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Tuesday, 21 February 2023

NEW PaperArtsy Products: Gwen Lafleur {Feb 2023}


A note from Leandra:
This is a stunning release from Gwen. I just adore creating art dolls, and this variety of 'heads' are such a cool starting point to make the process fast and achievable. Gwen also provides elements that work for wings, medallions, or perhaps making bespoke papers to dress your art dolls. 
 
Gwen will be LIVE with her new products and ideas over in our Facebook Group, PaperArtsy People shortly after this post publishes. I really hope you can drop by or catch the replay. You will love seeing what Gwen has made with these for sure!
 
For the next 3 months, these stamps are only available EXCLUSIVELY from our approved stockists. Please check the list at the foot of this post of from the home page tab of the blog.
 
Hi everyone, Gwen here!

I'm thrilled to share my latest release for PaperArtsy which includes three hand-drawn stamp sets that were inspired by my all-time most popular workshop, Angels & Icons. I started this series of artwork several years ago when inspiration from a trip across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railroad where I saw countless beautiful Orthodox Icons collided with my long-time love of Mexican folk art and its vibrant colors and patterns (in particular, folk art angels.) So I thought, why not mash them together? This has resulted in quite a few pieces of art in different forms as well as the aforementioned workshop (which now also has a spin-off class!) 

In my own work and several of my workshops, I often use versions of my own hand drawn portraits and have had several students ask if they could use them too. So for these collections, I wanted to bring some of my favorite faces as well as stamp versions of the different elements I frequently use in this class / series of work, all in my own signature style. Hearts and crowns, elements for headdresses, quarter repeat stamps that make halos, auras, medallions, and more, and components that can create unique wings or dress up your figures. All of the pieces have been designed in a way that allows them to mix and match and be used together, individually, or within a single set.

I've been busy pulling together examples for you to see how incredibly versatile these stamps can be and I've deliberately drawn the faces to be customized. I hope you love this fun new series as well as all of the inherent possibilities as much as I do.



Price: RRP €23.00 +VAT    Size:5" x 6" (13 x16.5cm)
All stamps are individually trimmed onto cling foam with a laminated storage/index sheet.
  
Eclectica³ Gwen Lafleur stamp set 34 (EGL34)

EGL34 is the first set in this release that includes faces and as one of them was Renaissance inspired and many of the elements fit with a more elegant and / or refined style, I call this set my Angels & Icons - Renaissance set. 

I love that the elements here can be used to accessorize a face or can be used on their own as well as the fact that the supporting designs can be used in several different ways. I've tried to show multiple different ways to use the faces, but also to illustrate my thinking in the other designs and how I envisioned using them when I drew this set.

 RENAISSANCE FACES - CUBIST STYLE

This first sample takes a very loose approach to creating a mixed media portrait and I love the effect. Although I've used the elements in the same general way that I would in one of my more detailed and textural works, it's a much less fussy approach that gives very cool results.
 

I love the mixing and matching of colors and layers assembled together to create a portrait. It feels very Cubist to me and I really enjoyed doing something that has a more modern, even abstract approach.
 
 
It was very freeing to work without worrying about straight lines and precise angles and yet, it still shows a very deliberate process. I also like showing how you can use some of the detailed designs in different ways and without having to do any fussy cutting.
 

You'll also see starting with this view how much I got hooked on using the designs in this set to create my own patterned paper by stamping on top of different pieces painted with PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylic Paints. It helps maintain the feel and style of the piece and also adds a nice sense of repetition to tighten the design.



RENAISSANCE FACES ART DOLL

For this second piece, I wanted to showcase how you can incorporate the face stamps without using the entire design. I see lots of whimsical art dolls that have square and round faces and these stamps lend themselves beautifully to that approach and also make it fast and easy to do.
 

In this closeup of the head and shoulders of my doll, it really starts to highlight how easily you can personalize the faces with colors, added designs, shape, and accessories. In this set I pictured using the flowers as a headpiece, but they also work to create repeating patterns, or work beautifully for shoulders and torso embellishment (or just on their own as a floral design!)

You can also see how I took the crown from this set and turned it into neckline and shoulder embellishments (and jewelry too if you see the hands and feet.)
 

Once again, you can see how the different elements make great patterned paper. I also got some added versatility from the Ex Voto heart in this set by cutting out the center to totally change the look.

 
QUEEN OF HEARTS: MIXED MEDIA PORTRAIT

This final piece made with EGL34 is a sample from my new Queen of Hearts workshop (a spin-off from Angels & Icons.) I wanted to share this to illustrate how you can take these stamps to the next level with the addition of some fun dimensional elements.


Looking closely at the face, did you notice that it's the exact same face that I used in the art doll in the previous sample? Just changing the skin tone, hair and embellishments and the shape and setting of the portrait gives it an entirely different look. You can see that I mixed in some stamps from my October release and heavily accented the crown with beads as well as a blueberry sprig, also from EGL34.

I also like this view because it helps highlight why most of my faces are bald - I wanted to allow for versatility in covering the head with a headdress, creating many different types and styles of hair, going in a very unique direction (like all circles here,) or to leave the option for the faces to be either male or female. I'm often surprised when I find that a face that I initially drew as a woman turns into an extremely masculine character. You'll see in the Facebook Live how some of these same faces have become men!


I love to really layer up the torso when I create art dolls or mixed media portraits and I'm thrilled at how beautifully the stamped and painted faces transition into the dimensional torso. (And the glittered Ex Voto stamp tucked in there makes me smile.)




Eclectica³ Gwen Lafleur stamp set 35 (EGL35)

EGL35 is the set that I call "Wings & Things." In my Angels & Icons series and workshops, I often add wings of some sort to my figures and I frequently make them from less obvious supplies like skeleton leaves. I also wanted these to be big enough to fit with the scale of the faces, so they definitely needed to go into their own set.

Here you have an obvious set of wings with my own spin and patterns, two types of skeleton leaves, and some fun folk art-style flowers that I like to use for layers on the wings, as shoulders, for headdresses, or just as flowers!

 MIXED MEDIA LEAVES & FLOWERS

While the original intent of these designs was to create elements that could be paired with my faces, I love versatility in my designs and wanted to showcase how these can be used on their own both as focal elements and background motifs. The leaf printed background might be my favorite part, though! 


I love the crisp lines and details of the skeleton leaves - they really capture the essence of the real thing! It's hard to see, but I also created a background print with the flowers, deliberately blurring the designs so that they would fade into the background rather than competing with the flowers in front. And for the main flowers, I love that little touch of brass connecting the flowers to the stems.
 
 
I think my favorite thing about these stamps is the sense of texture that can be easily enhanced depending on what substrate you stamp on and what elements you pair with the stamps in your project. 
 

The light colored leaves in the background layered with the spattering of PaperArtsy Infusions is such a fun pairing for me - I know I'll be doing that again! 



WHIMSICAL BUTTERFLIES

Of course, in a set about "Wings & Things," there must be something with wings! I ended up making a pair of whimsical butterflies (or moths?) to showcase how the idea of wings can go beyond my angelic inspiration for this release.
 

I love the skeleton leaves as wings... pairing the two styles together really gave it nice balance. (And pro tip: to get the tip of the Bo shaped leaf to go in the opposite direction so you have mirrored leaves to create wings, stamp both leaves on your substrate and then use a pen that matches your ink to draw it facing the other way on one of them. Add a little shading and when you cut it out, you won't even notice that it was modified!)

Here you can also see how I envisioned using the folk flowers as a layering element for wings. I love how it adds a different shape and brings in the ability to add different colors. 
 

The smaller, narrower rubber tree leaf makes a great butterfly body and I love the detailed wings. Just a touch of PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylic Paints on the patterned areas makes them pop and really highlights the designs.
 

I also love how doubling up the wings and heat embossing the bottom layer gives so much more dimension and allows that little flash of bling to shine through.



Eclectica³ Gwen Lafleur stamp set 36 (EGL36)
 
Last but not least, we have EGL36 which I call my Angels & Icons Tribal Faces set. The 3/4 profile image was inspired by a portrait of a Berber woman and the face with the eyes closed has been used in my work as both a Turkman woman and a male Shaman. I paired these faces with elements that are more in keeping with that vibe including a "crown" that fits on all of the faces but also works beautifully as a neckline for a dress or tunic.

 TRIBAL FACES MIXED MEDIA PORTRAIT

This mixed media portrait is a scaled back version of my Queen of Hearts piece, showing how you can create lots of impact with a simpler paper-focused approach. You can see how, with just a few tweaks, this face could easily be male or female.
 

I love to create auras or halos (or medallions) for my pieces in this series and created a quarter repeat stamp that is intended to make it easy to stamp your own. It may not be intuitive just looking at it, but while it definitely works to make corners or half-circle borders, here you get a glimpse of the inside of my head.

I also adore adding the feathers both for a neckline and a headdress embellishment and wanted to show how you can change or even completely cover up the turban that I drew onto the figure.

  
Here you get a better idea of how I used some of the additional elements. There's a kind of decorative spike that I initially envisioned as working in a headdress, but it could also be a staff or used as I did here for a unique patterned element. 

There's a heart in this set as well and I love finding additional uses for my designs so you can see the heart peeking out and turned upside down to create shoulder embellishments. I also love how well the medallion corner stamp on the bottom half of the torso and the sleeves creates a cool striped effect. 
 


TRIBAL FACES ART DOLL

These sets lend themselves so well to mixed media art dolls, so I wanted to create a second one with this set that's similar, and yet totally different from the one I made for EGL34. I also love the contrast of the elements in this piece with the way they were used in the previous sample.
 

I love how just changing a few elements and modifying the designs can completely change the look of the face. In this case, the hair and headdress combined with skin tone and the way I embellished the face gave her a much more Asian look, which I love! You can also see the versatility of the other elements vs. the previous sample where I used the crown as I originally envisioned as part of a headdress and then flipped the quarter repeat stamp to create a neckline with some built in embellishment. (And honestly, I just adore the color and pattern added to her face - so much fun!)
 
 
This particular art doll was mounted on illustration board and then cut out... partially so she could stand upright, but mainly because I wanted to create this cool little niche where I could nestle the heart. And I absolutely LOVE how the feathers look stamped randomly and then painted to make a one-of-a-kind pattern for her dress.

 
OPENING THE EYES

While I love having one of the faces with its eyes closed, versatility is once again key... and did you know, you can open those eyes with just a few strokes of a pen and a little color! This is the exact same fact that I used in the art doll in the previous sample, but look at them side by side and it would take a second to realize it. Leaving the neck at full width and opening the eyes... even just changing some of the colors, and you have a totally different face to work with.

(Pro tip: the key is working off of the top crease of the eyelid which you still see in the closed position on the stamp. You just need to move down a bit and add the top lash line, then the closed lash line becomes the bottom of the open eye. Add the iris and pupil, don't forget the catchlight, and you'll be pretty much there!)



3-SET MASHUP: MIXED MEDIA ART DOLL

This is the first time with now 36 total stamp sets that I have deliberately designed all of the sets in a release so that they can work together, so I couldn't finish without sharing a sample that combines all three sets to show how that could look. This is a simplified, all-paper version of the project that we do in my Angels & Icons workshop to give you one last glimpse into what was inside my head as I designed this collection of stamps.


I love how you can see once again how much the face can change based on colors, accessories, and context. The paper hair I added here is super fun and paired with her dress, she becomes her own unique figure.


I mentioned earlier in the post how much I love using skeleton leaves for wings, and here you get to see how I was thinking of them when paired with faces. (Of course, they could also become clothes... but I have to save something for later!)

This also highlights my main intent in adding the folk flowers into EGL35 - I love to create elements to use as shoulder embellishments as it's such a great connecting detail.


I love how tracing over the lines of the Ex Voto stamp can really change how it looks or make it lean more into a different style. And of course, more handmade patterned papers with PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylic Paints and layered stamping with elements from these sets.


I carried that patterning idea all the way down her dress, mixing and matching stamps to get lots of added versatility from each set.


Whew, that was a lot! But hopefully this little peek into my head and what was behind each of the elements I put into these three stamp sets was fun, inspiring, and maybe even enlightening. I can't wait to see how you all use these stamps and what unique characters will emerge!


Socials...

Teaching Schedule:
I'm thrilled to be returning to teach four workshops at the 20th Anniversary of the Art & Soul Retreat held in Portland, Oregon (USA.) 
Angels & Icons - April 16, 2023
Watercolor for Mixed Media - April 17, 2023

I will also be teaching at the first Creative Minds Summit - a new retreat held at Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria, Virginia (USA.)
Queen of Hearts - May 12, 2023

I also have several online workshops available on demand. Those and future workshops are all listed and kept up to date on my website.


Socials...

Teaching Schedule:
I'm thrilled to be returning to teach four workshops at the 20th Anniversary of the Art & Soul Retreat held in Portland, Oregon (USA.) 
Angels & Icons - April 16, 2023
Watercolor for Mixed Media - April 17, 2023

I will also be teaching at the first Creative Minds Summit - a new retreat held at Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria, Virginia (USA.)
Queen of Hearts - May 12, 2023

I also have several online workshops available on demand. Those and future workshops are all listed and kept up to date on my website.

 PaperArtsy Stockist List

Our stockists are your go-to  source for all PaperArtsy products, and we suggest that you also use the PaperArtsy People Facebook group to source a retailer in your country. Many are members of our FB group and will happily share links to their online stores.

Australia
Bev's Cross Crafts, Spreyton, Tasmania https://www.bevscrosscrafts.com.au/
Crafters Cupboard, Berwick, Victoria www.crafterscupboard.com.au
Memories on the Murray, Murray Bridge, SA  https://www.memoriesonthemurray.net/
Natalie May Scrapbooking, Dover Gardens, SA https://nataliemay.com.au/
Scrapbook Superstore & More, South Penrith, NSW https://www.scrapbooksuperstore.com.au/
The Scrapbooker's Confetti Box, Swansea, NSW https://thescrapbookersconfettibox.com/
The Scrapbook Store, North Perth,WA http://thescrapbookstore.com.au/ 
Time To Create, www.timetocreate.com.au

Belgium
Cart N Scrap Art, Antwerp, www.cartnscrapart.be
Créatelier Caracolle, Liège, www.createliercaracolle.be

Canada
Clipper Street Scrapbook Company, Langley, BC. www.clipperstreet.com
Paper Art Creations Inc, Leduc, Alberta, www.paperartcreations.com/
Scrapbook Centrale, Dollard Des Ormeaux, Quebec www.scrapbookcentrale.ca
Scrap Addicts, Edmonton, Alberta www.scrapaddicts.ca/
Scrap and Bean, Edmonton, Alberta scrapandbean.com/ 
Scrapbooking Fairies, Drayton Valley, Alberta www.scrapbookingfairies.com/
The Paper & ink Boutique, Calgary, Alberta www.paperandinkboutique.com/
The Scrap Yard, Calgary, Alberta, www.thescrapyardcalgary.com/ 

Denmark
Hobbyboden Scrapworld Samso www.hobbyboden.dk

France
Eirl Bancon Cartoscrap, Midi Pyrenees, www.cartoscrap.com
Fée Du Scrap, Saint Sébastien-Sur-Loire, www.feeduscrap.fr/
Horizon Créatif, Ste Jalle www.horizon-creatif.fr
Instant Créatif, La Possession, La Réunion, www.icreatif.re
Katzelkraft, Ingwiller www.katzelkraft.fr/en/
Kerudoc Creation, St Yvi www.kerudoccreation.com
Le Grenier des filles, Pierre Benite
Page de scrap, Saint Pavace, www.pagedescrap.fr/
Scrap Déco Home, Goutrens, www.scrapdecohome.fr/
Toutencolle, Dun sur Auron www.toutencolle.fr

Finland
Heidin Korttipaja, Istunmaki, www.korttipaja.fi/fi
Piia Paper, Kittilä, www.piiapaper.com/fi

Germany
Stempelbar, Berlin, www.stempelbar.de
Stempeloase Munich, Munich www.stempeloase.de
Stempelfee Shop, Hilden www.stempelfee-shop.de
Stempellaedle, Stuttgart, www.stempellaedle.de/shop

Greece
Scraps N Pieces, Kallithea www.scrapsnpieces.gr

Italy
Immagine SAS di Rapaccini, Rome, www.immaginelab.com
Il Negozio Della Mamma Di Cle, Torino, www.ilnegoziodellamammadicle.com
Marte Savona, Savona, www.martesavona.it
Pezze E Colori, Lissone, www.pezzeecolori.it/ 
Piccole Passioni, Siena, www.piccolepassioni.it

Japan
La Wadao, Odawara, Kanagawa, www.lawadao.com
Tiny Dots, Funabashi-shi, Chiba www.tinydots.shop-pro.jp

Netherlands
De Hobbystudio, Genemuiden, www.dehobbystudio.nl/
Doe@ding,Spijkenisse doeading.nl/
Hobbycompleet de Duif, Leeuwarden www.hobbycompleet.nl
Stampingcorner, Capelle Aan Den Ijssel www.stampingcorner.nl

Norway
Hobbygarasjen, Kopervik, www.Hobbygarasjen.no

Spain
Cien por Cien Manualidades, Barcelona,  www.100x100manualidades.es
Ideas 10 Manualidades Y Scrapbook, Bilbao ideas10manualidades.com/
Marakiscrap, Tarragona, www.marakiscrap.com
Scrap & Papers Experiences, Barcelona, www.scrappapersexperiences.com
The Paradise Corner, Barcelona, www.theparadisecorner.com

Sweden
Butik Elva, Staffanstorp, www.butikelva.se

Taiwan
Mandy's Cards, Taipei www.facebook.com/mandy.card.77

United Kingdom
Amelia's Creative Crafts, Studley, Warwickshire  www.ameliascreativecrafts.co.uk
Art from the Heart, Harrogate, Yorkshire www.afth.co.uk
Crafts at The Malthouse, Herstmonceux,  East Sussex, www.themalthouse.co.uk/
Loobi Crafts, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, www.loobicrafts.co.uk
Papermaze, Ipswich, Suffolk www.papermaze.co.uk/ 
Stampers Grove, Springbank, Lilliesleaf, Melrose,Scotland www.stampersgrove.co.uk
The Artistic Stamper Craft Store, Faversham, Kent www.theartisticstamper.com
The Forget me not Kraft Kabin, Rochford, Essex, www.TheForgetMeNotKraftKabin.co.uk

USA
Artistic Artifacts, Alexandria, VA www.artisticartifacts.com/
Artistic Studio Creations, Fayetteville, Georgia www.facebook.com/ASCbyCrystal
Craftiness, Chatsworth, CA, www.craftinessonline.com/
Everything Scrapbook & Stamps, Lake Worth, Florida https://everythingmixedmedia.com/
Frantic Stamper, Oregon www.franticstamper.com
Free Heart LLC, Denver, Colarado, www.freeheartllc.com/
Joggles, Coventry, Rhode Island, www.joggles.com
PaperCraft Clubhouse, Westbrook, Connecticut, papercraftclubhouse.com/
Qingquing's Stamp Shop, Portland, Oregon
Runaway, Art & Craft Studio, NE Salem, Oregon www.runawayart.com/
Simon Says Stamp, Columbus, Ohio www. simonsaysstamp.com
Topflight Stamps, Irmo, South Carolina topflightstamps.com/

If you are interested in becoming a PaperArtsy stockist contact Dounia@paperartsy.com for more information

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Facebook Page PaperArtsy
Blog blog.paperartsy.co.uk
Twitter twitter.com/paperartsy
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