Happy 4th of July to all my friends in the US – a little early! I know I am certainly ready for some outdoor activities and bbqing and such this year with friends and family – enjoying the summer holiday and getting out and about now that things are beginning to look better.
I thought it would be fun to do a whole montage of posts and projects to get you in the spirit :)
“We rise by lifting others.” How perfect in this time of coming together? In cities and across the world we are doing it. Original post is here.
“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” Love this card from Creative Squad alum Cheiron Brandon – she made a trio of different designs in the post here.
I think bravery has been really important for everyone this past year and this ATC from Creative Squad alum Tina Walker really gets me – she made a suite of them that you can see here.
Stand tall! Another incredible project from Tina. This one really moved me – you have to see the full book here and all the pages with very powerful messages.
On the lighter side, how about some wine charms to help celebrate? I made these with shrink film and my rubber stamps. If you haven’t used shrink film since you were a kid, I assure you it is still a blast. Here’s the tutorial for these charms.
Are you watching fireworks this year? Love this card from Creative Squad alum Josefine Fouarge with the cityscape, flag, and celebratory burst in the sky. Here is her post for the project.
Leaving you with this card I made back in 2017 and truly hoping everyone can enjoy their days with friends, family, and hope for the future!
Happy 4th of July!
And if you’re thinking you might want to make some cards, wine charms or other festive projects, here were my go-to stamps for the occasion:
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: PrimaryColors: Red, Blue, and Yellow it’s your time to shine. Let’s get back to the basics of color and light and play with primarycolors. 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.
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:
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.
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.
Onlyuse 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.
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.
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.
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: PrimaryColors: Red, Blue, and Yellow it’s your time to shine. Let’s get back to the basics of color and light and play with primarycolors. 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 exactlythe 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:
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:
“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.
“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.
What a fantastic quote!!!?
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