Wednesday Stamper - Twinchies Inch by Inch - Celebrate

Wednesday Stamper's Theme is "Twinchies" - 2x2 inch pieces of work. It was bound to happen. You have inchies (1 inch square); twinchies (2 inch squares); Itty bitties (3 inch square); 4x4s, Skinnies (3x5), Moos, and ATCs (3.5 x 2.5 inchies.) The challenge with all of these size specifications is to keep your art within the confines of the canvas you are working on.

And since the Inch by Inch theme is Celebrate I decided to combine the two. I got these two stamps a long time ago and they are among my favorites. Enjoy!

Skinny Saturday - Queen

Alice in Wonderland is a recurring theme in my artwork. Probably because it was a recurring theme in my life. My mother is named Alice and once I played the White Rabbit in a traveling school production. It seems that as life progressed I never realized how much those roles really were made for both of us. My mother was always trying to create order out of chaos, and I was always worried about being late, performing my duties and generally living up to what was expected of me. These images came to mind when I ran through my collection of bits to create this work. This pensive little girl looked more like she was already a demanding Queen than hoping to become one someday.

Inch by Inch - Hearts

This week's inchies theme was hearts - one of my favorite shapes. I have a couple of small, heart size punches and it was fun to get them out and play with them in the early summer. I kept thinking about making 'heart-shaped' windows and putting things to peek out of them. And of course, I had to add some sparkles.

Make a moo or two - MEN

Image transfer technique

The best image transfer technique I have discovered is by using a Chartpak blender marker and a copy. It has to be a dry toner transfer copy and it HAS to be a Chartpak marker. That is because Chartpak, which makes markers for the graphic design industry uses Xylol in its clear blending marker. You can purchase these markers either a good art supply store that caters to the professional (such as Pearl Paint, Utrecht, Sam Flax's or Lee's Artist supply stores) or you will have to purchase them online, usually through Dick Blick's or one of the suppliers mentioned above. Unfortuately, Primsacolor clear blender will not work because it is not made with the Xylol. You can always purchase the chemical at hardware stores, but it is flammable and you really don't need OUNCES of the stuff (or pints or gallons) to produce crisp, clean transfers.

The dry toner copies work best, preferably the black and white ones, when they are fresh, but color ones will transfer too. (Do not use ink jet copies. Those can be transferred to another paper using water.) Take the copy and put it face down on the receiving paper. Rub it with the Chartpak marker until the paper is saturated but not soaked. Then burnish a minute or two with a wooden spoon, bone folder, or a burnisher (yes, I own one from my graphic design days.) Carefully, lift and see if the design has transfered, and then let it dry.

Warning: this transfer method is rather odorous and it is really not good to do more than one or two transfers at a time, preferably not around small children or pets. The fumes can be quite overpowering (think nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol.) If you have respiratory problems or are sensitive to smells there are other transfer methods you can do that don't produce noxious fumes (like water transfers of ink jet prints or packing tape transfers.)

I prefer to use black and white copies for this method as they give me an outline to color in. You also might want to use artist tape to hold the transfer in place before you start the process because if you move the copy while bunishing the transfer will smear.

Mixed Media Monday - By The Sea

This is my submission for Mixed Media Monday. It is called "Sea Witch." It is a collage of vintage papers, cut outs, and specialty papers. I used a Chartpak blender marker to transfer a photocopied image onto a vintage letter, which I lightly colored with inks. I then color some specialty papers with texture and overlayed the images and worked cutouts in between.

Make a Moo or two - Cats

I haven't has as much time to devote to art this week. I managed to produce these Moos.

4x4 Friday - Numbers

Here is my submission for this week's 4X4 Friday challenge. I used for my background a vintage arithmatic book page from 1890's or so. I painted with with a light wash of gesso. I then added some really cool number stamps that I purchased. The picture is courtesy of Paper Whimsy.

Inchies - birds

I love to watch the birds outside my windows. I live next door to a forest and I get all sorts of birds during the year. In the winter, I put out suet for the woodpeckers to feed on. The nuthatches like the suet feeders too. In the summer, I put out seeds for the birds - mostly cardinals, finches, and chickadees to feed upon. About once a year, if I am lucky, I can see a hummingbird.

Make a Moo - Cream, Beige, and Brown

Sometimes the challenge is the size of the artwork and othertimes it is the theme. This one was bit easier than most since I love working with earth tones. I used gessoed pieces of cardboard to stamp backgrounds in cream color ink. On the Moo with the naked women, I wanted to extend the motif of the swirls, so I added an additional background stamp in Beige. I then stamped the woman in Brown (which makes the white paper appear somewhat pink). I also highlighted the tattoo (which is swirls) on her with a gel pen in copper sparkle. The other Moo has a little girl in various shades of sepia and beige with her doll and some words in darker brown. I edged the piece with a bit of dark brown ink to to add to the overall faded look.

Crazy Amigo Challenge - Asian

I supposed if there is one particular type of stamp I collect it is anything to do with Buddha. In fact, I not only have various stamps of different representations of Buddha, but I also have several small statues, Buddha beads, photos, etc. I don't know why I am attracted to that image, considering that I am Jewish and idols in any form are not acceptable. Perhaps it is the story of Buddha that attracts me to the image. Maybe I was Buddhist in another life.