Thursday 17 June 2021

2021 Topic 7: Stamp Mash UP JOFY, EEG, ESN, I&D minis {by Claire Snowdon}

 2021 Topic 7: Stamp Mash Up


Love how Claire has pulled this journal spread together, the kraft paper makes a rustic, distressed border at the edges, framing her gorgeous arty layers beautifully.
~ Leandra

Hi everyone, it's Claire Snowdon with you today, and I'm here to share a spread I created in my kraft paper art journal for the mash up topic.  I used JOFY, Emma Godfrey (EEG) and Sara Naumann (ESN) stamps together with a little JOFY mini stamp too.

I love creating art journal pages - but sometimes when I just don't know how to start I find a plain white page is a little daunting!  But over the years I have come to realise that I don't have the same issue when using kraft pages......I'm pretty sure I can't be the only one - kraft paper seems to allow more freedom and expression!
 

I started fast and furious with this one - PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylics (Bubblegum, Butternut and Zucchini) were scraped on with a palette knife.  I tried not to overthink it but I did want to keep the Zucchini towards the bottom to act as a semblance of grass.  I added Cloud 9 over the top - I used a variety of techniques; the palette knife, my fingers and also a baby wipe to soften it slightly. 


I added some detail to my background using the flower stamp from Emma Godfrey set 22 (EEG22) stamped with Fresco Chalk Acrylics in Bubblegum and Butternut.  I also added some stamping using the quote stamp from Sara Naumann set 33 (ESN33) - I used Versafine Smokey Grey and Ranger Archival Jet Black inks to create depth and shadows.


 
 
I started to build up my composition - using the flower stalk on the left hand page from Jo Firth-Young set 14 (JOFY14) and the stem from Jo Firth-Young set 54 (JOFY54) on the right - which is to become the main focal point of the page.  I stamped flowers all along the bottom of the page to create a 'meadow' feeling using the Jo Firth-Young mini 33 (JM33).  You can see I had trouble stamping near the ring binding of my journal - I was using an acrylic block, so in the future I need to try to remember to take the stamp of the block to make it a little easier.




I stamped the large flower head from Emma Godfrey set 22 (EEG22) again onto a piece of scrap card that was leftover from a previous project (if you look closely you can make out a little bit of Kim Dellow's stamps - just to make this an even bigger mash up!)  I added it to the JOFY stem using foam pads just to lift it off the page a bit.



I used watercolour markers to colour in the JOFY flowers and stems, with a tiny bit of white paint pen added as highlights. This fabulous quote is from Emma Godfrey set 22 (EEG22) stamped using Ranger Archival ink in Jet Black, cut out and edged with the same black ink.  I love the way it stands out from the page as it's so bold and pretty large for this size of art journal.
 

I added some white highlights to the Emma Godfrey flower head which I think really make it pop.  This photo really shows how the background layers work together - the overlapping of multiple paint colours, stamp sets and ink colours adds a real textural feel. 
 

I decided to glue the quote directly onto the page as it's so bold that it doesn't need anything extra.  I also didn't want to detract too much from the lovely Emma Godfrey/JOFY flower.


The last step was the add some splatter - I used two paint pens in pink and blue, just to give a little bit of contrast to the page.  A few white paint pen dots here and there and I decided it was finished!
  

 I made the choice not the edge the pages like I typically would - I am really enjoying seeing the kraft colour showing strongly at the edges.
 
 
One final comment is to point out that I added the final section of the quote over the top of my messy stamping near the ring binding - it doesn't quite cover it totally but it definitely draws the eye away from the stamping underneath it.
   

I hope you enjoyed my art journal pages today. Art journaling is a wonderful way to express your creativity and just have fun - it doesn't have to be perfect.  Just relax and have fun with it! 

Claire x

6 comments:

Hazel Agnew said...

A gorgeous fusion of stamps Claire and beautifully executed. Lovely to See Emma Godfrey stamps......often my go to’s.
Great colours, great arrangements and great presentation! Xx ❤️❤️❤️

Helen said...

Beautiful pages, Claire, I love everything about them.

craftytrog said...

A gorgeous mash up Claire! xx

PaperArtsy said...

Absolutely gorgeous Claire!!

Miriam said...

Love this! So colourful too

SewPaperPaint said...

What a stunning spread Claire! I love the white you added to the centers of the page, then the contrast of the stamped flowers over it. Gorgeous work, as always, you super talented girl! <3