all in an inch

One stamp; two completely different ways...

We are constantly creating samples to go out to the stores with our orders (perhaps you have seen some of them!) but it's a real effort to stop and take a photo for the files. Since we make so many sample cards it's fun to mix things up like these two completely different design solutions with the same stamp. 

The technique above can be called a 'puzzle' since you stamp across multiple squares with one image and then put them 'back together again' but with slight spacing. Begin by putting a couple of strips of removable adhesive such as Tombo Mono Removable and lay down 4 white Inchie Squares so they fit tightly together. Stamp the Rubber Soul Large Flower with black Memento ink. Dot inside of flower with Copic Marker and then color around outside of flower, almost to the edges, with the same marker. Don't color right up to the flower, leave some space so you can come back in with a blender pen or lighter color Copic to blend and create that 'halo' look around the edge of the flower. (click on the photo for a close up look of this) Don't forget to color the edges of the squares for that extra finish quality!

 

This next card utilizes the same stamp, but stamps off the edges on a white Twinchie Square. It is also colored with Copic markers with multiple colors and different degrees of color blending on each flower. 

We often leave off the sentiments on cards that 'go out the door' so that the stores can personalize them with their own greetings. This is also a good idea when making a batch of different cards from one stamp...leave off the sentiment until you need to use the card! 

 

Multiple squares on one card!

Check out this amazing inchie puzzle made with 9 white Inchie Squares!

More information on how it was created can be found on the blog of our newest design team member, Dina Kowal. Visit Mama Dini's Stamperia for all the details!

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!)

Miro or Kandinsky? Art inspired twinchie's and inchie's

 

I am horrible at New Year's resolutions but just might change my mind due to a certain book I received for Christmas. It's called, "The Daily Book of Art - 365 readings that teach, inspire and entertain." At odds for exactly how to explain this absolutely wonderful book here are a couple of paragraphs from the back cover....     

"What do the Mona Lisa, the Parthenon, and a pinecone have in common? Why did van Gogh purposely sever his ear? When did coffee evolve from a morning beverage to an artistic medium? What colors should you wear while dieting? And who was Caravaggio?"

"Learn the answers to these questions and more with the engaging readings contained in The Daily Book of Art, a yearlong journey through lively and thought-provoking discussions. Inside, ten rotating categories paint a picture of the compelling world of art in broad brushstrokes." (fyi...the book is available at amazon.com)

As I embark on this journey of 365 readings from The Daily Book of Art, I find my mind wandering to teachings, ideas and projects from long ago. My personal career origins are art based and I have morphed through a few different directions over the years. No matter what tangent I seem to be exploring I find myself coming back to art basics; whether they be technique, creative exploration, history or personal imagination - art is the center.

I remembered a project we used to teach in Art Docent Training. It provided an excuse to do a little art history lesson about a style of art and artists, and also proved a wonderful exercise to get the adults to 'loosen' up and not be so afraid of putting pen to paper!

Inspired by the Expressionist and Abstract styles of Wassily Kandinsky and Joan Miro you apply a continuous line to paper and through random directional changes and overlapping, create shapes that are then colored. 

And what a fabulous project to try with Twinchie and Inchie Squares!!  

 
The supplies for this project are pretty basic...a handful of brightly colored Copic markers, white Twinchie and Inchie Squares and a .05 Sakura waterproof Micron pen. 

(a hint...your pen work will be the most crisp if you do your drawing on the 'top' side of the squares. You can learn more about which is the top side by looking up a post we wrote on June 10, 2010 called Frequently Asked Questions) 

 

 
Begin with the larger 2" white Twinchie Squares to get comfortable with putting pen to paper before trying the much smaller Inchie Squares.

Ready....set....draw!

 
The trick is to draw one continuous line...weaving, bending, looping, overlapping and finally connecting back to your starting point. 

 

 
Then, taking your time, color in the enclosed spaces that you have created...using one color at a time to fill in selected spaces. 

 

 
It's always a surprise to see how each one turns out!

 

 
Then try a few more lines, creating a few more spaces to color.

 

 
Or one colored with just 3 'cool' colors...

 

 
or 3 'warm' colors!

 

 
Now that you have gotten comfortable with the 2" size, go ahead and switch to the 1" Inchie Squares. Put four together to create a larger square puzzle design or lay out 5 squares horizontally for a long continuous design. Remember, it's all about letting loose with the pen...but eventually coming back and connecting to your starting point.

It's recommended that you anchor the squares with a removable adhesive so you are free to move the pen across the multiple squares without having to worry about them moving.

(Our favorite is the TOMBO Mono Removable Adhesive roller) 

 

 
You just never know how your squiggles will turn out until you start coloring in the shapes.

 

 
Since the Inchie Squares are solid core white you are able to color the edges...don't forget!

 

 
Never would have guessed that this one would have yielded so much white space!

 

 
How can you resist creating such fun...and random...designs?!

 

 
And finally a single Inchie Square...

(well, actually it's stacked on top of black 1 1/2" Inchie + Square!)    

These cards wouldn't have been nearly as successful if it weren't for the wonderful set of greetings from Hero Arts. This Poly Clear set contains all the greetings used, plus more, and is called Essential Messages.

A holly puzzle

 

This antique quality of this image and the rich color combination provide the perfect opportunity to use both ivory and dark cream Inchie Squares in one puzzle card.

 

 

Begin by laying out the Inchie Squares, alternating the colors of ivory and dark cream. With this many squares in the puzzle it's a good idea to 'anchor' the squares to your work sheet using a tiny bit of non permanent adhesive. (our favorite it from the Tombo Mono Dots Craft Collection)

 

 

This is a timeless image from Hero Arts Cling collection - it's called Classic Holly. Because of the cling rubber, the stamp is quite stiff and we were able to 'stamp' it without having to adhere it to an acrylic block. In fact if you look carefully you can see that we didn't even need to remove it from the plastic carrier sheet.

 

 Love those Christmas colors!

 

 
Begin coloring with YG25 over the holly leaves.

 

 
Layer in YG17 - basically placing the color on the 'vein' lines of holly. After you draw in this darker green, go back over it with the green of the background (YG25) to blend and soften. Finish with the red for the berries and brown for the stems.

 

 
Add a finishing detail by sponge dabbing around the edges with a sienna colored ink, we used Honey from Fresh Ink. Separate the squares just a tad when you glue them down.

Although the image stretches across different color Inchie Squares, the image is unified and almost floating above the squares and you can't tell the color difference of the squares through your coloring.

Happy Holidays!!

 

Fall tapestry with a watercolor background

 

Doesn't this image just remind you of a tapestry in a museum? Can't you just imagine it being stitched in rich yarns with a little sparkle in the background and jewels woven amongst the threads? Although difficult to see in the photograph of the finished card, the background is awash with tiny bronze sparkles from the mica in the Twinkling H20 paint that was used as the initial color layer on 3 white Inchie + Squares.

  (you can click on any photo to view it larger)

 
It's a really good idea to 'anchor' the 3 Inchie + Squares (1-1/2") on a piece of scrap paper before you begin. (You know we love the Tombo adhesive products and their Removable Mono Adhesive is perfect for the task) Also, as part of your preparations, be sure and put several generous drops of water...just squeeze the brushpen...into the paint pot to moisten it as you get everything ready.

 

 

You can always use a regular paint brush, but if have never worked with a waterbrush pen they are fabulous - if for no other reason than you don't have to have a container of water on hand. We are always asked 'which one' as they come in different size brushes (sm, med & large). For the most part it really doesn't matter...but it is easier to use a larger size if you have to quickly lay down a bunch of water as a preliminary step only because the larger brush lays down more water with each stroke. The surface of our squares mimics the qualities of a hot press watercolor paper...and absorbs a lot...so you may need to go back a few times as you quickly cover the surface with water. (for some good tips re-read a posting we did a while ago called Watercolor Reflection on the importance of water as a the first step)

 

 

If you have enough water down on the squares the next step is to pick up some paint...if you put several healthy drops into the paint pot you should have a puddle. You don't need to immerse the brush, but can just touch it to the pigment and it will draw it up into the bristles.

The other question we are often asked is if there is a difference in waterbrush pens. Well, there is. If you look carefully at the picture you will see what looks like a dark mass inside the pen, just above the bristles. This is what makes the difference - it's essentially a filter between the water reservoir and the bristles. It controls the water flow. If you have ever used a brushpen without this feature you will find you have little control....which can be VERY frustrating. Our favorite is the Niji Waterbrush.

 

 

Ok, here we go. First create several 'drops' of color onto the water prepped surface (if you have enough water down they will instantly bleed out) By the way...this is Twinkling H20 Honey Amber. 

 

 

And just as quickly...use back and forth diagonal strokes to spread the dots....then STOP!!

Do not overwork this. While the temptation to do so is driving you crazy don't touch it again! You want the paint to 'work' and 'blend' with the water ALL ON IT'S OWN! 

Pretend you are on "Top Chef" and Tom Colicchio is yelling at you..."hands up!"  

Then walk away and let it dry...for a few hours. Don't be tempted to use a hair dryer or your heat set tool either as you will speed up the drying process so much that you are liable to curl the edges of the squares. Plus, you will get a different result in how the paint dries.

 

 

After the paint has completely dried (you shouldn't feel any coolness when you touch the squares) then you can go ahead and stamp with Memento Tuxedo Black dye based ink. This wonderful image is from Impression Obsession, called Fall Leaves by Leigh Hannan. The stamp image is just a hair larger than the 3 Inchie + Squares. Be sure and keep your eyes open for all the wonderful holiday stamps that can be used across more than one square! 

 

 

Have fun with the coloring too. We used an assortment of Copic markers. We don't often use bling, but couldn't resist adding copper colored pearls on all the little 'dots' that are in the image. And, if you click on this photo to see a larger version you can get a better view of the slight streaky quality that was created by painting your own watercolor background....you'll just have to do it yourself to discover the sparklies!!

 

A photo 'puzzle'

 

Here is our first card using the criteria for the Embellish Magazine challenge...a photo puzzle.

We recently taught a series of classes using Inchie Arts squares of differing sizes and photos. The response from everyone was tremendous! No doubt we will be doing this class again but with new images.  

The trick to making this 'puzzle' is to figure out mathematically how big your photo will be before you have to cut it into smaller pieces. Working backwards we knew that we wanted a perfect 1/16" tiny border around each photo square...each photo piece is mounted on a black Inchie Square. Since the squares are 1", that meant that the each photo square would be 7/8" square. You then just add up how many squares you have in each direction. In this case, 2 squares, each measuring 7/8" = 1-3/4".

Begin by cutting down your larger photo (it's a chive flower from the garden) to a 1-3/4" square and then cut it in half, and then in half again. When you are finished you will have 4 photo squares, each measuring 7/8".

note: a simple 4 part puzzle is easy to reassemble once you have the squares glued down, but be forewarned that it can get silly crazy (!) trying to put a larger piece photo back together again! 

Twinchie and inchie....orchids

One of the hardest transitions to make in creating art with inchies is to break out of the habit of only using images that 'fit' in that 1" square. When you do make that leap of faith, the discovery of all the possibilities is amazing - in fact you will likely go back through your entire stamp collection and re-discover stamps that you might not have thought to use in an inchie format. 

By the same token, sometimes it's tough to break out of the mold of using a stamp that you first used on Inchie Squares and then transition to using it...in a different way...on say a Twinchie Square.(2")   

I suspect that there are even a few of you reading this that would never have picked an image like this to use on either the Twinchie Square...or Inchie Squares! The risk is worth it as shown in these two cards!!

(the stamp is called Phalaenopsis from The Lockhart Stamp Company)  

In this 'puzzle' card lay the 3 Inchie Squares end to end on your work surface (you could tape them together on the back side with painters tape if you want, although it's not necessary) and stamp the image while centering the stem. This was colored with Copic markers and then the flowers were accented with opaque white pen.
  

The detail of the flowers in this stamp is so beautiful that it begs to be repeated. Stamp the first image centered on a Twinchie Square. Then re-ink the stamp and stamp again to the left and right of the first image. Although these were colored to match, it would be fun to do even more of them on one Twinchie Square and make subtle changes in the color of each flower. These were colored with Prismacolor pencils which have an opaque quality vs. Copic markers. The reason that it was important to have opaque vs. transparent coloring is due to the fact that the Twinchie Square is light gray (from our assortment pack) to match the card stock and the colors needed to stand out and be their brightest.

(click on the image to enlarge it to see the detail that a white opaque pen adds to each flower)

Rough lines and more watercolor

In the last posting we used an image from a small bollio stamp from JudiKins to stamp across 5 white Inchie Squares. If you recall, 'trees in reflection' was on one side of the stamp...and this is what was on the other side! Called Rough Lines 6909-I, it makes a perfect watercolor ocean.  

 

  And this is our work space!

We followed the same processes as explained before - testing the Twinkling H20 paint colors on Twinchie Squares before deciding...and then following all the same steps for painting. In addition to using direct color from the pots we also mixed a new color. See how the arrows point to a test color in the lower right corner? (click on the photo to see a larger view). We combined a little of these two colors to create a third color and used a Twinchie Square as a mixing surface (since it's a very porous surface you have to be quick before it absorbs!)

It's so easy to get the paint pots mixed up in the middle of a project - especially when they are all of a similar color family - so we found that creating a 'placemat' and labeling everything keeps things in their place. And, if you look carefully in the lower right corner you can even see the notes about the 'order' of the colors as they appear on the ribbons of water.

dutch iris

wild blueberry together with french lilac

tanzanite

ocean wave

northern lights

 

(both the sentiment and the tiny fish are from different clear set stamps from Rubber Soul) 

A Watercolor Reflection

Sometimes the most unusual stamps provide the most incredible creative opportunities...and this one is no exception. Not only that, but it's a perfect image for using our favorite paints, Twinkling H20 Watercolors!

 

When looking at this stamp on the shelf you probably wouldn't think of using it to create inchies. These types of images are typically used as borders on cards or mini scrapbooks. On the other hand this Mini Bollio stamp from JudiKins is perfect for a horizontal inchie puzzle. (note: while the stamp is called Rough Lines 6909-I it has two images, lines on one side and trees in reflection on the other)

 

Begin by lining up 5 white Inchie Squares. You can put down a strip of removable adhesive (refer to a previous post about the Bumblebee on how to do this) to anchor the squares, but you may not even need one. Just butt the squares up to one another before you stamp...and it's ok if there are little gaps in the image from square to square. We stamped with Versafine Onyx Black and then let it completely dry for over an hour since we were going to be watercoloring.

 

Just like markers....you have to TRY a paint to see it's exact color. We like to pick a few and test them out before deciding which to use. From left to right, Wild Blueberry, Ocean Wave, Sky Blue and Periwinkle. It's also important to test colors on a piece of the same material as your finished work. We grabbed a white Twinchie Square to use as our testing palette. Super important...moisten your paints with a drop of water first...and also remember to 'paint with water' before applying color to the Twinchie Square. 

(note: if you have never used a waterbrush pen before it is the most amazing tool. It holds a reservoir of water and self cleans as you drag it across a paper towel. That means no container of water for rinsing and cleaning between colors!!)

 

Whether an Inchie, Twinchie or Inchie + Square...they all behave like hot press watercolor papers. And one of the most important characteristics of being able to do watercolors directly on the squares is the ability for the paints to bleed together. HOWEVER...this won't happen unless you paint with water first and maybe even go back and paint again with water to make sure - sometimes it's kind of hard to tell if you have enough because it is so quickly absorbed. But when it works it looks like the stripe of green on the left. That's called WET watercolor painting. On the right is what happens when you just bring the brush of paint to the material...it stays right where you put it! No bleeding, no surprises, no color magic. This is called DRY watercolor painting.  

  

Paint one square at a time. Begin by painting with water and then applying color. Just a tiny, tiny bit of color on the end of the brush will go a long way. Applying by using small dabbing motions works well. We decided on the Wild Blueberry near the horizon line and the darker Ocean Wave at the very bottom edge. Let the water do it's blending magic...don't be tempted to overwork with your brush.

 

The sky was created using almost exclusively water...with the very smallest amount of the Wild Blueberry blue. You can even make a large 'dot' of colored water on any non porous surface you might have around and then use this for that super subtle hint of color, rather than even touching the paint pot.

(note: before moving on to the next color (green) it is best to let the paint (blue) completely dry; this way the two colors won't accidentally bleed together)

 

  Next, to test the greens. From the left, lightest to darkest, Key Lime, Kiwi and Moss Green.

 

The trees are painted with the same technique.

Water first...

Then the first color...the Key Lime

dab...dab...dab...dab....

 

  Then 'dab in' the second green, the slightly darker Kiwi, at the base and spine of the tree

 

The greens on the reflection are darker

Water first...

Then the first color...the Kiwi

dab...dab...dab...dab....

 

Finish with the darker green...the Moss Green, also at the base and along the tree spine.  

 

It's serendipity when you find the perfect accent paper too! This gradient green from the FROND paper pack by Memory Box perfectly complimented the light to dark from top to bottom just like the lighter sky to darker reflection. It's easiest to glue down the center square first - then you can use that as a reference point for all the others. A centering ruler makes that super easy and a square of foam tape gives a bit of dimension. 

(note: the Thanks sentiment is a personal favorite from Rubber Soul)