Masking Techniques with Stencils

We have a great deal of talent among our members and customers, and you can check it out any time by visiting our Club Scrap Art Galleria. Never is this talent more evident than during Club Scrap's Pro Scrapbooker's League (PSL) season. One of this week's stand-out artists (in my humble opinion!) was Club Member and frequent Guest Blogger, Julie Heyer.

When I was browsing the PSL Gallery, I was struck by Julie's cards, and I immediately found myself wondering how she did it. Well, guess what? A very generous Julie wrote a blog post with a detailed description of how she achieved this effect. You can check it out HERE.

  

You can see how she masked off areas of artwork using the "shapes" stencil from the 2012 Retreat. Using ink applicators, inks and rubber stamps, the results are stunning! Julie breaks down the process, step by step, on her blog...and I just love the effect. I hope you do, too!

Stop on over at Julie's blog and leave her a little blog lovin'...I'm sure she'd appreciate it!

Creatively yours,
Karen

Video Tutorials--Stamp your HeART Out!

I received such great feedback to last week's post featuring all my favorite stencil video tutorials, that I thought it only fitting to compile my favorite stamping technique videos for "Stamping Week". So, without further ado, here are some awesome stamping vids to enable inspire you!

**Trouble viewing these stamping videos?  Please use the links provided under each video**

If you've never worked with Unmounted Rubber Stamps before, this is  the video for you!



Using Unmounted Rubber Stamp



Even if you're an experienced stamper, sometimes your artwork doesn't turn out how you'd like. It never hurts to review the "basics", so check out this video...you just might find Tricia's basic stamping tips helpful.



Rubber Stamping Basics

Masking is one of those techniques that makes cards look very sophisticated, but can really be quite simple. Tricia shows you how.



Stamp Masking

Looking for something unique to add dimension to your pages and cards? Create your own awesome backgrounds with Tricia's help.



Stamped Backgrounds


Watercolor crayons and pencils can be combined with stamping for fabulous results. Check it out.



Watercolor and Colored Pencils 

Ever find yourself scratching your head wondering "How did they DO that?" Yep, me too...this video took me from head-scratching to an "Aha!" moment.



Three in a Row

Some stamps look confusing...until you play with them. Get stunning, artsy results with Tricia's tips.



Bold Blooms 

A really simple stamp can turn into something REALLY special by just adding a simple but unique technique. Check out Tricia's Jumping Leaves tutorial!



Jumping Leaves

I hope this collection of videos inspires you to grab some stamps and schedule yourself some play time. I encourage you to try any one (or more!) of these techniques...you just never know what amazing art you'll create in the process. And don't forget to post your creations on the Club Scrap Galleria!

Creatively yours,
Karen

Postcards From Paris

Bonjour,

You probably can't tell, but I'm still enjoying the afterglow of a great CS Retreat! (It's been SO hard keeping that pinkie swear for months and months!) Last week we enjoyed blogging about retreat workshops, and this week I'm excited to show you the Postcards From Paris rubber stamps. The Paris-themed paper collection was a very fun gift enjoyed by attendees, and now the Unmounted Stamps are available as a great companion! Check out this fun card that I whipped up using a simple masking technique.

The rubber stamps work so well together to make a stamped collage card like this one. Check out how my progress on this card was made.

First I stamped the rectangle image of the framed Eiffel Tower onto a piece of Ivory Plain cover stock. Then I cut a paper mask to fit the rectangle and covered the image so I could rubber stamp on and around that area. (I love masking!)

It's fun to move the paper mask to see the great results.

Now, I could have stopped here, but then decided to add a little color.

I cut a right angled mask from a scrap, grabbed some Topaz and Sapphire inks, and used the ink applicator to add color just to the inside of the rectangled area.

Then again I used a mask to add brown ink around the outside of the rectangle, giving the collage even more depth.

A couple of watercolor crayon color splatters make a nice finishing touch.
The Postcards From Paris sheet of UM stamps sure makes a great addition to my stash! I hope you enjoy them too.

Merci!
Kay from Club Scrap

Monoprinting for the Beginner (aka: Getting Inky!)

First let me thank Club Scrap for inviting me to blog for you today. It is truly an honor to be able to share this fun technique I stumbled across a while back. I am totally sure some of you have come across this before and wondered how it was done. So here goes ...

To make the plate, you need some kind of shallow container. I bought some of those disposable aluminium trays in the supermarket and lined two of them with a layer of foil. You will also need 3 boxes of Knox gelatin to 6 cups of water. 

Heat 3 cups of water in the microwave to boiling--about 6 minutes. Meanwhile, put 3 cups of cold water in a large bowl, and add all 12 sachets of gelatin. Stir well until dissolved. Add the boiling water from the microwave to the cold water/gelatin mix; stir well until fully mixed. Pour the mixture into the lined foil tray. You will see that some bubbles will form on the surface. It is best to remove those by skimming. Allow it to cool down on a flat surface; then refrigerate for 12 hours.

(Now is the time to pat yourself on the back and have a quick slurp!!! Actually my quick slurp turned into dinner out with Mr. Wonderful.  I am a lucky lady.)

Once the gelatin plate has set completely (and is very firm to the touch), remove it from the fridge, and very, very carefully unmould it from the foil-lined container. It is very important that the unmoulding is done extremely carefully, because the last thing you want is for the plate to crack before you use it. What I do is lift the whole plate using the lining of the container very slowly and transfer the lining and plate on a craft sheet. Then peel back the lining so the sides of the gelatin plate are exposed. Once the gelatin plate is in place you can begin the monoprinting process.

 To make prints, gather a variety of acrylic paints (along with an extender so the paint does not dry too quickly), stencils, stamps (or any other ephemera you would like to use), and of course, a copious amount of paper.  You will also need a brayer, paper towels and some newspaper. You will find that you have to move quite quickly if you are not using an extender with your paint because the acrylic will dry quite fast!

Now for the fun part! With your brayer, layer a thin and even coat of white acrylic paint onto the gelatin pad.  

Carefully layer either a stencil or mask on top of the white paint and then layer on another color (or two) with your brayer. Gently press the object down to be sure it has made good contact with the gelatin, while trying not to tear, gouge, or damage the plate.

Next lay a piece of paper down on top of it, pressing gently to ensure that the paper makes good contact with the exposed gelatin plate. Gently peel the paper off. The resulting print is called a negative image.

Continue by gently lifting the textured object (stencil or mask) straight up off of the gelatin, trying not to disturb the art. Place a second piece of paper onto the gelatin plate, rubbing gently and evenly to ensure good contact between the paper and the gelatin. Slowly peel the paper off. This print is called a positive image.

Important tips:

• The gelatin plate is quite cold when it comes out of the refrigerator and moisture will condense on it for the first 15 to 20 minutes of use.You may find that your first prints are a little bit runnier than your later prints.
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• As the plate warms up, it will become more and more `mushy' and may start to fall apart.Chilling the plate after 2 or 3 hours of use helps restore its firmness.
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• The plate may be stored in the refrigerator and reused for up to 2 weeks (or until it falls apart or you notice green fuzz, whichever comes first).

Once you have a feel for the basic process, consider playing with some experimental techniques:

• Collage printing & layered printing--Create a collage either by making multiple prints on a single piece of paper, or by arranging many different individual prints into a single composition. Or, created a layered image by overprinting.
• Negative-on-positive, positive-on-negative--Printing negative images on top of positive images and vice-versa.
• Apply ink to printing object--Apply small amounts of ink/paint with the brayer (or your fingertips) to an object before pressing it onto the gelatin plate.
• Different papers--Different types of paper will absorb the ink/paint differently and reflect the technique differently.
• Different inks--Experiment with different brands and types of printing ink, paints, dyes, etc. Tempera paint is particularly well-suited for young children. Be sure that all colorants are water soluble!
• Use the plate like a rubber stamp--Cut the plate into manageable pieces, ink them, then pick them up and print on surfaces as if you were using a rubber stamp.
• Plate texture--The gelatin itself will develop a pattern with use. Experiment with cutting, gouging, and reforming the plate.
• Alternative media--Gelatin printing techniques can be used on fabric, painted surfaces, wood, egg shells, etc.

I think that just about does it for technique.  Experimentation is the name of the game here, and you can use all kinds of things layered directly on the gelatin plate. Just be extremely careful when you lift anything off the plate for the best results.

I have lots of examples posted in the online Galleria to help inspire you.

Again, many thanks to Tricia for inviting me to write this blog post for you. It has been a pleasure! 

Take care of all of you.

Annette Dragon

Takin' a Road Trip

Hello, and welcome to our little creative world today!

I've used the Road Trip Wood Mounted Stamp on scrapbook page layouts in the past,

but this is my first card made with this fun stamp.

It's a lot more versatile than what I first gave it credit for.

About the card . . .

I started by stamping the card background at an angle, and then the masking fun began.

To create a space to rubber stamp my birthday greeting, I got inked the stamp with India Black and THEN masked off the areas I didn't want to stamp.

This left just enough open space for my other stamped greetings.

After adding a bit of color mist to the background of the card, I attached the

stamped squares to the card panel. What a fun, different look!

Thanks for making the trip into our world today!

Kay Williamson of Club Scrap

Bon Appetit! A masking technique for cards

I'm Deb Charlesworth, and I'm very excited to be the guest blogger at Club Scrap this week.  (On the Club Scrap Community, I'm known as "deb".)  I also have a personal blog about paper crafts at Lift Bridge Cards and Crafts.  If you like this tutorial, check out my blog for more inspiration with this month's kit.

I joined Club Scrap in August 2004 - just after I got married - and have enjoyed the anticipation of receiving a new box of goodies every month since then!

This month, Club Scrap invited me to create cards from the Bon Appetit Greetings to Go kit, so I thought I would show you how I made this card:

When I saw how the panels on the card overlapped, I thought it would be cool to have a stripe from the front carry over to the other side.  To start, I used removable adhesive to adhere the white panels to my grid paper.  I then used my Club Scrap grid ruler (the 8 x 8 size here) to find the center point of the panel and align the piece of masking tape in the middle (the tape and the panel are white).

After placing the first piece of tape, I lined up the 1 1/8" mark of the ruler with the bottom of the tape to align the next piece of tape.  This piece of tape goes across both panels to create the stripe that will run across both panels.

Continue applying tape so that there are 1 1/8" gaps between each line.  Here's how it looks when it's finished.

On the front panel, I want the upper part to be white, so I covered that with a piece of scratch paper just so I didn't accidentally stamp on it before I was ready.

I used Versa Mark ink to stamp the row of chandeliers from the Bon Appetit Art Nouveau Unmounted Rubber - they fit so nicely in this space!

After the image was stamped, I rubbed pan pastels over the stripe.  I am in love with these pastels - they are so smooth and blend like paint.  If you don't have them, you can use regular pastels, too.

Continue until all of the stripes are stamped and have pastel coloring the open areas.

To add a bit of depth, I rubbed a bit of the blue on the outer edges - it blends into a gorgeous purple when you're done.

I removed the scratch paper, and stamped a sentiment from the Bon Appetit Greetings Unmounted Stamps.

Remove the tape, and admire your hard work!  I sprayed my panels with a fixative to ensure the pastel won't smear in transit.

When the card is open, the recipient will be surprised by the burst of color.

If that seems like too much work for you, this technique can also be used more simply.  Here, I masked off a single stripe.

Then, I used a combination of pastels to create color.

I stamped the image with the Palette Ink Glue Pad, and rubbed Lotus Pond's Gilded Lily Glitter over the stripe.

After the glue dried, I added a sentiment, ribbon, and a few brads for a great card!

I hope you enjoy the Bon Appetit collection as much as I do!  I'm excited to see what everyone else uses their stamps for - this kit really does go beyond the kitchen.  All stamps, paper, and embellishments are from the Bon Appetit collection.