2017 Topic 18: Torn,Ripped and Burnt {Intro and challenge}

 2017 Topic 18: Torn, Ripped and Burnt

Scrapperia

Welcome to a new topic everyone, Darcy here to talk about our latest theme. This fortnight we will be looking at ways to distress art work in very specific ways, using tearing, ripping and burning. 

Before we start, let's see who won the Topic 17: Shades of White Challenge...

The winner is: Gail from Crafty Nomad

Email Darcy to claim your prize. Darcydotneedles@gmail.com

As is often the case, the techniques we use in our art stem from ancient techniques, and paper tearing is no exception. In the 11th century the Japanese were tearing paper, usually handmade, and creating pieces of art. These pieces were quite delicate and often resembled watercolour paintings, known as Chigiri-e they had calligraphy over the top. 

Barbara Hamer

Moving forward to the 20th century saw Pablo Picasso and Georges Braques coin the phrase 'collage' 

Picasso

Here is a modern collage, beautifully executed, all those ripped pieces forming these gorgeous otters. Choose your pieces based on colour and scale of pattern. 

Dawn Maciocia

We also use tearing and ripping as a way to distress and interest to edges. This lovely Christmas layout has been made much more dimensional because of the paper edges being torn. 

Basic Grey

These layered Christmas cards use torn edges too mixed in with cut edges, it really does pay to mix them up the torn edges make for wonderful shapes. 

Michelle Wooderson

Torn paper makes a great mask or stencil, Barbara has used a torn scrap of paper here on her gelli plate, the paper stops the paint in that area from reaching the cardstock, resulting in this negative space with interesting edges. 

Barbara Gray

Similarly, Eileen has used a torn paper mask to create the landscapes on this tag. You could also use the edge of this stencil PS030

Eileen Godwin

Here is another way to layer up your torn and ripped edges, as different sizes of pages these make a really interesting and tactile art journal, each page gives a glimpse beyond to the next page. 

Gracie

Torn edges also look great in backgrounds, wash a little diluted paint over the edges just to blend them a little. 

Claudia

Another great background, this time the artist has torn lovely stained teabags and layered them over text, as the teabag paper is translucent the text shows through. Follow the link to see how she added sketching and stamping over the top of the teabags to create a beautiful piece. 

Becca Kirkland

Torn paper can be combined with drawings , fabric and stitching to create free hanging pieces of art. 

Philippa Leith

This piece was created on torn corrugate card, itself having the surface torn away, this was done by an Alevel student. 

Matravers

Another piece, torn, stamped, folded, layered and stitched. 

Miss Stitch Therapy

Our own Jo Firth Young loves torn corrugate card, she turns it into the most beautiful pieces of art. 

Jo Firth Young

I think my favourite ripped piece has to be this dog, ripping fabric is just so satisfying, and it creates wonderful raggy edges, use them to wrap around books or loop through the tops of tags, use ripped fabric to make flowers or just to layer up. leave all those loose threads hanging, they look great. 

Barbara Franc

This simple piece introduces burning, along with the clean white card and glimpses of gold leaf this looks so fresh. This has been done using a blowtorch and a branding iron, but you could achieve similar results with a soldering iron or a wood burning tool. 

Kelly O'Brien

This piece is 4 layers of Abaca paper,( this is a plant fiber from the banana tree) the holes are made with a soldering iron. 

Karen Margolis

For a rustic Christmas how about making these wood burnt snowmen. 

Burnwood Creations

I love this piece, so sculptural but yet delicate with its singed edges. 

OsikDesigns

I wasn't sure at first about singed clothing, but the more I look the more I like this, how could you incorporate this idea into your work? perhaps singed layers on a book cover or on the dress of a doll, or even singed fabric pieces on a card. 

Judith Orshalimian

A great way to add a burning technique is to simply use your heat gun, if you hold it over paint long enough it will bubble and blister and singe. Do be very careful, do this in a ventilated room and do not allow the artwork to set alight. The blisters which are then raised can be brushed over with Treasure Gold to highlight the texture. 

Andy Skinner

Heat guns can be used on fabric too, you can burn through dried out baby wipes, through sheer fabrics, through tyvek, so many ways you can experiment with burning. 

This sample is layers of tyvek stitched and zapped with a heat gun. 

Kim Thittichai

I just had to finish with this burnt offering, how many of us have burned toast, everyone right?but have you ever made a portrait with your burnt toast?

Henry Hargreaves

Summary....  Have fun!

Don't forget to follow Darcy and Leandra's Pinterest boards if this topic pushes your buttons, you will see plenty more examples to whet your appetite there! I am really looking forward to seeing what you create over the next 2 weeks!

~ Darcy

We hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. Our bloggers deeply appreciate your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired! Why not join our challenge by blogging your interpretation of the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, 10th Dec 2017, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store.

Challenge Guidelines

• The challenge is a for you to show how you are inspired by the current blog topic. We encourage you to play with us and explore your personal creative style.
• Please mention which PA blog post inspired you and and why (link directly to that post). Please don't link to the home page of your blog because then no-one can track back to easily find the original post.
• We prefer your challenge blog post is created exclusive to our challenge, but if our topic fits perfectly with another challenge, then you may link to both if appropriate.
• You are most welcome to use stamps/ products/ substrates you have to hand from a variety of companies, we do not expect you to exclusively use PA products - it's lovely when you do though!
• You can enter as many times as you like. We don't want to restrict your creativity! 

NB. Link closes at 17:00 Sunday 10th December  (London Time)

Prize: The winner will receive a £50 credit voucher to be redeemed on the PaperArtsy Website. The credit voucher includes VAT and postage. We request that one of your purchases is an A5 rubber stamp. You can add any other items to your basket, but the final total should not exceed £50. It's your responsibility to claim your prize coupon from Darcy. 

email: darcydotneedles@gmail.com

NEW Challenge/ winner: Each fortnight on Sunday, the winner will be announced at 19:00 (London time). In the same post, the link for the next fortnight will be posted. 

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

2017 Topic 17: Shades of White {Intro and Challenge}

 2017 Topic 17: Shades of White

Hitomi Hosono

Well hello everyone, Darcy here with a new topic. How time is flying, we are up to Topic 17 already. I am sure you are all fully immersed in the deep, rich tones of Autumn, but winter is not far away and soon we will be turning to all things white, so to prepare you for those winter whites our new topic is called 'Shades of White'

Before we start, let's see who won the Topic 16: Rust Challenge...

The winner is: Pavla from PavlArt

Email Darcy to claim your prize. Darcydotneedles@gmail.com

I think this might, at first, appear to be one of our most challenging topics, not in a difficult way, but more that it will really make you think about your project. What can you create with shades of white, what message can you convey, and how will you go about it. Also, how, or will you be able to, resist adding other colours?

White is associated with quiet, calm, light, innocence, peace and purity, it almost always looks clean (scary I know) and is generally a positive colour. It can look serene and gentle but can equally be energetic, tactile and full of emotion. 

The PaperCutter

Just how many shades of white are there? Next time you are in a DIY shop, have a look at their paint chips you will be astounded at how many whites there are. 

Winter white, snow white, smoke white, cream, eggshell, old lace, ivory, linen, antique white, off-white, baby powder, chalk, white peony, white whisper, ultra white, meringue, paper lantern, frost, moon, iceland, chantilly, and so on. For the most part, in isolation they will all look just white, it is only when you layer them up that you can see the subtle differences. 

So layering is a great way to treat a shades of white project. Even using the same white paper, once layered, can give you great shadows, which in turn make various areas of white pop more. 

Joey Bates

How about a tiny house in a champagne glass, this would be wonderful for a wedding gift or as a new home gift. 

Helen Musselwhite

Not only are there lots of whites, but there are many surface treatments too, look back over previous topics, we have had pearlescent and metallic, both of those work beautifully with white. At PaperArtsy we have Pearl glaze and Metallic glaze to accentuate your whites, look at another topic, Glitter, clear and white glitters whether fine or chunky, will dramatically change your work. 

Debby4000

So you have pulled out all your whites, you have them layered and you added glitter, how else can we create differences? 

Texture; this is always a wonderful addition. I love collecting wallpaper samples, there are some great embossed wallpapers, don't forget about handmade papers too, there are some yummy ones. You could of course make your own paper! What about texture paste, PaperArtsy Grunge paste is a perfect base to add interest, but can also be added to subsequent layers. 

Vito Capone

Other textures you could introduce would be fabric, perhaps muslin (cheesecloth) for softness, or satin for a smooth sheen, silk for a touch of delicate, or velvet for cosiness and luxury. 

Livingontheedge

Don't forget you can add all manner of embellishments such as embroidery and buttons. This is a gorgeous way to bring snowflakes indoors. 

Yvonne Pratt

Often vintage ephemera will be all different shades of white as it yellows over the years, look for old book pages, vintage fabrics and lace, old faded photographs. 

Kasia Avery

Here you can see papers and fabrics all layered together, held in place by both delicate and bold stitches. 

DJ Pettitt

Other fragile papers will also add dimension and interest, think about using tracing paper, vellum, tissue paper, music paper or deli paper, layer up all those thin papers to create a great base without bulk. 

Gristello

Maybe you are staring at a blank white page and thinking it looks intimidating enough without adding even more white, how on earth can i even start this project? Why not try starting with coloured pages, add paint or gesso or layers of paper and create your white masterpiece. How much of your colour can you cover up, that will be a challenge eh?

Druga Szesnascie

Another double spread here where book pages have been whitewashed with either diluted paint or gesso, (dilute just enough so that the pages underneath can still be seen) then the top layer is thicker paint through a stencil, a great way to layer and add a little texture. 

Oliver Jeffers

I always think these seed pods from the Lunaria plant are so ethereal, if you can find these dried out they would add gorgeous dimension to your project. 

Burpee

As if by magic, here is a mixed media piece combining old dressmakers patterns, white paint and lunaria seeds. 

Anca Gray

The above artist, Anca Gray, has some very interesting things on her blog, lots of use of whites and neutral shades, great inspiration. 

I adore these pieces stitched together, what could you hide inside those panels?

If you look carefully you can see that she has hidden wordfetti under the stitched panels. check out her blog for more inspiration. 

Anca Gray

If you fancy yourself as a fashionista you could put on a 'brave face' and go for this all white outfit! 

Viktor and Rolf

If you are looking to redecorate a space in your home then this might inspire, although the background wall is coloured you can see just how much light has been introduced by the large white mounts within the frames. 

From a full wall to tiny ornaments, how about some pebble painting. 

Shop pod

I shall leave you with something very tasty, how is this for a beautifully tiered cake. 

Hall of Cake

I hope those examples have inspired, I have to say I had a relaxing time searching for photos. I think they show that shades of white can be beautiful and peaceful but also very exciting. Have a wonderful two weeks of creating. 

Don't forget to follow Darcy and Leandra's Pinterest boards if this topic pushes your buttons, you will see plenty more examples to whet your appetite there! I am really looking forward to seeing what you create over the next 2 weeks!

~ Darcy

We hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. Our bloggers deeply appreciate your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired! Why not join our challenge by blogging your interpretation of the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, 26th November 2017, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store.

Challenge Guidelines

• The challenge is a for you to show how you are inspired by the current blog topic. We encourage you to play with us and explore your personal creative style.
• Please mention which PA blog post inspired you and and why (link directly to that post). Please don't link to the home page of your blog because then no-one can track back to easily find the original post.
• We prefer your challenge blog post is created exclusive to our challenge, but if our topic fits perfectly with another challenge, then you may link to both if appropriate.
• You are most welcome to use stamps/ products/ substrates you have to hand from a variety of companies, we do not expect you to exclusively use PA products - it's lovely when you do though!
• You can enter as many times as you like. We don't want to restrict your creativity! 

NB. Link closes at 17:00 Sunday 26th November, 17:00 (London Time)

Prize: The winner will receive a £50 credit voucher to be redeemed on the PaperArtsy Website. The credit voucher includes VAT and postage. We request that one of your purchases is an A5 rubber stamp. You can add any other items to your basket, but the final total should not exceed £50. It's your responsibility to claim your prize coupon from Darcy. 

email: darcydotneedles@gmail.com

NEW Challenge/ winner: Each fortnight on Sunday, the winner will be announced at 19:00 (London time). In the same post, the link for the next fortnight will be posted. 

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

2017 Topic 14: Glitter {Intro and Challenge}

 2017 Topic 14: Glitter

Jimmy Choo

Well hello everyone, Darcy here, and a brand new topic for you. Today we embrace all things glittery and sparkly, go on you know you want to..

Before we start, let's see who won the Topic 13: Metal Challenge...

The winner is: Jane  from Dizzycrafter

Email Darcy to claim your prize. Darcydotneedles@gmail.com

So where do we think the love of glitter comes from? the glam 70's perhaps, or maybe the roaring 20's? is it just the thing of childhood art sessions? nope, it is so much older, we have been shimmering for thousands of years.  In fact our oldest civilisations were using mica flakes in red, white and black in their cave paintings. I wonder if they wore lurex?

After that the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Greek and Romans were all fascinated with reflective qualities and used a bit of shimmer whenever they could, in makeup, clothing and home decor. Makeup was a little different back then, Cleopatra made hers from crushed up beetles. 

Lime Crime

In the 1930's modern glitter came into being, it is ground up plastic with a very fine coating of aluminium or other reflective substance, this is then coloured. Glitter aficionados may tell you that glass glitter is the only true form, but it is sharp and impractical for heavy handling and no good at all for children to use. so for most glitterati it is the plastic type that is used, this is available in countless sizes, colours, shapes and grades. Glitter can be found in very fine powder form both for edible and non edible purposes, chunkier fragments, suspended in glues and shaped into sequins. 

Martha Stewart

Glitter ruled the 70's 80's and 90's, on clothing, art, home decor, stationery, faces etc, By the millennium the shine had faded a little, but it has never gone away completely, and never will as you will know if you have ever spilled a full tub of glitter.. there is something quite magical about a forever sparkly carpet. 

If you have a sparkly carpet then why not sparkly wine glasses to match.

Glitter is often seen as a sure sign the festive season has arrived, but we are a little way off that yet. Autumn colours are stunning when glitter is added, those deep reds, oranges and purples become magical. 

Lucy Meek

Using the same rich tones this card is beautiful in its simplicity, a few liquid pearls add just enough shimmer to lift these neutral colours. 

Lisa Addesa

Liquid pearls are a shimmering paint that can be a wonderfully subtle way to add shine to your project. 

The original glitter that is mica flakes, are ground up to make mica powders, these can be brushed over textures to give fabulous highlights. Here they are brushed over glimmer mist sprays to give a double whammy of sparkle. 

Creating Keepsakes

The next size up is very fine glitter, it works perfectly here suspended in resin for these potion bottles. 

Sarah

This card using fine glitter and the packing tape method, click through on the name to find out about this super easy technique. 

Connie Stewart

If the thought of having to control super fine glitter makes your knees wobble then have no fear the hard work is done for you with the availability of glitter card, all you need to do is cut out some pretty shapes and you are good to go. 

Ang Mansfield

The letters on this fun layout were precut, but you could die cut them yourself from glitter card or cut plain letters and cover them in glitter to add real impact to a scrapbook page

Studio Calico

Next up is glitter glue, we all used it as a child and now there is the grown up version in the form of Stickles, hands up, who is a self confessed stickles addict? * Darcy raises hand sheepishly*

This card uses stunning colours for the stamping and colouring and then a final layer of gold stickles was applied here and there to add punch. 

Wendy Janson

Here Tim Holtz uses distress stickles on an Easter Bunny for a slightly less blingy but still eye catching effect. 

Tim Holtz

Now for embossing powder, some of which has the most sparkly of sparkly glitter added to it. here is a nifty video showing how to trap WOW embossing glitters inside clear melt it powder to create ornaments. 

Slightly larger glitter and resin works beautifully in jewellery, these are so pretty. 

Olisava

I adore these glittered feathers, I think they are my favourite sample this week, so beautiful and elegant. 

Anabela Piersol

These dresses are watercolours, but you could achieve this result with a stamped dress too, colour in your stamp very lightly and add your glitter , perhaps for a sweet sixteen card, or for a graduation. 

Grandhorse

For a fun home decor piece take a plain white canvas and add your glitter to the bottom half, then string some fairy lights behind for this simple but effective statement piece.

JoAnns

Finally I could not resist this glitter drip, like shiny lava tumbling down the side of this building in Iceland. This was created by artist Theresa Himmer and comprises of oversized metal sequins. I would love this on my house. 

There are so many more ways to add glitter and glitz, what about glittered brads or buttons, adding a glitter border by sprinkling glitter over double sided tape! You can add sequins, sequin waste, lurex fabric, you can dip and dab and dot your way to glitter heaven. Try making a shaker card or a snow globe, whatever you do, have fun and glitter your world. 

Don't forget to follow Darcy and Leandra's Pinterest boards if this topic pushes your buttons, you will see plenty more examples to whet your appetite there! I am really looking forward to seeing what you create over the next 2 weeks!

~ Darcy

We hope that you  learn something interesting from our blog. Our bloggers deeply appreciate your comments so much, so please take time to let them know you've been inspired! Why not join our challenge by blogging your interpretation of the current topic and link it here?

The current topic link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, Oct 15th 2017, and the winner will be announced 2 hours later at 19:00.

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store.

Challenge Guidelines

• The challenge is a for you to show how you are inspired by the current blog topic. We encourage you to play with us and explore your personal creative style.
• Please mention which PA blog post inspired you and and why (link directly to that post). Please don't link to the home page of your blog because then no-one can track back to easily find the original post.
• We prefer your challenge blog post is created exclusive to our challenge, but if our topic fits perfectly with another challenge, then you may link to both if appropriate.
• You are most welcome to use stamps/ products/ substrates you have to hand from a variety of companies, we do not expect you to exclusively use PA products - it's lovely when you do though!
• You can enter as many times as you like. We don't want to restrict your creativity! 

NB. Link closes at 17:00 Sunday Oct 15th 2017   (London Time)

Prize: The winner will receive a £50 credit voucher to be redeemed on the PaperArtsy Website. The credit voucher includes VAT and postage. We request that one of your purchases is an A5 rubber stamp. You can add any other items to your basket, but the final total should not exceed £50. It's your responsibility to claim your prize coupon from Darcy. 

email: darcydotneedles@gmail.com

NEW Challenge/ winner: Each fortnight on Sunday, the winner will be announced at 19:00 (London time). In the same post, the link for the next fortnight will be posted. 

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