2015 #16 Circle Crazy {by Emma Godfrey}

Topic 16: Circles

Hi everyone, Emma here, joining you this evening with a post about Circles.  I obviously wanted to use my circle stamps for this project, but I also wanted to add lots of texture to create a "touchy-feely" journal page too.  There are a lot of circles on this page ... hence the title!

Step One: I punched different size circles and hoops from some text paper and Smoothy, and stuck these down. I then went over the whole page with a thin layer of Fresco Finish Snowflake, and when that was dry I added some scribbles with a charcoal pencil.

Step Two: I stenciled with Jet Black Archival Ink through some sequin waste and a text stencil. I mixed my Fresco paint colours: Beach Hut, Limelight, Eggplant, Tango and Bouganvillea (from the Lin Brown Ltd Edition Set 3) with some medium (I used Ranger's Dina Wakely Soft Gel Matte Medium, but you could use Golden Matte Medium, Fluid Matte Medium, or Polymer Medium if you prefer, or any soft or loose matte gel). 

Topic 15 had inspired me to try mediums mixed into paint, and I loved the way the paints became even more fluid and translucent to work with but also retained their brightness, and they don't dry out quite so fast, and are more blendable into each other too. I painted the colours all over the page using vertical and horizontal strokes.

Step Three: Using a round sponge I applied Fresco Finish Snowflake all over the page to use as backgrounds for one of my circle stamps EEG07...

...the larger wheel type one.  I stamped it and the small stripy circle using Jet Black Archival Ink.

Step Four: I coloured in the wheel stamped images with the Fresco Finish paints and a very fine paintbrush. The stripy circle stamp was highlighted with an Extra Fine White Sharpie Paint Pen. I drew tiny circles and around the text paper circles with a black water soluble pencil, and then went over the lines with a wet paint brush. I added white circles and dots with the Sharpie pen. I also added some white splodges with the Fresco Finish Snowflake using just my finger, and when dry highlighted these with tiny dots using a black pen.

Step Five: I liked the page, but thought it was a little bright, so I applied a thin layer of Fresco Finish Snowflake with a palette knife - this added another texture too. When that was dry I realised I'd covered up all my water soluble pencil around the text circles, so I added some more.   Next I stuck down my quote, and lastly I decided it needed just one more texture - and I stenciled some Dreamweaver Translucent Embossing Paste through Stencil PS001. It doesn't photograph particularly well, but it really catches the light in real life.

Here's a close up of the finished page ...

I had so much fun creating this page. I didn't start with a plan, so I just let it flow, and I also got to try some new things for the first time! I {love} the texture that the first layer of punched circles gives to the page, even if it means the stamps won't stamp perfectly on top (I can be a little OCD ... but I'm getting better at just letting things like that go). Their raised edges are obvious even at the end.  That and the translucent embossing just make me want to stroke the page!

Thanks for looking - I'd love to see what you make if this project has inspired you.   You can find me on my blog, facebook and twitter.

Ohhh Emma this is delicious. I love how you manage to get such a variety of bright colours, and use the white to soften. Your circle stamps look stunning!! Thank you! ~ Leandra

Did you know that you can play along with us on the PaperArtsy blog to share and explore with us how you interpret the current theme. The current topic is Circles, and if you are inspired by any of our contributors on the blog this fortnight, then please join in and link up your creativity HERE.

All links go in the draw to win a voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Circles challenge link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, Sept 6th, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.