Playful Musings: Sending Your Love

Postcards and cards from the edge!!  Time to send friends postcards and cards as RAK's (Random Acts of Kindness).  Create a stash of cards and postcards to send out at a moments notice.

The paint and ink in the kit was used to create a free-form background.  Messy is GOOD!

Used another Prima Marketing peach  ink color (not in kit) to stamp an image from the N Studio stamps from Stampendous.

Take the same stamp and stamp with the green ink in the kit.  Use the green ink and add the fence looking background.

Use the stencil in the N Studio stencil from the package and stencil in another Prima ink color (not in kit) or any moss green color you want.

A stiff brush or stencil brush was used to stencil the typewriter "Stencil Girl" stencil.  Mary Beth (from St. Louis like me) started this Fantastic company with many talented artists designing stencils!

The green ink was used and then added pearlescent ink on top to add shimmer.

Create and Art was stamped...and now you have a finished postcard to send!!  I used t-shirt cardboard, but any heavy-duty cardboard can be used.  This is 4x6 sized.

Stepped out of my box to try lettering!!!  Vellum and Gelly Roll Pens are a marriage made in heaven!!!!  A previous kit had some pens and I have a stash to play with.

What I did was make some little lines in pencil.  Then I did the letters.  I want to do more and find a book on lettering so I can learn many styles!  I am hooked!!!

The vellum was only adhered at the top so you can flip the vellum up.  Added adhesive to the colored areas and the wood pieces also held the vellum in place.

The little flower from the kit was colored with Gelly Roll pens.  Colored two-toned to make it pop with a little dimension.

Solid stamps and bright colors can also work :-)

There are different thickness of vellum.  I have more ideas I might be able to share in the future.  This vellum is a bit thicker than most, semi-opaque.

Make cards, share with your friends.  Make them smile!!!

Cre8tivelea Yours - Lea

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Playful Musings: Super Delicious StazOn Ink!

This month's kit has 2 luscious StazOn on ink pads in the NEW smaller size!  When StazOn ink first came out, I bought as many colors as I could - I was so impressed with the black, I had to get as man as I could!!!

What's in an ink?  What does an ink do??  Why are there several types of inks???  Beginners want to know this and what ink to use for what.

I will just touch on the 3 basic types for now, there are hybrids that are good for more than one thing.

Pigment ink - is juicy and won't dry on non-porous surfaces.  Great for embossing and backgrounds as well as detailed stamps on cardstock.

Dye Based ink - is a water based ink.  This means if you spritz water on it, it will migrate with the water.  Not goo for permanent outlines but can create some beautiful works with a watercolor look.  Color "pops" on glossy cardstock.

Permanent ink - is an ink that will dry and water or other media will not bleed or migrate.  Great for outlines to color in with media.

StazOn is a hybrid of sorts to me.  While it is a permanent ink, on non-porous surfaces there is a tiny "open time" where the ink is wet and needs to dissipate into the air.  It is very fast but gives me the time to stencil with the ink and shade with it before it dries.  On cardstock it dries within seconds.

On vellum, I used StazOn from the kit and first swiped it over the "positive" areas of the stencil.  (Stencil is by Aristcellar).  Then I used a stencil brush and swirled the color in.  I also used StazOn for the image of the dude, and the graph stamp in the background.

Last month's kit gave you 2 tins.  Here I used a hybrid ink (also by Tsukineko ),  stenciled and heat set.  Then I tapped the StazOn from the kit on to the tin and also on the back flower petals on the girl.  I then stenciled with the gold ink to give a semi-transparent look.  I used the blue StazOn from the kit for the front petals of the flower girl.  Lastly, I stamped the word "dream" onto the tin.

StazOn is great for clear surfaces and transparencies.  The writing is done in the Opaque white.  The StazOn in the kit will work just as well to create "a look."

Back in the day, I used several colors of StazOn to teach a sold-out class at CHA.  This is a card book and acetate is where I stamped the lady and word art.

The sky is the limit!!!  Stamping on a key chain with an unmounted stamp image worked fabulous!!!  Watercolor paper was put inside the key chain, and other elements grace the front on top of the stamped work.

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Playful Musing August - Anchor's Anthem

 

Lea here, with some Playful Fun for August!!  I am sooo in love with the August Kit - all the embellishments, the collage images, the Glitter Paste, Inka Gold, and the rest!!

I have decided to have you play along with me and not show you the finished project until the bottom.  If you want to play along, please do not scroll all the way down at first, scroll step by step and follow along.  Remember, your art doesn't have to be just like mine...these are ideas to help feed your Muse.

This month focuses on ATC's - Artist Trading Cards.  Creating a lot in a little space is a fun challenge!

Supplies:

August Kit: 
Anchor
ATC Blank
(Any parts you want to add)

Other Supplies:
Acrylic Paints (Mica Paint Used)
Piece of Sponge
Handmade paper
Soft Brush
Scrap of old artwork
Word Stamp (Be True, Viva Las Vegastamps)
Helmar 450 Quick Drying Adhesive
Mica Watercolors (or plain watercolors or thinned paint)
permanent black Ink
Chipboard (UmWow Studio)

Sponge gold acrylic paint over the surface of the ATC.  I used an acrylic with mica paint which makes the surface shimmery!

Sponge other colors over the gold acrylic.  Sponge the colors randomly, adding texture and depth over the gold.  Let dry.  Optional:  Blend colors into the gold for a smooth appearance.

 

Pink homemade paper or tissue paper - use a damp brush to go around an area of the paper, then rip it with your fingers.  The edge will be natural, with fibers around the edges.

Find a scrap of artwork you trimmed off and saved (Yes, I save scraps from artwork and my paper I used to protect my work surface.).  I have a stenciled piece of artwork, that I trimmed.  Adhere a piece of the pink paper, then adhere the scrap artwork on top.  A brayer was used to make sure there was tight contact to the surface.  Add more of the pink paper - use the damp brush if you need to rip off more paper.

Stamp a saying on paper. I liked the second stamping where it is over some blue left over from another project.

Color the words with marker of your choice - I used Copic Markers.  Cut out.

Adhere the red anchor from the kit onto the artwork.  Optional:  Chipboard pieces - 2 chevrons, paint and adhere to artwork.

The finished piece looks aged and antiqued, yet has pops of colors to make it modern.

I would LOVE to see what you create!!  Please post your finished art on the Facebook Frog Dog Studio Fan Page.  I can't wait to see!

Cre8tivelea Yours - Lea

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Playful Musings - Scrap Painting

Lea here, my first Playful Musings, a series I will be bringing to readers every month!  Playful Musings is an open-ended, experimental, technique post.

Sometimes we lose the child within as we grow up and have to follow so many rules - be uber responsible!  Playful Musings is about playing and just feeling what you want to express.  No perfection allowed!!  A safe-fun way to try new things, find out about new media and see what they can do.

 

Supplies:
From July Kit - Ranger Distress Paint, various colors
(Collage of birds in kit, medium is also great for this technique)

Other Supplies:
Bo Bunny Paper/Embellishments, UmWow Studio Chevron, scissors, cardstock, soft watercolor brushes, paper scraps, decorative paper scraps and other items to create interesting patterns

1.  On white cardstock, rip and collage decorative paper (words here).  The Studio medium that is in the kit is perfect for this step.  Apply medium and place paper down on surface pressing from the center out to smooth and adhere.  I also have a small brayer I use to roll over paper if I feel more pressure is needed.

2.  Take your Distressed Paint and daub it on a scratch surface to get it going first.  When done with using Distressed Paint, store inverted (dauber side down) so paint is always at the sponge.

3.  Use a scrap piece of paper, and daub the Distress Paint color of your choice and pull brush over the scrap piece of paper onto the surface of the cardstock.  Where ever the scrap paper is, will work as a mask and no paint will be left there.

Keep using different shaped and sized scraps and brush color over the surface of the cardstock. 

4.  Here, a punchinella strip is used like a stencil and dots are added. 

5.  A wavy ruler was used, face down, to create an interesting pattern.

6.  Splattering mica watercolors with a toothbrush adds little flecks of colors on the surface.

7.  To finish your art, collage images and elements on top of what you painted.  Add splashed paint colors (daub Distress Paint or paintbrush or use toothbrush) on die cuts and even paint them with background colors to help them blend in. 

The Distressed Paint works perfectly on top of chipboard or other bare elements you might want to spruce up!  The Studio Medium works great to adhere everything to the cardstock.  Try using the Crackle to change the appearance of the chevron. 

This idea can be utilized with the Maya Road box.  Cut cardstock to size to fit box, adhere and then play like the instructions above!!

Play, play, play. Experiment! There is no right or wrong to this method. Leave out steps, try other paints or media to see what happens.

Cre8tivelea Yours - Lea

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