Creative Squad

Creative Squad: Primary Colors – Jordan Hill

Hello from my Creative Squad! Today we have a funky art journal spread from Jordan Hill using my Mini Hex foam stamps and my Mini Motifs rubber stamps along with our theme: This month’s theme is: Primary Colors: Red, Blue, and Yellow it’s your time to shine. Let’s get back to the basics of color and light and play with primary colors. It’s elementary my friend! This month we are also pleased to be partnering with Grafix who supplied the squad with some cool products to try out. Read on:

Hello everyone! I’m super excited to be back with a new project for June; this month was interesting considering I was working with new mediums (Computer Grafix and Grafix Double Tack!) and a color palette that is a bit outside my comfort zone, but I had a lot of fun with it regardless! I hope you enjoy following along with me as I create this month’s art journal spread!

The first thing I did to start off this month’s project was prep my Computer Grafix. Using my inkjet printer and this matte film, I printed off a collage sheet. Then I cut out the pieces. I didn’t end up using all of the elements from this collage sheet in my project, which just means I have interesting pieces ready to add to future pages!

Next, I selected the elements I wanted to use on this particular project. I cut a few pieces of Grafix Double Tack that were approximately the size of my Computer Grafix pieces, then removed one side of the double sided adhesive. I then adhered my Computer Grafix to the Double Tack, and trimmed around the edges, so that I had a selection of collage pieces ready to go.

I then chose a spread in one of my journals to work on; this particular spread already had a few pieces of collage adhered to it, and I added a couple pieces of the Computer Grafix by removing the second side of the Grafix Double Tack and pressing them down firmly.

Next, it was time to start blending! I chose this primary blue color (to fit with this month’s theme of Red, Blue and Yellow) and using a brush, added it over almost the entire background. I also decided to play around with painting on top of the Computer Grafix. In order to tint the collage piece in the lower right, I watered down my acrylic paint, painted over top of the Grafix, then removed some of the excess paint with a paper towel.

After the previous layer was dry, I used one of the stamps from Nathalie’s Mini Hex Foam Stamp Set in combination with some white acrylic paint to completely cover the blue areas of the page in pattern. I made sure to stamp all the way to the edges of the page, as well as slightly over top of some of the collage pieces in order to continue blending everything together.

The next step was to add a figure; this particular face was created by painting over top of the black and white line art of a face I had drawn previously. I chose a dark pink as the hair color to act as the red in my primary color scheme. I also used Nathalie’s Arts & Crafts Motif from the Mini Motifs Cling Rubber Stamp Set and a black ink pad to add an extra element to the upper right hand corner of the spread.

At this point, I felt as though the blue was overpowering the page in a way that I wasn’t necessarily a fan of. In order to solve this problem, I used a light yellow acrylic paint and applied it to several areas around the spread. I then used the Mini Hex Foam Stamp Set once more, but this time with blue acrylic paint. This allowed the pattern to continue through the yellow parts of the page while still looking natural. At this point I also added a few more pieces of Computer Grafix to the spread in the form of some small butterflies.

Then it was time for the finishing touches! I sponged on a bit of pink between the yellow and blue sections of the page to blend them together a little better, added some words to the center, and splattered some black ink with a paintbrush before I was ready to call this spread complete!

These colors were a surprising challenge for me, but in the end, I am happy with the way the spread turned out. I hope you all enjoyed following along with the process and that you give some of these ideas a try yourself!

Thank you Jordan – loved seeing how you toned down one color and then carried the Mini Hex foam stamp pattern through to the other side!

Give it a try: you can find all my Rubber Stamps and my Foam Stamps in my Online Shop and in addition to some collage elements, here are some of the supplies Jordan used:

For more from the Creative Squad check out Nat’s Creative Squad on Instagram too: Each week we post projects, ideas, and inspiration for mixed media art.

Nat

Leave a comment

Pattern Monday 05 – Video from my Ledger

Happy Monday everyone – time for another pattern in my big vintage ledger! For this one I used my Triangle Love and Solid Hex Large stamps. I’m digging the layering with the Hex stamp and how it made three colors with just two ink pads. Check it out in the following video:

 

Here is a look at the finished pattern and the stamps I used:

Now it’s your turn. Here are the supplies I used:

Nat

Leave a comment

How to use a StampBuddy

I want to share with you one of my favorite tools to use with foam stamps – a StampBuddy! It’s a nice soft nappy foam surface that you can use with paint media so that it becomes an ink pad for your foam stamps. This is my go-to technique when I want to do a lot of repeat stamping for say making a repeating pattern, background, gift wrap, and such. If I know I want to stamp the same color over and over in an efficient and clean way, I use a StampBuddy.

A Stampbuddy holds your paint media, keeping an even amount ready to go for your stamping. I generally apply paint to it using a paintbrush or an old gift card/key card, spreading it around in the area I need. You can get a good overview of my process in this blog post where I use my Versailles Positive Negative set and a few colors of acrylic paint for a colorful pattern. Check out the post here.

 

See a StampBuddy in action – here’s a recent video I made for the Beyond the Paper workshop that shows how you can use a StampBuddy for complex patterns with multiple colors. In the video I am using the Triple Play stamp set.

 

In the video, you see a trick that I use often – stamping onto the StampBuddy with an archival ink to have a guide. This helps me use multiple colors at the same time and it helps with registration. You can see me doing it in this video as well:

 

Of course you don’t have to do this. Creative Squad alum Michelle Rydell shows us in this post how she stamps the Versailles set with excellent results:

 

Using one color is a snap too – it helps make crisp, efficient impressions. In this post Creative Squad Alum Emilie Murphy uses her StampBuddy to stamp my Valley Road and Buenos Aires Border stamps with black paint.

 

Maybe fabric paint and sewing projects are your jam? I’m a fan too and I recommend taking some pointers from Creative Squad alum Marsha Valk in this post – she uses a StampBuddy with my Mid Century Squared and Groovy foam stamps, along with acrylic paint and fabric medium. After stamping on her fabric, she creates a really cool tote bag.

 

However you use your StampBuddy and Foam Stamps, here are a couple tips:

  • The StampBuddy will hold a lot of paint, so use it only if you have time to actually use it up in one session or when you want to do the different color method.
  • You can store the StampBuddy with paint in a ziploc bag for a day or two if you want to continue stamping the next day but if it is not a lot of paint in there, it will dry into the StampBuddy and then you cannot use it anymore- be careful
  • I used the paint up by stamping a sheet of gift wrapping paper – boom – one sheet down for the next presents.
  • Clean the StampBuddy when you are done with your creative time, wash it out with water until the water is clear. The stamped archival ink impression will remain on your StampBuddy. Do not let paint dry on the StampBuddy
  • Clean your Foam Stamp – I know there are different approaches- I do not clean it super crazy scrubby, but I want most of the acrylic paint off. For me this is a foam stamp and it should remain cushiony as this is what creates this kind of impression and it also lets me use other paint media than just acrylic paint on it.
  • Only use a small amount of paint with your StampBuddy – you will be surprised how far it will get you and it also prevents paint from seeping into the creases of your stamps- which a) wastes paint, b) makes it harder to clean up your stamp, and c) gives less nice stamped images.

I hope this has helped you see how you can use a StampBuddy the next time you get your ArtFoamies out for some fun.

Here are some of the supplies used in this post:

Nat

Leave a comment

ArtCollab -Episode 4 and Upcoming

Thank you to all who joined us for the ArtCollab Episode 4 zoomcast – Sarah and I loved having you there as we discussed our topic Art is Serious, Craft is Fun. Wow – what an episode, right?!? We laughed AND cried and it got very personal and it felt like we were truly talking BIG IDEAS in this one. Did you miss it? Don’t worry, you can watch a recording of it below.

Here is what we covered:

In this episode Sarah and I talk about that classic creative debate Art vs Craft and how it affects and influences how we work and what we make. Sarah shares her frustrations with having to make the distinction between art and craft in her own work. Nat feels that art and craft work together in what she is doing and explains, “There is no art without craft.” We talk about craft and craftsmanship as a set of skills, learned from another artist/culture/source and when we make it our own we feel we are creating art, and that sometimes comes with our desire to honor the source of inspiration. 

We look at artwork that has touched us and made us aware of new stories and perspectives and then we also share some of our own artwork that has made people react and feel (both positively and negatively). We discuss how art can be a mirror of our experiences, an expression of ideas and emotions, a way to facilitate thought and discourse, and fuel for curiosity. Our conversation gets intense as we share our desire and conviction to use art as a platform and tool for facilitating the discussion of important and sometimes difficult topics.

Upcoming Episode:

Join us for Episode 5: The Art of Self Care – Tuesday, July 6 at 12noon EDT(NYC time)

Let’s not forget to take time to breathe, reset, and make sure that our artistic practice is aligning with our purpose. It is time to talk about the Art of Self Care! As artists we have a go go go mentality and frequently wear many different hats as we juggle various projects, obligations, and revenue streams. When you are this busy, it is easy to forget to take breaks, but we are here to remind you that self care is crucial to success. We’ll discuss how to make sure rest is a part of the schedule and share our personal favorite ways to take a break. Most importantly, we’ll talk about how rest can help refine your focus as an artist – allowing you a moment to reflect on what you are creating, why you are creating, and any adjustments that you might need to make.

Register HERE to Attend

Nat

Leave a comment

Creative Squad: Primary Colors – Robin Seiz

Hello from my Creative Squad! Today we have some seriously awesome earrings from Robin Seiz using my Central Ave 4×4 and Signals stencils and my Wabi Sabi rubber stamps. This month’s theme is: Primary Colors: Red, Blue, and Yellow it’s your time to shine. Let’s get back to the basics of color and light and play with primary colors. It’s elementary my friend! This month we are also pleased to be partnering with Grafix who supplied the squad with some cool products to try out. Read on:

Hi Friends,

This month was about using primary colors, Grafix Products and of course, incorporating Nathalie’s wonderful products. Primary colors are so happy; they remind me of summer, but I must admit that I don’t use them often. It was good for me to reflect on why they aren’t my “go to” colors. The reason I suspected was amplified in this project. I’m a messy multi-media artist. What I mean by that is, I’m always mixing colors. Primary colors by their nature make a host of other colors, so once I put them down on paper, I always end up with something else; they rarely end up in their pure form. For example, the “red” in the earrings I created is really orange, because once the yellow and red mixed…. well, it’s no longer red and yellow. :)

I hadn’t been introduced to Grafix products prior to this month, but I loved working with the opaque craft plastic. I’m excited to work with some of the other products as well. This opaque craft plastic works really well with alcohol inks. It seems to hold the ink in place a little better than Yupo, for example. This produces even more vibrancy than you normally get with alcohol inks.

My mixed media journey started with scrapbooking and then went to jewelry and then exploded to all kinds of other mediums and substrates. As result of my early days, I still have a lot of jewelry making supplies. Sometimes, I get the urge to combine my mixed media work with making jewelry. For this month, that meant earrings.

I started the project by drawing the shapes for the earrings on card stock. I chose shapes I like. If you try this project, you could use any shape you like. Next, I cut out the shapes and put them aside.

Step 2 was the most fun! I tested various alcohol ink colors on the opaque craft plastic. I could have done this all day; just watching alcohol ink flow is so relaxing and organic. The results are always a surprise. This is the part where the colors often run into each other and make a different color than is intended, but I just go with it.

I chose color patches  I liked the most, and the ones which were in the primary color family (at least kind of). I laid out the blank cut out shapes on the opaque craft plastic. This can be a tricky process if you are someone who wants both earrings to look exactly the same. I don’t really care about that; I like to know they were made by hand rather than manufactured to be identical, but if it bothers you to have them slightly different, then you can take that into account when you lay them out. Additionally, you may want to use solids rather than several colors on a sheet to get more a more consistent look. 

Once they were laid out, I carefully cut them out with a small pair of scissors. The craft plastic is easy to cut. If you are comfortable with a craft knife, you could also use that.

Once cut out, I applied Nathalie’s Wabi Sabi rubber stamps and Central Ave and Signals stencils to the earrings with a permanent black ink. This added so much dimension and interest to each piece.

I took some of my jewelry components, small beads and wire, nothing really fancy, and added it to the earrings. Again, it added more dimension and interest.

The final process, which is important especially if you are going to sell your earrings or want them to last for a long time, is to spray Krylon Varnish and UV protection to them. Alcohol inks dull quickly and this will protect both the color and the inks from smearing. Make sure to do this in a well ventilated area and hold the can pretty far away from the earrings, otherwise, they will smear.

Summer is here, it’s always fun to have a new pair of earrings! I hope you try out this project.

Thank you Robin! I absolutely love these and could totally imagine donning them to liven up an outfit with some artsy style!

Give it a try: you can find all my Rubber Stamps and my Stencils in my Online Shop and here are some of the supplies Robin used:

 

Like what you see? Follow the Creative Squad on Instagram for weekly posts, artwork, and inspiration.

Nat

Leave a comment

Pattern Monday 04 – Video from my Ledger

Happy Monday everyone – time for another pattern in my big vintage ledger! For this one I used my Triangle Love and Small Circle Jumble stamps. Just two stamps and a pretty cool pattern :) Check it out in the following video:

 

Here is a look at the finished pattern and the stamps I used:

Want to give it a try? Here are the supplies I used:

Nat

Leave a comment

What Does it Matter? – Art Journal

“Most people barely know themselves. So what does it matter what they think of you?”

I took this pattern from Pattern Monday 3 using my Floral Tile Small, Mini Motifs, and Fan-Fare rubber stamps – unfortunately I laid my hand into the still pretty wet ink and ruined the white space in the middle. I tried to fix it with some white paint and water color but – mmhhhhh not sure if that actually made it better but oh well… moving on …

I overpainted a catalog image with acrylic markers and then used posca markers for the journaling.

Here are some of the supplies I used:

Nat

Comments (3)

  • Sue Clarke

    |

    Love the words and the pattern. Did you draw the person or work from an image? Either way I really like how she came out Nat.

    Reply

  • Anne Lawver

    |

    Thank you for sharing this. Wonderful art and message!

    Reply

Leave a comment

Little but Fierce – Art Journal

“And though she be but little, she is fierce.” – Shakespeare

I used two gel prints that I pasted into the art journal for this spread – done years apart but I felt they would work together because of the similarities of color. On this side I used my Versailles stencil for the print, then layered my figure with markers on deli paper over top. 

I added some of the colors to the other side to tie it together as well and I picked up the circles and used them all over too – I stamped the circles with white Moonlight ink pad and my Circle Jumble stamps.

Here are some of the supplies I used:

Nat

Leave a comment

Spill your heART – Episode 4 and Upcoming

Did you join us for the latest episode of Spill your heART? If not, you can enjoy the recording below. In Episode 4 we tackled the topic: What’s the Point – Purpose vs Journey with my panel of artists: Marsha Valk, Gwen Lafleur, and Mystele Kirkeeng. In the episode we discuss our own artistic journeys and all the twists and turns they take, we share what we do with all the stuff we create, and we talk about how it feels to let go of certain pieces. Check it out:

Here’s an overview:

As artists we often get asked what is the purpose of creating our art. In this episode, Marsha Valk, Gwen Lafleur, Mystele Kirkeeng and I share our perspectives on the importance of the journey of creating. We all agree – the process can be more important than the end result. Each of us takes a moment to describe our current journeys and they range from playful enjoyment, teaching, design assignments, or something personal. One thing is clear: the journey changes and develops over time and it is not a straight line.

We talk about what we do with it all when we are done (keep, sell, gift, or even toss), the burden of keeping things (both mentally and physically), and our storage methods and limitations. We share how letting stuff go can be hard for some, but for others this isn’t an issue. Sometimes things that represent an emotional journey can be especially hard to release until we have worked through that journey as well. When it comes to selling, who buys the work can be exciting and touching too and it adds to the story of the artwork, and connects us as human beings.

Finally we talk about maintaining focus on our art, juggling responsibilities, and stepping away when necessary.

Next Episode:

Coming Soon: This time I’m getting together with Tania Ahmed, Rachel Juanita Bellamy, and Rae Missigman for Episode 5: Studio Organization. Join us on Friday, June 25th at 12noon EDT. Register here today.

Let’s talk about Studio Organization! This is a topic that came up again and again in a recent survey I posted to my readers, so in this Spill your heART episode we’ll be tackling the issues you mentioned most. Join my panelists Tania Ahmed, Rae Missigman, and Rachel Juanita Bellamy as we address the problems of studio organization, supply overload, and what to do when you’ve got stuff all over the place. We’ll discuss general organization including the pros and cons of keeping supplies visible and creating sections, and we’ll debate whether a tidy studio is a good studio or a messy one is the real deal. Big space / small space, shared space / dedicated space, in your home / offsite – it all informs how you organize and create.

Friday, June 25th at 12noon EDT – Register HERE to attend.

Nat

Leave a comment