If you want to buy the kit before it sells out, you can do so here, and then come back and see my samples and videos. I have three videos. I've clearly lost my mind, but that should tell you how fun this is.
First up - you know that what I love the most is transforming a stamp. I don't ever want people to think that a certain type of stamp is limiting - solid images, line art, shaded, whatever. You can do a lot outside of the basic image a stamp gives you the first time you stamp it.
So for my first transformation, I went with my beloved Daniel Smith watercolor. I have been determined to use up what's in my mixing dishes on my desk - left over from other projects and videos - hence the random colors of my birdies - but don't you love them?? After I was done painting them I came back with this teeny pen and added the eye details and lines around their feet, beaks and some feather detail that had gotten lost with the no-line watercolor. Before painting, I set them all up at once on my MISTI, and I stamped them in Antique Linen Distress Ink. I was determined to use ALL TEN of the birds on all the cards, so this first card is ginormous - I just couldn't cut off more of my birds - I love all the colors. I loved bird and botanical illustrations as a child, and it's still some of my favorite art in the world.
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Here's the video of my watercoloring this card - I've sped it up so you don't die of boredom, but man was this fun and relaxing.
The next best way to to transform a solid stamp is with TEXTURE. So for this first card (video below), I used Jennifer McGuire's swipe stamping technique with Indigo Ink - the birds were still set up the same way on my MISTI - so I just swiped them all and stamped them. Then I cut 1/2" out of the middle of the panel and created a gap for my sentiment, which is from this stamp set. See the little grunge textures on the edge of these images? I love that - they look edgy and fun.
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But, realizing I still had wet ink in the shape of birds on the background stamp, I placed a piece of cardstock on the stamp to make a monoprint before I cleaned the stamp. Since it's a print, the images are facing the opposite way. I traced around them with my tiny pen, and added googly eyes and an off kilter layer placement for my quirky, dotty birds. The sentiment is from the kit.
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Included in the kit this month is this gorgeous wood-textured paper. I decided to make that the card base for my beautiful little hummingbird from this add-on bundle. I used the same watercolors in my mixing dishes (still not used up yet), and I masked his beak with Post-It Tape before stamping the flower. The sentiment is from this set. Both are add-ons. I wish I'd had more time with both of these sets, but life conspired against me, so I'll have to do some more creating later.
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Then, I settled down and used the kit stamps like they were intended - as solid images. I did the ghost stamping technique - stamping first in Unicorn ink, dried that, and shifted the cardstock in my MISTI a tiny bit, then overstamped with Indigo. The pigment ink leaves a little texture when overstamped because you're basically stamping on a paint-like surface, so the ink pools in a fun way. I love the highlights and shadows you get with ghost stamping. With all these cards where I used all ten birds, since I was doing off-edge stamping, I tacked my paper down with this Therm O Web mini dot runner - I love this stuff - it's a strong adhesive, but you can use it temporarily as well, if you remove it when you're done stamping. Plus it's in a cute mini runner size.
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If you love the add-ons, you can get them all for 11% off this month here.. The kit itself is a $70 bundle, but it's only $34.99. Here's what is in it. The little bird nests are SO cute!
Here are the add-ons:
The Hero Arts Blog
Jennifer McGuire
Yana Smakula
May Park
Emily Midgett
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Wanda Guess
You are here >> Lydia Fiedler << You are here
Amy Tsuruta
Janette Kausen
Michelle Short
Ilina Crouse
Clare Prezzia
Libby Hickson
Jennifer McGuire
Yana Smakula
May Park
Emily Midgett
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Wanda Guess
You are here >> Lydia Fiedler << You are here
Amy Tsuruta
Janette Kausen
Michelle Short
Ilina Crouse
Clare Prezzia
Libby Hickson
