24 March 2012

Synchronicity


I was trying to create a lo for a challenge on UKS using spring colours, ribbons and sewing and food. The photo I had in mind was a halloween one... I created a background stamping the skeleton and crow from TH and decided to stamp the waste in my journal. I sprayed the lo and then the journal page and so on... Although as you can see I did end up with quite different pages. At this point there was some similarity.

But after more ink, paint and stencil layers the journal page became very different.
I wrote my journalling and then wanted a title to sum up how I felt. I used a stencil and modelling paste to create the letters - be warned it is messy and if you are impatient like me you make a mess.
Meanwhile back at the scrapping lo I created coffin style two tone tags for my journalling.
and once the modelling paste was dry on the journal page I coloured the letters with aqua pro markers but left some of the white showing. 
I do like the linkage between the two and the fact that using similar materials and supplies you can create something quite different.
I am not sure if there is such a word as synchronisity (and blogger spell check thinks not correctly because it is synchronicity - doh) but I think this is exactly what happens when two mediums collide and its my blog so I decide to correct the error (thanks to Angelnorth even though blogger does not recognise this either)



21 March 2012

Freedom ATCs and a journal page



Freedom to write

 The theme on UKStampers for this ATC swap was Freedom. When I thought about what freedom meant to me it was the freedom to express yourself wherever you live in the world.
I began by inking and embossing the four backgrounds with different stamps from TH.
Backgrounds ready and waiting
I then stamped the relevant image for each Freedom onto vintage dictionary pages with suitable words: To write (typewriter from Lost and Found); To be (watch and saying from Craft Stamper); To talk (Dotty's head fromDylusions) and to protest (Text and pointy hand from Paper Artsy).
Freedom to Protest
I added some more distress inks and text for each one and highlighted certain words in red.
Freedom to be

To be ended up with a very thick layer of glossy accents - too much as it almost fell apart.
Freedom to talk

Finally I sprayed some orange chalky glimmer mists and popped them in the post.
The set but the picture is a little blurry and they now in the post...
The journal page followed the prompt to use numbers (from Julie Kirk) and emboss. The page had one of the experimental transfers on it - this one using a transparency. I added distress inks and the journalling.
I have a collection of Lens Guys beer bottle caps to use one day... I filled them with alcohol inks and glossy accents and then squished them in the Big Shot... A minimal page but I thought the image needed space.






11 March 2012

Altered Box - stamping with hot glue - part two

Metal, image transfer and ink embellishments from stamps
This is the technique courtesy of Annepat on UKstampers. When I first read it I though this will never work and it will ruin my stamp. But it does work and the stamp is fine... Grease cake cutter with vaseline so glue does not stick. Coat red rubber stamp in Versamark. Pour in hot glue.
 I tried putting glue in using my glue gun but it was too slow so I just cut up the glue sticks and melted them with my heat too. This time I had stamp facing up. When dry it comes out of cutter as below.
 Trim round edges and peel off the stamp from the dried glue.
 Finished piece - there was an air bubble so not perfect but I like this effect and I just swiped some distress stains over the stamp to highlight colours more.
This time (now I knew stamp was safe) I used PaperArtsy butterfly and dragonfly.
 I quite like the look of it embedded in the glue before I cut it out and I imagine this could make some interesting fossil like embellishments.
 For this one I just reused the glue I had cut away from the ones above and although it was slightly dirtier I hate to waste all that glue.
I also made these embellishments using a sandwich of PaperArtsy metal, double sided tape and image transfers which were then stamped, metal embossed with metal tools and swiped with alcohol ink.




An Altered Box, part one





 I set a monthly challenge on UKStampers and this is my almost too late entry for the challenge. The challenge was to create a piece of art in any format, use an image transfer somewhere on the piece, use a favourite stamp in a new way no red or hearts as I am the grinch of Valentine's day.
The idea behind the challenge is to try out new techniques and I have had all sorts of problems experimenting with image transfers as you can see here. In the end I used large photocopies of feathers I found on Graphics Fairy. I added layers of Golden acrylic gel medium in different directions and then soaked the paper and rubbed off the back. It leaves a transparent flexible image.
I began with this box from Molton and Brown which I added three layers of gesso to.
I then used TH text stamps from the Shabby French collection and stamped them randomly over each other - blue side used broken china, evergreen bough and faded jeans, orange side was spiced marmalade, worn lipstick and fired brick. 
I promptly forgot that Distress inks react with water and applied the feather over the stamping with acrylic gel. Cue smudged inks and major swearing. I then decided I could use this even more distressed look. I added more stamps on top and an other layer of gel. I also added some stazon and versamark inks that would not smudge.
The butterflies and dragonflies were image transfer feathers onto double side paperartsy tape and metal. I stamped on the metal and then embossed with metal tools and cut out. I also added some more alcohol inks.
 This was using stamps in a new way but I wanted to try something else. I had read a post from Annepat on the forum who said you could use hot glue, versamark, vaseline and stamps. The dragonfly and square stamp that holds the ribbon come from those experiments.
 I will post separately about those experiments as there would be too many pictures. I lined the box with adhesive back blue and green felt and used turquoise seam binding to make the tab ribbon and edge the box.



4 March 2012

SDC49 Purple Pink Black Art Journal Page

Two posts in one day - I have been having fun all day. The latest Stampotique challenge is to use Purple, pink and black. This page is about how I feel discombobulated - this was my eldest son's favourite phrase for many years and it is just how I feel today. (Even if I did miss out two letters on the page. I only noticed this just now and the page is fixed but it is too dark too take a picture of the word fixed.)
I used Stampotique's Oh Dear, Angel Boy and Olivia stamped several times on card and cut up to create new odd images to reflect the feeling. The background began with masks, gesso and pink and purple dylusions paint.
I added the watercoloured stamps
I then doodled a border around the edge. Maybe I should have left it there after my journalling...
 but I added a layer of sprayed black and pink inks and then paint applied with a credit card and some black lines around the stamps.
I am also altering a box for the February challenge on UK Stampers but it is going very slowly - two weeks and counting but here is sneak peek of the box in progress.





Gothic Arch Challenge - late

This is my entry for the Gothic Arch Challenge, If Music Be the Food of Love, a day late as I did not have time to post it yesterday. It's strange but reflects my mood yesterday. I  covered an arch in kitchen roll and then slapped on modelling paste in a rough brick shape. Once dry I painted it red, then white, then a little purple and added some lines...
I was listening to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" when I did this and the lyrics from Comfortably Numb seemed to make sense at that moment, "Hello, Hello, is anybody in there? etc". The Octopode stamp seemed appropriate and I coloured some white ribbon and leaves with alcohol inks.  I'll try to be less bizarre next time....