A Roman Trilogy by Dot's Dabbles

" A ROMAN TRILOGY"

is my second DT piece/s for this month at

The Artistic Stamper

I have been absolutely blown-away by all the past projects 

presented here at The Artistic Stamper. Amazing!

But, I am a card maker, so with this in mind 

I thought I would make a card...

and to take it a step further, I have created a trilogy,

which was originally inspired 
by the beautiful architecture set of stamps.

 I am calling this my "Roman Trilogy".

It is a set of three cards based on the same theme

and with a leaf that floats from card to card to bind them all together.  And then ...oplà (hey presto)

Card 1:

This stamp of "The Kiss" is one that I just couldn't resist using.  Red and green were colours chosen by my boys as they thought these were roman colours. I wasn't actually going to listen to them...but for some reason it went in this direction naturally.  This card was lots of inky fun to make!

Using re-inker I created a marbled background as a base.  Then added the stamp using Versafine ink. I made masks for the statue and leaves.

Mask the statue and randomly stamp the leaves all around - I have used archival watering can ink for this.

Then, using rubbing alcohol, very carefully remove some of the re-inker from the statue so that it stands out more.  You need to be a little careful so that it doesn't react with the ink.  I also did this around the outside of the statue to add a little glow.

After masking the leaves I added some distress inks to the outside area to add some richness to the background. 

Stamp some crackle randomly around the edge.  I also stippled around the edge with a little archival geranium ink to give it a border.

To finish this off I have stamped 2 more leaves on an inked background, cut them out and edged with gold.

This is a picture of the statue stamped onto the marbled background before adding the extra ink and leaves.

Card 2:

I like the idea of using a marbled background because it seems to suit the idea of statues.

Create a marbled background as a base...like in card 1.

Then stamp the roman statue,mask it and stamp the ivy...mask this as well and then stamp the column.

While the masks are all still in place stamp the script and splatter a little re-inker over the background.

Then, again, use the rubbing alcohol to lighten the statue.

To add some more colour and depth I have added some distress ink...then drip a little water in places to add more depth and the aged look.

Another leaf is made from the off-cuts, cut out and edged with gold to tie this card to the first one.

Again, I thought it might be interesting just to show the original masking before working up the final play with inks.

Card 3: 

I wanted to use some stamps from the gorgeous "Garden Plate"  What I liked about the background stamp here is that you can turn it upside-down the design lines up beautifully.  So you have choices on how you use it.

I have inked up the background with alcohol inks using the monoprint technique.

The stamped the background stamp 4 times, side by side...and added gold pen to some of the ribbons.

The front panel is done in black and white to contrast with the bright background.  I have added gold pen to the flowers in the girls hair and watercoloured some black soot distress inks on their dresses.

Cut this image into 4 equal parts and layer onto some black cardstock and layer over the background on some magic mount.

Again, I have used off-cuts to stamp the leaves onto and add...bringing the leaf theme through to the third card.

Although this background doesn't look very fancy, it shows that random colour is just that, and only a backdrop to the gorgeous stamps.

The Artistic Stamper Stamps ~

"The Kiss"

"Leaves"

"Garden Plate"

"Architecture"

"Calligraphy Mat 2"

Other Items ~

- Archival re-inkers - forget-me-knot, watering can, dandelion, red geranium and fern green

-Archival Inks - forget-me-knot, fern green, watering can and jet black

- Alcohol Inks - metallic gold and assorted colours

- Distress Inks - vintage photo, wild honey, peeled paint, mustard seed, broken china and black soot

- Paper - Specialty paper, black/red/white cardstock

- Gold pen

- Rubbing alcohol

Other Stamps ~

Penny Black Ivy Corner

Crackle 

   Godere!   

(Enjoy!)

A Secret Wish by Dot (Dot's Dabbles)

It is such a huge thrill to be asked to be a guest designer for The Artistic Stamper this month.

Thank you Jennie for such a great opportunity!

I had to think about it long and hard of course (like, for 2 seconds)

said yes, 

then panicked! 

My first piece is Spring inspired. 

I always seem to make things from the centre and then work back...

This is how it all ended up.

When I saw this gorgeous girl stamp I knew that I was going to use her on this.

And I wanted to just let her shine somehow.

The background is created with Wendy Vecchi forget-me-not and watering can re-inkers

 using her technique from CHA 2014.

The stamp is from the "Childhood Dreams" set and is stamped using Versafine onyx black ink.

The edges are distressed and matted onto black cardstock.

The leaves are done in the same style using forget-me-not and fern green re-inkers.

The stamped leaves are from the "Leaves" set and cut out and edged with black ink.

The butterflies were stamped onto some left-over inked card 

from the main image and cut out.

The stamps are from the "Insects and Butterflies" set 

and are cut out and bent in the middle so that the wings sit up. 

I just thought I would show the background before and after pics...

It started out with some torn book pages and grunge paste

and ended with more grunge paste, a little stencilling and hessian.

Then the whole lot was gesso-ed over and brayer-ed with Fresco Finish Paint.

I really wanted to keep it rustic and still have areas of white.

This is my favourite textured piece.

The other background was made in the same way...with a little experimenting...

The colouring was done with the re-inkers and alcohol rub...

I really like how it has creeped into the cracks and crevices and captured the texture.

Other off-cuts were placed into the corners to give it balance.

This is the main panel completed and assembled.

To finish off I mounted everything onto corrugated cardboard that had been painted black and highlighted with some gold, added some hessian and placed it onto a black canvas.

Then I went over the road, gathered some twigs...and made a rustic frame to set everything off.
I wasn't too sure about this in the beginning,
but I really like how the twigs form a frame and brings the depth out of the other pieces.
Those of you who know my work, I'm not really an embellishment type of gal
- so the twig frame was a nice compromise.

It was fun to play with grunge paste and colour...and to dabble and experiment...


Enjoy!

The Artistic Stamper Stamps ~

- Childhood Dreams

- Leaves

- Insects and Butterflies

Other items ~

- Archival Inks - forget-me-not, fern green and watering can (and re-inkers), jet black

- Alcohol Ink - gold

- Versafine - onyx black, 

- Dylusion Sprays - lemon zest & pure sunshine

- Paper- Specialty Paper, black cardstock, cardboard, book pages, tissue paper

- Grunge paste, Crackle texture paste.

- Fresco Finish Paint - lake wanaka

- Gesso - white & black

- Stencils - TCW Mini Gothic Romance, Grunge Hearts

- Hessian

- Twigs

- Canvas

Creating Journaling by Linda Cain

Hi everyone! Linda Cain here again! I thought I'd take you through a Journal Page today using a bunch of  The Artistic Stamper's amazing stamps....sounds like a plan!

  

 

 I start with the large Dylusions Journal.  Here we're only doing one side. 

 

 I sprayed several colors of Dylusions sprays in a random pattern. Don't be concerned if there are a few areas not covered.

 

Next I added water with a spritzer bottle to a couple of areas using the masks. Let the water sit for a few seconds, and then blot with a kitchen towel roll. The pattern will show up where the water removes the color. Thank you Dylan for this great technique!

 

This shows the page after I add more color with Distress Inks. You can see the Picked Raspberry really brightened up the one area, Ripe Persimmon in the center, and Broken China and Peacock Feathers in the blue areas. This is how I fill the page with color.

 

I sprayed water into my hands and dropped it in large drops around the page. Then I tilted the page up and let the water run around.  Let it stand a moment, and blot with a paper towel.  

 

I also used a mask and black archival ink in the lower right area of the page.  

 

I used the Harlequin, Chickenwire, and Chevron background stamps with Honey Dew and Snowflake Fresco Paints to start the layering.

 

I'd decided to use 2 stamps as a focal point with CREATING and JOURNALING. I stamped the words using black archival ink, and added more stamps to form a frame around them.

 

I laid out the Moth and Butterflies on the page to see where I wanted them.  

 

Some people may want to stop here, but I like to fill it all in. It's all a matter of choice. It's YOUR page!

The black Ultra-Fine Point pen by Sharpie is used to highlight stamped areas as well as the Extra-Fine Point White Poster Paint Pen. I added Coffee Archival Ink to the Calligraphic Mat stamp to fill in spaces.

 

The Moth and Butterflies were stamped with Versafine Imperial Purple for a bit more color. Highlights were added to them, too.

 

The ART stamp and Dragonfly were stamped with archival inks, and the Bubbles and Splat Borders were stamped with paint. 

This shows how the fine black pen is used to highlight the previouslystamped and stencilled backgrounds. The Chevron stamp is used 3 times to add borders.

 

 

The final step is to add dots to the lettering and outlines to some of the stamps, and one last Flourish Border stamp to the side as filler.

 

That's it for today. If you have any questions, I'm glad to try to answer them. There's one more posting coming from me, so watch this space. And as always, let us know what you think!

 

Your Friend in ART,

 

Linda

 

The Artistic Stamper Stamps and Masks:

Border Stamps - Borders A5#2, Swirls, Splats and Dots A4

Background Stamps -  Chicken Wire Background A6, C349 Harlequin, Calligraphic Mat 9

Chevron Stamps - Chevron Elements

Words & Sayings Stamps - Journaling Words #5, Words Set "Collage"

Butterflies and Birds - Insects and Butterflies

Masks -  Chevron, Large Dots, Splats and Swirls

Katy Fox Stamps - Numerical plate size A5

 

Other Products :

Dylusions - Dyan's "perfect" Journal, Sprays - London Blue, Calypso Teal, Pure Sunshine, Fresh Lime, Bubblegum Pink

Ranger Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Broken China, Ripe Persimmon, Shabby Shutters, Peacock Feathers

Sharpie  - Sharpie White extra fine poster paint pen, Black Ultra-Fine tip pen

PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints - Honey Dew, Snowflake

Ranger Archival Inks - Jet Black, Coffee

Versafine Ink - Imperial Purple

Creative Collection by Laura Bomber

Hello everyone!

        Welcome back to my third and final creation for The Artistic Stamper. I have really enjoyed my time here and I want to thank Jennie first of all for asking me to be here and also for her kindness and support.

I decided that for my final feature here at The Artistic Stamper I would do a step-by-step...I love seeing these as it really gives a great insight into how someone works (in my case amid lots of mess!) I don't do as many as I would like because I get so involved in the creative process that I forget to take pictures, but this time I tried to be very aware of the camera as well! This is a very picture heavy post I am afraid - so grab a cuppa!
       This started out as items destined for the bin (recycled!) but I decided to put them to far better use!

after decorating these 'rubbish' items with stamps, paints and inks....(and some other craft stash items)

       I turned it into this......

 And here is how it was done....

First I prepared the tins and toilet roll by painting them top and bottom and inside with Nougat Fresco paint.

 I then cut some card to fit around the items

 I began decorating the card by stenciling some Antique Linen Distress paint - For this one I used the Crafters Workshop 'Art is' stencil.

 I didn't cover the entire piece of card....you'll see here I dabbed randomly across the stencil

 I dried the paint and then began to apply some inks....I blended some Weathered Wood, Frayed Burlap and Vintage Photo.

 I then stamped some words - 'Create' and 'inspire' across the card using Weathered Wood DP and Frayed Burlap DP

 Then I stamped some images using the set and stamped them with Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo and Weathered Wood DI

These contrast wonderfully with the vivid Potting Soil Archival ink, which is what I used to stamp next. As you can see these all build up wonderful layers with the paint acting as a resist but the archival ink covering the paint....I never tire of doing this!.....

.....and good job too - because I had two more to do! Sorry, no pictures of those because I thought that would be a bit repetitive - I used the same technique, same set of stamps and inks but used different stencils to add some variety - the harlequin and damask stencil was used for the largest tin and for the smaller one I selected Swirly Q's.

So now the pots were completed but I felt they needed something else...so I added some crochet ribbon in ivory and my favourite coffee coloured strand of crochet lace.

Now I could have finished here, but I was having so much fun. At one point I had intended to attach the tins to mount board and cut around the base and cover the bottom of the containers with lace to hide any rough edges. As usual with my projects they usually evolve at some point and when I was trying to de-clutter my art cupboard before Christmas I found a wooden tray - I have had it for years and I think it originally had wooden die cuts in and I had been using it as a save box for little scraps. I suddenly thought this could be a drawer! I could have the pots attached to a drawer...

So I got out the balsa wood and got to making a box. 

While the box was drying I decorated the tray - which for some strange reason I had stained bright orange many years ago. I painted it with a couple of coats of Nougat Fresco paint.

 I wanted it to be decorated in some way and so got an ornate metal corner and cut two pieces off

and stuck them on to the edge of the tray with Glossy accents glue.

 When dry I painted a couple of coats of the Nougat Fresco paint...

 then I sanded them lightly to reveal hints of the metal underneath.

 A metal drawer pull was attached to the front of the drawer.

Now to decorate the inside of the drawer. I did the same stamp and ink layering that the containers were decorated with.

Then I began to decorate the outside of the box...I wanted to get the kind of built up layers of cracked peeling paint that so many vintage items have...I wanted it to look like another layer just got painted over cracks. So I began to layer crackle glaze and paints, sanding down when slightly damp to reveal the paint underneath.

When it was dry and I had achieved the effect I wanted I sanded the whole box lightly and dry brushed Chocolate Pudding Fresco paint around the edges.

Then began the 'putting it together'!

A reel of crochet lace was added - the wooden reel was already a gorgeous grey wood stained effect, I dry brushed it with some Snowflake fresco paint and then stamped the words 'Create' and 'inspire' with Picket Fence Distress paint very lightly. I didn't want it to be bright white, I wanted a barely there image.

Some glass vials were used to hold gold micro beads and some gold Frantage. A few wooden cotton reels were wrapped with embroidery cotton and a couple of pearl pins tucked into the threads.

A rusty heart, glitter heart and crochet flower from my craft stash were used to decorate the containers.

My button collection was hunted through to find lovely beige, brown and blue toned buttons and were placed into the smallest container.

and here it is - complete with some items from my craft equipment. A place for everything, and everything in it's place

 Thank you so much for being here to see my final creation for The Artistic Stamper. I hope you like it! I have had a wonderful month and have really enjoyed making these creations for you to see.

Happy Crafting

Laura xxx

Artistic Stamper stamps:
Artist's no.1
Katy Fox - A stitch in time
Dressmaking no1 
Journaling words II

Other items used:

Distress Inks - Weathered Wood, Frayed Burlap,Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain
Distress Paints - Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Weathered Wood. Picket Fence and Vintage Photo
Archival Inks - Potting Soil
Paperartsy Fresco paints - Nougat, Chocolate Pudding, Snowflake and Crackle glaze
Crafters Workshop templates - Art is, Harlequin and Flourish
Embellishments - Metal Decorative corners, Glass vials