TEXTURE, STAMPS & SPARKLE!!!

I am sooooooo happy to be a part of the Rubbermoon Creative Team!!! Why, you ask?

because I truly cannot contain myself when it comes to TEXTURE in my paintings...

and RUBBER STAMPS are PERFECTO for all kinds of groovy patterns!

(and rubber stamps are like chocolate...one can never have enough...)

Allow me to show you why texture bedazzles me so.....

I begin with a 6"x6" canvas and assorted supplies.
a happy gathering of stamps, ink, paint, sparkly bits, -  the whole 'kit & caboodle' 

*and of course, a  1920's vintage advertisement for washing your undies...

cuz you never know what direction this project may take...

First, I 'frost the canvas' with a layer of Liquitex light modeling paste medium...I use a thin trowel, but anything with an edge will work - I have used a piece of cardboard in a pinch.                                                    I really should own stock in this product  - it's completely addictive - consider yourself warned...

just smooth it on, no need to be perfect. Dont'cha just love when someone tells you it's ok to be imperfect???  I do.

now, the FUN begins!!!!!!! 

Press a square into center of canvas.......

then LIFT it back off...........

I am THRILLED with how this Matboard Square (above) from Inchie Arts LLC

works like a charm!!!! 

I mean, just LOOK at the pattern after 'liftoff' !!!! I wasn't initially sure where I was going with my center image before I pressed the Inchie Matboard Square, but now I clearly see a branch-like pattern...

I am going to rotate it so it looks like a pretty little winter scene...and that way I can add sparkle without guilt. hee hee.

it could also easily translate into an underwater scene with seaweed...and glitter...

That is the utter beauty of the creative process for me. Start with a vague plan and allow the project to    e  m  e  r  g  e.

 Now to indulge in a lovely 'frame' for the winter scene,

starting with this wonderful Rubbermoon ink splatter stamp! 

how about a border pattern using only the top half of this Rubbermoon Diamond stamp?

oh yeah...

how fun is this???????

I use this vintage letterpress 'O' stamp (below) to make some scallops

above the half-diamond border. Then I use the other end of a paintbrush to further define and connect shapes.

allow to dry about 2 hours, then lightly sand any sharp points.

paint the 'frame' metallic gold

and sides too...

fill in your 'center image' with light wash of acrylic paint. I used 2 of my favorite colors, aqua and periwinkle, then I gently rubbed the color off  to soften it.

add a realistic aged patina to the 'frame' by smudging Rangerink Distress inkpad on raised surfaces.

now it's just refining the details...draw a black border around scene. I used a sharp charcoal pencil for a 'hand-drawn' effect.

* Charcoal can also add subtle shading to your scene, settling into tiny crevices, and lifting off raised parts.

Then.............can't resist  .........MUST... ADD... SPARKLE!!!!!!

I glue tiny swarovski crystals to the sky.......

and

dust a bit of Martha Stewart fine glitter into the scenery

then, yellow winter sun, a tiny red glitter heart, some snow-blob-doodles

and 

DONE!!!!!! 

ok, so I didn't get to incorporate the fun vintage undies advertisement into this project...there's always next time....

see more of my stories and projects on my blog and Etsy shoppe @ www.sparkly-heart.blogspot.com

or find me on Facebook - lori sparkly franklin

Moondancing, Moondust and Musings

How does one write her first RubberMoon Creative Team tutorial without including a moon?  Well, quite obviously from the title I did not go against the tide.  Instead,  I embraced everything about the moon.  In real life, I love the moon in all its phases.  I'm kind of fond of stars, too.  There's so much peace in just staring at the starscape that's been around for eons and beyond.  It helps me gain perspective and realize that "big things" in my life are really just tiny and fleeting. I am just tiny and fleeting. Well, at least fleeting.  I also must confess that I still wish on stars.  ALL. OF. THE. TIME.

I decided my color scheme would be black/white and gold (which actually is Golden Fluid Bronze)  and that my final piece would be put in a 5" x 7" black IKEA frame.   I set about getting my supplies out and decided to use up some scraps of Studio Cloth that were sitting on my desk.  Studio Cloth is a high end floor cloth material that comes in rolls from USArtQuest.  I cut the cloth to the desired size  (whatever size you feel works with the mat size)  with an Xacto knife and put out the black paint and gesso on a scrap plastic lid. I like to create more movement in the paint so I lightly spray the cloth surface with water before adding paint. 

I used a thin flat brush to begin to spot add black paint sporadically down the cloth. After adding the black, I heated the cloth to dry and went back and used white gesso to bring out the white again from the spreading of the black.

Once it was dried again, I spot added stripes of bronze throughout the cloth.  I heated the cloth dry on both sides again.

 

Now the fun was about to being.  I took my favorite RubberMoon stamps and began designing the background. StazOn works very well for this as long as you have a recently reinked pad. The gesso also does it's job as a ground and keeps the ink in place while it is drying.

Check them out when you have a chance!  Actually, check the whole catalog out.  This is only the tip of the iceberg. 

joy

Sprinkle Moondust Spread Magic

Moondancing is Strongly Encouraged

Ten Small Starflowers

Once the background was finished, I began to think of embellishments.  I wanted the flow of the piece to be in the stripes so I began picking out different fibers that could be added and I knew I wanted to continue the gold tones in beads and charms.  All were attached with Perfect Paper Adhesive matte.....my favorite glue for this type of project. BIG HINT:  Do not trim fibers until everything is completely dry or the fibers will become loose again with the pulling. I also pulled out the Bronze paint and filled in the empty stars to bring out that luscious metallic color.

While the fibers were drying, I took the opportunity to take apart the frame and decorate the mat.  I used two different sizes of Sharpies and hand drew stripes and then sporadically added a hint of bronze to bring out that metallic to the mat.    It makes the design more cohesive to have the mat working with the focal piece. Do not try to draw them perfectly. That's part of the charm.  

I added a piece of old text to the mat and raised the focal cloth with pop squares so the artwork would appear to float within the frame.

This can be put under glass as long as the embellishments are not too deep or the pop squares can be skipped to allow room under the glass.  For more samples of projects like this one, head to the gallery on my website.  To follow my current artwork, find me on facebook at Nancy Curry Art or if you love goofy poodles and my daily foibles, friend me at Nancy Sanderson Curry . RubberMoon can be found on facebook, their main website, or the blog here (where you are at!) Stay tuned for the rest of the creative team.  They will knock your socks off!  Goodnight, Moon.