What makes a gator a gypsy?

teacher, traveler, photographer, political junky, smash and bash artist, grandmimi, mom, canine companion

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Mixed Media Mayhem - Faces in Flowers

After practicing making foam stamps and printing them in my art journal, I had to take the next step.  I have been practicing learning to draw faces (not portraits!) so I wanted to incorporate two very different results.  I transferred the outlines of the faces to my page to match the composition of the flowers.  I experimented with paint, colored pencils, Inktense pencils, and Faber Castell Brush Markers to bring color to the faces.  Since my face drawing lessons were originally based on using classic proportions and forms, I found text from an old art book to caption the page. NB- I fixed the stamp background with spray then gesso before going forward because I had stamped with water soluble markers




Sunday, May 25, 2014

Mixed Media Mayhem - Making Foam Stamps

I love the convenience of stamping and I want the results to have my own work as much as possible. Making foam stamps based on images I see solves this problem.  (I do love everybody else's stamps too and I have the shelves to prove it.  I stepped out the process from finding images in a fabric swatch to printing on paper.  There are lots of ways to get the image on to the foam..I like to use my Iphone, print, and trace.  Cut out the pieces or engrave with a sharp point to give detail.  If you print with water soluable markers you can spritz the stamp with water to get more prints and a watery effect.  I like to do this with kids and simple drawings.