Hi arty friends,
Introducing a new feature on my Blog: Art on Demand

I get a lot of requests on how to use materials. Sometimes a product will sound interesting but you find yourself unsure of how to use it or what the results will be, so it sits there unused - potential in a jar. You may find yourself wanting to break out of your norm and use your materials in new and interesting ways and combinations but are unsure where to start.

Well that is what Art on Demand is all about! Techniques and combinations that will encourage you to try different art techniques and materials.

Lets get started!


Exhibit A: a lucky dip box. All items unused, many unfamiliar in brand or method. So diving in I went. Three items I was digging for and came up with:

• Cornish Heritage Farms unmounted stamp - Trees Backgrounder
• Pan Pastel Sofft Art Sponge - Flat Angle Slice
• Ranger Adirondack Ink - Pitch Black

and since these all seemed a little safe, decided to dig for one more...

• Claudine Hellmuth Studio Acrylic - Sable Brown

Initial thoughts

Stamp: Quite taken with the size and detail of the unmounted stamp so I wanted to use a technique that would show up its potential texture.

Sponge: Hmm I could cut it, paint with it, burnish. Nice dense sponge would result in smooth application.

Ink pad: Black ink. Well a core item in any crafters arsenol. Note to consider - Pigment ink so would only dry on absorbant surfaces or would require heat embossing.

Paint: Acrylic paint, dries on most everything. Brown - a stepping off point for my colour scheme.

So not exactly a scary combination for this tutorial but hey, want to see where I ended up?...

RESULT


I wanted to highlight the texture in the stamp and create a peering in effect. So keeping lighter colours towards the middle and a frame style layer adds the effect of depth. Detail is in bead tendrils and tiny clear micro beads on the interior edges of the frame.

Tricky to see in the photo but the stamp image carries over the background and continues through the frame.


Process
1. Assemble your materials and turn your hot glue gun on.

2. While your hot glue gun is heating up, cut a piece of white cardstock slightly larger than the dimensions of the rubber stamp. I chose a cardstock that has a linen finish.
3. Spray the surface of your card with Glimmermist shimmer spray keeping the light colours to the middle of your card.

4. Force dry with a heat gun. You could let it dry naturally if you wish.

5. Ink up your stamp with the black pigment ink and stamp directly onto your now shimmery white card.

6. Emboss immediately with the black embossing powder. The technique for embossing is to sprinkle the still wet ink with powder. Shake off the excess powder onto a clean piece off paper and return the excess to its jar for re-use. Heat the embossing powder that is now stuck to your stamped image with a heat gun or over a toaster so that the powder melts into a glossy enamel sheen. Set embossed image aside.

7. Apply hot melted glue directly to your rubber stamp (do not use on acrylic stamps - I havent tested them yet!). Rubber stamps are made of vocanized rubber and are not harmed by the hot glue.


8. Apply the hot glue around the entire edge of the rubber stamp to create a frame and then trail the glue inwards to build up width to the frame. Vary the thickness of the hot glue and allow small threads to snake across the image. Set aside to cool.

9. Using the sponge, apply black ink to the edges of the cardstock image blending lightly.

10. Layer the embossed inked image onto a piece of blue and black cardstock. Each piece slightly larger than the last to add a mat border then zig-zag machine stitch to hold the pieces together and create a decorative edge. Leave the threads hanging free for additional interest.

11. Once the hot glue is well cool (it will be cloudy looking), peel it up off the surface of the stamp.

12. Paint the hot glue frame with black gesso making sure to get paint in all the detail and crevices.

13. While the gesso is still wet, burnish back over the frame with the sponge to remove the gesso from the top peaks of the texture. This will add back a subtle translucent look.

14. Sponge some colour into the frame using the sponge. Burnish back again lightly to reveal the translucent peaks.

15. Apply the glass bead gel to the interior edges of the frame. Once it is dry it will give a crystal frost like detail to the piece.

16. Using your fingertip, rub some shimmery white metallic rub-ons near the glass bead gel to blend out the icy effect.


17. Attach the frame over the stamped image (the images will line up) by piercing holes either side of glue bands in the frame then thread a large needle with metallic threads and tie the frame onto the embossed image. I tied mine in three places leaving the thread excess hanging free.

18. Add final detail by attaching a small charm to the frame with ball chain. Thread tiny crystal seed beads onto the ends of the free threads.

19. Adhere your textured image to the front of a journal, book, album or box and your project is complete.


This is such a easy and effective technique. I challenge you to give it a try! If you do, please post a link to your creation back here in the comments section. Every person who links back will recieve a FREE original Artist Trading Card and an word or image sheet for use in your artwork.

Feedback and requests for specific materials or techniques to be featured welcome.

Happy creating!
~Kathleen

Labels: Art, Art-on-demand, Inspiration, Instruction