NEW PA PRODUCTS .... Introducing {Elenazinski Art}

Hi Everyone, Leandra here with an exciting new launch. 

Over the last 2 months we have brought to you on a weekly basis, so many amazing new stamps.

This is our final release, and we have been REALLY struggling to keep this one a secret! We have a new designer on board called Elena, who for many years.... well decades (how do I say that politely without making her sound ancient!! LOL - she's not) ...has been working as an artist and illustrator under her own brand Elenazinski Art. Her proficiency at both splashing about colour with gay abandon, and drawing with such minute attention to detail will quickly become apparent as you get to know her style and her designs.

Elena presented us with so many options that we are beyond excited about the options we will be able to offer you under her brand. 

For this release, we have gone with her humourous and totally adorable monsters. This is a style she has been doing within the stationery sector for years already, and they lend themselves perfectly to stamps, particularly Halloween, although I think you will be using these guys in all kinds of settings!

Let's take a closer look at the stamp sets we have put together with Elena. There are 4 large sets, available on EZ mount, and 8 minis (we are calling them Zinis, short for Zinski minis ....how cute is that!)

The A5 size stamps:

Elenazinski Art 01(ZA01)

Elenazinski Art 02 (ZA02)

Elenazinski Art 03 (ZA03)

Elenazinski Art 04 (ZA04)

And the Zinis are as follows:

NB. These are a max of 5x8cm in size, larger than our usual mini, but the same price: 

I'll hand over now to Elena who will tell you about about herself, and her creative life. Enjoy

Leandra

Hi everyone, Elena here to show you my new stamp collection designed for PaperArtsy.

For about 25 years…ouch that hurt! It really is almost 3 decades, so, ancient it is then Lol…I’ve been illustrating and designing mainly for the greeting card industry with individual commissions in between. 

At age 16 I was offered a place at the London College of Art which I had to decline because my parents thought I should train for a ‘real’ job such as a Pitman’s Secretarial Course. So over the years I experimented with watercolour and any other medium I could get my hands on. 

Then I discovered digital art programs so I used it all at once, no rules, just me playing by scanning in my illustrated, painted work and adding or altering. I doodle all the time. You won’t find make up or hair brushes in my bag but there’s always a couple of pens and a journal, which is where these characters were born...I designed them with a ‘fun and no rules’ rule, just because monsters are associated with Halloween doesn’t mean we can’t use them all year long right? 

We can colour them in clashing colours, doodle over them and add whatever our imagination leads us to. I love my little monsters but I want you to make them your own so let go and colour outside the lines. Let’s all be rebels together and break all the ‘artistic’ rules and make our own little world of colourful happy. 

The inspiration for these came from chit-chats with Leandra and from one of my many favourite quotes by Pablo Picasso “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child” Now I’m no Pablo but I do still think like a child, let’s face it, it’s more fun, less restricted and liberating. 

I designed these with versatility in mind so the options are endless…mask bodies and heads and mix them up to create different creatures, remember, no rules. Make pendants, keyrings, card embellishments and hanging charms with shrinkable’s and UTEE. I’m greedy and want to use them all at once so my first project is going to be a monster party layout.

I hope you all have as much fun using them as I had designing them and I’m really looking forward to seeing the gorgeousness that is your imagination. 

Love love. 

Elena 

It's Leandra back to share a few quick samples I knocked up on some pre-existing gelli-printed backgrounds. Elena's stamps just make me smile, the expression of the characters is so loaded with personality that you can't help but warm to them.

 

'Sneaky Kids' using ZA02 by Leandra Franich

I adore how mischievous these kids look.... super guilty....what have they been up to?

I recently spend a day with Jo, and she showed me a few simply gelli printing tricks, so I used my prints as both backgound (the ghost) and clothing for my naughty kids! Added a splash of colour with the new Prima Confections watercolour sets (all of them!)

'Told Off' ZA02 by Leandra Franich

Well, clearly Dad found out and she's been busted. Hopefully she's learned her lesson! LOL

'Every Cloud...has sparkly spots' using ZA01 by Leandra Franich

The teeth are out, but they're harmless...I promise! 

I stamped straight onto a gelli background made with the baby 3x5" plate. Colours boosted with Prima Confections, and yes, they got blinged up with some glitter glue. I need to add something more to the background, and some white gel accents but as the glue was still wet they are still a WIP! 

'Spotty Lads' using ZA01 by Leandra Franich 

You just know they are plotting... I think Mr Tall has spotted a potential date, but he's frozen solid at her smile directed straight at him and his legs have gone all wobby! Mr Blob is egging him on, telling him to man up and go talk to her. Will he? Won't he???? He's got his best shoes on so it's now or never! Assuming he can muster the strength to put one foot in front of the other!

Lauren Hatwell was born to use these stamps...she's been babbling like a deranged woman for weeks about them, muttering away to herself.... she talks to them as she colours them in you know!

'Naughty Norbert' using ZA01 by Lauren Hatwell

These characters are just so much fun that they definitely needed names. Meet Norbert! He just looks so cheeky with his googly eyes and toothsome smile. An absolute joy to colour and brilliant for all kinds of everything if you ask me. It's love!

I always love to decorate the insides of my cards and Elena has added so many really fabulous details that are just perfect for the job.

'Alouicious' using ZA01 by Lauren Hatwell

Now I KNOW you should have favourites, but Alouicious just makes me laugh. I love everything about him from his cute nose, right down to his toes. He cracks me up.

Oops! There he is again... don't worry; he's just keeping an eye on you! Did you know Alouicious means 'stick like objects'. Perfect for a guy with eyes on stalks don't you think... 

'Eugene' using ZA02 by Lauren Hatwell 

We've kind of decided Eugene's a kindly teacher or professor (and we think he's a bit bashful). Oh yes! It's not just me who has been captivated by these gorgeous characters. We've ALL been ooh-ing and aaah-ing over them FOR WEEKS!

I wanted Eugene to look like he might be made of cloth. I think it was the stitched mouth that gave me the idea. I love the fact that there's room to add lots of your own details to these wonderful characters. You just want to play and play with them.

What will Jo Firth-Young do with these stamps!? Well I'm desperate to see some Zinski monsters in a JoFY flower Garden! I'm sure they'd love it! Lets take a look....

I love these little characters - I want to adopt them all! Just too cute! BUT - they look mischievous and I think given half the chance could be quite dangerous (in a cute mud-pie-in-the-face type way) so with Halloween approaching I let them go (briefly, and under supervision) to the dark side..... (going into the JOFY flower garden will have to wait....)

'BOO' using (ZA02) by Jo Firth-Young

This little guy looks a little sad, as if he doesn't want to be bad but just. can't. help. himself! 

'Double the Trouble' using (ZA02) by Jo Firth-Young

These remind me of the 'evil' sibling that are often seen in horror films.... ooh so cute but you'd still better watch out.... They're daring each other to do naughty things - and the winged girlie is the boss! I just think they're adorable! I want to dress the girly in pretty clothes... but weirdly that would just make her seem more evil wouldn't it! lol 

These little characters are not completely evil - they wanted to be loved and have fun just like the rest of us... so I made a few cards embracing their softer side.. 

'Hug me' using (ZA02) by Jo Firth-Young

This chap just makes me smile! (they all make me smile, but this one especially!) He's not overly handsome - horns, uncontrollable hair and a bit of a dental issue - but all he wants is to have a fun time and be loved!...  Go on, hug him - you know you want to!

One of these little monsters had to have googly eyes and here they are:

'Grey clouds' using (ZA01) by Jo Firth-Young 

Look at that little face!! He is ready to party and have fun and is NOT going to let those clouds ruin his day!

'Party!' using (ZA01 & ZA02) by Jo Firth-Young

Oh my goodness! Imagine if you were having a party and you opened the front door to find this trio standing there! Let the good times roll! On this panel I wanted to play around with doodling accessories - 'Dapper dude' has a card and present, 'the animal' has balloons and is ready to paaaaaarty (he probably also brought a bottle but drunk it on the way!), and 'the flirt' has prettied herself up and comes bearing gifts... its going to be a good party don't you think.

I enjoyed working with these stamps so much! They all have little characters that can be changed for different situations - and I love how the eyes look sideways. Huge congratulations (and thank you!) to Elena for a fantastic stamp release.... (I'm off to let these little characters loose in the JOFY garden!)

Now for a little something from Keren Baker, well known for her CAS style, we wondered how her style could be monsterfied.

These images are lots of fun! I thought 'dolls and monsters' so wanted to give them a fun vibe. Absolutely perfect monster images for kids and the other characters for all sorts of occasions. When I saw the spherical monster it just said 'world' and their design with blank spaces mean you can add your own touches and patterning to make them fun or darker. I think they'd go really well with Jofy images and they blend perfectly well for making fun family montages for home decor too! 

Let's take a look at some ideas from Elena too. Elena is not a 'crafter' in the traditional sense, but she is a prolific artist and is constantly doodling, sketching and splatting colour in her journals. Her sketch books are fabulous, I'm itching to see what she does with her monster family!

On this journal page I used the hanging cloud as a border by stamping just the top half, the other doodle elements can be used for a variety of fun things, such as repeat pattern backing papers and the squiggly circles can be used as balloons or fantasy flower heads with the border line stamps as flower stalks and the little hearts can be made into pendants or card embellishments... 

Oh my, what a fantastic way to wind up our summer and seasonal releases! I hope you have fallen in love with Elena's collection as much as we have. It is fantastic to finally share them with you, and we look forward to lots of amazing stamps from her in the future!

All of Elena's  stamps will start shipping to retailers in the first week of October. Below is a list of those who have been ordering our new products regularly, so no doubt they will be ordering soon. As you know,  we urge you to support your local independent retailer bypurchasing PaperArtsy products from them.

Enjoy!

~Leandra 

PaperArtsy Stockists around the world with our newest stamps are....

United Kingdom

Artist Trading Post, Powys, Wales.

Artworks, Nottingham.

BellaCrafts, Eastleigh, Hampshire.

Birds in the Barn, Marks Tey, Essex.

Blade Rubber Stamps, Bloomsbury, London.

Clacton Arts and Crafts, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.

Countryview Crafts, Potton, Bedfordshire.

Craftylicious, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

Crafty Ideas, Studly, Warwickshire.

Keep On Crafting, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

Loobi Crafts, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.

Out of the Blue, Chipping Sodbury, Bristol.

Papermaze, Ipswich, Suffolk.

Rowantree Crafts, Carnforth, Lancashire.

Simply Craft, South Glamorgan, Wales.

Stampers Grove, Edinburgh.

That's Crafty, Romford, Essex.

The Artistic Stamper, Faversham, Kent.

The Craft Barn, Merstham, Surrey.

The Craft Den, March, Cambridgshire.

The Forget Me Not Kraft Kabin, Hockley, Essex.

Continental Europe

Expression-Hobby, Marcinelle, Belgium.

Kerudoc Creations, St Yvi, France

Toutencolle, Dun Sur Auron, France.

Stempelfee-Shop, Hilden, Germany.

Stempeloase Munich, Munich, Germany.

Marte, Savona, Italy

Creafine, Papendrecht, Netherlands.

Bianca's Toko, Drenthe, Netherlands.

Hobbycompleet de Duif, Leeuwarden, Netherlands.

Leuke Stempels, Nijverdal, Netherlands.

Cien por cien Manualidades, S.L, Barcelona, Spain

Manu Tam, Madrid, Spain.

Big Time Stempel, Gockhaisen, Switzerland.

USA/ Canada

Artistic Studio Creations, Fayetteville, Georgia.

Frantic Stamper Inc, Eagle Point, Oregon.

Kept Creations, Whitman, Massachusetts.

Scrap and Bean, Alberta, Canada. 

Simon Says Stamp, Columbus, Ohio.

Vintage in KC, Johnson, Kansas.

UAE

Paper Lane, Dubai, UAE.

Asia/ Pacific/ Africa

Tiny Dots, Chiba, Japan.

Mandy's Cards, Taipei, Taiwan

Scrapbook Studio, Jeffreys Bay, South Africa.

Stencil Art, Gauteng, South Africa.