And the really cool thing about creating with the Master Artist is that it is multi-dimensional!
I don't know if you ever thought of it like that, but the true creative process is a live demonstration of the virtue and essence of the Lord. It is sacred. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him. Creating a piece that touches the soul is most definitely a reflection of Him. Only when we become consciously aware of this do we see great changes in our artistic expressions.
See, for years, I painted with a heart to honor God. But I didn't realize how very much He desired to be a part of that process. If you did, then how wonderful. But many in the "Christian" world are only awakening to this.
It dawned upon me when I first accepted the call to illustrate and reflect Scripture with my art. I knew the gift was given for a reason. But it was a slow process for me to even feel comfortable calling myself "an artist".
One day, in my quiet time and in a season of deep discouragement and struggle the Lord made this clear to me; He is the source of all pure creativity. By pure, I mean untainted by the world and perversion. I read a definition of "artist". It said "one who is sensitive to beauty". I thought, well, I AM that! Then a friend gave me the passage
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. " New Living Translation (NLT)
OH! So, if HE is the Master Creator, and I am the masterpiece, sensitive to beauty, then that takes a great weight off of me! What we need to realize is that our creative lives are to be subject to Him as much as any other facet of living! When they are, amazing things can happen!! He can teach us to create in such a way that His characteristics, His thoughts, His ways are reflected in our work! He creates through us! We are artistic together!!!! We don't have the burden of trying to create a masterpiece; we just allow Him access to us to create through us!!!
Genesis 1:26-27
Here in the Bible's first chapter, God states His goal: He is making man in His own image! By using both "image" and "likeness," God explained that He would create man to be just like Him! Man would not only look like God, but humanity would also have a spiritual ability to understand His nature and learn to conform to it. Through the experiences of life and the process of building godly character, humankind can put on the image of God and be resurrected into His Family (I Corinthians 15:49-53).
If you are teachable, He will instruct you as you create.
He will minister to your heART, and in turn, minister to others through your heART!
His image will be illustrated and reflected in what you do. There is an "image transfer" waiting to take place, and you will grow in skill both in the Sacred (spiritual ability) and the Simple ( natural understanding of the creative process) and His image is increasingly transferred both to you and through you!
How wonderful! How sacred, and just like God, how simple!!!
Hope you will ponder this for a good while and let it "steep" in your soul like a good healing herbal tea!
Now, for the simple- a basic tutorial of a Gel Medium Image Transfer:
The basic materials - what you'll need:
- acrylic gel medium
- brush
- dish or tray
- water
- scissors (in case trimming is necessary)
- an image to transfer
- small bit of fine grade sandpaper ( if you want to smooth edges)
Notes on the gel:
the beauty of this technique lies in the nature of the acrylic - you can adjust and modify the gel to suit your needs... whether using retarder to increase smoothness, mixing in acrylic pigment, or even mixing in other materials (I've seen everything from gold flake to sand mixed into the acrylic gel). I use Liquitex's Gel Mediums , but any clear acrylic medium works. The beauty of this is that while you could just print on a sticker paper, with the gel medium you could easily blend the image into a prepared background and still paint over it with more washes of color or embellishments, where a sticker is slick and less likely to accept further work. :)
Notes on the image:
Any image can be used for transfering, although some work significantly better than others. Uncoated magazines/newspapers work beautifully, but more coated photos/postcards/etc. may or may not transfer well - a color photo copy would be recommended to increase the probability of a successful transfer. Laser printed images work, but ink-jet prints generally need a spray of clear sealer before coating with the gel to stabilize the ink.
Notes on the brush:
you can use any brush you'd like, whether bristle or foam. The different textures of the brushes will lay the gel medium down differently and will yield varied final products. Coarse brush = coarse strokes. Softer brush= smooth surface. Be sure to wash your brush IMMEDIATELY after using it!
I typically use my fingers because I can feel how much pressure I am using. :)
Now that you have all this info, know that you can adhere an image to nearly anything you can think of with this, including your Journaling Bible cover or pages. And may you thoroughly enjoy the process of growing in His image!
