2021 Topic 13: Tiny (News) Print with EKC {by Lynn Good}

 2021 Topic 13: Tiny (News) Print

It's not always obvious how people have created their art, so I love to read the process behind adding colour and texture. Lynn uses different text (both size, fonts and colour of book pages) and it really draws your eye into the vibrant piece and is a great technique to tuck away in your memory.
~ Keren

Hi everyone, it's Lynn with you today, and I'm here to share my interpretation of the topic Tiny (News) Print.

This is one of my favourite ways to create a background whether it be on canvas, in my art journal or even making cards. Each time it comes out a little different depending on the paper you use.

I first start by ripping up dictionary paper (this is my tiny (news) print!) I adhered it to the page using matte medium, covering the entire art journal page with the papers.

I then randomly painted the following colours onto a 12x12 Paper Artsy Super Smooth Heavy cardstock : Tangerine Twist, Zesty Zing, Bubble Gum, Dirty Lime and Red Lipstick.  Once dry I placed it into the misti so I could stamp the flowers.

 

   

I used Stamp EKC48 by Kay Carley.  I like to stamp in the Misti stamping platform as you can re-stamp the image if it isn't clear enough.

I then fussy cut them all out!

At this stage I wanted to make the colours pop and used Prismacolour pencils over the top.

I then adhered them to the page using matte medium

I used a Stabillo All pencil to highlight and add a textured look to some of the paper joins as well as a shadow around the flowers.  I stamped some twigs coming up from the pot and round the layout.  I have added some white paint pen to the twigs.  I used a quote from stamp set EKC44 - "Its your time to bloom".  

                                                       

Once everything was dry I added some gel pens and glitter glue to the flowers - everything looks better with a bit of bling!!!

Here are some close up photos.

 

I hope you have been able to follow the process of making this page and give it a go yourself. I love the texture this page has with the dictionary pages, cut out flowers and glitter.

Lynn xx 

2021 Topic 12 : Sustainable Crafting with EKC {by Autumn Clark}

   2021 Topic 12: Sustainable Crafting

Creating your own paper might seem a step too far, but Autumn brings an achievable project that seems simple but results in something beautiful. Granted, you might need to carve out a little time, but isn't creating about the cathartic process as well as the end result? 
~ Keren.

Hi everyone, it's Autumn Clark from SewPaperPaint with you today, and I'm here to share with you my upcycled project making handmade paper.  As a stamper, my primary need is for paper!  For this topic I thought back to last year's lockdown when I ran out of white card and ended up taking old scrapbook paper and using the backs for gel printing.  I thought of taking a step further now and making my own paper using shredded paper from the endless supply at my work.  I was very pleased with my paper and have made a journal and several cards from the stash.

I chose this process because I could enjoy a day on my patio soaking in the sun, as a break from creating indoors.  I have been wanting to try paper making for months, after seeing a video by Sharmane Coquilla and her lovely Instagram reels.  She made it look so easy and satisfying and it truly is!  I hope you will be tempted as well... 

I often start a project with a sketch and am always pleasantly surprised when my finished work resembles my starter idea.  My hope was to fill a small journal with my handmade papers with its jaggedy edges showing, coordinating with very textural cover art.  

I have recently developed a love for fountain ink pens, feather pens and glass dipping pens.  I cannot wait to try out my new collection on these rough pages in my new journal.  I always enjoy experimenting with bookbinding and this version was new to me.  I thought it would be neat to have an exposed signature binding to show off the textured pages.  

 

 

A while back our leather sofa broke beyond repair (think four kids bouncing on it).  I cut all of the leather portions away and have saved them.  I firmly believe reusing & repurposing is one of the most sustainable concepts.  For my book, I picked the most worn leather and cut two strips from it to bind my journal.  I folded in half each of the five sheets of handmade paper and made a guide to poke my holes with an awl and stitched the journal as shown.  

To make the handmade paper I simply added one very large handful of shredded paper to my food processor, then covered it with water and blended, adding more water half way and blending more than you would think necessary.  Next, I dumped the pulp into a plastic container of water, larger than my paper screen.  (You can make your own screen following numerous tutorials, but I purchased a very cheap one because I don't have the wood working tools to make one.)  I submerged my screen and lifted the pulp in an even layer.  Then I transferred it to a towel covered with an old cotton pillowcase.  Then I pressed the back with a dry rag to remove as much water as possible and lifted the screen gently.  My mistake was not considering my table surface.  My dried paper had embossed into the pattern of my trellis topped iron table!  Yikes!  To remedy this, I misted the dried paper with water and pressed it with a hot iron.  Next time I will pick a flat surface and also iron my cotton drying surface to avoid creases.  But honestly, handmade paper is supposed to look handmade, so I have no qualms over my first work.  From one batch of pulp you can get maybe 4 sheets of paper, then you repeat the process.  Nearer to the end my paper got thinner (and very easily torn), so I learned to keep adding pulp faster.  

For my covers, I slathered two thick chipboard panels, which were upcycled from the backs of watercolor paper pads (always save those!), with PaperArtsy Grunge Paste.  Because Grunge Paste is so thick, I was able to make impressions into it with stamps.  I picked PaperArtsy Eclectica³ {Scrapcosy} Collection (ESC25) because I thought the ornate leaf stamp would make an incredible repeat pattern and work beautifully behind my chosen flower stamps.  Tip: when you apply moisture to the front of chipboard, try to apply moisture to the back to keep it from warping (Grunge Paste front/gesso back).  

 

I gessoed the backs and let these panels dry for a day, then left them under a stack of books for a day to flatten.  I built layers of color overtop by mixing one dollop of each color of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics with an equally sized dollop of Matte Glaze and sponging with cut and dry foam.  I started with French Roast, then Claret, then Amethyst.  Finally I sprinkled Black Current Infusions onto the damp panels and sponged Matte Glaze on top.  You can see how much difference the Infusions make!  

I used my stamp platform to stamp, then paint, then restamp the flowers from PaperArtsy Eclectica³ {Kay Carley} Collection (EKC48).  I used the above mentioned PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylics with the addition of Nougat and Toffee.  I chose a sentiment from PaperArtsy Eclectica³ {Alison Bomber} Collection (EAB21): The Nature Edition.  

Leandra always encourages us bloggers to share our fails, so let me say that I made an attempt at dyeing my first lot of paper by adding a half of a bottle of Violet Storms Infusions to my vat of water, but it did not turn out well (it was more grey than violet).  I've since read about dying handmade paper and it seems that paint is a better alternative.  I can't wait to dump a bottle of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics into my next vat!  Nevertheless, I ended up using the stained paper as a mat for a batch of cards. 

 

 

See how nicely they layer together!  I used some of my handmade paper scraps to test how watercolor and paints worked.  Watercolor was a no-go due to the density and irregularity of the paper, so I used PaperArtsy Smoothy card for my focal stamping and watercolor.  But paint was a total win!  I chose PaperArtsy {Tracy Scott} Stencil (PS210) and sponged Taro Milk Tea Fresco Chalk Acrylic onto my panels.  I chose purple cardstock for the bases that I've had for decades as one final sustainable push.  Purple is usually the last color I use, so it was fun to nudge myself out of my comfort zone for a change.  

 

 

These projects are quite different, but I hope they've shown you just how versatile Kay's stamps can be.  I think they play just as well whether earthy or vibrant, for cards or mixed media...

 

I hope you've thought up a few items you've been saving or have in excess that you can put to work in your own art.  Sometimes you will find the most creative freedom when working with "junk" because it's not so intimidating, being something it won't hurt to mess up.  

It's been a pleasure to share with you today!  xx, Autumn

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2021 Topic 8: Nature's Flowery Treasures with EKC {by Ellie Knol}

2021 Topic 8: Nature's Treasure

3 lovely ideas with Kay Carley stamps from Ellie today. It's good to see these different approaches and how they end up: bright, pastel and subdued.
~ Leandra

Hi everyone, it's Ellie Knol with you today, and I'm here to share with you the process of trying to capture the delicacy of the beautiful flower designs from Kay Carley. Three different stamp sets, three different approaches. 

I first planned to do some gelli printing for this theme; I spent an afternoon printing, yes. Unfortunately they did not awaken my creative spark to go ahead and stamp the flowers onto them. Yes, I was stuck.

I decided to go for what I wanted to do in the first place; clean stamping, coloring and continue from there.
 

My batch of colored A5 backgrounds in my stash came to the rescue, really! A good start, my mojo was back... 
The art journal pages each turned out so different. 

Flowers.. one of nature's treasures : delicate, colorful, beautiful!

These are the three journal pages I made. As said.. different stamp sets, different techniques. 

First stamp set I feature is EKC46. Fragile flower images, not easy to fussy cut, but beautiful! 

How to..
I used a stamping platform for this technique; left it in there for the layering of inked stamping until I was done with the stamps. I will only show how I did one of the flowers for you to see the process. 
Stamp the flower with a green shadow ink, just for the outline, and as a base....  

 

... then add color with a purple AquaMarker, layering the color again and again, using the stamped ink to color the image (with a waterbrush). Mist the ink with water before stamping; a little bit, not soaking wet. For a crisp image do not mist it. Leave to dry if needed in between the layers. Repeat the above until you are happy with it.   

 

Add blue touches of color with a marker and/or a watercolor pencil. 

 

Now onto the greens: color the stamp with a green Aquamarker, mist a little, stamp, repeat until you are satisfied. Leave to dry. I chose to stamp the flower with a light grey to make it pop more. Continue with the other flower by masking off the stem of the first flower(s). 

 

 

To finish it off I stamped the foliage with the same green shadow ink mentioned in an earlier step, and the butterflies with the grey ink; as shown. 

Splatter white acrylic paint onto the background! 

 

A close up of the flowers and foliage... 

 

Onto the second art journal page, which features (this brand new stamp set) EKC47.

 

For this second page I will just share some notes, no step by step photos.
As you can see the background I chose is quite dark. Stamping in black would not show up. 
 

I stamped the images onto white cardstock,and fussy cut them.  

To capture all details, stamp the images onto the background, then fill them in with 'white space' by adhering the fussycut images over the stamped flowers and leaves.  

 

Fill the circles of the foliage with a white acrylic marker. Splatter white acrylic paint onto the background! Yummy.. 

A close up.. I love the contrasts.. 

 

This next art journal page is my favorite, I think. The flowers from stamp set EKC48 remind me of my teenage time when I lived in a tiny village called Hekpoort in South Africa. Talking about Nature's Treasures.. the theme.. these flowers were growing beside the road .. naturally.  
I am sure we treasure anything we have an emotional bond with; one that reminds us of happy times. I treasure that happy time, for sure. 

 

 

As far as I am concerned this stamp set is a stunner, a classic, an all-timer. The flowers speak for themselves, they don't even need to be colored to be just beautiful, are so versatile; designed so perfectly by Kay.

For this one I chose to just add extra color to the flowers, as the background is not that dark and colorful. 

To make the images pop, add white to the stamped images too.. scribbly lines to match the design of the stamps. Splatter white acrylic onto the background, too! 

 

 

You might have noticed all the 'journaling' on the pages. Stamped onto white cardstock and adhered to the pages to finish it off, for some I rearranged the words, for other I left words out; to fit the page. 

So, there you have it; three journal pages.
I think I spoiled you with a lot of inspiration; tips and techniques to keep you busy if you choose to be inspired by it. 

 

Nature needs treasuring. It needs our love and care so our children and their children can enjoy the beauty of it, and learn to treasure it themselves. Memories of it will fill our happiness of days to come.
Enjoy creating with product from Paper Artsy that's inpired by nature, to make one-of-kind art that can be treasured, too!

Take some time to be creative today, every day... hope you have happy flowery nature, summer days. Enjoy and take care. 

Ellie Knol

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