My wonderful friend Tina Walker is at it again – she invited several people to join her Stencilfied Prompts. The prompts are music related and each week she is posting a song. You can be inspired by the lyrics, the video, the album cover or anything related and the only restriction is that you have to use StencilGirl Product Stencils. Here is my take on Prompt 19
This week’s prompt was Danny’s Song by Loggins and Messina which I had never heard before. It’s a pretty uplifting song about love so I was inspired to make a bright and happy page.
I used my Batik stencil with spray paint – one of my favorite stencils that is an “oldy but a goody.”
I wrote out some of the lyrics with a Fude pen and also added my Far Out and Mid Century Squared foam stamps with watercolor and spray paints.
It’s time for a special edition of Currently Digging – with my Creative Squad! Once in a while I like to share with you some nifty finds – like an Artist whose work caught my eye…, some Inspiration that got my creative juices flowing, and Tools & Techniques I am currently digging. Today I asked Tania Ahmed from my Creative Squad what SHE is Currently Digging :) Hope you enjoy this.
Vincent Van Gogh – I am practising drawing and sketching more these days, I have had a mental block for a very long time where a voice in my head said “I can’t draw” … now I am telling that voice, “But I can try!” :) So I have been making sketches, taking classes and filling many many notebooks with paintings and scribbles. At the moment I am practising abstract flowers and I particularly fascinated especially by Van Gogh’s sunflowers. I love sunflowers as they are unabashedly flamboyant and I can’t help but be cheered up by them. I now grow them every year in my garden because they are so easy to take care of!
Netflix Documentary: The 100 Years Show “You cannot talk about art. You have to art about art.” On the other side of the spectrum I have been fascinated by the works of Carmen Herrera who is described to be a “minimalist visual artist.” A trained architect, her work is a vision of bright colours and bold geometric shapes who was finally recognised by the art world at the age of 89. As much as I love the chaos of sketching and drawing, there is a part of me that is drawn to stark geometry and order in art. The documentary is very short, only 30 minutes and well worth a watch.
Artist Carmen Herrera in front of some of her paintings. Credit: Matthew Carasella
Stabilo Woody Pencils – In my quest to sketch and draw more, I am exploring new mediums too! I have been eyeing the Woody Pencils over the years and always wondered if I really needed them considering I have a myriad of other amazing supplies at my disposal. Recently to treat myself, I got them and have not stopped using them! I now keep a few supplies as we travel a lot during weekends in my “entertainment bag” as my husband calls it, haha! These will definitely go traveling with me as they are watersoluble and the surprisingly quite pigmented. Perfect for quick sketches and art journal pages.
Thank you Tania! Stay tuned for the next Currently Digging Creative Squad edition for more from our other members :)
“He said: “There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow. So today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.”
The red/pink part of the Art Journal spread was done with some mono printing on a gelli plate. I used my Downtown Foam Stamp onto the plate and love how the pattern came through.
I painted part of the spread over with black gesso and once dry stamped on top with the Versailles Stamps from my Large Floral rubber stamp Set. For the white I used the second white pad in the Moonlight Duo Stamp Sets. So cool – once the white is dry it is permanent and it is pretty opaque as you can see.
I really love how this turned out – there is something about the grungy look of the monoprinted part and the black and white that just speaks to me.
Here are some of the supplies I used for this page:
A Look Back – a blog series to show you some projects and posts that you may have missed – sometimes going WAY back in the archive. I think it will be fun to revisit a few ideas that we haven’t seen for a while. I’m excited to see how a little look back might inspire something new in the future :)
All month I have been posting Nat’s April Patterns videos on Instagram showing how to make patterns with my new rubber stamps. It’s been a lot of fun and maybe you are looking for ways to use these patterns, so this time I’m going to show posts and projects using rubber stamps! Here is A Look Back at some ideas. Enjoy!
First is an art journal spread from a couple year ago where I used watercolors to color the rubber stamped cityscape I built. I love how easy and quick it can be to add color to stamps in this way. Here I started with my Stroll Through the Hood 1 and 2 stamp sets and then added bright hues that make me happy.
When I was on that same kick of creating neighborhood scenes with rubber stamps from my Stroll Through the Hood 1 and 2 stamp sets, I tried something different in this art journal spread: I colored them using fluid acrylic paints. You have to be a bit more careful to stay in the lines, but it’s a much bolder effect.
In 2017 Kim and I had this playdate where we used rubber stamps on white ceramic pieces – flower pots and vases. Here she is using stamps from my Cardboard set and from my Embroidery set. You can find a lot of plain white ceramics online that are just begging for a little personality.
In 2018 Kim and I got together for this playdate to use rubber stamps as a pattern for embroidery. Here is my Craftsman stamp from the Stroll Around the Block set getting an embroidery treatment on a t-shirt. It’s fun and relaxing and you get a really unique clothing item in the end.
And finally, from back in 2016, Creative Squad alum Michelle Rydell used embossing powder to make this rubber stamped bird really pop on a black background. Using embossing powder with rubber stamps is fun to begin with and once you add a dark background – wow. I love it!
I hope you enjoyed A Look Back through my archive and maybe you are inspired to try some of the rubber stamp techniques I shared.
Here are some of the supplies that were used in these pieces:
I loved your art journal page with the gold gesso years ago! I bought some and the jar was broken and a hot mess but had fun applying it to everything in sight. This year I tried the clear gesso on top of an IOD transfer on a journal and it was very nice indeed to watercolor on. Thank you for the reminder to dig up those old tools and make them new again.
Happy Tuesday from my Creative Squad! Today we have a fun art journal video post from Marsha Valk. She used my Floral Tile Large rubber stamp set and my Queen Anne stamp from the Stroll Around the Block stamp set. She was inspired by this month’s theme: Pastel Dreams – This month we are focusing on the softer, gentler side of things and going pastel with our color palettes. These dreamy pale colors are undeniably appealing and just as powerful as their bolder cousins on the color wheel.
This month’s theme reminded me of Pippi Longstocking. Looking at my art journal spread you may think that Villa Villekula and Nat’s Queen Anne Cling Rubber Stamp are what prompted that thought, but it actually was Mrs. Prysselius. Or, rather, Aunt Pastellia, as that is her name in the Dutch translation of the Astrid Lindgren books.
In my ‘Pastellia Dream’ she loves and approves of everything Pippi does ;-). Watch me create the art journal spread step-by-step in the video!
Happy pastel dreams!- Marsha.
Thank you Marsha! You can find all of my rubber stamps in my online shop. Here are some of the other supplies Marsha used:
Feel inspired? Working on something yourself that you’d like to share? I love to see how you interpret our monthly themes. Email me how you used my stencils and stamps with the theme and email me an image – I would love to share your projects in my next “n*Spiration From Around the Globe“.
My wonderful friend Tina Walker is at it again – she invited several people to join her Stencilfied Prompts. The prompts are music related and each week she is posting a song. You can be inspired by the lyrics, the video, the album cover or anything related and the only restriction is that you have to use StencilGirl Product Stencils. Here is my take on Prompt 18
This week’s prompt was The B-52’s Love Shack and I love it! Super fun and great video so I was inspired to really play up some bold patterns and colors with this one.
I used acrylic paint over spray paint with my Downtown stencil and my Toledo foam stamp. It’s an energetic song so an energetic background here.
My Oldtimer stencil was a must for the song, and then I repeated the Downtown pattern with my foam stamps. ” I got me a car, it seats about twenty, so come on and bring your jukebox money !”
“Always remember we are under the same sky looking at the same moon”
The background started with some mono printing with a gelli plate. I had taken off the magenta acrylic paint with my Hexagon Foam stamps.
I added the beautiful washi tape with the moon and stars . The blue paper is actually a strip of scrapbooking paper which I created for a french Company many many years ago.
I also used my differently sized Hexagon Rubberstamps and stamped with white onto the background. Love how this came together. Here are some of the supplies I used:
Ready for some inspiration? Today we have some projects from around the globe. It’s always fun to see how you’re using my stamps and stencils and I am so happy to share some examples today. So let me know if you’re doing something cool with my products, tag me on social media, and you might see yours on the next Inspiration from Around the Globe!
First we have from Alba S’s daughter Ellie from the US playing with my new FAN-tastic Small and Solid Fan Small rubber stamps. She decorated her physics notebook with a gorgeous pattern!
Next up is Pami from Germany using a couple stamps from my Midtown foam stamp set to build a little scene at the bottom. I love all the different elements she brought together here.
For a beautiful background in her art journal, we have Ellen from the US using my Van Vorst foam stamp in a rainbow of hues. She was playing along to Creative JumpStart when she created this!
Missy from Germany was also playing along with Creative JumpStart this year when she created this fun magnet with my Central Ave foam stamp set. Love the combination of colors!
And finally we have Valerie from the US who used the stamps from my My Home is My Castle stamp set to add some touches to this awesome little collage. I love the abstract representation of a house here!
If you’re working on something fun with my stamps or stencils, be sure to tag me and share! I’d love to see! You can find all my stencils, rubber stamps, and foam stamps in my Online Shop. Here are some of the supplies used in this post:
I loved your art journal page with the gold gesso years ago! I bought some and the jar was broken and a hot mess but had fun applying it to everything in sight. This year I tried the clear gesso on top of an IOD transfer on a journal and it was very nice indeed to watercolor on. Thank you for the reminder to dig up those old tools and make them new again.
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