Sometimes art in the studio comes out exactly as you imagined, but often it doesn't. There can be detours and wrong turns, or "ah ha" moments that change that dull that first image in your head. I don't mind those times of "flux" at all, but today was not one of those convoluted days for me. This project came out exactly as I had mentally pictured it. I will savor the moment and invite you to savor it with me.
I chose the following stamps to use:
once in a blue moon
spiral crescent moon
catch a falling star
I must mention that these are new stamps as of a week (to me) so I was very excited to see what they would do together. I got out the following supplies:
Pitch Black Adirondack pad
acrylic paint: blue, white, pink
Gel Extreme gold gel pen
black Sharpie
I then searched for a piece of background paper from my stash and found
one that I thought fit well with the other choices. The paper below is a
waste paper of sorts that I make in droves after I've done one of my
resist classes. In this particular class my students use Ranger Cut n
Dry foam with Ranger Adirondack dye inks
to add color to glossy paper. I bring the pads home and set them out
for about a week to dry out some. I then spritz them with a mister and
press cut glossy paper into them and set aside to dry. The variegation
you get is different with each pressing. I add more water when
necessary and then move on to the same pad when the ink is almost gone. I then rinse the pads out for the next class. So two purposes are served: (1) I use up
the rest of the ink on the pads so there is very little waste. (2) I get the most gorgeous array of papers ready to be used at a moment's notice. Try this technique at home and see what you get. It's a great thing to do when you are in an artistic funk. The colors jumping out at you seem to jump start my creativity!!!!
The stamping part begins to make the composition come alive. All three stamps were done in Pitch Black Adirondack Dye Ink (any black in would work well except a pigment.)
I then began to add acrylic paint to the moon and flowers as a textural accent. (HINT: switching media automatically adds a visual texture to a project. The opacity of the pinks in the flowers changed the look of the stamping on the busy background. It made them pop. While the dots of blues to make the moon indeed blue added a tactile texture with the thick application. Two different ways to add textural interest and indeed make this a mixed media art card.
When dry, I mounted it on a snippet of black glossy followed by a pale pink textured scrap of cardstock. I have to admit, I am pleased as punch with it! It's fun working with RubberMoon stamps because they allow you to really get creative in mixing your point of view with their whimsical nature. It's a perfect fit for me when I want to get back to my roots. You can find more RubberMoon stamps to add to your collection here and more of my work on my Nancy Curry Art page on facebook or my main website.
