all in an inch

A recent photo cards class

 It was the final card in the class...

The directions were to pick 3 photos from a table full of 4 X 6 garden photos of varying degrees of quality.

Then using a 7/8" punch...punch out 9 squares.

Then attach the photos to black Inchie Arts Inchie Squares and mount on a card.

These are the results....

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

The results are just stunning....

 

A very sincere thank you to the class participants from Art N Soul in Lacey, Washington for allowing me to share their work. We had so much fun that we are planning a 'workshop' class to spend 2 hours doing nothing but making cards using this technique!

A fall foliage collage

This is a great project for creating several cards with a variety of common theme stamps and an assortment of pigment inks.

 

All of the stamps used in this project are by Fred Mullet. If you haven't worked with his stamps before they are representations of the real thing because his signature stamps are from actual nature prints. And the wonderful Autumn Blessings calligraphy stamp is from Rubbermoon.

 

Create the foundation of the collage with squiggles and dots using a Krylon 18Kt. Gold Leaf pen. The gold will shimmer through all of the stamped layers.  

Your goal is to create a stamped collage over an entire sheet of ivory card stock. It's up to you whether you stamp a full 8 1/2" X 11" or just a half sheet, but know the larger the paper, the more raw material you will have for cards.

 

Create each 'layer' by stamping each leaf randomly all over the sheet. Remember to change orientation of your stamp each time. This first layer uses the Lil Paper Birch stamp with Fig color pigment ink from Fresh Ink.

 
Next, the Lil Silver Birch with Honey.

(note: since pigment inks are very sticky and often slow to dry you may want to lightly heat set your work after each layer - this will prevent transfer of each ink onto the newest stamp)

 

  
The Flowering Ash Branch is stamped with Tuscan Olive.

As you continue to layer be sure and fill in the white spaces so you are getting good solid 'collage' coverage.     

  

Lil Sweet Gum with Honey. 

 

 Finally stamp the Lil Maidenhair Fern with Pear.

 

 

Unless you began by stamping 'off' the edges you will want to cut a strip off the top getting rid of the white area at the very edge. Then, cut a 7/8" strip (above) from the top edge. Do you best to be precise because when you cut this strip into squares and paste them onto the Inchie Squares there will be a perfect 1/16" border around the edge of your photo squares.

 

Carefully trim the strip into 7/8" squares with a paper cutter. As you trim them out be sure to set them down in order and not mix them up. This will make it MUCH easier to match them up again as you are pasting them down on your card. For each card use 5 continuous squares, pasting them onto the black Inchie Squares. Set all 5 squares down on your card first before glueing. Arrange them exactly how you want them (use a centering ruler to position the middle one if desired) and then paste down one by one starting with the square in the middle.

 

 

(Hint: A set of 6 or 8 cards and envelopes wrapped in a ribbon makes a perfect hostess gift for Thanksgiving!)

It's all about "Ash"!

 
In February we did a posting about a class we were teaching, that created a unique pop up card. from photos from our local farmers market. The card stayed on display at Impress after the class and due to customer requests we are teaching it again. 

Even more exciting is to see what others have done with the concept! A dear friend of ours, Vee, has a precocious and photogenic cat named Ash. She designed a version of the pop up with a collection of pictures, all about Ash. This pop up concept is an easy way to showcase and share a collage of images whether that be a trip, hobby, children or special pet.

We love to see what others are doing with our Art Squares or project ideas - send us your photos!

Zentangle style Twinchie Squares

 

We are completely in love with the whole Zentangle^R phenomena created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. If you are not familiar with this style of drawing it has to do with purposeful pattern and line placement. (Visit their website at http://www.zentangle.com/ for more information!)  

Twinchie Squares of any color provide the perfect surface for this type of detailed pen work and it is especially fun to tinker with different types of pens as you experiment with this drawing technique. Our local craft store (Ben Franklin Crafts & Frames Redmond) is having a promotion about this style of drawing and so we created a sample board for them to illustrate the variety that can be created using different types of pens on black and white Twinchie Squares.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now you know why we took photos of each square....even though the poster is about 16" wide it's pretty hard to get a sense of it in a photo - suffice it to say it looks MUCH better in real life!!

More store samples....

  

In our last posting we ended with the Lockhart Ribbon Heart. It's part of a collection of three hearts. The opportunities for coloring these are endless; especially with this Paisley Heart. The heart was stamped with Tsukineko Memento Ink and colored using a combination of Copic Markers (first!) and then Prismacolor pencil detail work on a white Twinchie Square. The sentiment is from Rubbermoon.  

A little bit of this...and a little bit of that...seems to best describe the samples that are going out the door with store orders. But it's that versatility that demonstrates all of the different types of stamping and coloring...and direct art applications of our Art Squares.  

These next few samples use cards from our various Inchie Notes card packs. Each package contains 12, 3-1/2" square cards and white rectangular envelopes (can't imagine paying a surcharge for a square envelope!). They come in a variety of color packs, each with 4 different color cards (3 each). The color assortments have white insides and include Peach/Pink, Blue/Lavender, Green/Yellow, Wild Sherbet, Fall and Holiday, The neutral color assortment (Ivory, Khaki, Light Gray, Dark Gray) is solid color inside and out and coordinates really well with our neutral tone squares! Check out the web site, inchiearts.com for photos of the assortments. 

 

 The photo doesn't do justice to the next two cards. They both use White Diamond Embossing Powder from JudiKins which not only has a tremendous opague quality, but has sparkle as well, adding a fun dimension to your cards. We stamped Fred Mullett's Lil Maidenhair Fern using a gray pigment ink on a black Inchie + Square and then dusted it with the powder and heat set. To add extra attention we drew a line around the image with a silver metallic gel pen. The card is the dark gray from the neutral assortment pack of Inchie Notes.   

 

 

Whether it's Valentines Day or Mother's Day or just a perfect spring day there are many ways to stamp with Savvy Stamps Vine Heart. The color combination of pink and gray is a classic and we have again stamped with a light pigment ink, dusted with White Diamond Embossing Powder and heat set on a dark gray Twinchie Square. Placing tiny pink pearls over the 'dots' of the stamped image adds a special touch. The sentiment is from Lockhart. This card is the dark gray from the neutral assortment pack of Inchie Notes. 

(remember, you can click on any photo to see an enlarged view)

 

 

Simple and sweet but with a twist on a stamping technique. This Gerber Daisy stamp from Savvy has enough 'rubber' surface area to experiment with combining pigment ink and Twinkling H20 watercolor paint from LuminArte. Turn the stamp face up and carefully 'ink' the flower (Versacolor Orchid) and the stem (ColorBox Moss Green). Then dab in, just at the center of the flower, a concentrated drop of Lemondrop paint. Bring a white Twinchie Square to the face up stamp, press on to inked stamp, turn over, apply a tad bit of pressure and remove. You will be left with a blurring at the center of the stamp where the paint and ink combine. When it dries you will see the shimmer left at the center of the flower from the mica in the paint. This card is from the Peach/Pink Inchie Notes assortment.

 

 

From stacked squares to multiple ink colors, there is a lot going on on this small card. Begin by anchoring 4 white Inchie Squares to a piece of scrap paper, fitting them up against one another, with a removable adhesive (our favorite is from Tombo, the light green dispenser, of Mono Adhesive Removable). You can actually do a block of 8, or even 12 squares at a time (enough to make 3 cards!)

Stamp with Fred Mullett's Spider Mum stamp across all squares, running off the edges too. We used four different Fresh Ink pigment colors; Freesia, French Lavender, Island and Grass on the background and then Freesia on a diagonally turned white Inchie + Square. Separate the background Inchie Squares a bit when you glue them down, and use foam dimensional tape to 'llft' the Inchie + Square above the background. This card is from the Blue/Lavender Inchie Notes assortment.   

Hurray, hurray....the sun is out today!!  

 

 

A Pop-Up photo card

 

A very special thank you to all the gals that participated in the Pop-Up Photo Card class at Impress in Tukwila, WA. Congratulations on your patience as we worked through the precise details of measuring and cutting to create this unique display card that illustrates, "A Day at the PIke Place Market". 

 

 
Without a doubt the most challenging part of this project are the details of creating the pop up panel card. Just like a 'story' problem in math, you just have to slow yourself down and focus on the instructions for measuring, cutting and folding. Over the years I have collected a wealth of resource books and this particular design came straight out of one of those books. "The Pop - Up Book", by Paul Jackson contains "Step by Step Instructions for Creating over 100 Original Paper Projects". I did adjust the measurements a tad to accomodate the placement of Twinchie, Inchie + and Inchie Squares. But once you understand the engineering principals, these designs can be tweaked to your hearts content.  

 

 

All of the photos were taken with a point and shoot style digital camera with an automatic close up focus feature. A public market is a great resource for pictures; from flowers to produce to seafood!!

Leaving a perfect 1/16" border around the trimmed photos is a no brainer when using a 7/8" punch for the Inchie Squares and a 1-3/8" punch for the Inchie + Squares. You will need to trim the larger photos for the Twinchie Squares to 1-7/8" with a paper trimmer. Remember when punching to turn the punch upside down so you can 'select' the part of the image you want to use and 'see it' through the punch 'window'.

This is a great project to use the 'darker' colored squares. The three sizes of black, dark gray and wheat squares were the perfect shades to accentuate the photos. (these are all available in color assortment packages, just ask your favorite store to order them from us if you can't find them!)

While we did start with a blank piece of gravel colored cover weight paper we added a decorative element by adding streaks of acrylic ink in burnt orange and black with an almost dry brush (these inks are a favorite of Art Journalists and can be purchased in art supply stores). Random lines of a gold Gelly Roll pen completed the background.    

 

 

Everyone had a color xerox template as a guide for selecting and placing photos but were invited to mix and match with additional images from the market. We all talked about all the different experiences that can be documented with this technique...family events...a trip to a garden center....even a day in the life!!

 

 
Thanks again everyone - it was a really fun class!

Really Unique Idea #5 - truly 'artful' valentines!!

I am a great admirer of the work of Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. She is a graphic designer, painter, artist and even author... she is multi-faceted with a wide range of expertise involving art journaling, scrapbooking, fabulous original design work, mixed media, unique crafting...you name it!

I visit her blog often, if for no other reason than to get a creative boost, and always come away inspired. 

A couple of months ago I had sent her some of the Inchie Arts products. I was dying of curiousity to see how she might utilize the squares with her style of imaginative design. Needless to say when I saw her Valentine posting today I was blown away and wanted to share her wonderful creations with everyone. 

Check out her incredible valentines with Inchie Arts squares at http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2011/02/valentines-day-inchie-cards.html

I love how she used everything from glaze pens to watercolor crayons on the squares. 

Thank you Julie...once again, I am truly inspired!!

Inchie, twinchie and plus....oh my....

Inchie Square

Inchie + Square

Twinchie Square

We are frequently asked to compare...or illustrate...how you might use our three different size products in the same manner. And...to share ideas for what to do with the black or dark gray squares. 

You know we like to doodle, and if you have ever taken one of our classes you have probably joyfully - or not(!) - participated in a doodling excercise. 

If you want to take your inchie doodling to a whole new level it's all about the Zentangle. With a bit of research we discovered that there is an entire genre of art dedicated to this random, but purposeful art form. Fluid...yet geometric...graceful...yet arresting. We are quite the novices at Zentangling, but with our Metallic Silver and Gold Sakura Gelly Roll pens in hand it is pretty dang addiciting to let your pen just go!

(you can click on any image to enlarge it...you can see the metallic quality of the inks a bit better)

The size and material is perfect for this art medium. From left to right is our 1" Inchie Square, 1-1/2" Inchie + Square and the 2" Twinchie Square. We refer to our black board as a super black. Did you know that it is actually made of cotton...not trees. And the reason it is so opaque black is because it is not colored by dye, but rather, powdered ebony - it's the real deal! The slight amount of 'tooth' of the surface makes it perfect for gel pens, just enough texture to 'grab' the ink, but really smooth for that finished quality.

 

And when you put them all together with some fun papers

(check out the corrugated silver metallic paper from Creative Imaginations!)

they make a neat set of notecards

 

four black Inchie Squares

 

 1 black Inchie + Square

 

 
1 black Twinchie Square

 If you want to learn more about Zentangles there are many, many resources to be found by searching on the web. A good place to start might be be Zentangle.com!

As of today...it's officially 'fall'

As we do occasionally, we wanted to share some of the new card samples that are going out with store orders. All three were made with different Inchie Square colors - non of them white! And...all three of these cards are from the fall color assortment pack of Inchie Notes.

There are just a few seasons...or holidays...that you can instantly comprehend just by the use of color....and fall is one of them. It's an instant switch from summer brights to rich emotive colors.

The color palette of rich earth tones is a perfect compliment for using neutral color Inchie Squares. This card starts by laying down 4 dark cream Inchie Squares snug up against each other and then stamping. With so much stamping (all the little acorns!) it's always a good idea to anchor the squares on a sheet of scrap paper with non permanent adhesive (we like the Tombo Mono REMOVABLE in the green dispenser). The acorn stamp, from Rosies Roadshow is really tiny so take your time as you stamp with VersaMark ink to achieve a watermark look as a background. The wreath stamp from Memory Box continues to be a favorite because it is so indicative of this time of year - go ahead and stamp it across all 4 squares with black dye based ink. Color the oak leaves in the wreath by first coloring every other leaf with Copic markers YR14 Caramel and YR24 Pale Sepia. Then go back over these colors touching the tips of each knob of the leaf with E09 Burnt Sienna and use YG63 Pea Green to draw over the vein line on each leaf. A finishing touch is added by using a Sakura Stardust Gelly Roll pen over the outside edges of each leaf. You can click on the photos and see a larger version for a close-up view.

(note: if you want to see a photo of these Copic marker colors just scroll down two postings - guess they are our new favorites!)

 
Local farmer's markets are just starting to bring in late summer squashes and pumpkins. Don't forget to take your camera for some close-up photos. They are perfect for creating easy photo cards like this one. They key is to use a 7/8" punch. (tip: remember to turn your punch upside down so you can move around the 'window' and select exacty what part of the photo you want to punch) Then glue each photo square to a black Inchie Square and arrange in a pleasing manner. You can use this technique for many more than just 4 squares too!! Finding papers that coordinate with the colors in your photos does make a difference - but remember, it's the simple images that want to be the star of the show on this card.

 

I know, I know...the pumpkins don't fit perfectly onto the squares...but that's OK!! In fact sometimes it makes it more interesting to have part of the image falling off the edge. Nothing evokes fall more than pumpkins, and since we haven't made the leap yet to Halloween, we are referring to the lovely ones you find in the farmers markets and at the state fair! 

There are not a lot of images that work well across 3 Inchie Squares, but this stamp, 3 Pumpkins, from the Lockhart Stamp Company is just right. It's your decision if you want to anchor the squares with removable adheasive while stamping, but since this is just one impression, you don't really need to. Again, it's all about color and while it may be a little hard to see in the photo we used ivory Inchie squares instead of white because the softness of the ivory coordinates so much better with the other color components of the card. Again, we used those same 3 copic markers; first color the pumpkin all over with YR24 Pale Sienna, then YR14 Caramel at the top, bottom and sides (remember your junior high art lessons on 'shading a round object') and finishing at the top and bottom with the darkest one E09 Burnt Sienna. If you want you can go back over everything with the lightest color, YR24 Pale Sepia and blend. The sentiment is one of the wonderful calligraphy words by Gretchen Ehrsam for Rubbermoon.

How come this season gets two names.....fall....and autumn?! Hmmmm?

3 Layers of Purple

In another nod to the color challenge at Embellish Magazine we decided to go back to a coloring style we often use. We call it fractional coloring. Basically, you lay down a layer of very, very light Copic marker within the stamped image creating a foundation of color. Then you gradually layer Prismacolor pencils on top of that Copic layer - with each new layer overlapping.

This stamp is fabulous for coloring, and by stamping it off center on the white Twinchie Square it makes it a bit more interesting as well. Color me Flowers, from Hero Arts, is from their rubber cling collection. The set comes with 4 different images, in two sizes, each flower totally unique for coloring.  

 

 

The first step is to color the flower by laying down a 'foundational color' with Copic BV000.

 

  Next, using Prismacolor pencil, Lilac, gently color each flower petal...using a bit more pressure and more color at the tips. Think of it as coloring 3/4 of each petal with this color.

 

The next layer is Prismacolor pencil, Imperial Violet. Color about 1/3 of each petal, with the most emphasis (and pressure) at the tip.

 

 

In keeping with the color challenge go ahead and color the background with Copic G20 (wax white). It's a wonderful color to use for backgrounds and has a very light yellow green tone.

Inchie Arts squares are unique because they are the only pre-cut material that you can color in so many ways, with so many different mediums.

  

When you see your finished Twinchie Square next to a white one, you realize how much coloring the background adds to the finished piece.  

 

And last but not least...don't forget to color the edge!

(you can't do that with chipboard!)

Keep checking back for more design ideas for the Embellish Magazine Color Challenge.

(p.s. that IS a black Twinchie Square behind the stamped one)