all in an inch

A Forested Little Village

Experimenting with different ways to color and decorate Little Village kits is addictive!

The emphasis on this project is on the background; with select components from both Little Village kits used sparingly across 3 white ATC size Art Squares. By only using a few of the little kit pieces you have the opportunity to really spread them out and create more 'art' in the background.

We first stamped repeatedly (and masked) a holiday tree stamp from RubberMoon across all 3 white ATC Art Squares using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Twinkling H20 watercolor paints were used to color the background in very light blues for the sky and white for the snow (along with some detail ground lines drawn with a 0.3 Copic multiliner pen).

The trees were colored by first shading with 2 different watercolor pencils directly on top of the stamped area (a bright green for the body of the tree and a darker green around the edges). Using a small wet brush, 'activate' the watercolor pencil and blend until the desired color is achieved. 

After the background is complete, flip the 3 pieces over and connect (leaving a 1/16" space between panels) with washi tape on the back side.

Select pieces from the Little Village kits, and using the 0.3 pen, draw windows, doors and other doodles on the pieces. Paint them with Twinkling H2O watercolor paints in blues and tans. When dry, add pops of white with a white fine point Sharpie paint pen.

Be sure and visit Ellen Hutson's inspiration and education blog, theCLASSROOM, every day this week as they join us in celebrating everything Inchie Arts - including 20% off all in-stock Inchie Arts merchandise at Ellen Hutson LLC.

And join us here for the next several days as we share even more Little Village creations! 

 

A Holiday Sparkle Little Village

 

Working with the Little Village kits can be overwhelming as there are SO MANY options in terms of how you can color and decorate them!

We laughed when asking Sharon if she was finished with her sample for today's post and she said, "Not yet, I can't decide how I want to color them!" But decide she did, and we think her sparkly Little Village is a perfect example of how you can color and decorate them for the holidays. 

Just as Dina did with her Spooky Village on Monday, Sharon has mixed the components of Little Village 2 with a super cute town silhouette die cut that she positioned in front of, and behind the Village pieces. And to add additional 3D dimension to her piece she actually used the dies to emboss extra details of doors and windows into the LV pieces!

By using a 4" white Art Square as her background she was able to accommodate a lot of pieces! And of course the color and sparkle comes from painting the background and pieces with Perfect Medium, Perfect Pearls and the addition of a bit of glitter tape. 

 Please visit Sharon's blog, PaperFections to learn all the specific details. And be sure and visit Ellen Hutson's inspiration and education blog, theCLASSROOM, every day this week as they join us in celebrating all things Inchie Arts - including 20% off all in stock Inchie Arts merchandise at Ellen Hutson LLC. 

"Painting" with inks

A new collection of Penny Black 'brushstroke' stamps are perfect for Elizabeth Allan's technique of what we like to call "painting" with ink. 

She begins by stamping a white 4" Art Square using a very light Distress ink. Then she stamps additional Distress color inks directly onto an acrylic block, creating a palette of sorts. Using a wet paintbrush, she then picks up the paint from the acrylic block and 'paints' over the original stamped image.

Because the Art Squares are a 4 ply solid core matboard they can stand up to lots of layers of moisture, making them the perfect substrate for this technique!

For all the details and specific ink colors visit the Studio Sessions blog.  

Swatch! Watch Jill's new Shimmerz video

Follow the links today to see Jill Foster's newest video using Shimmerz paints, 2" X 4" Swatch size white Art Squares and several Penny Black stamps. 

This size is super versatile because you can use them vertically (as shown here) or horizontally with a large sentiment!

In the video learn how Jill creates with these amazing watercolors using a wet on wet blending technique - perfect for use on the 4ply Art Squares as there is no warping or pooling due to their absorbent characteristics.

Visit Jill's blog - Studio Sessions for details of the video!  

A new video with Jill Foster, Shimmerz, Penny Black and Art Squares!

 

Jill just has a magic touch with paints and her newest video showcasing Shimmerz with Penny Black stamps is no exception. Of course we are thrilled that she is using our 4" white Art Squares as the substrate, as they are perfect for this type of stamping and painting. 

And, as part of the launch of this new series, her video will be featured today on both the Penny Black and Shimmerz blogs...and there are giveaways!

For a direct link to watch Jill's video click here - https://youtu.be/eCn4SsymGaU

(and for more tips about watercoloring with Art Squares scroll through our WATERCOLOR link in the categories section to the right)  

 

 

Dina creates with Art Squares!

For those of you that follow our Inchie Arts blog you will know how privileged we are to have Dina Kowal, also a designer for Impression Obsession Stamps, as a member of our design team.

Whenever we share photos of Dina's work with Art Squares, you can be sure that all the details will be available on her blog, Mama Dini's Stamperia, including this wonderful ornament made from 2" Art Squares and decorated with a new holiday die from Impression Obsession.   

And while you are there, check out some of her recent work with 4" Art Squares AND our new SWATCH size that is 2" X 4" - perfect for both horizontal and vertical images!

 

 

Be sure and visit Mama Dini's Stamperia - so many great ideas!!

 

 

 

 

Water and color

NEVER throw anything out.  Being sort of a color nut,  I find that I will often just play with watercolor paints on a white Art Square. Most of the time, what appears may not be to my liking or 'fit' with the project at hand.  And, being watercolor, what appears when dry may be VERY different than what you thought you painted. Therefore, set it aside and save it.

This is a perfect example of a greeny yellowy watercolor background on a 3" white Art Square that only came alive with the overstamping of a leafy stem stamp from Impress. Stamp repeatedly, overlapping several different shades of green (from lights to darks) using Impress Fresh Ink pigment inks until a pleasing result appears.   

 

This is a favorite technique, especially when you need a quick card. Using a variety of green and purple Tombow markers directly apply color to the Gingko 2 stamp from Fred Mullett. After coloring hold the stamp in hand and spray/spritz it with a very light water mist. Stamp immediately onto a white ATC size Art Square. Repeat.    

(the birthday wishes sentiment is from Savvy Stamps) 

Look for these sample cards and Inchie Arts Art Squares at A Stamp Artist Place in Swannanoa, NC! 

Die Masking with Inca Gold Metallic Rub

Our friend Dianne Johnson recently shared with her readers a really unique take using our Die Masking Technique and it's so cool we had to share it with you.

In all of our past work with Die Masking (you can see earlier posts and step by step instructions if you click on die cuts in the Categories section) we have always started with white Art Squares and then used various colors of pigment inks as our coloring medium. 

We are in love with Dianne's version using a black Art Square and two different colors of Inca Gold Metallic Rub as the coloring medium. Not only that, but she used one color as a rub...and another as a paint and the results are stunning!

To see the step by step instructions with photos just click on this link to her blog called Backporch and be sure and check out all her other wonderful work as a member of the Magenta Design Team!   

First valentine

It has been a long time since we have done any projects with Silks Acrylic Glazes but their vibrant Pixie Pink, Rasperry Wine, Boysenberry and Ice were perfect for a valentine.

Beginning with a black 2" Art Square loosely paint a smooth first layer using a damp paintbrush with Silks Ice (white) glaze mixed with the tiniest drop of white gesso - heat set. This layer will absorb a bit into the square but will then act as a sealer to reduce absorption of future layers, and leave a distinctive light shimmer.  

Randomly dab the other colors in a 'blotchy' way, mixing and dabbing until satisfied.  Force dry the paint using a heat gun and watch as the thicker areas of the paint 'bubble' and create additional texture from the heat.

Stamp the RubberMoon Scalloped Heart stamp (new by Lindsay Ostrom!) with black VersaFine pigment ink and heat set.  Color the heart generously, filling your paintbrush with the Pixie Pink mixed with the tiniest bit of white gesso and heat set.   

 

 

Sneak Peek of a new Impression Obsession stamp

Join the Impression Obsession Design Team every day this week for a sneak peak at some of the new images they will be previewing at CHA later this week. 

Dina's image represents a fond memory of a trip to Arizona showcasing brilliant cactus flowers. After stamping on a 3" white Art Square she covered the entire surface area with QoR Modern Watercolors which are characterized by their color vibrancy.

Visit Mama Dini's Stamperia for links to all the other Impression Obsession Design Team blog posts!