Claritystamp Challenge - A day out

Another month goes by.  Can it really be July.  Hopefully I will be able to update you on our move soon. This month's Claritystamp challenge is "A day out" and what better than a drive in the countryside.  I am sure Santa won't mind me adapting his vintage car.

Stamps: Santa's car NDC#97, Tree branch from Fly away, Grasses 2 and 3, Small 3 trees
Inks:     Adirondack, Peach Bellini, Lettuce and Stonewashed, Archival Black
Other:   Spectrum Noir pencils, Black pen, Pebeo Drawing Gum

I did remember to take photos en route but some appear on my camera but not when I put the card in the computer and the ones that do are decidedly blurry but I'm sure you will get the idea. 

• To get Santa's car without the Christmas tree, cover the tree with some masking tape, ink up with black, remove the tape and then stamp onto your card.

• The missing lines will be drawn in later with pen but for now just lightly pencil them in. (On my first attempt I found the masking fluid and the pen blended, not what I wanted)
• Paint masking fluid over the car, but not the windows and allow to dry.  Rinse your brush immediately with water. 

car with blue masking fluid

• Using some torn copier paper as a mask brush on the inks to create your landscape.
• I used a cloud stencil in the sky but later trimmed this off.
  
• Stamp the tree branches at the top and the grasses at the bottom.  First and second generation ink for the grasses.
• Remove the masking fluid and colour in the car with pencils.

• Trim the card and edge with a black Sharpie pen.
• Stamp on some small trees to give perspective.
• Emphasise the hills and road with pencils.
• Draw in the interior of the car.  Probably too small to see but I added a couple of little faces peering out of the back window. (Pre seat belt regulations)  " Are we there yet?"

• By this stage I had got inky finger marks on the front of my card blank so decided to make a matching background paper to cover it.
• Using the same inks as on the card randomly splodge some ink onto a craft mat, lightly spray with water, and then place on some cling film and move around.
• Remove the cling film and lay down some copier paper onto the ink.
• OK result but too dark for this card so I placed the still inky clingfilm onto some card and I liked this much better.  Looks like dappled light shining through the leaves of a tree. Much greener in real life than the photo shows.
• Cover the front of the card with the background card and then stick on the main picture.

Looking forward to all your entries this month.  Keep crafting.

Lesley x

Claritystamp Challenge - Masculine #2

Not really masculine, but neutral, so I think it will be acceptable as my second Clarity card this month. Still in the process of trying to move house here so I have cheated a bit and used a Zentangle I did way back when I first got this stencil.  Think I can just about remember how to do it, but no step-by step photos for this one I'm afraid.  Hope it gives you some inspiration for your entry this month if you haven't already done one yet.

Stamps: Happy birthday from Line sentiments 1
Stencils: Whirlpool NDSC10
Inks:      Various Adirondack, Archival Black
Other:    Small Circle punch, Black pen, Sharpie pen

• Using a pale yellow ink (sorry can't remember exact colours) brush through the stencil. Wipe clean the stencil with a dry cloth while still in place.  This helps emphasise the edges as well as cleaning the stencil.
• Replace stencil in different position, flip over if you want to, and repeat with darker yellow ink.
• Repeat last step again using a green ink.
• Edge the whirls with a black pen, deciding where they go under and over each other.
• Add Zentangle patterns to the whirls.
• Crop and then cut into three pieces.
• Edge with a Sharpie pen.
• Mount on matching card.
• Punch three small circles from waste bits and edge with Sharpie pen.
• Stick on circles.
• Stamp sentiment with archival black.
• Mount on blank card.

Well that was a quick card but only because I had already done the stenciled background and Zentangle months ago and put it away in a draw.  Do have a go at this month's challenge if you can. I think we all need a bit of inspiration when it comes to designing masculine cards and your entries certainly inspire me.

Lesley x

Art Class - Fritillaria Collage

I based this collage on a drawing in my sketchbook of a Fritillaria.  The papers used are all mono prints I created with my Gelli Plate or the 'waste' from cleaning the brayer during the making of the prints.  I was going to continue adding little squares to the lower flower at home but Fran said it didn't need it and I am glad that I took her advice. Haven't done collage for a long time and really enjoyed it.

Sketchbook Pen and Ink drawing

Lesley x

PS Amber, if you are reading, this is your Fritillary and I have dug it up so you can have it when we move xxx

Claritystamp Challenge - Masculine

This month's Claritystamp challenge is to design a masculine card.  Why is it that we find masculine cards more difficult?  Even shop bought cards for the boys seem to be stuck in the fishing, golfing, cars, football etc mode. 

My design for this month just evolved, at the start I had no plan whatsoever of where I was going.  My other half grunted approval at the finished card, so I think it worked out alright.

Stamps: Claritystamp Happy Birthday from Line sentiments 1, Man from Wee folk #1

Stencil:  NDSC #5 Torn Shapes

Inks:     Various colours of Adirondack, Archival Black

Other:   Stencils brushes, black pen

• Using the stencil, brush on various coloured inks to make a random pattern for a background paper.

• Outline the shapes with a black pen.
• Colour in small intersections with a black pen.
• At this stage I cut the paper in half and looked for inspiration.
• I vaguely saw a sort of climbing frame so stamped a wee man looking very chuffed at himself. Look, no hands! (Memories of the two eldest grandsons at Pensthorpe adventure play area last month)

• Then added the sentiment, slightly curved,  continuing the black lines with a pen to tie it onto the uprights.
• Trimmed and mounted onto black and then lilac card. 

Can't wait to see what everyone is going to come up with for this Claritystamp Challenge.

Lesley x

Claritystamp Challenge - Anything Goes #2

I've been really busy here this month.  In the process of buying and selling a house, so forgive me if I have been a bit distracted.  This is my offering for the mid-month reminder for the Claritystamp Challenge Anything Goes.  No step-by-step photos for this one I'm afraid, but fairly straightforward.

Stamp: Claritystamp NDC #102 Alice

Stencil: NDSC #22 

Inks:     Archival Watering Can

Other:   Watercolour paper, masking fluid, Brushos, White sticky labels, Spectrum Noir pencils

• Stamp Alice with Archival Watering Can ink onto watercolour paper.
• Cover Alice with masking fluid and also use the fluid to make a sun.
• When the masking fluid is fully dry, tape the stencil to the paper.
• Sprinkle a very small amount of the Brushos onto the card. I tried to place the colours to make grass, leaves and sky.
• Lightly spray with water. I sprayed a bit too much at the bottom and the colour ran under the stencil but I quite like the effect.
• Lift the stencil off and dry the artwork with a heat gun or just leave to dry if you are more patient than me.
• Remove the masking fluid.
• I started colouring in her dress with watercolour markers.  Not a good idea as the Brushos re-activated and bled round the edges.  So I stamped Alice again on a label, coloured in the dress, this time with pencils, cut around the dress and stuck this over the one I had messed up.
• Finish colouring Alice and the sun with pencils.  
• Cut a circle in a blank card and stick the artwork behind this.
• Finish off with some Faux stitching.

If you feel inspired to enter this month's challenge pop along to the Claritystamp Challenge blog.  Looking forward to all your entries.

Lesley x

Art Class - Rose lino-cut

Another example of a lino cut. I designed this from a photograph of a rose taken by my sister-in-law Sandra. She has a beautiful garden. 

This time I have gone for a simple one block print which I will print onto different papers or colour in by hand.

This one has been printed onto a scrap of paper used to clean my brayer during a Gelli-print session. 

Not a lino-print but a copy of my original design which I have doodled into. 

The great thing about lino-cuts is that once you have your block cut you can experiment and print as many times as you like in different colours, on different papers etc.  This is a small print approximately 11 x 11 cm designed to fit on a card blank. 

This blog was supposed to go out before the one about the rose painting.   Still trying to catch up and got myself a bit muddled. Never mind.

Lesley x

Art Class - Rose Painting

Having completed our sessions on learning the basics of lino-printing we were given a week to choose what we would like to do.  I scaled up the design of my lino-print rose and chose to do a painting in the style of the American artist Georgia O'Keeffe.  This was painted in Acrylic paint, starting with pale thin washes, gradually building up the colour with glazes. We also have to make craft items for our course and I have chosen to create greetings cards from my art.  I took a photograph of my rose painting and then printed to fit blank cards.  

The second card was re-coloured using an Art package on the computer before printing.

Lesley x