For this project I've continued having fun exploring some of Alison Bombers new release stamps and stencils.
Having worked with just one of the 4 Cosmos flowers from Alison's stampset 51 (EAB) so far I was keen to use them all so I I've made a 'Cosmos collection' of mixed media art panels.
This time though I've turned the volume down on the colour and leaned towards more muted/ neutral colours and my distressed, grungy, painty layers style of creativity.
Stamps from all of Alison's new release stampsets 51(EAB51), 52(EAB52), 53 (EAB53) were used in this project, one of the new PaperArtsy stencils by Alison (PS488) too.
As mentioned above my colour choices were more neutral this time: PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic -Stone (FF59), Cloud 9 (FF149), Concrete (FF63), Koala (FF141), Snowflake (FF15), Little Black Dress (FF19). I did pick out similar red and blue's though for the flowers: PaperArtsy Mattints - Ladybug (MT12), River Deep (MT11) and PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic- Baltic Blue (FF07), Mahogany (FF124).
Being the fan that I am of PaperArtsy Grunge Paste (GP190) I had to drop it in into the mix as I was keen to include some grungy texture in some way.
My creativity began with the background panels. PaperArtsy Smoothy cut into 4 equally sized panels painted and brayered with the neutral PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic palette I'd chosen to use.
I allowed dry time between each application of colour to prevent the risk of 'mudding' though that time was literally seconds as PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics are real fast dryers.
Just like with Project 1 some detail stamping came next.
I used the same text stamp from Alison's stampset 51 (EAB51) too, stamping it with Ranger Industries-- Distress Archival Ink (Hickory Smoke).
The pedicels of the Twisted Umbrels stamp from Alisons stampset 52 (EAB52) also provided some lovely touches of delicate broken detail.
The pedicels were stamped randomly around the painty background in Ranger Industries - Distress Archival Ink ( Ground Espresso).
I do like a stamp like this Twisted Umbrels stamp that allows you to use it in ways other than what it's design initially suggests!
From stamping detail to stencil detail. I opted for the new PaperArtsy stencil by Alison (PS488) to create outline prints of the stencil design.
To do this I rubbed Paper Artsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic - Cloud 9 (FF149) around the shapes of the stencil design. Some of the paint seeped through to the underside of the stencil.
Keeping the stencil the same way up I then placed it on the background and applied pressure around the painty area both with my fingers and the heel of my hand.
After which I lifted the stencil for the reveal -an outline print of the shapes in the stencil design. Perfectly imperfect in places but I like that!
Here's a close up of the stamping and stencilling detail.....
.... and an overview of all 4 finished backgrounds.

Time now to focus on bits and pieces I'd be embellishing the backgrounds with starting with the Cosmos flowers.
All 4 Cosmos flowers from Alison's stamp set 51 (EAB51) were stamped on watercolour card and painted in the same way as the flowers in project 1 with just an additional delicate touch of colour to the ends of the flower petals. I painted them either blue or red using all but one of the PaperArtsy Mattints and PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics I'd used in Project 1. Wanting a darker red for the accents I changed out PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic - Tomato (FF229) for Mahogany (FF124). PaperArtsy Mattints- Ash (MT10), Shadow (MT16) added a subtle touch of colour to the flower stems.
A sheet of ephemera and words next. All the stamps I stamped out are from all 3 of Alison's new stampsets 51, (EAB51), 52 (EAB52), 53 (EAB53). A great collection to choose from and I didn't stamp them all so there's even more!!
The stamped ephemera got me to thinking about other bits n pieces I could include in the final design of the art panels. This led me to reach for my pot of Paper Artsy Grunge Paste (GP190). Well, I did say I was keen to sneak in some grungy texture somewhere! ;).
I made a couple of textured strips by stamping the text stamp from Alison's stampset 51(EAB51) into PaperArtsy Grunge Paste (GP190).
Conscious this is already a long post I hope you won't mind if I leave a few links here and here to posts I've shared previously that have 'how to's' / info/ hints and tips etc about stamping into PaperArtsy Grunge. It's also worth doing a search on the blog as alot of the PaperArtsy bloggers/ designers have shared too.
It also led me to make some washi tape!
I'd recently acquired a few rolls of microporous tape and had set them to one side with the intention to use in my creativity at some point. So out came one of the rolls and with the text stamp already sat on my desk seeming like it was asking to be used I brought the two together to make washi.
Keeping in mind the colour palette of my project so far and the tape potentially being used as an accent element I painted it with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic - Little Black Dress (FF19). A couple of coats were needed due to the tape having porous properties. Once dry I repeat stamped the text stamp with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic -Snowflake (FF15).
Yet again I was as impressed with the text stamped in PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics as I was when stamped with inks!
(just a gentle reminder to always clean your stamps immediately when using them with paint or grunge paste)
At this point I felt I pretty much had everything to start bringing the project together.