/* */ Beulah Bee

March 08, 2015

Explore Life


Tim's March tag for 2015 is a lesson in masking and using embossing powders with texture paste. I have three tags in the trash that just didn't pan out but believe me, I tried. My failures may be related to not having the right mediums so I just had to do things differently.

I don't usually step-out my techniques but, in this case, I thought it would be useful to demonstrate my process (click on the images for a larger view).

I began by pasting a paper from Tim's Crowded Attic paper stash onto a manila tag. They are images of vintage stamp pads and one of my all time favorites.

Sometimes it's hard to visualize where best to place a stamp so I made an imprint on some acetate that I used to try out different arrangements.

I stamped the image using Perfect Medium and clear embossing powder because I wanted to create a resist.


Then I applied a coat of Seedless Grapes Distress Stain and let it dry followed by a second coat of Vintage Photo stain.

As you can see, the embossed image resisted the stains perfectly!



To remove the embossing, I used a hot craft iron and absorbent paper (newsprint is best). The iron re-melts the embossing and the paper absorbs it. Make sure to pull the paper off immediately after you heat the image otherwise it will cool and the paper will stick.


Tim calls this next technique "stamp-to-stamp." I wanted to fill-in the bird so I stamped a library stamp onto the bird stamp then re-stamped the bird onto my tag (whew!).

Hopefully, the photo will help to explain what I mean.


No rocket science for the next step which was simply a matter of sponging paint through Tim's Burlap stencil.

I went over some of the stenciled areas with Black Soot Distress Ink to provide a variation of color.


Tim always says, "it's in the details" so my final touches include a Remant Rub over homemade tape, a touch of Peacock Feathers on the raven's body, a gel pen for the black dots, a black colored pencil to outline one edge of the bird and a white gel pen to bring out a few highlights.

I admit I didn't follow along very well this month but I really like Tim's composition and the idea of using a large bold stamp along with the stencils. I think part of the appeal of his tag is the strong contrast of lights and darks which I tried to aim for.

The monthly tags always make me push my boundaries and try new things which must be the reason I enjoy it so much.


Here's a link to more information on the emboss resist technique from one of Tim's tutorials that explains it perfectly.

And here's a video from Tim that demonstrates the stamp-to-stamp technique (skip to the 6:45 minute mark to by-pass the embossing folder info). I kind of wish I had watched this demo before starting my tag. I would have done things differently but will definitely try this technique again.

Stamp credits: Stamper's Anonymous Scratched Raven and Library

March 06, 2015

Rosie Evening


I am happy to share this two-page journal spread with you today thanks to a prompt from Art Journal Journey where this month's theme is things with wings.

I know I should draw more but I just don't enjoy it as much as cutting and pasting. I have to work at it and I guess I'm lazy. But I thought I'd give a go at drawing these birds using a text book as my guide after creating a background from stamped papers.

The white stamped squares were made with acrylic paint using a silicone pot holder similar to these.



The birds look very much like a pair of House Finch that currently enjoy the sunflower seed feeder placed right outside my window. While most of North America is covered with snow right now, many of our avian friends have come to the desert southwest for a visit.

March 05, 2015

Pinkie


I sure do like to cut out photos then place the subjects in a different background. I guess it's a way of creating more focus and emphasizing the characters. So now these adventurous girls wander through blue green waters surrounded by my own exotica.

Starting with green scrapbook paper that I stamped with leaves, I used flower and leaf cut-outs from another paper along with colored pencils and distress stains for tint.

I'm linking to Simon's Monday blog challenge where this week's theme is just a hint of clover.

Here's what the original photo looks like (click for the larger, light box view). How sad that their story is now lost but what a day it must have been!