2023 Topic 12: Designer Focus: JoFY {by Autumn Clark}

Hi everyone it's Autumn Clark from SewPaperPaint here with you today.  I've been enjoying some creative time lately, focusing on creating cards and gifts. This designer focus on Jofy had me thinking about building a stash of handmade birthday gifts. So I decided to alter some small canvases with Jo's beautiful stamps.  I hope you'll enjoy this simple process and get inspired to create some gifts of your own.

I really enjoyed experimenting with a new background painting technique using PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylics and mixing that with watercolor, a favorite of mine.  I hope it inspires you too!

What I loved most about these canvases is that they were as easy to make as a greeting card, but pack a bigger punch and can be displayed on a small easel throughout the year, long after one's birthday celebrations have ended.  

For this project, I didn't have much of a plan in mind, other than wanting to use some beautiful florals and ended up choosing my favorite  set, PaperArtsy stamp set 114 by Jo Firth Young (JOFY114).

I had picked up a small two pack of 5x7" canvases at our Dollar Tree store in the States, which ended up being cheaper than two sheets of 12x12" cardstock!  Score!  I was looking forward to mixing things up with these as substrates.

I scoured my collection and chose two stamp sets that would work together nicely from each designer.  First up was PaperArtsy stamp set 114 by Jo Firth Young (JOFY114).  I really enjoy coloring, but am lazy and cheat a bit - ha ha!  Here I've used cheap brush markers to add a variety of colors to the petals, then I simply used a water brush to blend the colors out.  It's easier than working in layers, but the result is beautifully variegated.  

Here are all of my happy little petals, colored and cut out nicely.  I wanted to create two different compositions with the flowers.

My second choice of stamps was PaperArtsy Eclectica stamp set 32 by Scrapcosy (ESC32).  I knew these darling bees would work beautifully with my blossoms.  I stamped two images and colored, then cut away the body of the second bee.  I curled the wings of the second images and used mounting tape to create 3D critters.

I just love how these bees turned out and the dimension they added to the canvases.  

 

I waited until I had colored my focal images before deciding upon paint colors.  I was really getting excited at this point and could see the project coming to life. I landed upon a beautiful combination of PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Acrylics to include Butternut, Peach Nectar, Peppermint and Sargasso.  

I started by painting blobs of Sargasso and Peppermint onto the canvases, as shown.  

Next, I added smaller amounts of Butternut and Peach Nectar.  Once my painted layers were dry, I stamped the honeycomb from ESC32 with embossing ink and embossed in white on the panels.  

I started this project back in October because I was going to be away for a month.  When I finally came home at the end of November and was ready to photograph my canvases, the watercolor had sun bleached from laying on my art table in the open sun.  The trees in my front that normally shade my window had lost their leaves and the sun had been beaming in.  You can see how the color is altered in the pic below verses the coloring sample above.  To fix my pieces, I simply added more watercolor.  I actually like the more faded flowers in the end, though I was initially distraught!  Though, I'm going to look deeper into the lightfastness of my inks going forward...  I wish I had photographed them then and could do a side by side comparison.  

I decided to add some encouraging words to my gift panels and picked a very favorite stamp set, PaperArtsy Ink & the Dog Words 2 stamp set (W2) to spell out my chosen text.  

I cut apart each word and dabbed a grey ink pad along the edges, then drew in some black outlines.  

 

 

I really like the pop of white against the colorful backgrounds.  

 

I think the canvases are quite cheery and the colors work together very well. I'm so happy I was able to salvage the faded flowers with a fresh coat of color!

I think I'll search for some simple white frames for the panels or perhaps add some wire and bead hangers for the next set.  I'm also thinking of creating some of these canvases with Jo's fabulously fun snowmen stamps and giving them as Christmas gifts this year.  The possibilities are endless!  I truly hope these projects have made you smile and encouraged you to get stamping.  

xx, Autumn

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2018 #3 Watercolours: A little something to read {by Alison Bomber}

2018 Topic 3: Watercolour
A little something to read by Alison Bomber

Watercolours do beautiful things when salt is added to suck away the colour, leaving behind a truly fabulous texture. Alison captures this effect so well, and shares with you a great gift idea in the process! ~ Leandra

Hi everyone, it's Alison from Words and Pictures with you today, and I'd like to share with you some salty, watery bookmarks.

I fell in love with watercolours a year or two ago, and have been exploring their possibilities since then.  I thought I'd combine them with my quote stamps to make some bookmarks.  The salt was an afterthought, but one I'm so happy I added!

I love how the pigment of a good watercolour moves in water, and how some colours granulate (the pigment powder floats in the water to create a mottled look) and some are more stable.  I was using Daniel Smith watercolours to create my masterboard, and they have lots of fabulous granulation in some of the colours.

I think it was that granulation which suddenly made me think of adding salt - something I've done in the past with Distress Inks, but hadn't done with my watercolours before.  I think the effects are spectacular, both while the paint is still wet...

... and when you've brushed the salt away once it has all dried.

I cut a section of the masterboard into strips of equal length and width and then sought out some words to fit onto them.

I used two quotes each from EAB03 Music & Silence

EAB07 Dreaming & Doing

and EAB08 Strength & Courage. See here for links to stockists.

On the paler bookmarks, I stamped in Cobalt and clear-embossed the words with Ranger Clear embossing powder.

And where the paint background was darker, I stamped in Versamark and embossed in Detail Fine White powder by Wow.

Some distressing of the edges, and some fine white twine through the punched holes, and now I can keep my place in the several books I usually have on the go at one time...

... and receive a little extra food for thought from reading the bookmark too!

I hope you'll have a go at salting your watercolours or water-soluble inks.  It really is fascinating watching the crystals at work, soaking up pigment and water and creating the incredible organic patterning.  It certainly won't be the last time I craft with added salt!

Happy crafting all!
Alison x

Blog: Words and Pictures
Pinterest: butterfly crafter

We always hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. 

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The current topic link Topic 3: Watercolours will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, March 4th 2018, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

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2018 #3 Watercolours with ESN {by Debs Wainwright}

2018 Topic 3: Watercolour

Beautiful splashes of bold watercolours splashed onto watercolour paper creates an awesome background for Sara's stamps. Debs shows us how so effortlessly, and in the process makes beautiful cards into a gift set. Fabulous!

Hi everyone, Debs joining you today, and I'm sharing this little card/notelet set I created using some of Sara Newman’s new stamps which were perfect for what I had in mind. I used ESN 23 &24 . (Stockists list at the foot of this post)

I have always loved those writing sets which were popular when I was a teenager, you know, pretty cards which you would write your letter on with matching envelopes, all kept together in a box which usually matched the cards (... maybe that's me showing my age). There was something sophisticated and grown up about them; remembering them was my inspiration for today's project.

I love using watercolours as the results are often unpredictable which suits my personality, they also lend themselves to spontaneity and freedom which I love to incorporate into my art, the set I used were Gansai Tambi by Kuretake, which are currently my favourite mainly because of the beautiful golds they have which are unusually opaque.

I loved how the colours bled into each other and blended so well. Having wet the surface first with clean water I couldn't predict the outcome, of where the paint would move to on the card, which adds so much fun, and does away with the worry that it might go wrong.

I have a passion at the moment for using gold in my art and these cards were no exception, again it's impossible to predict where the paint will land when you flick it from the brush which just adds to the enjoyment. I also loved how edging the cards in gold worked, I used my non-dominant hand for this, to keep the freshness of uncontrolled colour.

As mentioned earlier Sara's new stamps have a loose style which works so well for me, and were perfect for keeping the uncomplicated look which I sought to achieve. I didn't want anything that looked over worked or too contrived I wanted something anyone could look at and know they could achieve the same look.

Although I used watercolours, you can achieve a similar look with Infusions, by adding water to them in a palette and using them as a paint in the same way, just remember you will get a more vintage look.

The great thing about watercolours is their translucent properties which make them perfect for all kinds of art, whether you want to create a one layer piece or want to build up your layers, or use them in your journals. using them more neat gives a more intensified colour or add more water to increase the translucent properties. Sara’s stamps work perfectly with this style, as there are elements which can be painted and shade added for depth as well as others that can stand alone as part of mixed media or even CAS. 

I hope I have inspired you to have a go with watercolours, there is nothing to be afraid of as the medium is so forgiving, and they work so well with any stamp you want to use with them.

Take care everyone

Hugs

Debs xx

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I'm teaching a mixed Media Project in Tullie House, Gallery and Museum on April 21st 

We always hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. 

Our creative team love to read your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired!  

You must complete step 1 AND 2 to be entered into the draw. 

To join our challenge:

1. Leave a comment on the Topic Introduction Post and go in the draw to win a PaperArtsy Apron. 

2. Make something arty relevant to the topic, and link your creation from any social URL (eg. Instagram, Pinterest, Blog Post etc) sharing your original make to this challenge page.

The current topic link Topic 3: Watercolours will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, March 4th 2018, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a PaperArtsy creative apron. Please make sure we can contact you as a prize winner - it helps if you share your contact info from the platform you opt to use.

Good Luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!