I made this last September actually. But since I've run out of filters, I've packed it up, so I thought I may as well share what I did. My craft organiser was conveniently the right size to fit inside the filter box. So I decided to decorate the filter box.

I didn't have my gesso back then, and for some reason assumed the paint would stick without issue, so I didn't bother to sand it, either. Yeah, that didn't work. It's peeling at the edges, though the rest of it is fine So as long as I'm not too rough moving it about, i should be fine. I hope.

Initially, I was going to just paint it navy/black, and then do a spacescape with the LIT paints, then I thought, that's too samey, and thought maybe I could do a very deco-type, with cabochons and flatback gems, but then I had the idea to try to replicate Moriah's underwater scene, but without the fish.

I've always found backgrounds too hard (or maybe too tedious? I've noticed a trend since taking up bass), so this was a nice way to challenge myself and try out a new skill. So I took a load of screenshots of Moriah's work, and tried to replicate it. Considering it was me, I actually think it came out okay. It's not perfect, but I still like it. Click for big:

Some close ups. I was worried these were going to be a hot mess, but after a while, I started to get the hang of it. Moriah makes it look so easy!

Something I didn't realise before was that caerulean paint and cyan printer ink react really badly with PVA. I don't remember having this issue before, so I can't say if it's the brand I'm using (my big Wilko DIY PVA bottle ran out, so I'm using the generic craft one these days), or if I just never used PVA on caerulean paint before. I wanted to apply a coat of PVA just to protect it (not really worth it anyway, since PVA is water-soluble, but I couldn't be bothered getting out the sealant spray). But it definitely causes issues by dissolving the paint. And yes, the paint was definitely dry. It only affects caerulean/cyan. All other colours seal fine.

Here are some close ups of the waves:

Bye!