Thrift Flip With ArtFoamies

Hey Friends! I am Sarah Matthews, and I'm excited to share with you a thrift flip I have completed with ArtFoamies. I purchased a sign from the thrift store for $2 and repurposed it into something new.

Before:

 

After:

Click here to watch the video

Supplies:

FolkArt Acrylic Paint in Titanium White

Golden Fluid Acrylics in Carbon Black, Ultramarine Blue, Pyrrole Red, & Benzimidazolone

Yellow Medium

GelliArts Gel Press 5" x 7" ArtFoamies.com Abstract Landscape by Sarah Matthews

ArtFoamies.com Shadow Alphabet by Balzer Designs

ArtFoamies.com Dino Skin by Balzer Designs Ranger Heat Tool

Marcal Deli Paper \\\ My Links: Website: http://iamsarahmatthews.com Instagram: @iamsarahmatthews

Please feel free to share your creations using #rubbermoon #100proofpress #artfoamies #100moonscollab on your social media. We will be so happy to see what you make with Rubbermoon,  100 Proof Press, and  Artfoamies products.

Autumn Love Story

    

"falling leaves hide the path so quietly"
                                               ~John Bailey 

                 

Fall is my favorite season by far.  I'm not too hot or cold and (big bonus) there is an endless array of colors around you as the season matures. There's also a bevy of quotes about fall or fall poetry as illustrated above. And, the pictures online.... In other words, a lot of fodder for artists.  I realized something new during my musings in the studio. Fall is not only my favorite season, but I've fallen madly in love with it.  So this piece isn't just an ode to Fall, it's a love story of sorts. The love story is best represented by the leaves, their color, their gentle trajectory as they travel to the ground,  and the resulting mélange that continues to change daily as newer ones join in and older ones lose their remaining color. 


I am fascinated with the leaves and their layers and as they change states, from bright colors to  translucency and eventually dull and tattered.  I set out an assortment of Golden Fluid Acrylics and Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks which would create an autumn-colored background as well as some RubberMoon stamps, plastic wrap, a bit of decorated paper, water spray bottle, and three 2" x 2"  tiles found at big box DIY stores.

What's not pictured here is the mélange stamp that is one of mine, a 4" x 8" black canvas board, black StazOn, and a wide, black Sharpie.  Mea culpa.....I added a few things as I went along.  You always have to stay fluid in your art.  Remember that.

They key to this piece is layers so I decided to print the bottom layer using the acrylics and the top layer using the alcohol inks.  There was a method to my madness.  I love the mix of different opacities.  The acrylics will dry much more opaque and duller, while the alcohol inks will be fairly transparent and have a sheen.  The picture on the left below shows you how much acrylic you actually need (on a piece of plastic wrap but a non-stick craft sheet would work as well.)  VERY LITTLE.  The middle picture below shows you what the paint looks like with one squirt of water and a little smooshing to spread it on the plastic wrap.  The picture on the far right is how much coverage you want with your colors.  Reserve a lot of white for later. 

                




 I repeated this process with two other colors (drying in between) and called this part done. 

The second part of this background uses alcohol inks in exactly the same way.  I put one drop of ink on the plastic wrap and one drop of clear blender.  The same smooshing goes on but at a faster pace.  These dry fast!  I then dipped the tile as seen below. 

The white of the tile is now tinted a pale green.

Once dry, I began to add stamping using the acrylic paint.  I did three partial leaves per tile in brown and then offset the same image with copper metallic. Yes, the layers continue.

When all the paint was dry, I added black Sharpie to frame the tiles and then blackened the white sides.  I love the finish edging brings.  Finally, I stamped one RubberMoon word stamp on each tile with black StazOn.


Since it is a love story piece, I chose some unusual words to describe my feelings:  xoxo, pitter patter, and be mine.  I know what you're thinking.  Just go with it.  I also used the inksplat stamp.  It's in my top ten of often-used stamps.  You don't really notice it, but it adds so much more to a background. 

Before mounting onto the canvas board, I cut out decorative paper to act as a mat.  I ended up mounting the three tiles nearer the top than the bottom because I had the mélange stamp that really summed the whole piece up. I was able to pull that copper color outside of the tiles by using the same paint on my stamp.  (HINT:  I always lightly stamp onto a scrap first when using paint.  It takes the excess off so you get a cleaner image.)

Thanks so much for reading my love story.  I am happy that it reappears each year so I can relive it over again and again.  Join me on Facebook at  Nancy Curry Art or on my website for more art!

Trick-or-Treat !!

October +  RubberMoon =  Halloween

So, it's the beginning of October and I am fully decorated in my house, but the problem is that we'll be at Gettysburg for Parent's Weekend on Halloween.  So basically I'm "all dressed up" with nowhere to go.  Well,  now you know I have no kids at home and won't be hosting anything.  And if you put two and two together, you'll know that I"m not even buying candy. I did, however, put together this invitation for one of you to use.  It's a little something special to remember the season.

 

(This is the invitation when it is closed)

I put together an assortment of stamps, papers, canvas and media. As you can see, the stamps aren't all necessarily "Halloween" themed. The great thing about RubberMoon stamps is that many can have dual purposes. You just have to use a little imagination at times. Challenge yourself in that way.  It's fun.

I had a small striped bag that somehow seemed Halloweenish to me so I cut the front down the center and then also cut the end off so it would have a center opening. I then used the paper as a template and cut a piece of coated poster board to fit. A bone folder and ruler were used to create fold lines and then the posterboard was affixed with Scor-Tape. 

  

  

                                                    

My stamping began with the keyplate stamp and Ranger Archival black ink on a scrap of poster board. I really only wanted two parts so I cut those out and set aside.

Although I originally envisioned this project as black and white, I've learned to stay fluid in my studio.  Hence, the introduction of orange, lime, and purple Golden Fluid acrylics as my Halloween palette. I began by finding a scrap of poster board and rubbing on some of all three colors with different parts of a cosmetic sponge.

I used the same three colors as well as bronze on the back 4" x 4" canvas. Just be sure to get the paint off your stamps before you go onto other steps. I chose the checker ribbon and zen garden stamps to add some interest in the background. I made sure to use all three colors because your composition gets stronger as you relate the parts to the whole. Plus, I just liked having some colored buds.

Inside of the invitation was a breeze. I stamped happy pumpkins in black Archival ink but any dark black pad would work. I then broke up the background a little by lightly stamping the inksplat stamp repeatedly. To add the color inside, I cut the piece of orange poster board prepared earlier and then wrote the times on it with a Pitt pen. I affixed the frame to the colored background with a glue stick and the new sign was ready to add to the card with Scor-Tape. I added some of the three colors to the perimeter of the frame with a toothpick, and then stamped the sentiment, moonlight & shadows & magic on another prepared piece of poster board. When dry, I affixed that last splash of color with tape again.

Pleased with the inside, I began working on the invitation portion. I found and stamped a manila tag with the fool-on-a-stick stamp, added color and a blingy star. I outlined the edge in black and hand lettered the wording. A piece of black fiber was added. I love jesters for some reason, but hate clowns. There is no consistency in my mind.

My attention turned back to the front of the door.  It seemed dull so.............  Nothing says Halloween more to me than glitter or bling so I need not say more about the front doors.  (Notice the keyplate use on the right.)

 

A final tie with an irregular black fiber and it's ready for someone special. Enjoy all the craziness of the month. Check in with RubberMoon throughout the month on Tuesdays and Fridays. The team has a wonderful month planned.


As always, you can find me at Nancy Curry Art or if you have more time to wander, at my website.  Happy Halloween!!!

Fragments

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

It was a beautiful day in St. Louis today and that definitely was the inspiration for my latest piece of art.  I chose to mount this piece on black glossy and a dull mustard yellow in card format, but this piece easily could be framed or mounted on cradled birch with the sides painted.  At the very heart of this process is a melding of a resist technique I've been sharing around the country since 2000.  I still love it because the results are imperfect and surprising every time.  I was very excited with the advent of the Ultimate Red Rubber Palette.  It makes doing this technique on a larger scale so very easy.  Today I used the 8" x 10" inch palette.  But, truth be told, I had to have them both!  

I got out a few products to start my studio play.  As you can see, it really doesn't take much once you have a vision.  For media, I have four bottles of Adirondack reinkers in oregano, wild plum, stonewashed, and butterscotch, a bottle of the Ranger Watermark Resist Ink, Titan Buff and Bronze Golden Fluid Acrylics, and a black StazOn pad.  

I began working on the palette by adding resist ink in a thick horizontal stripe, and a few dots about an inch up from the solid stripe.  I saw this composition as a scene, so I added some stonewashed around the resist dots.  Below the stripe I added a thin line of oregano and then added some dots of wild plum and butterscotch in the same area.  

 

Once I had enough ink, and a little goes a long way,  I lightly spritzed a cosmetic sponge with a tiny bit of water, and then pounced the sponge starting at the top left to top right and then proceeding below the resist ink, again left to right. The oregano and butterscotch, and wild plum below will mingle a bit, and that's fine.  They will then create new colors!

 

Once your ink is spread to the coverage you would like, you can then make a print with a piece of glossy paper.  I used a 2.75" x 8.5" piece of Kromekote.  (***** asked and answered in class hundreds of times:  No, photo paper will not work.  Inks are not meant to move on it and we need them to move in this technique.) Place the paper down and press evenly.  

 

I like to pull up a corner and see what coverage I will have before completely lifting.  That's my choice, but you can always re-dip if you don't like the print, want to add more ink, etc.  Notice the striations and the area that resisted the ink.  I am liking this a lot.

 

I almost always pull a second and sometimes third print and save them.  As I said, a little ink goes a long way.  Here's my second print:

 

If you look closely, you can see the variegation you get from using the plate and just a hint of water to spread the dye inks.  At this point, I take a gently used cosmetic sponge and move some of the ink that is still wet around to blend.  I don't want to totally lose the dotted nature of the print, but I do want to tint some of the negative space created by the resist ink.  Not all of it, just some. 

Once the inks are where I want them and I am satisfied, I heat the rest of the ink so that it stays put when the next layers commence.  I am skipping the obligatory heat tool picture.  Use your imagination.  I then stamped the spiral star five times on the same glossy paper using stonewashed and cut them out so that I could have some dimensional texture. 

Once cut, I used black StazOn and the checkered ribbon to create ribbons to hold these stars up in my sky.  I then affixed the five stars with Scor-Tape and moved on to the landscape.  Here I began by using the zen flowers stamp, black StazOn and a torn piece of paper as a mask.  I followed the natural color change in the landscape to create hills and valleys.

 

I had a little challenge come up next:   Obscured in the picture on the left, I added a tree using tree leaves (on right), which is actually a reverse image stamp. I was able to use this stamp by taking a medium sized Sharpie to the inner lines of the stamp.  (Normally the tree would be produced by the ink that is on the flat portion of the stamp.)  It worked like a charm, but you must work quickly because of the dry time. 

The rest of the composition came together with some bits and bobs.  The picture above shows me further delineating the landscape with a permanent pen.  It also will act as a separation from fragments that I had stamped just before that.  Fragments is from one of my new plates from my own stamp line at Nancy Curry Art. It's so hot off the press that it hasn't even made my Etsy shop yet.  Later, this week and that's a promise.  

The picture below shows the completed project.  I added some interest by taking Golden Fluid Acrylic paint in bronze and titan buff to the landscape by mimicking the shape of the zen flowers.  I also added some bronze to the tree and to the centers of the stars.  Once finished with that textural layer of paint, I cut a slightly larger piece of black glossy and affixed the composition to it.  Before adding the top sections to the final yellow cardstock, I brought out the imagery from the sky ribbons by stamping it so it seemed to flow beneath the scene.  To me, fragments is the perfect title for this piece of work because there are so many separate areas that come together and make this work.  Thanks for visiting a little part of my vision of the RubberMoon world. 

Key to My Heart

Happy Valentine's Day!  Since it is that hearty kind of day,  I will create a couple of cards that celebrate those warm feelings but don't necessarily "scream" the V-holiday.  I categorize them  as "thinking of you" cards for your significant other(s),those in your "circle of trust," a favorite phrase of mine mentioned by Robert DeNiro in Meet the Parents, and those needing just a little TLC.   RubberMoon has held the key to my heart for many moons.  The artists that have created for the company, new and old, make designs are perfect for these special cards and they all mix and match well together.  But having said that, I still have oodles. 

To prepare, I decided color themes and got out my supplies.  Two cards were on the agenda for today; one red and gold, and one,  light blue and green.  The RubberMoon stamps I chose are Zen heart, key plate, moon & back, joy, ink splatter, and the Red Rubber Palette.  Also, in a shameless Curry plug, I also used one of mine, "for all time."  Other supplies include textured and printed papers, Golden Fluid Acrylic in Bronze and Mars Black, black StazOn, X-Acto knife and cutting mat,  heart and black round brads, and Score Tape. 

I started the first card by adding Golden bronze paint to the palette with a cosmetic sponge.  I then pressed the slightly textured cream cardstock into the paint and pulled up quickly.  I love the haphazard coverage and LOVE that the palette cleans quickly with a baby wipe or water.

I cleaned the palette and added a bit of black paint with a sponge and quickly stamped the key plate and the ink splatter to add some interest.  You don't have as much time because of the quick-drying acrylic, but I do like the coverage that the paint gives over the other paint. 

I added a piece of black glossy to the cream with Score Tape before cutting around the plate on three sides to make a window.  I decided I wanted some movement on it somewhere during the creation process! It's nice to be able to make changes along the way.   I finished by scoring it with a ruler and bone folder so it had a controlled open position.

I cut a matching piece of cream cardstock and stamped the Zen heart and phrase on it using black StazOn.  It was easy to attach with Score Tape.

To finish, I then stamped joy on the inside of the door AND.....

hole punched the top and bottom of the key plate and filled them with black round brads. That added a little more interest to that window  I was so excited to cut out.

 And....... voilà:     

Now it was time to explore a new direction!  Using Ranger Adirondack dye inks in Juniper and Stonewashed, I scattered the ink splatter stamp around the front, back and inside of the white square textured card. 

Once interest was added to the white, I centered and affixed a paisley printed square and teal smaller square.  I then stamped the key plate onto embossed cardstock with black StazOn ink (TRICK:  cleanly stamping onto that heavily textured paper is difficult so I keep a fine tipped Pitt or Micron nearby and handy and simply fill in the areas that didn't stamp well due to the lumpy landscape.)
I then used the hole punch and heart brads to finish that centerpiece before adding this to the center of the other squares.  

To finish, I stamped the inside sentiment inside withe the same blue ink and called it a day.

 And again,  voilà:  

As always, I love my return to card-making art.  It is so fun to take out a few materials and see where they lead you.  It's even more fun when those that receive them, love the time you took to do the custom work.  Thanks so much for being in my "circle" today.