Gel Plate and Stencil play

Do you have a Gel Plate? or two or three?  I have at least three different sizes and brought one out to play with today.  I forget I have them but they're very useful to make master boards which I then cut up for projects.  While pulling my prints I had too much paint on the GP so I grabbed a black canvas that was nearby to mop up the excess.  The colors were so vibrant that I placed a Prima stencil over my mess and used some white gesso to transfer a lovely face outline onto the canvas.  This is what happened.

A little Jane Davenport paint, a little Dina Wakley paint, a cute butterfly and a Washi tape eye and voila!

Thanks for allowing me to share my art with you and always thanks for stopping by!
Hugs ~ Renee

AIRs::Artist Challenge

Every month Imagine Crafts gives all of their AIRs (Artists in Residence) an opportunity to use each product that they have sent us, at least once, on the same project.  This challenge can be quite daunting since they are very generous with that monthly box of goodness that they ship us!  We are using the same products and theme that we used for April, which is "SPRING".  Personally I can't hear that word often enough after the rough winter we've been through here in the Northeast. 

For the challenge I decided to make a Masterboard because of its extreme versatility.  I started with a large piece of 140# Strathmore water color paper.  Since I have an assortment of gorgeous IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko VersaMagic Chalk Pigment Inks the colors of the Masterboard are very Spring-like.  If you know me at all you know  I don't really "do" pretty so I had to add a little bit of grunge to the project.  Here is the completed Masterboard.

I started off by working all of the IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko VersaMagic Chalk Pigment Inks in the dewdrop ink pads through different stencils.  I also used the IMAGINE Crafts Fireworks! Craft Sprays with the stencils.  If the colors were too intense I sprayed them with a little water and blotted it with a paper towel.  I used the IMAGINE Crafts Ink Blushers to apply the ink from the IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko Memento Dye full size ink pad in Morocco through a numbers stencil I purchased at the office supply store.  Additional texture was achieved using my all time favorite product....GESSO!

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer sells this fab stencil that has honey combs, stars and circles all on the same stencil!  Love it.  After applying the gesso make sure you wash the stencil off immediately.  I used a heat gun to dry the gesso.  Here's another product I can't live without....IMAGINE Crafts Creative Medium in Clear.  I used it here to apply a small amount of text from an old book onto the Masterboard.

I painted it on through the honeycomb stencil and then covered it in old book pages, waited about 15 seconds and lifted it up gently.

It leaves just a touch of print, which is the look I was going for.  If you want more print just paint on more of the Creative Medium to your surface before laying down the old book pages.  Here is the look I was wanted.  If I want more on the finished project I can always add it later.

Now that my Masterboard is finished I can use it to make other projects.  If you make a Masterboard you always have the option of making a photocopy on heavy card stock so you don't use your original, you can use the copies like a background paper.  Or if you're like me, just cut it up and use it, you can always make another one at a different time.  Sometimes I'll even make two at the same time, oddly enough they never turn out exactly the same.

I decided use this to make some cards Dina Wakley style, sticking with my grunge-style idea.  I used Dina's new stencils with IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko StazOn Solvent Ink full size ink pad in Jet Black to add the image, some tissue tape, sewed it in spots on my sewing machine to add interest, added ribbon and some rubber stamping.  The water color panels were then adhered to blank white cards that measure 5" by 7".  All of the cards were distressed around the edges with IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko Memento Dye Ink full-size ink pad in Espresso Truffle.   Now I have three wonderful "spring" cards for friends and family that are interesting but not too "cute".

Here is a list of the products and tools that I used to make this project:

Products

IMAGINE Crafts Creative Medium Clear

IMAGINE Crafts Fireworks! Craft Spray in Summer Sky, Angel Pink, Lulu Lavender, Dandelion

IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko Memento Dye Ink Espresso Truffle

IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko Memento Luxe Mixed Media Pigment Ink in Morocco, Sweet Plum and Pear Tart

IMAGINE Crafts/'Tsukineko StazOn Solvent Inks full size ink pad in Jet Black

IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko Takc 'N Peel Reusable Cling Sheet

IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko Versa Magic Chalk Pigment Ink Dew Drop ink pads in Pink Petunia, Mango Madness, Spring Pansy, Aloe Vera and Thatched Straw

IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko All-Purpose Stamp Cleaner

IMAGINE Crafts InkBlushers

Black Thread

Black Ribbon

gesso

Three 5" by 7" blank white cards

Tools

Water color paper

paint brush

credit card

old book pages

Miscellaneous stencils (I used Dina Wakleys, Julie Fei-Fan Balzers, office supply store stencils)

spray water bottle

sewing machine

Paper cutting tool

Stampotique Rubber Stamps

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit my blog today, I really appreciate it!  I hope you'll make your own Masterboards with these products or some that you have on hand.  After you make one you'll be hooked on them like I am.  Have a great weekend, I will talk to you soon.



Dina Style

I purchased Dina Wakley's new book recently "Art Journal FREEDOM" and it has been interesting to try work to my way through it.  I was recently interviewed by a magazine that asked me how I learned to do what it is that I do.  I told them I read books, like Dina's, and watch YouTube videos on anything I'm interested in doing.  I always think I'm doing EXACTLY what the artist is doing but at some point my work goes off on a tangent and I'm usually shocked to see that my piece barely resembles the work I'm trying so hard to emulate.  That is exactly what happened here.  This is my point of view using Dina's Gel Medium Resist on page 86 of her book.  I have an image and a tag like hers and that is about it.  Oh well!  The work other artists share is supposed to be for inspiration.  So this is what Dina Wakley inspired me to do today.  Thank you Dina!

I invite you to get out there and get inspired!  Have a great weekend and as always I thank you for stopping by.  Talk to you soon.

Hey everyone!  In response to Annie's comment/request, this is the page I used for my inspiration and a photo of the cover of Dina's new book.

Have a great weekend.