Paper, Markers, Glue......

.....A bit of creativity during down-time. My friend Jan got me started on these paper buttons, which originally were from an instructional post by Kelli Nina Perkins. Check her post HERE for all the details.
First off, it doesn't take much to entertain me or make me happy. Old book pages, glue sticks, anything to make a mess and I'm just a lucky-ducky.
 

The above photo shows beautiful fluid, glass-like buttons sent to me from Jan, and then my lazy take on things; paper punches, papers and the final glued and stacked paper I punched the shapes from on the right. (check the tutorial for this to make more sense...)

I wanted my outside layers to be chinese-character paper and some mathematical equations. So my inner package was three sheets (ha! three sheets in the wind more likely!) of heavy textbook paper, and then the choice sheets on each side. The punches *just* cut through all that.

So you can see how lovely Jan's free-cut buttons are...and the detail and luster. She also used UTEE where I used a store brand of heavy embossing powder and there is definitely a difference. UTEE is better. (♥LUV♥ these Jan!)

 

The tutorial said, I think, to use a skewer to put holes in, but I used this tiny punch that is normally used for marking my card stock glove patterns~~where to join points and seams.....well, everything around here gets more than a single job!

And here is the yield from a piece of glued papers 3 1/2" x 6" : a total of thirty 3/4" buttons and fourteen 1/2" buttons....all nice and, well, THE SAME.

I'm thinking my anal retentive side is showing through....

Moving on, when it came to COLORING, that got thrown to the wind!

 

I got out my Sharpies, Zigs and PrismaColor markers and cut loose! What fun! (and yes, both sides and the edges are colored) I did discover the front and back papers accepted marker differently, and while I used the same colors on both sides, they did not LOOK the same.

Older papers tend to absorb in an unpredictable fashion, and it was fun watching what happened.

BTW, this was a SLOW PROCESS, as I was doing a few at a time and the fumes were getting to me. I also went about with multi-colored fingers for a while....

Next was the embossing, of which there are NO PHOTOS because that was a mess and really, trying to hold the button on a bamboo skewer, the embossing gun AND the camera wasn't going to happen. I might also add, do not do this after having wine with dinner.

Embossing guns and wine are not a good mix......just warning. ;-)

The final product, for your comments:

 

Clear embossing powder, then while hot, edged with either gold, copper or silver, or a combination there of. Nice and shiny, fairly sturdy, happy Anne!

And while I very much LIKE mine, I still like Jan's better! I think everyone would have a different product, an individual outcome, and that's what is so nice about them.

I really recommend giving these a try when you just need something fun and to clear the mental palette before a big project. They all look so different when complete~~even the less-that-lovely ones become lovely with the rest.

But I have ideas for the next bunch I try.....things like, a flower shaped punch, coloring the paper package FIRST, crackle finish, etc etc etc.....

It takes so little to get the gray matter going.

Gosh I'm glad I love the small things!

 

 

Pax....

Stamped Tissue Paper....Second Life!

Disclaimer: no tissue paper was hurt in this tutorial, even though they were flattened, ironed, cut, and stamped into submission!

Well, I had to start with a little humor; I'm a bit punch~drunk from all the different papers I've dealt with lately!

First off, all the tissue used here is recycled. The wrapping from a pair of Doc Martens, package wrap, fancy napkins with the other three plies removed~~you name it, I save it. So gather some different types, read a bit and kick back; this is all as easy as....

 

ONE, TWO, THREE!!!

Stamps consist of three types:

Text

Semi-Solid

Linear

Those are pretty loose descriptions as you can see above. I want text you cannot read for a texture layer, a semi-solid stamp for some punch and then something linear to tie it all together.

Lets see what the text looks like as we begin randomly....

I start on the non-printed side; the ink will be visible on the front, although front and back are relative terms here. Which ever you like best is the front. Two sheets with the first stage of text on them. They will be mostly covered before moving to the next set of stamps.

One note before I go on. Usually I stick with Timber Brown and Black Staz-On ink due to the fact the neutrals blend with any color, but this paper with the bright red dots HAD to to have some red.....those dots needed a little competition. (well, a LOT really!)

So after the initial layer of red, I started working in black, adding depth to the stamped layers. (these are the semi-solid stamps helping to break up the red)

And then I add the linear elements to completely tie it together.
The final sheet~~pretty, different, still dotty but not to make your eyes cross. This was the paper I considered the biggest challenge to transform to *good* so that is why I picked it to do the step out pics with.
Also, I chose to stamp on both sides of the paper. Staz-On will be quite visible on the back/front and it helps to give everything a bit more oomph by doing both sides.
Next is the simplest; 1 ply of a printed napkin, 1 stamp, 1 color.

Timber Brown on the reverse and if I had thought, I would have added a butterfly stamp, but I didn't think. So we have spider webs.
It's okay.....just think how they'd look covered with dew!

This is the Doc Marten paper, finished with brown and black. Somehow, these stamps all seem to work with the Doc's image! I was just grabbing things to fill the space and seemed to luck out.

Don't over think most of these. They will be better just randomly picking and stamping.

Of course, there are exceptions....

Like this.
The bold stripes needed something totally different, and though it does not show there is a slight pink cast to the paper, so I went for feminine lines and shapes and brown ink to tone it down a bit. It transformed the very formal paper into something you might find in a frilly boudoir.
And then this one needed THOUGHT and special placement of stamps.....

The very strong pattern of the rose stripe made me feel that laying out the text background more carefully was essential, or there would be so much going on visually that it would be bedlam. And brown again seemed the logical choice to soften the edges.
So the two text stamps alternate, then I added linear and finally semi-solid. This was the exception on the order, but then that's the whole thing, isn't it? To take what you have on hand and make it work.
And what do you use these for?
Journals, collage, ATCs, envelope liners, part of the front of a greeting card.....anything you can think of where you want a translucent paper.
Remember when collaging that these are delicate and will tear easily. Use the driest medium you have to adhere them, pat them in place and expect a few wrinkles.
And all the ink you applied will show through amazingly!
I suppose I should have called them "Tattooed Tissue" but I figured I would run you off....  ;-)
Now, have fun and I am off here for a few days with some other work I must finish up!




Pax....

Papers: Part Deux

 

Let's review where we left off~~all the papers are dry from being stamped with the clear gesso, and if curled, have been ironed from the back. So now we're ready for the FUN PART! (lol!!!~~I've already had one Blogger fit, maybe getting the post up is the fun part~~hahaha!)

I am using Golden Fluid Acrylics because the colors I chose are bright and transparent and there is plenty of pigment. I picked two, put a bit on the palette and then added water for a wash.

 

This is the only part that gets tricky. You want a WASH, but you don't want a really watery wash. Get the paint moving but don't have soup. Trust me, once you do it once, this will make sense, as I found out the hard way......

Start applying quickly and liberally to the paper.

The clear gesso provides a resist to the paint, similar to batik, but to make it better defined, you'll need to remove some paint. (because the gesso is also meant to HOLD paint...)

It should look something like the above photo. Have a soft cloth handy--I use old dust cloths because, well, it's more fun than DUSTING! Because you want to lift the color OFF the gessoed area.

BLOT!!!

LIFT!!!

Blot, lift, repeat. Don't scrub or swipe, blot and lift. You can rub the gesso off and you can also rub the print off, or too much paint. Every paper will react differently, so taking a cautious approach is best, and really, takes no longer.

When I went to do the skulls, I discovered what happens when the wash is a little too generous with water....

First, paint started seeping, and the paper began to buckle. So I had to quickly paint the piece, blot the extra paint and then.....

 

...Dry the front a bit, but still I was losing the skulls because.......

.....waaaaay too much water in the mix meant the paint had seeped to the back and was spreading on the reverse of the paper. So the handy-dandy high tech drying tool was used at high heat and close, in an attempt to stop the issue at hand. 

This gives a good idea of how much the gesso resists the water, and the mistake gave birth to the idea of how to handle another type of paper....so it's all good. Mistakes, generally, are GOOD. 

The last paper, in the drying process~~a little better defined. By this piece I had a better *feel* for what it needed.

Like I said, every paper will differ. This is not a perfect science; this is a fun experiment in the works! So don't get upset if something is not *perfect*. Perfect isn't what we're aiming for; interesting texture is the goal.

And the finished pieces....sorry about the quality as I was shooting this on the ironing board quickly and the lighting was nominal. (yeah, I'm lazy)

Anyway, back to the blue paper with the skulls.

I wanted to do old book pages but after the seeping skulls, I knew it needed a different approach, soooooo.......

......I got ready for the next adventure.

I've had about as much of Blogger as I can handle today; we'll pick up here in the next installment. I'm hoping I have all the photos I need for this. The last one with the stamping and ink still needs step out photos done....I'll be hopping.

Like a bunny.

With ink.

Hmmmmmm........  ;-)

Have fun! 

Pax.... 

Altering Preprinted Papers

The goodies.....!!!

And we're OFF! (well, *I* am, at any rate....) This is a fairly simple technique for changing the appearance of any printed paper that has a matte finish. It's a great way to use up pieces of scrapbook paper that just don't appeal to you, but were in a pack.
Yes, I am a tightwad. What can I say.
I love flowers but knew I would NEVER be doing the daisies in the photo-pack I bought, so they seemed good for the demo. Remember, I'm using the less expensive, thin paper, which will have certain effects that thick, good quality paper will not. Think, ABSORBENCY.
Also, I always have my work area covered with waxed paper. When one side gets nasty, flip it over and use it again.

Stamp selections; yes-there-is-a-skull-in-there.....

I chose three different styles of stamps for this so you can see what each will do. First, the skull is a pretty *solid* stamp~~the frilly lines on it will not show. Second, the damask pattern is fairly well defined but I know I will lose some of the detail and that is okay. (really...it is!) And third, on the upper right, the small swirly clear stamp~~I have used it before, and know what it does.
So we have three different depths of texture to work with.

Batter up! The damask is first in the drink, or gesso.....

Put some clear gesso onto a waterproof surface. My palette is an old microwave tray---glass; cleans perfectly, can take a lot of stress (unlike me) and allows plenty of room for things to run without dripping to the work table.
Get your first stamp ready and then you will smooth out the gesso with whatever your tool of choice should be--a palette knife, stray piece of foam, an old credit card.....you pick. You just need it somewhat evenly dispersed.
(I discourage using a good brayer because this stuff is really hard to clean off if it dries....)

It should look something like this.....

Then pounce your stamp in and it will look somewhat like the photo below if you don't have waaaaay tooooooo much clear gesso on it!

Hmmmm, gessoed myself too---clean extra off the stamp at this point.....

Then flip the stamp over and firmly press on the paper. You will be able to see where you have stamped, and there may be some higher edges from the gesso, which is alright too. Remember, do not use REGULAR gesso!!!!

Placing another of the stamps.....

That skull looks pretty happy, I think~~ :-)

After finishing the whole area of paper you want to print (stamping at very regular intervals, or randomly~~whichever YOU prefer), wash your stamp IMMEDIATELY! I use cold water and a soft paint brush, making sure all the gesso is out of the fine details. If you are working on a larger piece of paper, it might be a good idea to clean and dry the stamp at some point so that it does not have gesso dry in tiny edges and diminish the quality of the stamp.

A note on clear gesso: It gives a slight tactile surface to whatever it is put on, so when doing normal painting, the paint has something to grab to. I don't know if it is a very fine silica mixed in the polymer, but that is why I stress keeping your stamps cleaned.

Stamped completely and ready for.....

....high tech drying! (yes, it's my blow dryer...)

I always speed things along with a blow dryer because usually the table is so full I don't have room to let it dry by itself, so consider that. Everything I have done has been heat dried. It might work different if it air dried; I honestly don't know.
Also, I tend to forget that papers fly around when the drier is running full blast so grab a paint bottle, or anything heavy and secure at least one edge. You don't want these flapping in the breeze......or flopping up onto your clothing.
Don't ask.....
When the paper is all dry, you should have something that looks like the last photo:

This is the small clear swirly stamp. Hopefully the lines show well enough for you to see.

And that is where we are stopping for today. Blogger has been good and I really don't want to push the envelope.
Plus, if you are doing this, you need time for things to dry.
Should the paper have curled in the drying process, turn it right side down and lightly press with an old iron. I have a very useless, cheap studio iron. It gets used for ironing paper, melting wax and other things you should never do with a good iron. (I still starch and iron.....I am a remnant of another world....)
Next time, the magic of what the clear gesso does!
Tune in again; Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel!!!

Or something like that.

Here.  LOL!!!


Pax....