NEW PaperArtsy Products: Eclectica³ Gwen Lafleur {November 2021}

 Eclectica³ Collection {Gwen Lafleur}
Nov 2021 New Product Announcement

A note from Leandra:

 

Another fantastic series of stamps from Gwen, and wow has she been thinking about making sure these chime with other stamps, like her previous ticket release. There is a little bit of everything in this release: Indian patterns and shapes, some geometrics, and the florals give a nice soft touch too. I can't wait for you to see what Gwen has done with them!

 

Gwen will be sharing these stamps live in PaperArtsy People shortly after this post publishes. I hope you can catch the live, but if not the replay will be there. you will want to see how she is planning on using these, there are lots of ways you can go with them! I know she has some outside of the box ideas to share!

 

Remember, these stamps are available EXCLUSIVELY from our approved stockists for the next few months. With freight prices soaring due to fewer flights worldwide, it makes sense to buy local within your country, see the list and links at the bottom of this blog post. 

 

Hi everyone, Gwen here!

I'm thrilled to share my latest release for PaperArtsy which includes three new stamp collections.

As per usual, the stamps in this release have a wide range of influences - everything from Indian block printing patterns to grids that work as part of what I call my "Gwenified Basics" to a new nature-themed Build-a-Collage set. I love how each of these sets can be used on its own to create lots of looks and at the same time, they work beautifully both with each other and with my previous sets.  

  New Stamps

Price: RRP €21.92 +VAT
Size:5" x 6" (13 x16.5cm)
All stamps are individually trimmed onto cling foam, presented in a clear hanging bag
with a laminated storage/index sheet.
  

Eclectica³ Gwen Lafleur Set 22 (EGL22)

 

As with all of my stamps, EGL22 is entirely hand-drawn and this particular set is based on a very specific type of Indian block printing patterns called Ajrakh. I have several pieces of Ajrakh printed fabric in my stash and I love the intricate designs. I took inspiration from some of my favorite patterns to create a set of highly detailed stamps that can each be used individually or which can be combined to create cool repeating patterns - great for backgrounds!

Since Ajrakh patterns are typically found in textiles and clothing, I was inspired to make something a bit fun and quirky where I could use the stamps to add pattern to painted clothing on a figurative bud vase that I made with chipboard, paper clay, and PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylic Paint. (I'm lucky enough to have a view pieces by CeramiConnoisseur and this piece was inspired by those.)

 

Of course, having gone so far out of the box with the bud vase, I wanted to show a bit of a more traditional application for these stamps and used them to make this mixed media piece.

 

I love how the same set of stamps worked to give me two different repeating backgrounds as well as both focal and accent images. I also really like how versatile they are - even though the designs were inspired by Indian patterns, they work perfectly in all different kinds of projects. Repeating the designs creates backgrounds for art journals, scrapbook layouts, handmade cards, and even mixed media canvases while just using them on their own turns them into great focal points. Gotta love a multi-use stamp!

To show some of the possibilities with this set, I put together some sample boards with different ideas for combining and repeating the designs.

I don't know about you, but seeing the different ways you can repeat and combine them makes my fingers itch to go stamp with them!

Eclectica³ Gwen Lafleur Set 23 (EGL23)

EGL23 is the second in my Build-A-Collage series with the idea being that you have all of the elements you need in a single set to stamp patterns, ephemera and collage papers, and focal images. When I was designing these I had recently learned about the concept of Ullassa, which is a Sanskrit term describing the feelings of pleasantness you get from being in nature. I love to walk outside early in the morning in the woods near my house so it's a concept that resonates with me and I carried both the word and the idea of nature into the other elements of this set.

 

With this set I really wanted to convey how easy it is to create a collage with nothing but a substrate, stamps and ink, and maybe something to color with (I used colored pencils for these.) I love how beautifully the images layer and work together on top of these antique postcards.

 

The pattern I included with this set was inspired by a woodblock in my collection originally made for printing African mud cloth. The text was taken from a page in an antique Buddhist prayer book that I happened across several years ago. And the postage stamp was inspired by a combination of images and ideas from different stamps I collected in China during one of my visits a few years ago.

 

 

Stamps, ink, a bit of masking... et voila! Fun little collages ready to frame, add to my art journal, or even send off in the mail.

Eclectica³ Gwen Lafleur Set 24 (EGL24)

  

 

I call this set Grids Gone Wild - Squares... I really wanted to start to add some more textural patterning stamps into my line. I feel like this fits perfectly with my "basics" (including my labels, tickets, alphabet, and frames.) You can mix and match the stamps in this set to get backgrounds, borders, and embellishments - it's so fun to play with and I just adore the grid of squares filled with images inspired by vintage Spanish bus tickets and Zentangle patterns.

 

You can see here how just changing the colors of the stamp inside the grid can completely change the look of the design.

I love the patterned squares peeking through the center as part of the focal point - adding some color gives yet another totally different look to the same design that's used in multiple places on this canvas.

I decided to go a bit out of the box again with this stamp to showcase how fun it can be to create decoupaged elements using different combinations of stamps from this set with pops of red. I made this little trinket dish from chipboard and I love how the transparent layers of stamped tissue paper worked to turn it into a cool little piece. Below you can see how it looks laid flat and hosting my funky little bud vase:

I put together another sample board for this set to demonstrate how the stamps can work individually, together, and repeated. (Pro tip: stamp the grid first and then center the filler pattern over the stamped grid design - it gets them aligned really well without a lot of fuss.)

Project

For my project combining all three stamp sets, I was inspired by a trend that I've been seeing in the bullet journaling world - register tape collage! It's such a fun and easy way to use your stamps (with or without additional products) to create your own collage fodder.

First, start with your register tape. (If you don't have any, you can just use long strips of copy paper and tape them together if you want a really long piece.) I pulled out some lighter colors of Archival Ink and stamped the two open grid designs from EGL24 randomly across the whole length of paper.

Next I pulled out some slightly darker inks and stamped the grid filler patterns (putting some inside the grids) as well as some of the more background-type elements from EGL22 and EGL23.

Then I started to get some darker inks and more focal type images from EGL22 and EGL23 and randomly added those on top. One of my favorite things about working this way and going light to dark as I add layers is that you can get distinct images that play beautifully together without having to do any masking.

I used a few other colors of ink to fill in with more stamped shapes and kissed over top with the Sansrkit text stamps, then called it good. You can really go as short or as long as you want with these collage strips - it's such a versatile way to work! When you're done, you can just roll them up and store until you need them (I use a paper clip to keep it from unraveling.)

Once the register tape collage is done, you can store it away to use as needed or jump right into a project. Just unroll and cut off the length that you need and then put the rest away again for another project.

Here I just cut off a piece 3-1/2" long to use on an ATC. I adhered it to a piece of 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" cardstock, added some washi tape and stickers, and in about 5 minutes I had a finished ATC! (Not to mention a pretty good-sized strip of stamped register tape collage left over for later.)

Whew! That's it for now... I'm absolutely loving working with these new sets and mixing them in with my other stamps. I hope you're just as excited to use them! 

Thanks for joining me in my excitement for this release... I can't wait to see how you all use these as they get out into stores and your studios. 

Socials...

Website: https://www.gwenlafleur.com

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/GwenLafleur

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gwenythlafleur

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gwenaval

Teaching Schedule:

Just announced! I'm joining for the 7th year in a row as a teacher in Creative JumpStart 2022 - registration opens on November 29th, but you can head over now for details.

March 15, 2022, Art & Soul Retreat, "Paper Prayer Flags"

March 16, 2022, Art & Soul Retreat, "Flip Art Folio"

March 18, 2022, Art & Soul Retreat, "Stitches + Glue: Mixed Media with Fabric & Paper"

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

Below is a list of the retailers who have already got these new releases in stock ready for you to buy NOW! 

2020 #9 Reconstituted Flower with EKD {by Dounia Large}

2020 Topic 9: Collage It

There are so many inspiring ideas in this post. Dounia has some simply stunning ideas for incorporating magazine pages into your art. I also love her idea about when in doubt, add some white dots- I think that's the story of my creative process too!

~ Keren

Hi everyone, it's Dounia with you today, and I'd like to share with you some of my experiments with collaged papers.

I love collage: it was one of the first artistic techniques I practiced with my mom when little, so it brings back a lot of good memories. As I'm also currently separated from my paper stash, I decided to take the opportunity provided by this topic to create my own patterned papers and backgrounds.

Sometimes I find myself low on inspiration or really indecisive on what I want to achieve. I then like to turn toward techniques that focus on the process and motion of craft and required little "artistic" decision making. It gives me a sense of accomplishment without stressing about every little thing. I would like to share a couple of them with you here. They are nothing new or revolutionary but I think they can be fun additions to one's creative palette.

First, magazines are full of big pictures. They can be good or interesting - or not, but they rarely are easily useable as such. However you can chop them up then create a new image simply by rearranging the order of the pieces on a piece of card. The result is a lot more random than the original and can be used as a background without distracting from the main elements.

Regular stripes are the simplest to manage but you can change width or try different shapes for a more random pattern. I find the process of systematically cutting and glue-ing almost meditative and calming. I was in the mood for a striking pattern, and generally contrasted and/colorful images work best for that.

 .
Here I found the first glued images still too homogeneous and recognisable so I reiterated the process with lengthwise stripes. The colors are now better distributed and I like the tessellated pattern.

To contrast with this very organised background I next went on a tearing spree! I selected parts of magazine pictures with relatively plain colors and tore them in strips and pieces.  That part is pretty therapeutic! These touches of color can be used carefully to create new images, like painting with paper, but I was more into slapping them together to make gradients.

The color variations in the strips provide great texture. I often make too many pieces for one project so I put all the remaining ones in a box to draw blindly and glue. It forces me to release control and the results can be pretty interesting.

To make an actual project, I needed stamps able to stand up to such busy papers. I went for the clear lines and organic shapes of Kim Dellow. The EDK05 set had all I needed for a nature scene:

The leaves doubled as templates for petals cut in my collaged strips. I tried stamping on the front but it covered the color variations too much for my taste.

However I wanted to keep the details on the butterflies so I stamped them directly on pictures with interesting patterns.

Contrasted against the other elements, the leaf one won. I also liked the idea that both the petals and the butterfly were made of leaves!

For the flower centre, the big flower stamp was an obvious choice and the middle somewhat looks like an eye so I ran with that idea. I love collaging eyes, they're so recognisable and always make an impression.

I tried to match both the yellow green of the first butterfly and the eyes with this frog butterfly. The result was a bit plain so I added the vellum layers to isolate the elements and celebrate the graphics of the stamps. The white and black dots also really bring things together. When in doubt, add white dots!

Here is one project finished despite creative block, and I have lots of other backgrounds to play with! I hope this gave you a few ideas to try with magazine pictures. It's very cheap in both materials and tools needed and quite effective! It is also a great way to use those paper scraps we all are hoarding, or can be applied to book pages for very graphic results.

Have fun and stay creative!
Dounia x

2020 #9 If only cats could talk with ECF {by Lynn Good}

2020 Topic 9: Collage It

Not only is it really good to hear Lynn's fur baby is on the mend, albeit looking somewhat like a shaved lamb, but also the vet scare along with a R&R boost from a Tracy class helped inspire this colourful journal page. It's funny how your mojo can come and go when you are faced with uncertain times, and I'm sure that Lynn isn't the only one at the moment looking for it to emerge!~ Keren, Leandra

Hi everyone, it's Lynn Good (Memories on the Page) with you today, and I'd like to share with you an art journal page that I have created for the topic "Collage It"

I actually made two pages before this one, I personally didn't like either of them - they didn't feel right to me but I couldn't say why.  Even though my friends thought they were fine, I decided to take a break -  I was putting myself under pressure and forcing the design.  

I took a wonderful 2 day online class with Tracy Scott and it was just the medicine I needed. When taking a class or following a tutorial, a lot of the design, layout and topic is chosen for you - you end up with a positive attitude and a creative mojo back on your doorstep.

I was then in the right frame of mind to create this page.  My beautiful half Maine Coon furbaby was sick and had to be completely shaved (I will put some pics up at the bottom of the post). He was devastated as well as sick and it gave me the idea for this page.

I created this page in my Dylusions Journal.  After applying a coat of gesso I have covered the page with a brayer and PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk paint in Tango, Banana and London Bus.

I have then stamped images from PaperArtsy Eclectica Courtney Franich set 12 (ECF12) onto tissue paper.

I have then torn them up randomly and adhered them to my page with matte medium

Once dry I have drawn circles on the page and coloured them with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk paint - Red Lipstick. (this was created at night so they will not be the best process photos sorry)

I wanted to create some flowers to go into the centres so I used a piece of PaperArtsy Smoothy Cardstock and painted randomly with  PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk paint in Tango, Banana and Forget Me Not.  I have then used Paper Artsy Fresco Finish Chalk paint London Bus though a PaperArtsy Stencil PS001) for some more effect and to help join the colours together. 

Using this cardstock I have stamped and fussy cut flowers from PaperArtsy Stamp EKD06 You will note that these are not closely cut out as I find if I try to cut right up to the line I end up cutting off some detail!!!!  I have also used a Posca Pen and doodled around the stamped images on the tissue paper.

I have then stamped on black cardstock and cut out two cats (as we have two) from the Cat stamp set as well as two of the sayings.

Final touches to the page included of course adhering everything down - which I have done with Matte Medium.  I have drawn a string from the cat to one flower so it looks like he is holding a balloon.  I have outlined the flowers with a black Stabillo pencil which activates when wet, as well as some white marks on the flowers and I have highlighted the cats with white posca pen as the ink stamp was not as bright as I wanted.  I have mounted one of the cats with foam dots - there is always a "top cat" in the family!!!! 

Here are some close ups:

I hope that this has encouraged you to have a go at a collage art journal page - It is so much fun to put layer upon layer and watch it form into a completed piece.

As promised here is a before and after of my cat Buster.  He is on the mend - at 13 years old they thought his coat had so quickly deteriorated due to kidney failure but his bloods show he is very healthy and it is a mystery as to what happened.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that if you get into that creative slump - remember you are not alone we have all been there and keep applying paint - you will get to the other side :) 

Lynn Good

Facebook:  http://memoriesonthepage.blogspot.com/