonlit scene with Powertex mixed media

Here’s a photo of the two plaques I made. The White Powertex version has been coloured with blue and black Bister spray, Blueberry Pie acrylic paint and a little Rusty Powder. Copper Colortricx pigment has been painted on to highlight the textures.

Using mdf kits and templates makes mixed media art so easy and with brilliant results! Powertex Universal Medium does everything from painting, adhering and hardening your materials too.

If you’re new to Powertex you might find my beginners articles helpful. I’ve got tips about using Colour with Ivory or White Powertex and some ideas for beginner’s sculpture projects too.