Technique Tuesday #5 - Versamark Resist (aborted) - DecoArt

Welcome to Technique Tuesday #5 and a versamark resist that didn't work lol, but pushing through on the technique I ended up with a result I really liked. I had recently seen this video from Claudine Hellmuth a little while ago and wanted to have a go at her technique using versamark watermark ink refill.

I followed the instructions and got the first layer completed - a painted layer of raw umber media acrylic to seal the card and give me a dark background on which to work.

Next, as Claudine instructed, I placed down a mask - she used a stencil - and used a blending tool and foam to apply a coat of the watermark ink .......

..... and then painted a watery wash of gesso over the top but the magic didn't happen. The watermark ink was supposed to act as a resist but for some reason it didn't work for me - perhaps I should try it again and use titanium white media paint. To try and salvage something I grabbed a piece of kitchen towel, laid it over and gently dabbed some of the gesso off and dried it leaving this very mottled effect. I actually quite like it as it was but the more I looked at it I could see some of the ghostly branches peeping through underneath. I wiped it over with the kitchen towel wondering if anything else would be revealed but it didn't, the gesso was well and truly dry and nothing budged.

Still the more I looked at it those ghostly branches were calling me and I wanted to see more of them so I took things a step further, laid the mask back over the tree image and used a blending tool and foam again but this time with the raw umber media acrylic on it ........

..... this time when I removed the mask the trees and their branches appeared all wintry white and where the gesso had been in the background and with the covering of raw umber over it, it still left a mottled looking appearance, just a darker one than before. Mmmm this looked really quite cool.

 I knew immediately I wanted to make it into a journal page so out came the wonderful quotes stamps  from the lovely Alison Bomber and I chose a lovely simple tree one and stamped it on some painted core'dinations paper. The ink and the painted paper didn't work too crisply together but in the end I quite liked the rather ghostly words that I had and decided to use it anyway.

Sometimes you're lucky and sometimes you're not. Last week I threw several things in the bin that just didn't work for me but today I'm happy with the results.

Her's the graphic for today if you are pinning.

Have a great week.

hugs Brenda xxx

NEW CHALLENGE BLOG COMING SOON

Hi Everyone

Such exciting news - a new fortnightly challenge blog starting next Sunday for the stampers (rubber and clear) amongst us. It will be for everyone to take part, whatever style you have and as long as you get inky hehe. That counts alot of you in then.

There will be a prize for the winner - to be chosen by all the DT and there might even be some blog candy too. The site is up but not complete yet but Shirl of Shirl's Cards is getting it ready with the help of her amazing hubbie Andrew. It will be called FASHIONABLE STAMPING and if you click  you will be transported to the site immediately to see how it is looking. You will also see some names in the design team you recognise I am sure. Agnieszka, Claire, Dot, Fliss, Shirley and of course little ole me. We will also be having Guest Designers and our resident GDT member is Joanna.

I made this card for' Let's Ink It Up' but sadly it closed before I could use it - so I have kept it for the new blog. You can see it over there.

Burgundy back mount stamped with Claudine Hellmuth's stamped flowers which I then painted with acrylic paints. Background text paper - gessoed and stamped. PaperArtsy dragonfly on nesties mounts and I used on the edge dies to scallop the bottom edges. The little tag is another I wrote myself.

Supplies -
Dies - TH Scallops on the edge, paperArtsy Dragonfly, Nesties circles and scalloped circles.
Papers from my box of bits.
DIs - peeled paint, bundled sage, victorian velvet
Distress re-inker - spun sugar
Dulux household emulsion
Studio semi-gloss acrylic paint - landscape green
Stazon timber brown
Stamps - Claudine Hellmuth Bloom collection, PaperArtsy Tops and Tails 2 and 3.
Gesso and acrylic paint.
Flower, ribbon and tag.

Well folks I hope you will be tempted to come and see the new Fashionable Stamping challenge blog, please leave a comment if you pop in so we know you have visited. As you will see there's a bit still to be done but it will be a dead easy theme starting next Sunday - keep watching.

The sun is shining, the garden is blooming and I have a day to craft - what more could we want???

Have a fabulous week.

luv and hugs {brenda) xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
Simon Says Stamp - newspaper
The Shabby Tea Room - photo inspiration
Sir Stampalot - Anything Goes
Craft Your Days away - Summertime
Totally Gorjuss - Punches or dies

One, Two, Three

That's a song title isn't it? One, two, three - oh heck, I just had to look it up cos it's in my head now. Yep, 1-2-3 by Len Barry - sorry really showing my age now.

1-2-3, oh, that's how elementary it's gonna be
C'mon, let's fall in love, it's easy (it's so easy)
Like takin' candy (like takin' candy) from a baby.

Anyway onto more important business. 1-2-3 is the theme this week at Crafts4Eternity and I have gone Claudine Hellmuth style for this. I created a tag by masking, inking, sticking and stamping and then covered it with gesso. On top I have added 3 stamped and inked houses, 2 shrink plastic bluebirds, coloured with alcohol inks and 1 bottle top sun. A few rays and a map base for the houses finished it off.

Do pop over to see more details and inspiration from the C4E design team and enjoy the rest of the day.

Thanks as always for stopping by.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Challenges to have fun with -
The Artistic Stamper - Use hot colours
By the Cute and Girly - Things with wings
The Craft Garden - Use a bird
Try it on - Birds and bees (I only have birds - does that count?)
Art Impressions - Show me the bird
Crafts and Me - Summertime
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes
City Crafter - Let the sunshine in
Clear It Out - Wings
My time to craft - Bird watcher
Paper Minutes - Houses
Tuesday Throwdown - Fun in the sun
The Crazy Challenge - Summertime
Creative Stamp Friends - Summer

Gingersnap Creations Visiting Artist - Week 4

Happy Friday everyone - the weekend starts here. The weather in the UK seems to be improving and Sunday is supposed to be hot, hot, hot.

I still haven't got my PC back and my post for the Gingersnap VA piece is sitting in Windows Live Writer on it. As I found the photos are still on my camera I thought I would create a new post today to show you what I have done.

This week is a colour challenge at Gingersnaps and following with the shopping theme Shar is challenging us to use the colours of our money - so I chose blue, purple and brown - yes you guessed it, the £20, £10 and £5 notes in the UK. This is also for Scrolls Work as a GDT piece. Don't forget to head over and see what is left in their sale where everything is reduced by 60%, they have some fabulous Steampunk stamps.

This is a rather arty piece which again I used as a piece of homework for the course I am doing with Claudine Hellmuth which was to create a collage with a horizon line. For the blue background I used dishwasher rinse aid to create the streaks in paint. The main stamped image is from Scrolls Work, the castle image is from Crafty Individuals and the birdcage and car are downloads.

Claudine's comment for this piece was - "beautiful horizon line, great colours and nice dominant focal point", so I was pleased with that.

Right off to do a bit more to a larger project I am working on this week and I also want to get something made for Grungy Monday. I am also 'working' this afternoon, well it's not exactly paid work today but a meeting to arrange some dates for for next term. Slowly I am getting a few dates in the diary so I will be working a bit in the autumn.

My two children have been working at the Paris Air Show this week, I picked Maddie up last night and Ben comes home tonight - the girls have missed him and are looking forward to seeing him back.

Have a great day and a fab weekend whatever you have planned.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Vignette Collage - 2nd homework

This is my second piece of homework for a vignette collage. Claudine's comment for my last piece was fantastic - she said - "A great job on vignette!! I love the way you layered the images and great use of negative space." So I know what a vignette collage is and how to do one and this is another.

I chose the image to go with the backing poster advertising a display of toys and dolls. The other pieces fit in with the theme quite nicely. Again there is only one focal image and all the elements (bar the butterfly) are grouped together. I added the butterfly in the red colour to balance up the ticket. None of the elements bleed off the canvas, although this time I have added a sentiment/title. I have changed the height of the vignette, which is lower on the canvas but it still 'floats'. I submitted this yesterday and left a message saying  -  "My second piece for Vignette. The collage elements aren't all together, I wanted the butterfly to balance the colour with the ticket and the vignette is not floating in the middle. Does this count?" Claudine's reply was "This looks great! It doesn't have to be perfectly centred to be a vignette! I think you did a great job!" Woo hoo, that is soooo encouraging. Thanks Claudine.

Before I started on this I had a look around some of my favourite blogs and saw that Hels at The Sunday Stamper wants to see hats this week and I knew of one that would fit perfectly. It is another of my Scrolls Work stamps. The Paper Variety want 2 or more texts

Only one more week of the course left, I shall definitely look for more. This one was held at 'Big Picture Classes'. You might want to take a look. Everything is done on-line with galleries for downloading pictures, email and a chat forum.

Enjoy your crafty time.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

SCROLLS WORK STAMPS - Vignette Collage

This is a piece I have done for Scrolls Work Stamps and for my homework piece for week 3 of the 'Composition for Collage' course with Claudine Hellmuth.

Scrolls Work will sadly be closing their doors on the 15th July, but at the moment they have a whopping 60% of their whole range. If you pop over you can certainly grab yourself a bargain.

I am learning a great deal and also feeling more confident that I have an intuitive eye for composition and have used the techniques Claudine is teaching without knowing what I was doing. I know I can now improve on that though.

I am sure that this is a vignette composition but not a true one in the sense of it having a strong focal point. I think it is successful in that it sits in the middle of the canvas and uses the backing paper as a visual border. All the elements are positioned around the image and the buttons serve as points for the eye to move around but still has quiet areas for the eye to rest. To improve this piece I think next time I would make sure the focal image is stronger to lead the eye straight into the collage.

The stamped image is one from Scrolls Work which I have coloured with distress inks and then double embossed to give it more depth of colour. The bird paper at the bottom and the scalloped circle mount have both been given a wash with gesso to tone them down.

I am entering this into the  Sweet Stamps which is to use embossing and Class Act Insider which is a Vintage theme.

I am going to Ella's school summer fair today, so I hope it stays dry for them.

Have a wonderful weekend.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

On-line course with Claudine Hellmuth

Good evening everyone
.
Firstly a huge thank you to all of you who have so kindly left a comment on my Gingersnaps Visiting Artist 1 post. I am truly overwhelmed by your generosity and praise. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Secondly I forgot to say in that post that I am also a Ginger Gem this week for my art journal piece on cowboys and cowgirls. It just gets better doesn’t it?

Thirdly I have signed up to take an on-line course with Claudine Hellmuth on ‘Composition for Collage’.

Today was the start and I have watched the video and presentations, downloaded the handouts and images and now completed my home work. Good girl aren’t I?

I have to say this looks as though it’s going to be a great class with 4 separate assignments over a 4 week period and on-line support from Claudine herself. Today we looked at ‘composition structures’ and ‘asymmetrical balance’. Our homework was to make our own collage using Claudine’s or our own images.
This is my take on it.



The backing paper is DCWV; I provided the moth/butterfly, the word and the circular piece, the rest of the pieces are from Claudine’s collection. I hope I have created balance through an asymmetrical  composition and that it isn’t too cluttered. Let me know if there is movement, with your eye being drawn into the piece and that you can move around the collage taking in all the elements. I will welcome all ideas particularly where you feel it could be made better.

Thank you for visiting and taking a look.

luv and hugs {brenda} xoxox

Edit - This was the comment Claudine gave me -  "great job!! super duper asymmetrical. the butterfly weights the left side well and balances out the image of the woman. if you wanted to play with it more you could add maybe 3 tiny round buttons or something round all in a row in a line above the image of the woman. that would fill that space a little and also repeat the circle you have to the left of the woman. Just a thought!!"