Art journal page - Magic

Hi and welcome :0). This is my new page for a 6.5"x 6.5" (ca. 16,5 x 16,5 cm) art journal.

I found this small, but awesome filigree die which reminded me an oriental window. So I created a page inspired by it. I started with my Distress oxide ink pads in blues and greens and used a moroccan trellis stencil with Versamark ink to achieved tone on tone "wallpaper" background. From another scrap of paper with Distress oxide inks in shades of violet on it, combined with a Tim Holtz gold kraft cardstock, I created my windows and circle. This gold cardstock was also used for the border and small gold details on the page. To brighten my violet parts up, I covered them with Distress Glaze, so it looks like I used Distress inks and not Distress oxide - the Glaze taken the pigment part of the Distress oxides away and only the bright dye part left. 

My characters are from Hero Arts older stamp sets. I'm very happy how this page turned out :0)

 

Thank you for your visit and see you next time :0)

19.2.2021 Sometimes all you need is a little MAGIC

Stampscape cards - first 4 scenes

Four stampscape cards on ordinary inkjet glossy photo paper (tropical card and ducks card), Ranger specialty matt coated paper (bats card) and Ranger glossy paper (blue lake card).

Because I don't have the great paper Kevin Nakagawa use in his video lessons, these cards started as a paper test for different papers I have in my stash - how easily or hardly they take the dye inks. Then I decided to use them also for stamping. The scenes were stamped with Memento Tuxedo black ink and/or Ranger Black soot archival ink.

It was not too easy I need to say, because on all of them the ink dries pretty quickly, so it is not easy to achieve nice blends of colors as Kevin does. I found out, that Versamark ink is a very helpful, especially for inkjet photo paper, because as a first  clear layer it fill the paper a bit and helps to other inks to stay longer on the surface of the paper so they can be moved and mixed better.

When the ink layers were dry (I used a heat tool) I stamped the scenes in black colors. Unfortunately even if I tried, none of the images was stamped perfectly solid and opaque and drying with my heat tool also did not helped - somehow it caused that black become a quite dull. So I used black Pigma Micron pens and Memento marker to fill the gaps and make black more black again :0).  For white details I used a white Sakura gelly roll pen. It works perfectly. And the clouds on the green card were just painted with a white Pitt artist pen (India ink) and just smudged with fingers before they dry completely (also this ink dries fast).

Next time I will definitely try a reverse order - first stamping and then coloring. But I thing that these cards was an experiment and I learned a lot, so the goal was achieved :0)

And here they are, 4 cards, 4 scenes and 4 moods... Thank you for stopping by, have a nice day and I'll be glad when you let me know which card do you like the most :0)...

6.8.2017 Stampscape cards - Tropical sunset, Blue lake, Duck rest and Night of bats...

Playful journal page 16 - Phoenix and Dragon

Phoenix and Dragon - an art journal page inspired with Chinese decor :0)
According to the Chinese mythology the Phoenix was a symbol of the Empress and the Dragon with five fingers belonged to the Emperor. For a long time a yellow color was reserved for a monarch and in the Chinese culture has a very important meanings still. 

For the background I used one of Spellbinders Medallion dies. I cut it 6 times and glued the decor on the page. Then I covered all the page with the black Dylusions paint and highlighted the medallions with an Old gold metallic wax (Inka gold) from Viva Decor.
I painted white cardstock with Calypso teal Dylusions paint, stamped the clouds with clear Versamark ink and embossed with gold embossing powder. Then I teared two stripes off it and used the same gold wax on the edges.
On the white cardstock sprayed with Lemon zest and Pure sunshine Dylusions sprays I stamped the Phoenix and the Dragon, again with Versamark, and embossed them with the gold embossing powder. I used one of my label dies to cut them out. The same technique I used for the coins, which were stamped on the white cardstock painted with the mix of Pure sunshine and Calypso teal Dylusions sprays (they mix in a beautiful range of greens).
At the end I painted a brown ribbon with the gold wax and fastened the coins on it with a small pieces of wooden skewer painted with a black Dylusions paint. All stamps I used for this page are from two very nice sets from Local King rubber stamps.

Because I used a limited range of colors, the whole page is nicely consistent and with the all gold accents looks really beautiful.

If you like the page too, feel free to leave me a comment. Thank you for stopping by, have a nice days and see you next time :0)

21.4.2017 Playful art journal page 16 - Phoenix and Dragon

P.S. ...to see more details, open the picture (link) in the new tab :0)

Creative weekend 7 - "A fashion moment"

A fashion moment - an art journal page in Seawhite hardbound 7.5"x7.5" (ca. 20x20 cm) journal.

Simple two colors watercolor background in pink and violet with pattern of ferns (Inkadinkado stamp) stamped with clear Versamark ink all over the page and covered with silver Pan pastel. I used gray Distress ink and the same stamp for the stenciled silhouettes.

I was extra happy doing this page, because I made these stencils myself using Dingbats PC font of women's silhouettes. It is "Sewing patterns" font from dafont.com - every lower-case and every upper-case letter on your keyboard is a different silhouette. And there is a whole large category of Dingbats fonts on this web site prepared to be used :0).
I changed this font into .svg file in Inkscape program and then transformed this "3 letters-silhouettes" file in Brother Scan-n-cut canvas on-line program into a great custom stencil pattern I cut with my Scan-n-cut cutting machine.
It was fast and easy, even if I tried it for the first time. I followed some youtube tutorials from applelover53. This lady has really awesome tips and tricks for Inkscape and Scan-n-cut including several nice and easy videos how to use dingbats e.g. HERE or HERE. Or just write "dingbat" into the searching box on her youtube channel and you will find much more :0)

I finished the page with the beautiful circle stamps (Lavinia stamps), a stitch stamp (Technique Tuesday), black archival ink, white chalk marker and a small label maker :0)

14. 2. 2017 A fashion moment

Clouterie - Guest Design Team spot for Chocolate Baroque - with photo tutorial :0)

This post is really exciting for me :D. Today I can show you a project I made for Chocolate Baroque stamps as a Guest Design Team member. It's been posted freshly on their Design team blog here.

As a winner of a Spring art competition earlier this year (with a Spring art journal page) I received this great opportunity to make another project with their beautiful stamps. On my blog I would like to show you step by step process, how I created this "textile shop window". And you can find the list of all the materials and colors I used at the end of this blog post :0)

a) first I made a colored paper for a shop window. I sprayed watercolor paper with water, added red Brusho powders and a pinch of blue. Then I used a brush to make a first layer of color. Until I had the final color I wanted, I kept adding the water and red powders and also just a little bit of Brusho Emerald green, because it is an opposite color of the red on the color wheel and make the red more dull. I always moved the brush in the same direction (from right to left and back), so at the end I had a texture resembling the wood grain. After everything was completely dry, I used Lascaux Satin matt acrylic medium as a sealer. I cut the paper into strips, scored them a little bit for the texture, finished the edges with Jet black archival ink and used the double sided tape adhesive tape to connect them into the shop window.

b) then I sprayed my background watercolor paper with water, I added Merlot Color burst powder and with the brush made my base flat color layer (quite pink). I let it air dry, so the final color was more vibrant. After that I stamped background stamp repeatedly with clear Versamark ink on the dry page and than sprinkled the page gently with Merlot Color burst and Prussian blue Brusho powders. With the dry brush I worked the powder into the pattern stamped with Varsamark. Than I sprayed the page with water again and spread the both colors on the page with brush . The stamped pattern remained darker, but it's necessary to be careful with the water (with too much water the dry pattern will be too blur and also with too much powders - they are very intense - the darker will be whole page and the pattern less visible at the end). I trimmed the paper a little bit, so it is slightly narrower than the shop window and can be completely hidden under it.

c) I stamped drapery, carpet, mannequins, corners, shop sign and haberdashery pieces on the mixed media paper with Jet black archival ink and heat set it with my Tim Holtz heat tool, so I could color them with Distress ink pads without smudging. I cut them out and finished all the edges with black waterproof Faber-Castell India ink marker. For the haberdashery I cut out separated masks (from sticky masking tape I stamped the pictures on) for brown and colourful parts, so I could color them safely without mixing the colors. I used Tim Holtz foam applicators and also helpful Tsukineko daubers for smaller pieces. 

For the shadows on the mannequins and all other pieces I used Hickory smoke Distress ink.

Corner stamp I stamped twice and drew a border around both pieces by hand. I colored them with Distress inks and than I lightened up some parts with clean water brush, so they look more dimensional. I wet the areas with water and then removed the excess color with dry paper towel. Left corner is before the and right one after I used the water brush. I am very happy with the wood like look and texture of the corners and the shop sign. It is also thanks to a texture of the Canson paper I used. 

The same lightening process I used on the strawberry patterned violet ribbon (my "carpet steps"). 

And I also decided not to use the thimbles I embossed with silver embossing powder. They would be too contrasting with other elements around.

d) I cut out rectangles from white silk wrapping paper I had from my birthday flowers and I sprayed them with Distress sprays in rainbow colors. I dried it with my heat gun. After that, for every piece I used a darker Distress ink pad color to stamp a patter on it and dry it again. I crumpled he papers several times so it was easier to work with it and arranged it around the mannequins. I used the colored paper ribbons from my stash and stamped buttons to finished the look of the textiles.

e) Finally I completed the page. For more dimensional look I used also a black adhesive fun foam. I used two layers under the shop window and also the drapery and one layer on the back side of the mannequins and lower step of the carpet. So the final layers of the page are - black card stock in the same shape as the shop window as a base for the whole page, violet background patterned paper, one layer of the fun foam frame around the page, upper carpet step directly on the background violet paper and lower carpet step with one layer of the fun foam on the back . Then the mannequins with one layer of the fun foam on the back side and the haberdashery on the upper and lower steps of the carpet. After that the second layer of the fun foam around the page and under the top drapery and on the top of it the corners with shop window and shop sign. 

For bigger parts I used the double sided adhesive tape, but the mannequins stands are glued with Distress collage medium and the haberdashery with Rangers Glossy accents which I also used (in small spots) under the "fabrics".

And here it is - the final project once again:

For the project I used:

Stamp sets from Chocolate baroque:

Floral Mannequins and Haberdashery, Texture Fragments for "textile" patterns, Damask Panel for background pattern and corner stamp from Steampunk Butterfly. 

Colors: 

for the shop window: mix of Brusho watercolor powders - Scarlet, Crimson, Prussian Blue and Emerald green and Color Burst watercolor powder - Merlot, 

for background: mix of Prussian Blue Brusho powder and Merlot Color Burst powder, 

for drapery and carpet: Tim Holtz Distress ink pads Milled lavender, Seedless preserves, Dusty concord, 

for fabrics: Distress ink sprays Spun sugar, Mustard seed, Spiced marmalade, Twisted citron and Tumbled glass and Distress ink pads Milled lavender, Wild honey, Carved pumpkin, Peeled paint and Broken china and for the haberdashery pieces: Distress ink pads in all these colors, 

for brown pieces: Distress ink pad Vintage photo and 

for shading of all pieces: Distress ink pad Hickory smoke. 

Papers: 
slightly textured Hahnemuehle Toscana 90 lbs watercolor paper 24x32 cm for background and shop window, Canson Mix Media 138 lb for all stamped pieces, silk (flower wrapping) paper for "fabrics".

Thank you so much for your patience and support. I really appreciate all your comments and nice words I can read on the Chocolate baroque blog and here :0)

Have a nice week and maybe see you some day with another Guest design team spot :0)

Playful art journal page 14

Page inspired by beautiful Japanese lacquer art :0)

A lot of layers this time. I colored whole page with black Dylusions paint and than stamped  the bamboo stamp pattern with Versamark and embossed it with WOW Super fine gold embossing powder. I die-cut the koi fish from different textured papers used them as a background pattern and as my focal point also. another layer is a black cardstock as a frame and than another one embossed with Sheena Douglass embossing folder and gilded with Inka gold paste from Viva decor. Edges are embossed with WOW Ultra high embossing powder. Than I cut out the circles - one from black cardstock embossed with this gold powder again and second one with black silk paper - stamped with Versamark and embossed partially with WOW Ultra high and partially with WOW Super fine gold embossing powders. Lotuses are a combination of Waffle flower and Altenew stamp sets. I stamped them on patterned papers - pearly white and green one gold embossed with Chinese characters stamp. Leaves are colored with Distress ink pads and flowers with very light green alcohol markers. Also the main koi fish are colored with alcohol markers and for more dimension I also used a die-cut black fun foam on their back side.

24.7.2016 Playful art journal page 14

Art journal page - And what about your garden?

This A4 (cca 8.5" x 11.5") journal page started as a two colors background - I used Dylusions Pomegranate seed and Calypso teal - with some stenciling and stamping in the colors of the background or black. Than I used black cardstock with double sided tape on it and die-cut some wild flowers from Tim Holtz. I covered them with Distress Vintage platinum glitter dust. I brushed off any excess powder and sprayed the fixative over them, so there are no glitters falling of the page now. The result is so nice and shiny. Quote is just embossed with Versamark and Platinum embossing powder on the black cardstock and than gently covered with Inka gold wax from Viva (in Old gold and Platinum colors). I used it also on the edges of the page and on the other page elements  :0)
I'm not very "shiny" person, but I love the unusual contrast of this darker background and bright glitters :0)

23.5.2016 "And what about your garden"
(in the sunlight)

(in the my working, north oriented, room light)

Playful art journal page 6

Today I tried another variation of Versamark and Pan pastel technique background. I have a new 6 Dylusions paints in my stash, so I wanted to see how would they look like in my journal book. When I put these colors in my Dylusions color swatch, I cleaned the foam applicators in my journal. And than I decided to transform this really colorful background in a new journal page :0). I used Versamark stamping (few different stamps at one time) and white Pan pastel over it again. Than I recolored roses with black ink marker. Border, on the other hand, I stamped in black Versafine ink and than put white pastel on it, so the result is more grey now. And the Pan pastel covered the shapes perfectly again. After polishing the page with dry cloth all was perfectly fixed.
There were only two surprises - when I wanted emboss the words under the shoe (clear embossing powder over black stamping), I did not use the baby powder first, so embossing powder covered also the surrounding of the letters, especially the parts stamped with Versamark and covered with pastel. Another thing was, that when I stamped my quote with Versafine, this Versamark/pastel text was still quite visible through the ink, so I went with my black marker over it again. The images of the shoe and owl are also stamped in black and embossed with superfine clear embossing powder, so I could colored it easily with Dylusions sprays in waterbrushes with colors corresponding with background Dylusions paints. I finished the page with white Signo uni-ball pen.

So there it is, a result I like a lot, colorful journal page Nr. 6 in a Seawhite hardcover art journal (25x19 cm / 10"x7.5").

25.3.2016 Playful journal page 6

Playful art journal pages 4 and 5

Another two small art journal pages today. It is mostly about background. I wanted to try a Versamark or Watermark ink technique with a combination with Distress ink pads and Pan pastels.

I need to say, that first trial - Nr. 4 is a quite out of my comfort zone - red color for the background and green (complementary color) leaves in foreground, that is definitely not my cup of tea. On the other hand I wanted something a little bit romantic what would fit with my background Vintage alphabet stamp. Unfortunately this time I did not the technique correctly and the final result was not according to my expectations, so I also used some stencils to finished it. But I like a lot the watch and squirrel :D

Second trial - journal page Nr. 5 - is much much better :D. I like it a lot. I used Distress ink pads, stamped the lattice background stamp with Versamark ink, spritzed the page with water and dried it with heat tool and paper towel. I used Distress ink pads again a little bit to softened some lighter spots. Than I stamped the leaves and applied the white Pan pastel with Distress foam applicator. The result was magical, especially when I burnished the whole page with dry paper towel, so the Pan pastel was fixed on the stamped places and the colors became a little bit more pastel. Finally I used this technique again with music notes stamps. For the image I wanted to use a one layer technique, so I stamped Gorjuss girl stamp, masked it with low tack paper mask and stamped a beautiful tree stamp from Chocolate Baroque over it. The tree stamp was originally bigger and there were two birds, but i masked them out with masking tape before stamping and than I used just a part of the stamp, so it is narrower now :0)

For both pages I used Seawhite hardcover art journal again (25x19 cm / 10"x7.5").

20.3.2016 Playful journal page 4

23.3.2016 Playful journal page 5