BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

Hi everyone



We have had a great few weeks here. Last weekend I taugh a great group of textile artists some paper techniques, and the weekend before that i was up in Lancashire at Katy's Corner Stamp Camp - what a great time!



Now I can finally let you know about aweekend event called ARTSYCRAFTS that I am organising with Linda Brown from LB Crafts. Go here to see all the nitty gritty. You will find all the info you need to know, and a downloadable info & booking form.


Here are the basic details.

Event name: ArtsyCrafts
Dates: Sept 6 & 7
Location: DeVere Venue - Harben House, Newport Pagnell (5 mins from Jn14 of the M1), UK.
Classes: altered arts, technique loaded, 9 sessions in total!
Tutors: Linda Brown & Leandra Franich
Cost: 250.00 GBP

The classes are so fab, and the whole weekend is going to be thoroughly enjoyable. I hope some of you can make it! Go here to read all about it and download a booking form. Looking forward to seeing some of you there!

have a great weekend

Leandra

Through the arched window

In this post I'd like to share with you one of the classes I have taught the last 2 weekends here in England and in the Netherlands. It's a mini book with niches and decorated pages, loaded with fun techniques with Distress Inks and Sprays. The actual book is 13 pages long, here is a sample of a few of those for you to enjoy.

This project is based on a submission we received from Linda Baldock , one of the very talented Aussies on our DT. She is an EP (Embossing Powder) nutter, and has inspired me to dig out mine and start playing with them some mroe - great for texture, or that hint of magpie glint that I always need to have somewhere on a project.

Linda has the ability to use EP and create texture so deep and structured that I am gobsmacked every time I sneak a look at her blog. She must use truckloads of the stuff...every week! But it's divine, and I'm sure in real life it must all look so much more amazing than the pics can show. You must check out her blog.

The 'arches' project, in this version, is in blues and browns, in general the blue pages have doorways with the door cut out, and the brown pages have doorways stamped (sometimes) but the rule of thumb was that brown pages were not cut out. The pages alternate blue, brown, and the substrates vary and repeat between card, calico, metal, transparency. The book grew to 12 pages for the full day class version.

The backgrounds are done with a variety of distress ink techniques combined with water, mica powders and re-inkers. I have used both plain ink sprayed with various depths of hue (reinker in a mini mister with water), and the same laced with perfect pearls. We also used glimmer mists, because there is tons of colour and mica powder options which my magpie- sparkly- girl side of me just can't refuse to use! More is more sometimes - right? Why use one sparkly spray when you could use 5! LOL We repeat stamped from Urban Snapshots the gorgeous doorways from Arched Apertures (USAA2, USAA3)

The left page is walnut ink spray background, over-stamped in Walnut stain. Decorated with a gessoed AB page stamped in Jet Black (Mini #35) . The lampost (USAA2) was stamped and embossed onto blue metal, then cut out, textured with metal tools from behind and glued down. The eyelet with the flowers holds the swing door with the bingo number on it (seen on the front cover picture above). The right hand page is calico sprayed with broken china, then the arch is stamped in Jet Black Archival ink. Secured the calico to card, and then the arch was trimmed out with a scalpel or scissors.


The arch was stamped in Broken China on the left. so how do you line up the arches on both side of the same piece of card? Answer: stamp through the hole.
TIP: We trimmed out the stamped arch on the calico side, then placed the stamp ink side up on the table. Using the calico doorway- hole as a guide lower the card down onto the stamp while looking through the hole to get perfect alignment.
Along the left page, the lace stamp from Ink/Dog: Buttons 2 was stamped on transparency film, then dried and painted with Gold Acrylic dabber from the reverse. Nice border, and an easy pattern to match.
The page on the right started with Claudine Hellmuth's Peeled paper technique. Apply gel medium to the card, press an AB page into the gel, burnish, then pull the paper away to leave some of the ink transferred, but also some softer edges of AB remain. Now gesso over the top, dry, and then spritz generously with vintage photo distress spray. Dry the puddle with a heat tool to get the stain effect. Nice.
The page turner is a tab made from Cream Ten Seconds Studio metal, embossed and sprayed with Patina glimmer mist. The glimmer mist will puddle in the recesses and dry permanently on this metal. A touch of Jet black archival ink highlights the pattern.


The brown left page is glimmer mist straight onto a semi-gessoed page. Glimmer mists puddle like flecks on gesso when dry whereas distress inks seem to leave larger stains. I like both! On the right we have the large frame (USAA3) stamped on transparency, and under that is aluminium embossed with the Ten Seconds diamond pattern and alcohol inked with Stream and Terracotta ink. I like the way it glints through the transparency - magpie style-y!

But it is nice how the tranparency looks good over the gesso/ glimmer background too.
I put black card behing the metal page to support it and sprayed with glimmer mists that had pale mica pigments in them to reflect back some light. The top-hatted dude is from Ink/Dog: MON2.
The Poet tags are stamped onto blue metal and I used eyelets on the tags. The frame to the right was inked with a few Distress Inks: Scattered Straw, Vintage Photo, Broken China and Faded Jeans. Then the niche cut out.
Through the niche you can see the embossed metal page which was painted with some new paints available from LB Crafts, the cool thing about these paints is they don't scratch off metal, you mix your own colour of pigment into the 'carrier/ base', and then you can also add in gel type substance to turn the paint pearlescent/ metallic, and they have cool waxes that you can rub over the top to catch highlights. Watch their website or call them for more information about this product.

I also created a paint from Vintage photo re-inker mixed into the base to apply to the metal ...you can see the sample her in the middle of the right page....hmmm muchos experimentation to be had with this product!


Wishing you a great weekend! We have the kids off school for the next week, so I am hoping for warmer weather so we can get the pool out and start praying for a great summer. Well it can't be worse than last year can it? I think Summer was on a Wednesday last year here in England!

Leandra

Collaging Stamps...

We received a question this week from a relatively new stamper asking how does collaging of stamps work? Here are a few methods suggested by Leandra.
The wonderful samples of art are from Sue Abbott of Paper Paradise, a PaperArtsy stockist in Grimbsy, England. Sue teaches classes with our stamps regularly in her shop.


1. Layers of collage
Pick 3 colours of paper: maroon, green, black/cream) and stamp a series of images you want to work with onto the papers in black (maybe emboss in clear/ gold?) and cut/tear out. Working on a dark surface, lay images in an appealing way, adding colour to your background layers with a stippling brush etc and glue down when you are happy, Embellish with german scrap, tissue paper or vellum, threads, ribbons, watch parts, phrases, words etc. Images from Winter Wonderland Plate 1

2. Masking
Stamp an images, then stamp the same image onto a post it note. Trim out the post it note image, then lay it over the stamped image to create a 'mask' . Now you can stamp another image (even the same one) overlapping the first image, and repeat. Using this method, you can make a stamp of a single tree look like a forest, remember that the first image you stamp will be in the 'foreground' and all the rest will look like they are 'behind' the image once the mask is removed. The way you colour this scene with shading etc can also add depth and interest to a 'collage'. Masking an image, and then stippling colour around the mask can also be used as a way to create depth. See how this is achieved with this domino necklace by Leandra



3. Making Backgrounds
We love to make backgrounds using stamps. This example is great to show how simply this can be achieved in black and white. I think that stamping is always more effective when you use contrasting colours, and this highlights just that. Sue has used black ink to apply colour which is overstamped in white, white areas are stamped in black fine detail script. Fine detail stamps are over-stamped with chunkier ones, and different scripts also provide contrast too. These stampbord pieces are great as stand alone pieces, or you take them the next step by collaging a feature image on top. Add glass, metal tape, solder, and jewellry findings and you have a wonderful pendant. This would be a quick, but precious Xmas present for a special friend. Black leather thong would be a good 'chain' to hang it from. These 2 stampboards have used stamps from Words plate 4

4. Stamping On backgrounds
My personal style, and a 'system' that works for me is:
a. create a background by adding colour to white card (eg direct to paper with ink pads, paints, watercolours etc). Next stamp with numbers, fine writing, textures or other 'background' type elements in a pale colour (usually using the same inks as you used to create the background base colour) over the base to add more interest. (You can make 2-3 of these papers and use them within a collage, or stamp other images onto them, then trim and lay onto one of the other backgrounds)
b. Stamp in black a feature image (usually a person) onto one of the backgrounds from (a) trim out, then position onto the background made in (a).
c. Tear another piece of paper / card/ bespoke backgrounds and use to 'ground' the collage at the base, or a strip down the side, or to frame the feature image.
d. Embellish, with rub ons, mini tags, ephemera, wings, crowns, numbers, bingo numbers, watch parts, words or phrase stamps etc etc until you are pleased with the result. Once you are happy with the placement of all elements, then stick down all of the pieces. These stamps are from Letter plate 5


If you are struggling at this point to get your collage looking cohesive, and are contemplating the bin, then just before you give up, try mixing a thin whitewash of gesso (undercoat primer) with water, and take a wide brush and gently 'whitewash' the whole collage. Suddenly your 'collage' will look cohesive, and you might add a quote, or some words in boxes to finish.


...hope this gets you thinking of the possibilities.....