Spools of Fish with Kate Crane Products {by Ann Barnes}

Hi everyone, it is Ann (@aksbarchitect) here with you today, and I am so happy to be sharing this fun project I have been working on using some of Kate Crane's stamp designs.

This year on the blog, we have free rein to do a deep dive into a PaperArtsy product ranges of our choosing. For this post I have been exploring some of the early Kate Crane Stamps. 

I had so much fun using watercolor pencils to add color to these whimsical fish and then exploring how different textiles can be dyed using PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints in ocean colors, to create the most amazing substrates to hold all of the fishies.

Where I live, the arrival of August seems to signal the unofficial end of summer. I thought it would be fun to celebrate these last weeks of carefree beach days and summer vacations with some spools of fish.

While I was very excited to color these fanciful fish, I didn't anticipate how much I would also enjoy preparing the spools that would hold them.

I love so many of the details found in this spool trio, one being the embossed mixed media mark stamps that remind me of nautical imagery. I can't wait to share my process with you.

I used the Kate Crane PaperArtsy Mini Stamps 07 and 08 (KCM007, KCM008) as well as Kate Crane Stamp Set 05 (KC005). While I wanted the fish to be bright and fanciful, I knew that I would be keeping the spools and textiles in ocean colors, hoping that this would give each element it's own presence without taking away from the other. For the blues I chose PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylics in Glass Blue (FF102) Inky Pool (FF46) and South Pacific (FF45). All three of these paints are in the translucent category, meaning that the color allows visibility through to what's beneath it. I chose the translucent paints because I was hoping that the wood graining of the spools would show through, and perhaps with a bit of sanding give the appearance of an old, well-used boat tied up to the dock.

First, I selected three different spools based on the size of the fish stamp that I wanted to create the school of fish with. The two smaller spools would contain only one type of fish each, while the largest spool would contain a larger "school" of fish that utilized multiple types of fish. I painted each of the spools with a couple layers of PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylic. The layers of translucent paint actually created a more opaque appearance, but I really love the colors.

While the paint was open I decided to color the textiles that would wrap around the spools and hold the fish. To do this I added some PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylic in South Pacific (FF45) to a shallow tray with water and mixed it together. Then I dipped different types of textiles into the watery paint mix and hung to dry.

I tried a few different types of material, ranging from silk remnants, cotton gauze, and seam binding ribbon. Each fiber accepted the color differently, the cotton gauze turned out a lot darker than both the silk and the seam binding. I am so excited that I have extra pieces I will be able to use later too!

I am really pleased with the results, reminiscent of a beautiful ocean, the perfect backdrop for the fish.

 

Now it is time to get creative with the fish stamps. I want to use the five fish from Kate Crane Mini stamp 07 (KCM007) separately. This could be accomplished by masking; but because of the amount of images I will be using and the fact that I want them in one straight line, I think it will be easiest to simply separate them. To do this I cut the block of fish into five separate pieces. This is not difficult to do if you are careful. I recommend using a sharp knife but it can be done with scissors as well.

Knowing I wanted to align the fish so they would fit onto the strip of seam binding, I marked a line at the center on the back side of the stamp from tip to tail. When I line the images onto my stamping block it is easy to create a straight long strip using my markings.

It's best to stamp the images onto watercolor paper using an Archival ink. This will ensure that the markings will remain crisp when I add water later on. Once the ink is dry, I begin to color the images with watercolor pencils. Since each spool will contain a school of fish, I limit my color palette to create a unified appearance while allowing myself to play with different variations for each.

These fish were cut out as a strip, leaving the middle parts attached. I had initially envisioned simply sewing a line down the center and winding the group around the spool; however, I loved the color of the dyed seam binding ribbon and couldn't resist using it!

The middle spool contains the fish from Kate Crane Mini Stamp 08 (KCM008). I stamped the initial fish complete, then for the remaining images, I masked off the dangling heart. I used the same theory regarding color selection for this grouping. Once all of my coloring was complete, I used a fine detailing brush to add water and spread the pigment.

Each of these fish were cut out with an Exacto knife and attached to the dyed gauze strip with a fabric glue. I love the way the pinks and the green play off the South Pacific color!

The largest spool contains a mix of fish from both mini stamps (KCM007, KCM008). Similar to the medium spool, the fish were stamped, colored, and then cut out individually and attached to a piece of dyed silk remnant.

With my schools of fish complete, it was time to add the finishing touches to the spools. For this, I use the PaperArtsy Kate Crane Stamp Set 05 (KC005). This set is a favorite of mine. It contains some wonderful mixed media marks that work with so many styles. The circlular images gave me all the nautical feels, and I thought that they would be awesome on the flats of the spools.

I added a bit of PaperArtsy Fresco Acrylic in Chalk (FF83) around the edges of the spools as well as a very light coat at the flat areas (top and base).  I then sanded all of the surfaces to give the spools a worn feel. Using VersaMark Embossing ink, I stamped on the spools and coated with gold embossing powder then heat set.

I also used the long lines image around the surface of the mid sized spool. Since it is a flatter design, it was easy to ink up the stamp and wrap around the core to get a clear image. This was also embossed with the gold powder.

Once the embossing was complete, I attached each school of fish to their respective spool and used pieces of jute for a finishing touch.

I love the way this medium sized spool turned out! The cotton gauze accepted the color so well and the colors of the fish together are so fun.

The embossed lines around the spool remind me of ripples of water at the shore.

For this spool I added an eyelet at the end of the gauze and tied a jute pull.

The smallest spool is fairly simple with just a bit of embossing and all the littlest fish in a row.

I tied a piece of jute through the spool to act as a catch for the wound piece.

These little fish make me happy with their bright colors and smiling faces.

A view of the largest spool from the top with the "ship's wheel" embossing.

I love the combination of all the fish done up in blues and orange.

So many fishies...

One of my favorite details: the embossing around the spool edge highlights the school of fish.

I had so much fun imagining this project. When I was first considering a project I kept thinking of a school/spool connection and this idea was born. There are additional fish stamps that Kate Crane has designed for her PaperArtsy line, it would be fun to incorporate those fish (or any other little creatures as well). Maybe you are inspired by this project? I would love to see your ideas.

Wishing you a creative day. 

xx

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2024 Topic 1: Miniature {by Ann Barnes} on the PaperArtsy Blog

Hi everyone, Ann (aksbarchitect CREATES) here with you today. We have had a spell of cold and rainy days lately and I have been sipping tea and dreaming about warm weather, sunny skies and clear blue seas.

Perhaps it was all the tea, or maybe just a longing for the peacefulness of the underwater world; but when I began thinking about the miniature topic, I envisioned using teabags as translucent pages in a miniature book. Pages, that when stacked together, would create the illusion of the vast depths of the sea. Today I am sharing a few of the things I learned during the process of creating my book and incorporating larger images into a miniature piece.

I love how the book came together, especially the glimpse of things to come through the portholes on the cover. I found a tried and true way for the stamped image on the page to align with an opening on a previous page that I will be sharing with you.

With the intention that my teabag pages would be representing water, I knew they would need to be colored a shade of blue. To help me decide, I selected three different translucent blue PaperArtsy paints: Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics (South Pacific FF45, Inky Pool FF46, and Glass Blue FF102), as well as PaperArtsy Fresco Matte-tint (Mattint) in the Shark blue (Mattint Shark). I only chose the translucent products to maximize the view through the pages when they are stacked. I created washes by adding some water to each different color/product in my palette wells. I then painted teabag samples for each color and once they were dry, I was able to determine which would work best for my project. Seeing the gorgeous results, I know that even the castoffs will be fun to use in future projects!

When the colored teabag pieces were stacked on top of one another, the ones that were created with PaperArtsy Fresco Mattint Shark were the most translucent. This was very important to me since I wanted to be able to see through the layers. With the background color decision made, I gathered a number of plain teabags and set about making a lot more "pages."

Now it was time to select the stamps that would be included. I love the detailed fish included on the Hot Picks stamp sets 1201 (HP1201) and 1202 (HP1202).

Since each of my pages is a long rectangular shape, I knew that I would need to get creative with the stamp placement. Some of the fish would easily fit within the page parameters. Other times I would only be able to use a portion of an image. I wanted to create the most impact from the partial images. In order to see exactly what would end up on the page, I used a helpful technique.

I stamped all of the images on a piece of clear plastic and cut them out individually. This does not have to be perfect, as it is only going to be used as a guide for placement on the page. These pieces are easily moved around the "page" to figure out exactly how I wanted it placed. It is easy to see which areas would fit within the boundaries and which would not. You can turn the pieces and manipulate the scene to your liking. When you have located it exactly as you wish, simply align the stamp with the image on the clear plastic then close the stamping platform lid. When you lift the lid, the stamp sticks to it and you can move your plastic piece out of the way; then it is easy to ink up the stamp and print onto the page in the desired location.

Knowing portions of the first page of the book would show through the three "porthole" openings on the cover, I thought it would be fun to have one of the fish heads peaking through a hole. My clear plastic technique came in handy to ensure that the image was placed exactly where I wanted it. I simply traced the cover outline as well as the openings onto a scrap paper, layered my page above it and then placed the plastic piece in the correct location. You can see below how the fish head will show through the hole once the cover is in place. You can also store any of your plastic pieces with the corresponding stamp set for future use.

I wanted a school of tiny fish on some of the pages. I noticed that the large ship image on Hot Pics stamp set 1202 had a few smaller fish images at the bottom, so I very carefully cut them away from the larger image with my Exacto knife. I was then able to use these stamps with a small acrylic block to create varied compositions.

I continued stamping pages, creating a variety of compositions.

When all of the pages had been stamped, it was time to add color. I flipped the pages over and I used watercolor pencils on the reverse side of each image. Pencils that have a lot of pigment work really well since they make it easy to create shading, going from very opaque to just a subtle hint of color.

 

By coloring on the back side, when the pages are viewed from the front the stamped images remain crisp and the color does not take away from any of the details.

Thinking about our current theme "glazed" and how I might be able to incorporate it into my book pages, I decided to add some 'bubbles" to the watery pages. To do this, I watered down a bit of PaperArtsy Mattint (Shark) then added a few drops of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic (Metallic Glaze FF24). I flicked droplets onto the pages and allowed them to dry. The droplets will give a shimmery illusion of air bubbles to each page with a touch of metallic glaze.

To create interest and texture, and a bit of grungy green, I decided to add some ocean plant life among the pages. I die cut tiny plants out of watercolor paper and then used PaperArtsy colored stains Infusions (Olive Tree CS16, The Sage CS03, and Green Man CS18) to color them. I attached them to pages randomly throughout the book along with some gold die cuts.

I love the poem The Ocean by Nathanial Hawthorne and thought it would be perfect to incorporate it into my book. I printed the poem on clear vellum and cut out each line to add onto my pages. I used the string from the teabag tags to sew each piece in place.

Wanting to add just a little bit more grungy texture to the pages before binding it all together, I spread drips of glue along the bottom of some pages and sprinkled sand on it. I let it dry overnight. In the morning, I shook off any of the sand that did not adhere.

     

The pages were finally ready to be bound into a book. I stacked them in the correct order, added the front and back covers and bound them with a simple binding technique.

I am so thrilled with my little teabag book. I love turning the pages and seeing the colorful sea life. The bits of sand give an authentic feel to the pages, and the grungy pieces of green sea plants add layers of depth.

   

As I turn the pages and read The Ocean, my thoughts are transformed to a glorious undersea world. I especially like how you can see into the depths. These are a few close ups of my favorite pages:

I love the way this miniature book turned out. The layers of pages and textures create a deep sea adventure where you can let your imagination soar. Over the remaining winter days, you may find me sipping tea and flipping through my book dreaming about a peaceful kingdom under the sea. Perhaps you would like to create your own version, filled with fields of flowers or your favorite things. The Hot Picks stamp collection has a wonderful selection of different stamps where you are sure to find something to spark your imagination.

Ann

xx

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