Silhouettes

This post is for a challenge at Lost Coast Designs.
The Challenge theme is: Silhouettes.

I looked through my Lost Coast stamps and realized I actually had a few silhouettes. So I decided to use this tree that's scaled to ATC size. (I may be using the others later. I had a couple different ideas I'm going to explore.)

I used Distress Oxide inks for the blended background. The owl is from Rubber Stamp Tapestry. I just loved how his size fit right on that upper branch.

I love using these types of stamps as I can focus on the background for all the work and then just stamp the image over the top.

Thanks for looking!

-Wy

The Cover that Wasn't

This post kicks off my Day of the Dead trilogy of posts.

I attempted to make a cover for RubberStampMaddness. This was back months ago because magazines put out their calls for submissions far in advance.
My submission was inspired by stamps from Lost Coast Designs and they were new at the time. So I just went ahead and did what I liked figuring if I didn't think it was great, I didn't have to send it in.

I liked it. So I sent it in. Unfortunately, another cover was chosen. (A very nice work, BTW.)  But this is the important part: I got a very nice note about how my work made the decision a tough call. That was just as good as a cover to me. Never underestimate the power of telling someone how close it came even if the end result isn't good news. The fact the this piece was "good enough" for someone else made a world of difference.

Rejection is always hard to swallow. The writing of an encouraging "let-down" note has to be an art form. Every little positive thing makes a huge difference to artists who can't find value in their work...yet. Every little negative thing is one more reason to keep working the day job and submitting to the little practical voice inside your head that insists you'll never be good.

Every piece of art has a little story behind it,  or a little mystery, or a little whoopsy. Those little things that may or may not be evident in the work itself adds another layer of depth to the work. I'm coming to understand that it's this layer, this not-so-evident layer that separates good from great. That layer is what some people can see or feel and that's what calls to them, draws them in. That's where we all come together in artwork. I'm only scratching the surface of this layer so far but I'm falling in deeper as the practice goes on.

The Cover that Wasn't:  I decided to use the skeleton angel and a couple crows from Lost Coast Designs. I knew I wanted the angel to stand out from the rest and draw the eye in to the center. I knew the top part had to be pretty empty to accommodate the header of the magazine. I attempted a couple trials to figure out the placement of the birds and finally decided on two rather than three. It dawned on me to add gravestones. Where else would this angel appear but in a cemetery? The background of birch trees and feathers allowed the work a bit of depth. The two large feathers just added a nice arch above the angel.

I wanted the crows to be dark but I didn't want to color them so dark that the pattern got lost. Purple seemed to work best.

The background is ink blended Distress Ink. I moved out from the center after having masked off all my stamps. I also laid down a stencil of the birch trees before I inked. The colors were Twisted Citron, Peeled Paint, Pumice Stone, and Hickory Smoke. I wanted to light the angel as if the green crown was the light source. Before I lifted the stencil, I also stamped all the little feathers in the background. That's how I got some to look like they are behind the tree trunks. After I lifted the stencil, I stamped a few over the top so they appeared in front of the trunks as well. The large feathers are a layering stamp.

I practiced the coloring of the angel to see how I wanted it to look. I needed to try out where the color would go and what to highlight. The only white I wanted to see was her skull and arms. I knew I wanted to use neon colors because...they're awesome. But I was unsure about doing the rest of her in gray. I considered a deep blue or purple but I just liked the look of the gray. The pops of black allowed a lot of the detail of this stamp to shine.

Though I did this project some time ago, I think you can see why I saved it till October.

Even though this piece didn't make a cover, I may have other plans for it.
-Wy
"Soft may the worms about her creep."  --Edgar Allan Poe

Hey, that ain't Springy!

So I told myself this year, that it was OK to make Autumn/Halloween things anytime I wanted.

And I did. Go ME!

The Crow:   I am trying to use some stuff that I have laying around half-finished. The new bird stamp I got just made me want to do Autumn cards. Nothing real fancy here and I got to use up some sunflowers I had stamped a while back, some tags and some 3-D stickers.

The card with the stamped background is my favorite. Those little leaves are from Rubber Stamp Tapestry and I just love using their component stamps to make great backgrounds like this. I'll be using those stamps a lot more because I have such a fun time with them.

-Wy

Practice Makes Perfect

In general, when I make cards, I'm using some rubber stamps somewhere. I like to stamp but it's never perfect the first time out.

I'm here to tell ya, practice may not make perfect but it sure does help it look better. Especially when you've just gotten unmounted rubber stamps and can't wait to use them!

Like this bird I got just before I left on vacay. I needed to stamp it a few times to get the feel for the stamp. Did I need to get good pressure in the middle? Would I need to use some magazine beneath the paper to cushion it? What kind of ink would look best with the paper I wanted to use? Did one black look better than another?

Once stamped a few times, I could practice coloring. Which markers to use? Which colors looked good? See the bird on the left...I was experimenting with the grays. I wanted a crow but I didn't want to lose the patterning in the stamp. But then, what if I did purple? The crow on the right was me figuring out which purples went together as well as if they were too dark and would cover up the pattern. Since the crows were only practice, I didn't have to be precise and I could test colors on the background of the paper because I would cut the crows out, if they came out well. So you can see a little scribble here and there on the paper.

I used to be afraid to do this. I felt like I was wasting my supplies and my time. But when you get into a project, one that requires a lot of work, you don't want to screw it up because you're not sure what color to use. That paralyzes me. I start staring at it hesitant to try anything because it might not be what I really want. Then, I'll have to start all over again. So NOW, I'm not afraid of practice. It allows the finished project to go more smoothly and I can feel better about the results.

And not all practice has to be trashed. I salvaged some of these birds for other things and the angels will become card fronts soon. Those that didn't make the cut can always be flipped over and stamped on the other side. Wink.

I'm not sharing the finished piece just yet but once some of the smaller projects are done, you'll be seeing some of this stuff in action.

Back from vacation and eager to get more art started!
-Wy
"Let's get it started. Let's get it started in here!"---Black Eyed Peas

Poe Appreciation Day Blog Hop: Tag Book (2)

I did it!
I finished the Poe-ms Tag Book.
I even like it! (though one tag is a bit underwhelming)

I'm linking this to the Poe Blog Hop sponsored by Lost Coast Designs. Please check out all the other Bloggers involved in this Hop by clicking on the photos at the bottom of the post. They are linked to blogs that will give you some great Poe inspiration.

If you missed the first tags in this "book", you can check out this post.

The Bells:   This is the tag that doesn't thrill me. I should have gone with my first instinct which was to use some kind of music sheet as the background. But I was lazy. So this tag for one of my favorite poems may get a do-over. "What a world of solemn thought their monody compels!"

Annabel Lee:  This tag turned out better than my original idea. Initially, I was going to place a mausoleum or tomb by the edge of the sea. But when I went through my Lost Coast stamps, I found the door used here. It was perfect for her "tomb by the sounding sea". I stamped it with a grey ink, detailed it with a gold pen, then went over the whole thing with Broken China Distress Stain. The blue stain turns slightly greenish over manilla tags and I loved the submerged feeling it provides.

I added the shells along the border between the torn edge of the tag and the blue acetate that I used for my sea. I stamped the Bubbles background (Lost Coast Designs) to give it the wavy texture in Azure blue StaZon ink. Shells are stamps from Lawn Fawn. (Critters in the Sea set) "It was many and many a year ago in a kingdom by the sea..."

 The Haunted Palace:  Having re-read this poem for inspiration, I discovered this line, "And all with pearl and ruby glowing was the fair palace door". So my original idea became the second tag and this line became the "door". I used the window from Lost Coast Designs and cut out the spaces with a craft knife. The "door" is embossed and colored with Distress markers. I added a few pearls for decoration and a brad for my handle.

The second, or inside, tag was covered with patterned paper. I stamped the skeleton (this one is from Tim Holtz but Lost Coast does have a brand new one!) in white pigment ink then embossed it.The smaller stamps were from my stash.

The Sleeper:   This tag had already been started so I just finished off the details. I attached the vellum ghost with glue underneath the rose. That rose is a hand-carved stamp I made and it's colored with a Sakura glaze pen so it appears a bit glossy. The dirt of the fresh grave is copper embossing powder. "I pray to God that she may lie forever with unopened eye while the pale sheeted ghosts go by."  

The Conqueror Worm:  Another favorite poem of mine. I just free handed all of this as I had a particular vision in my head. I wanted the worm to be like the Ouroboros, the snake or dragon that devours it's own tail. I wanted a very subterranean feel to reflect burial. The coffin image I added last as the space in the center bothered me. Since "the play is the Tragedy: Man", I felt that this was as good a symbol as any. This one looks much better in person as the camera had a hard time picking up the metallic glow of the worm. "Through a circle that ever returneth in to the self-same spot"

So there she is! I may add a back cover with another picture of Poe but I'm happy with it for now. I can finally cross this project off the list!

Remember if you love Poe, check out the links at the bottom of the post to see more great projects dedicated to the master of the macabre.
-Wy

An InLinkz Link-up

Poe Appreciation Day Blog Hop: Tag Book

Please go HERE to find all the info on how your blog and project can join in!

This post is part of a blog hop and you can find all the details at the end of the post.

Awhile back, I made a tag book dedicated to Poe's short stories. I had plans for another one about his poems. I'm finally getting back to that idea.
So here's the beginnings of it and I hope to share it in it's completion in Part 2 over the coming weekend. In time to close out this fabulous blog hop.

Poems:  The first two tags of the "book". My cover is Poe's portrait with some buttons and liquid pearls. I haven't added anything to the back of this tag but I think I may write in a quote.

The Raven:  This tag is dedicated to the masterful work called, "The Raven". The bird is from Blog Hop sponsor Lost Coast Designs and is one of my favorite images to pair with Poe. I embossed it in silver on black cardstock. The bird was added to a stenciled tag. The faint pair of eyes is a stamp I've had in my stash for a long time...some of the first unmounted rubber stamps I owned. (I got them at a stamp show and think they were LCD but am not sure.)

I wanted to make something "different" for the Raven. I wanted it to be more airy and less dark but still subdued and solemn. I rather like the way it turned out.

The featured post at the right is the tag book I made of Poe's Short stories. Click on it to see that post.

Please check out the rest of the blog hop, too, for plenty of Poe.
-Wy

An InLinkz Link-up

Lost Coast Designs Challenge: ATCs

I wanted to practice with Alcohol Inks for Creative Chemistry 102 (from Online Card Classes.com) so I decided to pull out my Lost Coast Stamps to see how I could turn some backgrounds into finished cards. Since Lost Coast is having a Challenge with ATCs, I figured if they turned out pretty good, I'd have a challenge to cross off my list, too!
You can find the Challenge over at the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity HERE. (Psst, they just released some new stamps...BIRDS...oh my!)


I like these stamps because I can stamp them in a single color and they look fantastic. Make background, stamp, done! It's a great way to start a creative warm-up.

So here's what I made:

For this post, I'm focusing on the two on the ends as they show off the stamps best.

Dragon on Red:  I'm usually stumped with how to use this stamp but I just love dragons and had to own it. I LOVE the detail in this stamp and am usually hesitant to emboss it because some powders make a mess of fine detail. But I was so amazed with how well it worked...the dragon is clear and crisp...and embossed. I stamped it in Versamark over an alcohol ink background. (The colors are from Adirondack Alcohol ink; Watermelon, Red Pepper and Cranberry. I consider this a failed attempt at an ombre look. My Watermelon and Red Pepper were practically the same color so the light to dark effect was lost.) I used an embossing powder from Lindy's Stamp Gang: Midnight Obsidian Violet. If you haven't tried these powders...get them. They are all fine powders, no clumps or chunks, and they melt quickly with a heat gun. This powder, while basically black, has a lovely hint of purple when lit just right. To play that up, I colored the dragon with Distress markers, Seedless Preserves and Dusty Concord. Just touches of Liquid Pearls in the corners to finish it off. (This one's a keeper!)

Door to True Love:  The door stamp is another favorite of mine but unlike the dragon, I can always think of a way to use it. The moment I made my brown alcohol inked cards, I knew I wanted the door. I didn't emboss, just stamped with Jet Black Archival (Ranger). It's my go-to for stamping over alcohol ink. (I used to use only Stazon but got better results with Archival after learning that it stuck to glossy cardstock.) I wanted the door to open so I cut it with a craft knife and folded it back. I punched a small hole in the top to add the ribbon and key. (Stamp also by Lost Coast Designs.)

The key is embossed with Lindy's Stamp Gang powder, too. (Starbright Gold Green). I attached this top card to a bottom card and added my interior to the door.

I just wanted a pop of color and chose pink. I stamped the hearts on a separate piece of cardstock and cut them out. This card reminds me of the movie, The Princess Bride.

Remember the Challenge!
-Wy