2024 Topic 9 : Alison Bomber Treasure Chest {by Ann Barnes}

Hi everyone it is Ann (aksbarchitect CREATES) here with you today. Where I live we are deep into the season of Autumn. The season where I often find myself noticing and picking up nature's treasures from the ground whenever I am outdoors.

 

When I first learned of this Topic's focus: all things Alison Bomber, my creative mind began conjuring ideas of a treasure box that would hold small natural elements, or treasures that I have found. A place for safekeeping until I use them in my art. Alison has a wonderful variety of stamps, both with words and illustrations. I have always been drawn to her gorgeous botanical illustration stamps. I chose to focus on Eclectica Alison Bomber Set 25 (EAB25) Acorn Edition, taking advantage of the tie-in to the season as well as our current PaperArtsy Blog theme: nature.

I am so in love with this Nature's Treasure Box! Adding the dimensional leaves to the base oak branch illustration stamp turned out even better than I imagined. The PaperArtsy Infusions created such a realistic palette for the leaves, bringing the entire design to life.

I am fawning over the wax seal that holds the leather closure piece. I wanted to draw special attention to the round stamp design included in this set, and thought that it would be wonderful as an actual seal; yet only having ever used metal heads to create wax seals, I was unsure if this could be achieved. I will explain how I was able to create this gorgeous detail using sealing wax.

I am often inspired by the colors I see in nature, and for this project I was definitely feeling the autumn vibes. PaperArtsy Infusions Dye Stains in Golden Sands (CS05), The Sage (CS03), Just Walnut (CS25), Terracotta (CS21) and Rusty Car (CS17) reflect the gorgeous hues of autumn foliage, while all of the stamping was done in browns using Ranger Industries Archival Inks (ground expresso, vintage photo and coffee) to keep it earthy and neutral.. 

I was gifted a few old cigar boxes from a fellow artist a number of years back and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use one. I wanted this treasure box to be large enough to hold a variety of pieces both small and large, and I thought this box was a perfect fit. I removed all of the stickers and sanded down the finish. Then I coated the outside of the box with clear gesso. At this point I was unsure of what color I would be using for a base.

Next, I created colored die cut leaves that I would be adding to the collaged, stamped images. I figured this would be the best way to select a background color that would complement the palette and allow the acorn branch imagery to take center stage. To make the leaves, I sprinkled PaperArtsy Dye Infusions onto wet Bristol Paper and allowed the colors to bleed and blend together. In some areas I used additional water and a paintbrush to dilute the color and others I blended the colors together. I tried to leave some sections with straight infusion colors so that when I die cut pieces from the sheets of paper I would have a large variation in leaf color.

It's always a good idea to die cut a lot more pieces than you think you will need, I seem to find myself using way more than I anticipate. If you have any leftover, you can always use them in another project or even to make a quick greeting card. With a gorgeous pile of leaves to complement, I am able to select a paint color for the outside of the box. I chose PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Acrylic Chalk Paint in Buff (FF96), and paint the exterior. When the paint is dry I lightly distress the edges.

To add interest and give the box a more weathered appearance, I randomly stamp around the edges with PaperArtsy Minis stamp (MN72). Since I want this to blend into the background and not draw a lot of attention, I ink the stamp with Ranger Industries Archival Ink - Coffee, stamp onto a scrap paper and then stamp on the box using whatever ink remains on the stamp. This second generation stamping appears much less crisp than if I had stamped directly onto the box immediately after inking.

With the prep work complete, I was eager to see my vision come to life! I wanted to add a knob or pull to make opening the box easier. Considering that this would be fastened to the top, I decided that it was important to figure out what would be inside incase I needed to account for any fasteners. 

I figured the best way to have flexibility with the interior finish would be to make a panel that could be attached after the knob was secured. I measured the interior dimensions and cut a piece of patterned scrapbook paper to size. Then, I selected a favorite section of the PaperArtsy Printed Tissue - Alison Bomber (PT08). Using Ranger Industries Distress Collage Medium matte, I collaged the tissue onto the paper panel. The patterned paper is faintly visible through the tissue and gives an aged appearance. 

Using Ranger Industries Distress Crayons, and a water brush, I added color to the botanical images and circular seal portion of the printed tissue. to add a bit of grunginess to the panel I stamped PaperArtsy Minis (MN72) with Ranger Industries Archival ink - Coffee. I added bit of Gold leaf pen around the outside edge of the circle and the interior panel was finished.

Now it's time to work on the outside of the box. I want to create an overall pattern on the top and plan on creating this using the oak branch with acorns stamp. In order to gauge how the design will fill the space, I stamp it multiple times onto tissue paper and cut them out. Then I can easily move the pieces around. It also allows me to see where I might be able to include some of the die cut leaves.

I continue arranging the tissue pieces on the top of the box. Where necessary, I cut off sections of the design. In particular if there is an area that I would like a die cut leaf to replace one in the stamp design. Using another stamp from the set, I create a faux wooden layered plaque. This will be placed towards the center of the box top. I set it in place so that I can easily layout my design around it.

In areas that I want to add more acorns, I cut up the stamped tissue and situate the pieces to make it appear as they would be an extension of the branch.

Once I have my desired design, I collaged all of the tissue pieces into place using Ranger Industries Distress Collage Medium - Matte. After the collage medium has dried, I tested out some of the leaf placements before adding color to the stamped pieces.

To color the collaged, stamped pieces I used Ranger Industries Distress Watercolor Pencils. It is easy to add and blend the colors. I tried to make the acorns look as realistic as possible while also allowing for a range of color to distinguish all the elements.

Once satisfied with the coloring, I sprayed the box with Kylon Matte Finish Sealer. This seals the watercolor as well as gives the box an overall matte finish, concealing any of the matte medium brush strokes. I secured the gold leafed acorn knob to the top, and attached a leather closure.

The leather strap is held in place with a wax seal. I stamp the circle stamp directly onto my box with archival ink. This helps me to place the leather straps where I want them. To ensure that nothing moves when I stamp into the hot wax, I first glue the leather straps in place at the center of the stamp. I drip hot gold wax over the stamped area (covering the leather straps as well). Before the wax cools, I press the rubber stamp into the melted wax with even pressure. I allow the wax to cool completely before removing the rubber stamp. When the stamp is lifted, the impression reflects the beautiful design. This is one of my favorite details, it turned out even more beautiful than I imagined!

The final steps include gluing the colored and embellished tissue panel inside the top of the box, and attaching all of the die cut leaves onto the exterior. Gold leafed edges at the interior add the finishing touch.

Alison Bomber has the most gorgeous collection of botanical illustration stamps with PaperArtsy, I could imagine making various boxes for different seasons. These could make a wonderful gift idea for someone special. Perhaps I've inspired you to make your own treasure box, or even just to experiment with different ways to incorporate these incredible stamps into a project, either way I hope you find yourself getting crafty.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, Ann

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2024 Topic 9 : Alison Bomber {by Mags Woodcock}

Hi everyone

Mags here with you today.

I've been enjoying all the autumnal changes here in the UK. The lovely warm colours of the leaves, bright berries, and fascinating toadstools and mushrooms that are appearing.

When I first heard the topic and theme for this section of the blog, I was immediately excited. I love all of Alison's stamps, but especially those that tie in with the current theme of nature.  

I have quite a collection of natural found objects, including lichen covered twigs and worn and weathered wood, these were the obvious starting point for the base of my project. I'm looking forward to sharing how I created more nature themed items to add to my project and combine with the gorgeous stamps, tissue and paints.

This project was so fun to create, with lots of techniques that I tried for the first time, but also some old favourites.

I had been wanting to create something with air dry clay for quite a while, but never seemed to get the time, this was my chance to play ! Once I started I was hooked and ended up with quite a collection of toadstools. I can't wait to share how I added the lovely natural colour to them.

I chose the printed tissue with Alison's designs on it (PT08) along with her Fodder School stamp set (EABF) and the Berrylicious Brights set of Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics (EAB-FF-BERRY). You'll see as I explain my process, I also added in some Just walnut Infusions (CS25) and Chalk Fresco Finish Acrylic (FF83) for a more vintage look.

I started my project by choosing a canvas as my base, but using it the wrong way around. So using the recess on the reverse as my substrate. I like to add extra layers to my work, these may not always be seen, but they add extra depth and interest when they peek through. This time it was book pages torn and added to the canvas with matt medium. When this layer was dry I added a thin coat of the Chalk coloured Fresco Finish Acrylic to knock back the text a little.

The next layer in transforming my reverse canvas was Alison's gorgeous printed tissue. I applied this with Matt Glaze (FF52), making sure to cover all the edges and book pages.

When the tissue was completely dry I used some Just Walnut Infusions mixed with water to spray on the canvas. This gave a more natural and distressed look.

I wanted the space inside the canvas to coordinate with the frame, so sprayed a panel of Smoothy card (SCA4) with the infusions spray, dabbing in-between spritzes to build up the colour until I was happy.

Stamping the botanicals from the set using Ranger Vintage Photo Archival ink onto the panel gave it more interest. I filled any large blank spaces with random partial stamping of the text stamps, just enough to add texture. I also added some depth to the stamped images by colouring with diluted Just Walnut Infusions. I was now ready to start working with some colour.

When I first start working with a stamp set I like to get a feel for how they will work in a project, the size, which colour to use for stamping etc. This time was no different. I stamped the images onto Smoothy card and started playing with the Berrylicious Brights, swatching as I went along. I soon decided that I wanted a more muted colour palette, but also a more translucent look. Adding quite a lot of water to the individual paints gave me the look of watercolours that I wanted, but I wanted to knock the colours back a little more. This was my first "what if" moment. I added a tiny amount of Just Walnut Infusions and mixed well. It worked and I loved the results. I continued to mix and swatch, sometimes mixing paint colours too.

My project had a great start and firm basis for what I wanted to create. I knew I had quite a lot more I wanted to achieve though, not least the toadstools and berries. It was time to start playing with the air dry clay.

 

I haven't worked with air dry clay very much, and when I did it was years ago. I couldn't remember how long it took to completely dry, how strong it was or how heavy. This was going to be a big learning curve for me, but I was excited to begin. The clay I had was stone colour, if I had purchased it especially I probably would go for white, but I was using what I already had. I soon discovered it was easier if I wore thin latex gloves and placed my toadstools on an old baking tray lined with non stick paper. I created the stalks separately from the caps and reinforced some of the stems with a cocktail stick in the centre, just in case. It was easy to add the gills to the underside of the cap, by scoring lines with a cocktail stick.

You will see in this photo that I painted the toadstools with Chalk Fresco Acrylic. I think even if I had used white clay instead of stone colour, I would still give them a coat of paint to seal them.

It was now time to add colour to my fungi. I used my favourite Just Walnut Infusions spray yet again. I started by spraying the under sides of the caps, then moved onto the tops and stems. It pooled in some areas and highlighted the texture of the gills. I loved the look of these when they dried.

I moved on to creating the berries I needed for my nature scene. I gathered lots of beads, some from an old necklace and some from my stash. These were easy to paint using a craft pick or cocktail stick to hold them whilst applying Chalk Fresco Acrylic. I needed some bramble berries so some of the round berries had a coat of gel medium and then art stones sprinkled onto them, once dry they also got a coat of paint.

One of the problems I faced with the larger beads, was that they had quite large holes. I thought about filling them in with clay, but then I had a brainwave. Why not make the most of the hole and create a tuft of twine to resemble the area where the flower was attached to the berry. So as you can see, I added twine to the top of the wire onto which I threaded the beads. I used green for the round berries and natural for the longer ones.

As you can see I had to use a variety of containers to hold the berries on their stems whilst they dried. I had coloured them using the paint and infusion mixtures I had experimented with previously, but with less water added. At this point I wasn't convinced I would use the brambles I had created, they looked too big and the stones sucked up the paint and remained very pale.

Stamping and colouring the botanicals was my next step. Smoothy card is fabulous for this, I got clean crisp images and the colour blended beautifully on the surface. My colour mixes were as follows, but feel free to create your own custom mixes.

Hawthorns - Toffee Apple and Brown Shed with water and Just Walnut Infusions

Brambles - Bougainvillea and Lavender with water and Just Walnut infusions

Porcelain Berries - Bougainvillea with water and Just Walnut Infusions.

Leaves - Magic Moss and Limelight with water and Just Walnut infusions (either separately or both greens mixed)

I had stamped and coloured extra leaves and berries in case I needed them. It was time to fussy cut the botanicals, a laborious task but essential. Leaving a small white border I felt would allow the berries to stand out from the backgrounds.

As soon as I had all my elements ready and there was one thing that was bugging me, the canvas frame and stamped panel didn't seem to blend with the rest of the elements. A small amount of sponged on Ranger Archival English Ivy ink did the trick.

I was happy with most of the elements I had created and laid them out as I thought they would appear in the final project.

It was time to bring it all together. Little did I know how many changes I would make before the project was complete !

The Hawthorne berries added interest to the top of the frame and were attached with PVA glue.

As you can see here, the tufts of twine were cut close to the top of the berry, this was very effective at covering up those holes. Whilst assembling the finished scene I added a light wash of Just Walnut to these stamped berries to knock back the colour a little more. I also cut up the sprigs of berries and added individual leaves where appropriate.

Now in this picture you can see that I did indeed use the brambles. I gave them several coats of the paint mixture, followed by sponging on black ink. They still didn't seem quite right, so a sprayed them with a diluted mix of Blackcurrant Infusions. That did the trick and I was finally happy to add them to the scene.

Here you can see the toadstools standing strong and straight amongst the wood and lichen covered branches I chose to include. You might also notice I have grounded the canvas on a large chunk of worn and weathered wood from my stash. As soon as I started to assemble everything I realised I needed a strong base onto which I could glue everything, so this did the trick. I used a hot glue gun to attach all the heavier elements such as the wood, branches, toadstools etc, and gel medium for all the rest.

I have loved every minute of creating this nature inspired scene and have lots of leftovers to play with in future projects. Whilst working with the stamps and experimenting with adding colours I also decided on my Christmas card design for this year, so that was an added bonus.

I can imagine several other ways of adapting these techniques to other projects, possibly a centre piece for a holiday table or an autumnal wreath for an inside door.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how I created this project and try some of the techniques I shared with you today.

Happy crafting 

Mags x

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