2021 Topic 7: Stamp Mash Up JOFY, EEG, ESN, I&D minis by Helen Chilton

  2021 Topic 7: Stamp Mash Up: JOFY, EEG, ESN, I&D Minis

It's fascinating how diverse images can meld so perfectly. Using an almost tropical colour palette and some beautiful stencilling, Helen has created a wonderland garden full of beauty. With some clever reversing tips plus some super glossy blooms, you might want to dig out your magnifying glass!

~ Keren

Hi everyone, it's Helen with you today, and I'd like to share with you my mash up project. I love doing these as you have so many stamps to choose from but that can also be a disadvantage as you're spoilt for choice.

With this project I was going to do something totally different, using very different JOFY stamps. However when I'd made the background it looked too tropical for what I was planning so I went through my stamps again! Actually it worked in my favour as I could make the Sara Naumann birds a focal point as well (plus I love those stamps).

Brayer two colours on to start with, if you brayer one layer over another while it's tacky it also pulls some paint off leaving an interesting texture.

Love this stencil and have used it in all directions.

I've chosen a circular pattern for the next layer - by chance it fits in well with the stamped and cut out circles later although I can't claim to have planned that far ahead!

I finished with zigzags and those large leaves; I can see that stencil becoming one of my favourites.

Use the Minis to stamp in paint - you've already built up six layers.

I used a Stamping Platform for the flowers simply so I could go back over the outlines once I'd painted them. Be careful with this stamp as it's easy to get ink on the open spaces.

The gloss glaze used here just gives the flowers a lift. While it's wet you can also add the beads to the centres.

I was thinking of creating a sun with this stamp of Emma's but in the end cut out the middle and used it as a frame and a perch for the birds.

Using black paint to stamp these meant I got a really intense image. As it's a silhouette stamp I just cut it out and painted the back to get my bird to face the other way.

Playing around with the layout, I added some smaller cut out circles in blue and yellow. I was going to use the pink again, but it was too much.

To finish, I used the Minis to frame the whole board - the script is lovely and loopy and the circles echo the circle frames.

Mini 56

Mini 74

Mini 48

Finish off with the text, stamped on a matte background to contrast the glossy flowers.

I love the contrast of the black paint with the bright background - it really stands out. In fact, apart from the flowers and text, I've used paint to stamp everything here - it gives a good opaque image, yet at the same time I'm not worried about it being perfect. The whole idea is to give an impression. Using all these different stamps has once again been great fun. If it's too daunting to have completely free rein, limit yourself to four designers as is done here. You could try pulling together the designers that seem most different for an even greater challenge!

Helen

A Splash of Colour