Big Bird, Little Bird

Hello all... Thank you so much for all the amazing feedback on the new PaperArtsy stamps.


There was certainly something for everyone amongst all the new goodies they've released.  I was so lucky to get two contrasting sets of stamps to work with, creating sample projects both for Darcy's new Eclectica designs and for Lynne Perrella's new stamps.


I promised at the time that I would share some of the creations in more detail over the coming days and weeks, and I'm here to pay up on the first part of that promise.  So here's a pair of avian projects... one ATC and one tag, each unique!


This flamboyant flamingo, from EDY05, demanded a flamboyant treatment!










I started with a Fresco paint/crackle glaze background, Nougat over a Baltic Blue undercoat.

I used paper towel to wipe the top coat away before it was dry in some places, so as to get larger smudges of blue coming through.











I used the fabulous flourish border from the same set to add detail at the top of the tag, and to give him something to stand on at the bottom!













Big Bird himself is stamped in Coffee Archival and clear embossed so that he'd hold his own against whatever I decided to do next.

Most of the tinting is done with washes of Fresco paint - Baltic Blue and Pea Coat (the old translucent version) - and then I added the caramel colours and the shading within the blue panels using Copics markers.








I wanted to add some metalware to accentuate all those cogs and gears amongst the panels making up his body.

So there's a mini Idea-ology cog, an Artemio brad, and then Idea-ology long fasteners and mini-fasteners dotted around the place.  They've all had a little touch of Treasure Gold White Fire.













Purely from not wanting to use up all my mini-fasteners, I looked around for another way to create dimension, and came up with a bottle of Liquid Pearl which I bought in a sale out of curiosity, but had only used once so far.

Very happy with the results...







I have some metallic twine that doesn't get to come out and play very often, but which was perfect to give my flamboyant flamingo the finish he deserved.

It's tied up with paper string, and the whole tag was mounted on kraft card, partly to give it more stability on its travels, but also for the nice finishing border it gives.

And there's a bit of White Fire Treasure Gold for added glamour!







The little bird (EM02) is so pleased with himself, bowling along on his little wheels.

I began with the same crackle background as for the flamingo, inking the edges with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink.

The bird himself is stamped in Cobalt Archival, and then clear embossed for extra definition.




















I stamped him again on tissue paper and cut it out to use as a mask while I stamped the bubbly texture from one of the large sets (EDY06) "behind" him, to echo his effervescent confidence.

I coloured the bubbles with Chipped Sapphire Distress Marker, giving it a soft look, so as not to detract from the bird himself.

I used Dylusions sprays to colour him, spritzing them onto the craft mat and using a water brush to apply them.  I love how you get to see the crackle through the translucent ink.










And the sentiment is stamped in Cobalt on a Dylusion'd bit of card, and mounted on padded tape to give just that little pop of dimension.

It's the same quote on both makes - a sentiment I'm fully behind... it is by being your own unique self, rather than trying to be anything else, that you are beautiful.










More Darcy project details soon, and Lynne Perrella ones to come too... but for now, if you prefer a more vintage look, there's another chance to catch Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer over at Artistic Outpost today!

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I've a busy Shakespeare week this week (proper work!), but there are some posts planned.  I may have to save up my blog-visiting for the weekend though...

See you soon!





Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.
Stephen King

With the double whammy on those four important little words, I'd like to enter this in the Show It With Words theme over at the Inspiration Journal.