Claritystamp Challenge - It's all about the Girls

Thanks for dropping by.  My card for this month's challenge wasn't planned, it just evolved. It all started with a trip to my local frame shop which also stocks artists materials.  I was looking to see if they stocked Artisan oil colours which I needed for my art course.  They didn't, but the very helpful assistant asked me if I also used acrylics.  She directed me to a box of very cheap end of line acrylics they had just got in.  The colours were all very vivid and I can understand why they hadn't sold.  Thinking they would be great for Gelli printing I came away with 8 tubes including a fluorescent red, blue and yellow. 

My next craft session was playing with the Gelli plate and my new colours. I have got lots of printed papers from that session stashed away for another day but one got used for three cards for this month's challenge, as you will see.  As I wasn't planning any cards at the time I didn't take any photos of the Gelli plate session but I have tried to replicate it again to show you how I did it.  Of course there is no way I could get it exactly the same but I think it's near enough. 

Stamps: Claritystamp Rosie
Inks:      Archival black
Other:    Claritystamp Stencil card, Acrylic paints, Black and white pens, sticky labels, Spectrum Noir colouring pencils

• First the Gelli print.  I used the fluorescent blue and yellow but substituted a permanent rose colour instead of the fluorescent red which had come out a bit orangy in previous prints. 
• Blob dots of colour over the gelli plate.  

• I don't have a mega mount for this size Gelli plate, so I have improvised with an old glass table mat, which works just as well. Just ignore the chequerboard pattern of the mat.
• Spread out the paint using a palette knife.

• Take a print

• Very bright and needs toning down a bit.
• Brayer some Mixing white onto the Gelli.  I have found the mixing white is more translucent than Titanium white and takes longer too dry.
• Place a circle stencil on the plate.  Mine is an old mathematical stencil from my teaching days but Clarity has lots of stencils to choose from. Thinking about it now, I have got one with circles on I could have used. Never mind.

• Rather than laying the whole print on top, press the print onto various circles where there is a very bright section.  I also pressed onto the left side to get some random marks.

• Doesn't show up much here but the white is there and because it is translucent the colours below show through.
• Doodle flowers and leaves where you see them. 
• This version is a bit lighter than the original used for my cards and I didn't spend so much time on the doodling but I hope it gives you an idea of how I made the print.

• Now the easy bit.  Cut the card into three bits.
• Stamp Rosie onto the card and also onto a sticky label using Archival black ink.
• Colour in the dress on the label and then cut out and stick onto the card over the stamped image.
• Use Spectrum Noir pencils to add some colour to her hair, face and arms.
• Trim and then mount onto white and then purple card. 

Version 2

Version 3

Looking forward to seeing all the Girly entries this month.  Easy to enter, check out details here, and you might be the lucky winner of the £50 Claritystamp voucher.

If you pop back here again in mid March I will show you another card I have made using  a background paper from the same Gelli session. Not a Gelli print but paper used to clean the brayer on

Lesley x