2021 Topic 4 Free to Fly with TS {by Helen Chilton}

  2021 Topic 4: Free to Fly

Stamping with spices is definitely a new technique, but I'd love to see (and smell) it in real life! Helen has created a piece with real movement drawing on a myriad of techniques (and happy accidents) that bring this beautiful bird to life.

~ Keren

Hi everyone, it's Helen with you today with a very large tag using some of Tracy's fabulous new stamps. That bird is so full of movement it looks like it's about to take off and fly away.

Unusually for me, I haven't used any inkpads for this project but have stamped everything in paint. I wasn't sure how the bird would come out as it's very detailed, but the density of the black paint gives an almost lino cut effect which I really liked. 

I looked at set TS051 and decided to make a nest out of the half mandala. To give it a bit of extra texture I stamped it in paint then sprinkled it with some ground nutmeg - smells nice too!

 

Then it's on to the background and I decided to build up layers of leaves using Sara's stencil PS218.

 Starting with the lightest  of the blue-green Fresco colours first.

and just keep going - it's to build up depth.

I hadn't planned on lots of cutting out, but this stencilled leaf is very quick to snip and I like having lots of interlocking layers.

As I was cutting out I noticed I'd been practicing stamping the bird (TS053) on the back - I really liked the effect of the black wing pattern - a happy accident....

 

...so I stamped some of the pattern onto my greeny-blue leaves as well - love them.

Then it's just a question of planning the layout. The nest is slightly off-centre and the leaves are growing up towards the top right corner. I've tucked in some of the white and black leaves as well.

For the bird I just daubed on little bits of paint leaving lots of white spaces - very unusual for me - I'm not great with white spaces! I always have to fill them in!

But when you've stamped the bird in black paint, it just works.

Hold it over the background and you'll see what I mean.

I've wound a tiny scrap of wool round the leaves top left and bottom right - the yellow ties in with the colour of the bird's body and draws the eye diagonally down the tag.

I layered the bird up on several foam pads and curled the wings to give even more dimension.

The nest sits among the leaves - I'm amazed at the detail that showed up.

The nest is also raised and many of the leaves are not stuck down - just a tiny bit of glue on the stem to anchor them - as I like the sense of movement this creates.

This project was surprisingly quick to make - it sort of just flowed along, probably because the bird image is perfect for the theme of flying - it looks like it's about to launch itself into the air.

I really enjoyed making up the background using different shades of greens and blues - the PaperArtsy Frescos are brilliant for this as they're all neatly divided into families so if you're not sure what to use, just go back to the colour charts, all the work's been done for you. 

Although this tag is very detailed, I surprised myself by deliberately leaving white spaces! Have a go and see what you can create - you never know what you'll end up with.

Helen

Blog: A Splash of Colour

2021 Topic 4 Free to Fly with Scrapcosy {by Miriam Grazier}

 2021 Topic 4: Free to Fly

Miriam's little robin looks perfectly nested in his mossy green home and there's so much texture to love in this piece. With techniques you perhaps haven't tried yet, there's plenty to delve into with this lovely piece.

~ Keren

Hi everyone, it's Miriam with you today, and I'd like to share with you an art panel that I created using Scrapcosy stamps.

I wanted to create a textued panel that looked rustic but with loads of detail.  I really wanted the simplicity and beauty of the bird to be centre stage.

I loved adding so much texture to my panel.  And Infusions look so effective over Grunge Paste.

I used Fresco Finish Matte Glaze to mix Infusions to use as a paint - this is a technique that Raquel has shown in her YouTube videos.

I love the bird image.  I decided I wanted the bird to be a robin, so I stamped and coloured him with Polychromo pencils.

I used the 'filler' stamps in the stamp set ESC19 to stamp randomly over the panel and around the edge.  I used Fresco Acrylic chalk paints to do this as they stamp so well.

I stenciled the wording onto tissue with PS191 using Fresco Acrylic paint and then added it to the panel using matte medium.

 

I love using this technique.  Due to the texture and depth that I created, the tissue completely melted into the background as though I had stamped directly onto the panel.

I thought this robin looked majestic and free and so suited the topic so well.

I had so much fun creating this project - it was messy but I, myself, felt free in creating, which gave another dimension to the topic of 'free to fly'.  It was uplifting for me to lose myself in creating lots of texture with Grunge Paste, Infusions and stamps.  It really is my favourite way to relax.

I really hope that I have encouraged you to get your supplies out to create freely.  It is so relaxing and uplifting.

I think, in hindsight, I would have liked to have stamped into the Grunge Paste to add even more texture and dimension to my project.  It gives me another opportunity to create again!

Thank you for joining me this evening.

Happy crafting.

Miriam

Blog:  Miriam's Creative Dreams

2021 Topic 4: Free to Fly {Topic Intro}

 2021 Topic  4 - Free to Fly

Hi everyone, Keren here, with this flighty topic, guaranteed to make our hearts soar and might give us a sense of freedom even with our somewhat currently contained lives. Free to fly; so many ways to interpret it that I suspect our bloggers will have been spoiled for choice. Whether we are speaking to ourselves via journalling and dreaming of a freer inner self, or perhaps we want to release something to enable us to move onto something new, or even get rid of things that are holding back our wings. It might be that some of our creatives are yearning for distance away from their current abodes and are looking forward to flying literally (with airplane wings of course!).

Floating in first are our intrepid bloggers, flexing their metaphorical wings!

First up is Raquel aka as Scrapcosy with one of her lovely nature inspired stamp sets, creating a wonderful page in an art journal.

PaperArtsy Blog

Switching gears to something different, Leandra created this frame using a previous release from Seth Apter. Nothing actually flying other than your imagination!

PaperArtsy Blog

Leandra hasn't finished yet.. this piece was celebrating the recent release of our new Fresco greens. I reckon the birds are busy conversing with the butterflies debating who can fly the highest!

PaperArtsy Blog

Bringing up the rear fantastically is Jenny Marples with this bevy of butterfly beauties.

PaperArtsy Blog

'Beginning' can often be the greatest challenge. Sylvie Demers has captured the wonder of learning to fly in this atmospheric print.

Society 6

Isn't freedom to fly created by the absence of things too? One of my favourites quotes is by Michael Card' It's hard to imagine the freedom we find, from the things we leave behind'. This artist had a similar philosophy.

by bun

Perhaps you might be inspired to create art based on current affairs or speaking to causes that disturb our hearts. This is a particularly poignant piece of artwork communicating to refugees that they are free and welcome in their country.

Gray Day Studio

Our words can often give others permission to fly, and this scrapbooking page not only attests to that in the journalling, but I love the painterly effects over the dark background and the washed out title.

Traci Reed

This next project is using a die with a wonderful background. Lots of us have butterfly stamps and dies and I thought adapting this idea might be a great starting point for your arty endeavours.

Deepti Malik

Someone who's no stranger to butterflies and flight is our own Kay Carley, and this lovely 

picture has been designed by Kay. Those dragonflies are about to lift right off!

PaperArtsy Blog

This next idea is so clever- personalising for the recipient using places of interest that are meaningful to them. 

Source

If applique is your thing, why not rustle up some dancing dragonflies. The quilted aspect adds a wonderful depth to the fabric.

JoAnn Hoffman

Maybe you feel your cup is full- perhaps of duties and responsibilities or instead you might be thankful that you have a 'full cup'. Either way, this beautiful cup overflowing with flighty butterflies seemed perfectly fitting.

Emma Williams

You might enjoy some dimensional papercrafting- so how about a hot air balloon?! Whilst you might not be free to actually fly in it, this cleverly constructed piece just may inspire a flight of fancy!

Andrew Roberts

This is a beautiful quote that seems like the perfect end to this topic introduction and might be the beginning of creating some free to fly based art.

Lily Bean Paperie

If you want to create along with us while we explore this topic, please share your makes on our social feeds so we can follow along. Instagram @paperartsy or why not join us and post in the PaperArtsy People Group on Facebook. Make sure you tag us in your contributions, we love to see what you get up to in your creative world!