I'm travelling into a new way of working, a new country, a new language, and a new hobby which I'm passionate about. Come with me for some of the journey...

Saturday 19 September 2015

STAMPtember with Simon Says Stamp and PaperArtsy

Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather when I got an email from Stephanie Leykauf inviting me to be a part of STAMPtember for Simon Says Stamp!  I'm still slightly dazed...


The whole month is a celebration of stamps and stamping (as well as some of the stuff that goes along with them) and today the STAMPtember post on the Simon Says Stamp blog is a special PaperArtsy feature, and I'm delighted to say I'm there helping to showcase their fabulous stamps and paints and glazes.  





I'm so excited to be involved, because I can still vividly remember Tim Holtz's amazing tag video from my first encounter with STAMPtember in 2012.  I'd only been stamping and inking for a few months by then, and although I'd watched plenty of Tim's videos, this one just blew me away.

Inspired by him, I've worked on tags today, and I've tried to make the most of my stamps.  So, I've used them as focal images, to add background detail and also to create my dimensional embellishments.  I've even both tapped and swiped my ink onto my stamps as Tim did in the video.








I would love it if you could hop over to see the post, and leave a comment there to let me know what you think.  Simon Says Stamp are having all sorts of giveaways to celebrate STAMPtember, so just for leaving a comment there you could find yourself winning a prize.

Not only that, but there's a special 20% discount on PaperArtsy stock at the Simon Says Stamp store if you use the code ARTSY2S as in the banner above.  It's valid until Monday so enjoy yourselves.








Creating the tags was pure pleasure.  I started by putting on some Fresco paint (this version uses Granny Smith and Captain Peacock from the new Limited Edition release, but you can get a similar effect with some Beach Hut, Guacamole and Hey Pesto) quite roughly - doesn't matter much at this stage because...













... the next stage is to cover it with PaperArtsy Crackle Glaze and then, once that's dry (which you can speed up with a heat gun) I added a mixture of Chalk and Snowflake to get a soft white.  This stage you probably don't want to speed up with a heat gun - you can, but then you get very large, much less subtle cracks.






You can see I left an area on each of the tags uncrackled.  I'm perfectly happy to stamp over crackle - I do it all the time and it works beautifully - but this was an extra refinement to leave a bit of clear stamping space.



I stamped my images in Coffee Archival with some Potting Soil added in places for some darker shading.  The main images are from the Hot Picks range, HP1305, HP1506 and 1507.







I added some extra text for background detail - using the surround of the flower stamp from 1305, but inking it by sweeping the pad across it rather than tapping down.  That way you get a much lighter ink application, like a secondary stamping.

And then I started playing with paint!  All the colour on these tags is done with PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Paints.










One of the great things about PaperArtsy Fresco Paints is they vary between opaque, semi-opaque and translucent - so you can get great coverage with the opaques, or you can use a translucent if you want a lighter, see-through effect.










Now, I'm a great lover of translucence, so I quite often turn even the opaque colours into translucents by adding water to make them into washes.  In fact, I did almost all the painting on these using water brushes.  The joy for me of using translucent colour is you can build up the layers and keep the benefit of all the previous layers shining through.












So for instance, the blue-green butterflies have layers of Captain Peacock, Beach Hut, Granny Smith, Hey Pesto and even some Chalk in places - all of which gives you that lovely look of variegated butterfly wings.










For the flowers it's a similar process.  I tend to start with lighter shades and add my darks for additional shading or to zhuzh up the colour.

The leaves have layers of Guacamole, Granny Smith, Hey Pesto and Hyde Park all in there.








The large tulip started with some Orchid and Professor Plum, then some Claret gave it some extra depth, and then some London Bus to give it a bit of oomph.

I always stroke the paint in the direction of the petals - then, if there are any brush strokes visible once it's dried, they will only help with the look of the thing.










Once the main elements were dry, I gave them a coat of PaperArtsy Gloss Glaze.  This gives them a lovely sheen, and also creates a seal or resist for the next stage which is to put the very light washes onto the background (Beach Hut, Mermaid, Granny Smith, Glass Blue, Southern Skies all taking part, but all diluted with water, even the ones which are already translucent).












The resist means that even if you go over onto other areas - such as the clock - its whiteness is preserved.  You have some resist time to catch the erring paint with some paper towel!





You can see I also stamped some separate butterflies to make my embellishments.  They've also had a coat of Gloss Glaze to keep them shimmering in the sun.



I love that this way you can give them some dimension and let them alight or almost take off from the surface of the tag.






Finally, I added some words (you'll notice from the name of the blog that they're quite important to me too!) using one of the new Simon Says Stamp STAMPtember releases, Big Hugs.








The words come as separate stamps so you can mix and match the phrases to suit your project.  I thought they worked quite nicely with the PaperArtsy stamps.  And the perfect positioning for each phrase on each tag gave me a perfect rising line of words across the trio - pure luck, I assure you!



I hope you like the tags.  You can find all of the products I used today at Simon Says Stamp.  They've got all the links beautifully lined up for you on their blogpost!  As I say, it would be brilliant if you could let them know what you think over there, and you might win a prize for doing so!



I'm actually demo-ing on the PaperArtsy stand at Ally Pally today, so the timing of this seems appropriate.  Big thanks to Stephanie and the team at Simon Says Stamp for inviting me to be part of the STAMPtember celebrations this year - I'm so honoured, and it's a real thrill!

The arts, quite simply, nourish the soul. They sustain, comfort, inspire. There is nothing like that exquisite moment when you first discover the beauty of connecting with others in celebration of larger ideals and shared wisdom.
Gordon Gee

56 comments:

Shirley said...

Well done Alison they could not have chosen anyone better. Fabulous tags with some yummy colour tones.

Warm crafty hugs from Shirl x x x
ShirlsCards.

Shilpa Nagaonkar said...

Congratulations Alison for this special feature!! You have come up with lovely tags with PaperArtsy stamps! Love the colours!

Amanda said...

Beautiful tags with, as usual, so much fabulous technique. Congratulations on your inclusion in this fabulous event
Love
Amanda x

Paper Profusion said...

Huge congrats Alison, I'm delighted for your beautiful work to receive such wonderful exposure. Very well deserved and your tags are fabulous! Nicola x

Paper Profusion said...

Ps, best of luck at demo. Wish I could attend. Serendipitous timing with SSS! Nicola x

experiments in paper said...

Congratulations!! You've done PaperArtsy proud, for sure.... just gorgeous! Hopping over to see the post (and take advantage of that great discount!) xxx Lynn

froebelsternchen said...

Congrats on this Alison! This tags are amazing !
I so love your art - just gorgeous and unique !
oxo
Susi

Anneke said...

Love your tags Alison, awesome stamping and coloring!

brenda said...

These are totally stunning Alison and the colours work so beautifully with the stamps you have selected.

Well done on the 'spot' and hope you have a good weekend.

B x

Dorthe said...

You painted the butterflys and tulips so very beautifully, dear Alison, and the tones you used are wonderful, in the way you created, using layers and splasches , such very lovely tags, with the stamps giving an extra layer !!
Hugs, Dorthe

Meggymay said...

Gorgeous tags, the butterflies all loook amazing and have a super sheen to the wings. Congratulations on your 'spot' with them.
Yvonne xx

Chrissy said...

Congratulations Alison...your tags are just beautiful..love the floral stamps and gorgeous colouring,colours and technique..I love the splashes of white.

luv CHRISSYxx

Astrid Maclean said...

Lovely tags Alison with an almost Springlike feel to them and well done you for being part of Stamptember!

Beulah Bee said...

Thanks for sharing so many great techniques and tips. Your tags are very inspiring!

Sue said...

Wow beautiful tags, I love the white splashes! Congratulations on being part of Stamptember xx

Inky and Quirky Designs said...

A big congrats Alison and these tags are just awesome....as usual of course ;)
Hugs
Donna xxx

Corrie Herriman said...

You have created 3 lovely tags, Alison... Well deserved to be invited to take part in Stamptember !
Corrie x

Helen said...

Gorgeous tags and what an honour!! Was fabulous to see you working on something similar today, hope you got home with your big bags of shopping!!

Juliz Design Post said...

So well deserved Alison your work is always stunning.
Julie x

Sarah B said...

Wonderful tags - it was great to see you working on similar ones earlier, really inspired to have a go tomorrow. Hope you made it home ok with all those heavy bags xx

Margik said...

Wow, Alison! Huge congratulations on being part of Stamptember! So well deserved!
These tags are fabulous, the flowers and butterflies are very beautiful. Mar xx

Terry said...

Congratulations Alison and that is no surprise to me! Wow, these tags are stampalicious! All three are absolutely gorgeous and I love the coloring and pretty details! Love them! Hugs and Happy Weekend!

Hettie said...

These are absolutely stunning Alison. I just love these tags.
Wish I could have got to Ally Pally to meet you at last.
Hugs
xx

Michelle said...

Alison, these tags are gorgeous! I love those colors. Very pretty!

Marci said...

I comme ted over at SSS but forgot to come back here! Lovely tags, I like how you built the colors up. Congratulations on being featured in Stamptember.

selena said...

whaouu, quels magnifiques tags!

Lauren Hatwell said...

Absolutely beautiful and it was a joy to see you working yesterday at Ally Pally. Lx

Andrea Small said...

Congratulations! The tags are sooooo lovely - what a glorious mix of colours :-)
Andrea xx

Kirsten said...

These tags are so gorgeous. It was great to see you at AP yesterday & to watch you demo the new Fresco paints & the crackle. Thanks for all the hints & tips.

Jennie Atkinson said...

Such fabulous tags Alison and how beautifully they showcase those gorgeous stamps and the wonderful new PA colours. And congratulations on being invited to Stamptember - so well deserved! Hope you are having a blast at Ally Pally ! Jennie x

Nan G said...

Gorgeous tags, butterfly! You are truly an exceptional artiste!

Lisa Minckler said...

(Insert whistles and cat calls)....these are HOT!! And by hot I mean, very cool. The very best part, next to seeing your finalized projects are the step by steps you include. What a journey it is, to go on with you, each time I'm here. Simply stunning and a heartfelt congrats to you!
hugs,
Lisa x

Mary W said...

Amazing tags and I'm thinking cards would be wonderful with all this work done for a special someone. WOW

Lys said...

Congratulations, Alison! These tags are a pure fresh delight for the eyes!

Julia said...

These tags are so feminine and dreamy. I want to go play with crackle glaze now. Lovely project and loads of inspiration as always.
Julia x

Pawsitively Creative said...

So happy for you to be in Stamptember! Fantabulous use of the stamps. I really enjoyed reading about how you layer your paints and create washes. Your cracks are awesome sauce, as are your flowers and those butterflies-swoon! So many lovely techniques to take in! Thanks for sharing your process, headed over to take it all in. Hugz. ~Niki

www.deeadamsart.blogspot.co.uk said...

Congratulations Alison they couldn't have picked anyone better to be in Stamptember. Loving your tags. x

Cocofolies said...

Oooh Alison... at first big congratulations to be featured on Simon Says Stamps blog, highlighting Paper Artsy stamps and paints (so well deserved). And secondly, .... This is simply pure delight!!!!!!!
These three tags will be among my (new) favourites tags (made by all the crafty ones I know and love, all mixed), for very long!!!
Love ALL the layers of paint, crackle, all the love you put onto each butterfly, flower, and tiny detail... and the fabulous design. I'm in awe in front of your amazing talent at each make!
Hope you have had a great time demoing at Ally Pally.. Would have loved seeing you, you know that well.
Hugs, Coco xx

Unknown said...

Soooo gorgeous! I really don't know how you do it, you knock them out of the park every single time hun xx

Connie Mercer said...

gorgeous tags!

2amscrapper said...

stunning work! You always are such an inspiration!

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

These are all gorgeous and just plain stunning! LOVE the bright flowers and the layered stamps!!! Congrats to you!

Gio said...

3 times beautiful. These are so fresh and spring-ish! They are so light they can fly ! :-)

hazel said...

Congratulations Alison, your tags are wonderful, it was lovely to see you demonstrating at Ally Pally on Saturday.
xxx Hazel.
.

Jackie PN said...

Alison!!!
You and your art are incredible!! I mean truly incredible and I do believe that I love each and every piece you put out there!! I still keep wishing to be you when I grow up!! hugs and love
Jackie xx

craftytrog said...

Lovely to see these beautiful tags on Saturday, and good to see you too! xxx

Andrea said...

congrats you deserve your Stamptember spot ( should feature you every month)what stunning tags they are works of art, thank you for sharing them with us the step by step is excellent although doubt I would ever be able to achieve anything so wonderful.hugs Andrea x

Etsuko said...

What a brilliant tags and beautiful colours. xx

Candy C said...

Alison, your tags are so lovely.

Princess Judy Palmer said...

Love the tags! You've really shown off the Paper Artsy products well and make them seem like they'd be easy to jump on in and use!

pearshapedcrafting said...

Alison, these are so gorgeous! I love the way you have used the stamps and paints. You have such amazing talent! Congratulations on being part of Stamptember!Chrisx

Julie Lee said...

These tags are just beautiful! I love the crackle and the wonderful use of colour! I will pop over to Simon Says right now! xx

Unknown said...

YAY for you Alison!! Congrats on the posting over at SSS--I may be a little late to getting around here, but I couldn't have imagined missing this beautiful trio of tags!! Simply gorgeous!! XOXO-Shari

Sandy said...

Wow!!! What can I say Alison - except I appreciate your talents so much!
sandy xx

sarascloset said...

Oh, my Heavens! Alison, I am soooo late to the party, but you have got it going on here, and I wouldn't wanted to have missed it! This trio is just sensational and that's a word I don't use often! This has me wanting to order every single product you've used, but the beauty of these couldn't be duplicated by my efforts. I could sit and stare at these beauties for days! So I've pinned them, so they will be at my fingertips! Wonderful post, too; as always a pleasure to visit!

sarascloset said...

Still gawking at these beauties, every day! Thank you, thank you for sending them to me! Hugs!