Favorite Background Techniques: New Challenge for You at Lost Coast Designs

Hi friends! There's a new art challenge/contest up over at the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity--enter your art using rubber stamps (any company) featuring your favorite background technique for a chance to win badges for your blog and gift certificates for free rubber from Lost Coast Designs!

As a member of the LCD design team, I hereby present you with a project to inspire you to enter. This ATC, "Lesson 175," uses one of my very favorite background techniques: stamping and stenciling on a gelli print. I love the complexity and depth and dimension this gives to the finished piece! And of course, the delightfully weird bird-bug from LCD is just da bomb.

I'll be back later with a more in-depth look on how I made this card, but for the moment, I leave you with these pix. Hope you'll get creative and enter your art in the challenge!

And a second shot, tilted, to show the shimmer of the wings and the dimension:

As always, I look forward to your comments below letting me know that you've visited. Thanks for stopping by!

REVEALED: Secrets of Building a Rubber-Stamped Collage

Hello stamplings! Today I have a tutorial for you on how I made this zany collaged doll for the Black & White challenge over at the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity. You can use these same principles to help you plan and execute any sort of rubber-stamped collage.

1. Plan out the composition. 

(As this piece was always intended to be in black & white only--no color--I chose images in various degrees of texture and blackness, striving for a variety of line and pattern.) 

Gather the stamp images you'd like to use and start playing with them. You can stamp them and roughly cut them out to position them relative to each other...or sketch them on a piece of paper to approximate size...or use software such as Photoshop or InDesign to make a sketch. 

I used InDesign, layering the images on top of each other very coarsely (not removing the opaque white backgrounds from each image) just to get an idea of what I wanted to do. My sketch looked like this:

Crude, right? But that's all you need to get the job done in the planning stages.

2) Decide on your focal point. 

In all likelihood, this will be the image you stamp first--the one that appears on top of all the other layers in the collage, in the foreground. In my composition, it was the eyeglasses image.

3) Determine the order of operations.

If you have a fairly complex collage to build like this one (using more than say, three stamps), now you have to figure out the order in which you are going to stamp. The things that go behind, in the background, get stamped last. Determine what is "foreground" and what is "background," and proceed in a logical order. 

4) Using your sketch as a blueprint...start stamping! 

I recommend the use of a stamp positioner or stamp press tool such as the MISTI or the We R Memory Keepers press (which is what I used). This allows you to re-ink the stamp and get perfect coverage with subsequent impressions in case an image prints a little unevenly the first time. (When you are working on building a multi-step collage like this one, you don't want to wreck it with a faded-looking or partial print of one of the images!) These tools also allow you to place each stamp exactly where you want it to print--handy! You'll see what I mean below.

5) Cut a mask for each image as you work. 

After you stamp each image on the "real" paper, stamp off onto some scrap paper, and cut that print out to use as a mask. I used repositionable adhesive to stick down my masks precisely over each image before stamping the next layer atop it. 

TIP: Cut the masks juuuuust inside the image's outline--this avoids leaving a dreaded white halo around the masked image as you stamp over it, allowing you to get right up nice and close to abut the masked image with the image you are layering over (which will actually appear "under") it.

So! In the photo below, you can see that I stamped the eyeglasses first, then masked them off...followed by the face with hat, whose mask I placed over both the eyeglasses mask and the stamped image of the face/hat...then the viney flourish (which didn't get masked, because nothing appears behind it). Here's how the collage looked at this stage:

Leave all the masks in place as you work. It will help keep everything nice and clean in the event of a dropped ink pad or inky finger smudges. Don't ask me how I know this.

In the next pic, you can see how I placed the (uninked) body stamp right on the paper where I wanted it to print. (When you close the lid on the stamp press, the stamp clings to the lid...you ink the stamp up, the close the lid again, allowing you a precision print of your image. See the second pic below.)

I printed the doll's body (not inking the legs all the way down, since I knew I was gonna add cool stripey socks)...stamped, cut, and adhered a body mask...and continued to build the collage.

Next came the wings...here you can see them in position with the lid of the press closed, ready to make a perfect impression. (SO MY STAMP PRESS IS DIRTY DON'T JUDGE)

After this came the socks (and sock masks), then two fun borders for the doll to stand on--all of which in turn was masked off by a couple of Post-It notes, because they were easier and quicker than cutting and adhering precise custom masks (see pic below).

After the feet and borders were masked off, the area between them and the masked wings was stamped with the final background layer of loopy script.

6) Remove the masks; oooh and aaaah.

MASK REMOVAL TIME...yeah baby! The fun begins! I called my trusty 12-year-old son to help film The Big Reveal and to peel away a few masks with me. This was rather fun, seeing the composition slowly unveiled. 

Click the video here to see the final stamp collage REVEALED!

And that's it!

This technique would work great for limited edition pieces or cards...I mean, if you're going to go to all the trouble of planning an elaborate collage and cutting out a crap-ton of masks, you might as well have several "prints" to show for it...amirite?

If you have any questions whatsoever about this process, please ask me in the comments below. I will either answer there or revise this blog post if it turns out I missed some major point that you guys want to know.

Thanks as always for visiting!  💗

Moar Inspiration for the "Orient Enchantment" challenge!

Hi stamplings! Are you ready to enter your art in the challenge/contest over at the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity? The theme is "Orient Enchantment"...all you need to do is submit your fab artwork using rubber stamping (any company's stamps, though entries using Lost Coast Designs rubber count double!) with an "Oriental" theme for your chance to win fun prizes, including a gift certificate for LCD stamps! Everything you need to know about how to enter is found here.

Here's a little more inspiration for the theme: an ATC made with the mehndi hand from Lost Coast Design's India Set.

Can't wait to see your projects! (Mine is here.) Good luck!

Black and White Challenge at Lost Coast Portal to Creativity

Hiya stamplings! There is a cool art challenge over at the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity running right now--just enter your art in black and white that uses rubber stamping in it for your chance to win cool prizes! Details here.

Here's my piece to inspire you to get out your trusty black inkpad and get stamping. It's a collage made from several whimsical (or downright strange) images from the Lost Coast Designs library:

I'll have a post up soon showing you the masking technique I used to build this image--plus a fun "reveal" video where the masks are removed to show the finished piece--so stay tuned.  :)

Go enter!!

Love,

Step-By-Step: When I Am King (or: February Is For Lovers)

Hello stamplings! Today for your creative delectation I'm going to walk you through "When I Am King," the piece I made for the Lovers event over at the Lost Coast Portal To Creativity.  (You have two more days to enter your lovers-themed art --until midnight, February 25th--for your chance to win cool stuff! Click on the link in this paragraph and find out the deets if you haven't already entered!)

So, as I was thinking about the lovers theme and looking through my catalog of fabulous images from Lost Coast Designs, I spied the king and queen from the Chess Set, and immediately the children's rhyme "Lavender's blue, dilly dilly" started going through my head! I decided to use the color lavender and a chess board as my jumping-off ideas.

So here's a step-by-step breakdown of how I made this piece!

Using permanent (waterproof) ink, stamp the awesome king and queen onto hot-press (for a smooth surface) watercolor paper. Stamp and cut masks for the figures, and place the masks over the stamped images.

Sprinkle blue, purple, and gray Nuance powders liberally about! At this point, your piece will look approximately like this:

Now go town and mist the powders with water to your heart's content. Watch the magic happen as they bloom and blend! I like to leave them a little dry in spots for texture, but you're the boss here.

I next used a checkerboard stencil to suggest a chess board, and spritzed some more color through the stencil. (TIP: Did you know that you can use the Nuance Powders to make your own sprays? Yep--just put a bit in a mister, add water, and you're good to go! Mix any color you need, for pennies!! These powders are so economical and give you full creative control!)

Let dry, and stamp the words "king" and "queen" with the Old Typewriter Alphabet, and emboss with silver EP. I outlined the letters in black artist pen to help them stand out, which also has the advantage of giving the letters more of a funky handmade look. The other text was computer-generated and collaged on.

With the masks still in place, drizzle and splotch some white and silver acrylic paint to bring light to some of the dark areas and add a little dimension to the piece.

When dry, remove the masks, and paint the figures with pale washes of lavender, blue, and purple. Accent the figures with sparkly silver glitter gel pen to further catch the light.(Wish this photo showed the sparkle and shimmer better! Use your imagination--sorry. LOL) Edge the piece with lavender chalk ink.

You are done! Admire the fruits of your labor...and don't forget to enter the Lovers challenge!

New Stamp Art Challenge: Steampunk Queen of Hearts

Hiya stampies!

There's another fun contest running over at the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity, this time on the theme of "Steampunk Queen of Hearts"! Just enter your themed art using rubber stamps by midnight on February 24 for your chance to win blog badges and gift certificates for free rubber at the incredible Lost Coast Designs, purveyors of some of the quirkiest and most interesting images around.

Here's my project to get you going. It features Lost Coast Designs' gears background stamp behind the action, with the Queen giving orders to Steampunk Icarus to chase down the Steampunk Balloon Guys who are getting away!

I'll be back in a few days with a step-by-step of how this piece was made, including a tip on how I got the cool 3D effect on the gears in the center of the piece. Check back!

Can't wait to see what you come up with for your own Steampunk Queen of Hearts. Click here for all the contest details and get stampin'!

New (Weird) Stamp Release at LCD!

Hi stampy friends! Just wanted to tell you about a release of some new stamp images over at Lost Coast Designs. These guys are WEIRD and I like 'em that way! Look:

Above is a detail shot so you can see the yummy bizarreness of these guys...You can see the whole piece I made below.

I started by brayering metallic and black acrylic paint onto paper, then stamping the squares from ATC Misc. Set 3 here and there for a little background interest.

Next I used the License Plate Alphabet to compose the word STRIDE and embossed it in gold.

Finally I stamped these three Aud Creatures and collaged 'em down onto the prepared background. Weird, yeah? I wouldn't have it any other way!

Click here to visit the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity to see some of our other designers' work featuring even more of these weirdos (there are eight stamps in the series!), plus other new releases including Kukla, Fran, and Ollie puppet stamps. :)  Enjoy the madness!

Oh, and if you have a chance, visit The Three Muses to see their challenge Words for 2017! My word for the year is STRIVE, but STRIDE was so close I thought I'd enter this piece in the challenge. Some gorgeous eye candy awaits you there--have a peek!

Halloween BASH Party Invitation: Iron-Off Embossing Powder Resist Technique

Ghoulish greetings, art-pals, as we continue to celebrate the 31 Days of Halloween blog hop over at Lost Coast Designs!

Today my contribution to the festivities is this Halloween Bash party invitation, featuring several of LCD's bizarre and beloved character images, all tricked out for a wicked and weird party.

This piece features LCD's new gears background stamp, perfect for industrializing and steampunking up all your projects that need a little metallic edge. 

To start, I stamped it twice on a 9" x 12" sheet of white Arches Hot Press watercolor paper, and embossed it with white embossing powder to make a resist. Here's what that phase looked like--can you see?

Next, I wanted to play with the fabulous Nuance pigment powders by Magenta, which I sprinkled on randomly in shades of orange and gold. These dry powders blossom and explode delightfully when you spray them with water, making surprising and beautiful background effects. Here's what they look like dry:

...And after the first spritzing, here's what my page looked like.

I did want more color, so on went some purple powder, and I kept spritzing...

There! Now my background was mostly colored in. I left some drier, barely-spritzed texture at the bottom for interest.


Now that the embossing powder resist had served its purpose, I wanted to remove the powder so I could slightly grunge up the pure white paper underneath it for a less stark design. So I got my hot iron out, and used sheets of deli paper between the iron and the piece for the melting powder to stick to...

It can require ironing onto several layers of paper to remove all the embossing powder. You might save the sheets for use with other projects!

I went over the white gear design, newly denuded of its embossing powder, with a little Distress Ink in coordinating colors and a mini ink tool, and added some hand-drawn spider webs to a few of the gears with a white gel pen.

Next, I used the Black Skulls Border to block off an area of the page where I would stamp my text.

Then I used the Old Typewriter Alphabet, with its worn-looking letters reminiscent of old tombstones, to stamp the "Halloween Bash" sentiment.

Now it was time to add my characters. Onto glossy paper, I stamped images from the Anthropomorphs and Aud Animals and Creatures and Fortune Men sets, plus Norma from the Mini Flying Ladies set and the famous Lost Coast Designs Dancing Skeletons. 

I fussy-cut those bad boys out and affixed them to the page in "conversational" groupings. (The crazy skellies just wanna dance and not talk to anyone. Party animals. And the strutting bird and skulking monk-bug don't seem interested in idle chat either; no doubt they have their reasons.)

I trimmed the edges and declared this piece ready to reproduce as an invitation to my Halloween party! I still don't have a costume idea though.  :(

Happy Halloween!

Who Says Poe's Raven Was a "He"? (Besides Poe?)

Are you in the Halloween spirit yet? Well, you will be when you take part in the Lost Coast Designs Portal to Creativity spooky stamped art contest! Enter YOUR Halloween-themed art that uses rubber stamping (any company) for a chance to win one of TWO gift certificates to spend at the Lost Coast Designs store! See here for details.

Lost Coast Designs is also participating in the 31 Days of Halloween Blog Hop, for which I am contributing a few projects. This one right here...

...is my own weird take on Poe's famous poem "The Raven" (reprinted below, in case you have never read the full text of this sad and spooky gothic classic).

Now, Poe tells us that his raven was a boy. "PAH!" I say! Balderdash, even! Who needs your sexist raven-tropes around here? Not I! My raven is a WOMAN, do you hear! And not any slinky hot sexy young chick (<--see what I did there?) either. Mine is a GRANNY RAVEN and she has zero darns to give if you are shocked by this!!

I made this card by collaging the image of Lost Coast Designs' great Old Lady Raven (that's what I'm calling her) from the Big Anthropomorph Birds set onto a background that I printed on my (beloved) Gelli plate. There's a bit of washi at the bottom and a hand-drawn spiderweb with artist's pen and glitter gel pen on the card too...and a single word, lovingly rendered in Bodoni for that Poe-period feel.

And now...to plunge your soul deep into Gothic chill...I leave you with the words of the master.  Happy Halloween!

THE RAVEN

ONCE upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
" 'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door;	5
Only this and nothing more."
Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore,	10
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore:
Nameless here for evermore.
And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating	15
" 'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door,
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door:
This it is and nothing more."
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;	20
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you"—here I opened wide the door:—
Darkness there and nothing more.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,	25
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?"
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore:"
Merely this and nothing more.	30
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
"Surely," said I, "surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore;
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore:	35
'Tis the wind and nothing more."
Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door,	40
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door:
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,—
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou," I said, "art sure no craven,	45
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore:
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;	50
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door,
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as "Nevermore."
But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only	55
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered, not a feather then he fluttered,
Till I scarcely more than muttered,—"Other friends have flown before;
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before."
Then the bird said, "Nevermore."	60
Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore:
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore	65
Of 'Never—nevermore.'
But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore,	70
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking "Nevermore."
This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining	75
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er
She shall press, ah, nevermore!
Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.	80
"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!"
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore."
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."
"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil! prophet still, if bird or devil!	85
Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—
On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore:
Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."	90
"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil—prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us, by that God we both adore,
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore:
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore!"	95
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."
"Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!" I shrieked, upstarting:
"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! quit the bust above my door!	100
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."
And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,	105
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor:
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!

Edgar Allan Poe. 1809–1849.

Step-By-Step: Vintage Mixed-Media Tag ("Sweet Mabel")

Hi guys! Today I have a step-by-step breakdown of how I made this vintage mixed-media tag.

I call it "Sweet Mabel." Mabel was the name of the mother of my childhood friend Maryellen, and it struck me as an old-fashioned name even back then. The Mabel I knew was pretty nice, although she looks nothing like the "Mabel" on this tag.  :)

I started with a journaling card that looked like this:

The text on the card didn't really bother me, as I knew I'd be covering most of it up during the making of the tag anyway. So I trimmed the card to tag size and shape and got to work...

I took out a mini ink tool and a couple of colors of Distress ink and went over the lettering to reduce the difference in value between it and the background:

Next, I chose some vintage sheet music and a page from a midcentury book and tore them up, then added a piece of scrapbook paper, and collaged it all down with Mod Podge. At this stage, things looked like this:

This was a good start, but the tag needed some texture and dimension. So I got out my trusty texture paste and a favorite stencil, and quickly slapped some scrolly leaves onto a few spots on the tag.

After letting the paste dry for a couple of minutes, I wanted to blend and distress the whole shebang so it would start to merge into a unified background. I got out some spray stains in Tea Dye and Antique Linen and spritzed a bit...

But the tag still needed MOAR. I dabbed some Distress Stain in Crushed Olive (one of the most awesome colors ever to exist, by the way; you can thank me later) and let the tag start to marinate in all the vintage-colored juices I was bathing it in.

And yet even the divine Crushed Olive was not really doing enough. I wanted the scrolly leaves and vines to stand out a bit more, and I also wished I hadn't slapped the texture paste on so roughly; I wanted it a little smoother. So I decided to blend a custom glaze of Mod Podge (you could use any gel medium) and Distress Stain. I mixed a little Vintage Photo into my medium and painted over the vines.

The glaze pooled a little bit around the texture paste and smoothed everything out a little, helping the vines pop just enough.

Now it was time to put the focal point together. I had a vintage photo of "Mabel" all ready to go; it didn't need anything done to it. But it needed a frame to set her off. I chose a die-cut frame made of scrapbook paper rather than an actual metal frame. But it needed more dimension...so I coated it with clear embossing powder dusted with Perfect Pearls in Heirloom Gold to add just a hint of aged patina, then melted the mixture to the frame.

I glued Mabel behind the frame and fastened it down with some brads, adding a special rhinestone brad at the top of the frame.

The frame was decorated with some peach-pink roses that I fussy-cut from a few odd pieces of paper I had lying around.

And suddenly, all that was left to finish the tag was to punch a hole at the top...edge the tag in copper metallic and brown chalk ink...add a piece of distressed trim to the bottom edge...and tie it with a ribbon.

Et voila! Sweet Mabel lives on in her own tag. As always, I welcome your comments and thoughts below, and am happy to answer any questions if I skipped over something you might have wanted to know more about.  :)

Happy art-making!

Two Looks, One Stamp: The Stampsmith's Ophelia

My friends! You might know from already having read this post how sad I am that the great Stampsmith is closing its doors and liquidating all stock in its Etsy store. The Stampsmith is known for incredibly detailed photostamps (many of which are difficult to tell apart from actual photographs) and very intelligent and quirky images, most of which are vintage or historical. If you care about such things at all (and of course you do!), you might want to visit their Etsy shop ASAP to grab a few of whatever images are left before they are gone forever.

[blows nose loudly into lace-trimmed hanky]

Despite my grief, I thought it might be fun to feature one of The Stampsmith's all-time best-selling stamps in a couple of different projects, not only to whet your appetite for this lovely image (which is still available as of this writing), but because it's cool any old time to see the various looks you can get out of the same stamp. At least, I always dig that kind of thing.

The image under discussion is one of a series of illustrations of Shakespeare's heroines taken out of a 19th-century edition of the Bard's work.

--But soft! What beholdest thou below with thine eye agleam? 'Tis she, Ophelia, languid, nubile, not having gotten herself to a nunnery...

This image above is how the full stamp looks. (Yes, it comes with the text, which you can choose to ink up or not, or even to snip off the unmounted rubber to save for a separate stamp, which is what I did.)

The first project I have for you featuring Ophelia experiments with only partially inking the stamp. You can see that I inked only her face, so that she appears to float in the surrounding textures (which were made with dye inks, matte chalk inks, and metallic inks, which impart quite a bit more liveliness  to the background than the photo shows). The soft edges to the partial inking were meant to evoke a sort of ghostly or apparition-like effect.

The second piece is an ATC whose specifications were that it be made in a Gothic arch shape and in black and white. Here a bit more of Ophelia is showing than in the project above, but I still didn't want to use all her dark hair and garment, so she was again partially inked, and then cut out and covered in layers of B&W collage.

Unlike in the first ATC, where Ophelia is the darkest thing in the composition, in the B&W ATC she is the palest thing. (Unless you count the stars...but aren't stars uncountable anyway?)

The materials on this one were dye and chalk inks, enamel paint, glitter, transfers, and collage, including a black faceted rhinestone in the "firmament" of glitter at the top of the card (which I also thought could suggest a rose window in a cathedral). Because this piece was all black and white, I tried to maximize its dimensional and textural qualities, attempting to include matte and shiny, velvety and rough, hard and soft. Not sure how much of that translates via photograph!--but at least you know what I was thinking.

Anyway, back to the Ophelia stamp. You can see that this is a very romantic and versatile image. FURTHERMORE, The Stampsmith still has it available in a couple of sizes! If you end up getting this stamp, I would absolutely LOVE to see what you make with it. It's very gorgeous. 

But you KNOW I am a sucker for anything Elizabethan (even when reinterpreted with a Romantic-era Roman nose).

Talk to me below! xo