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.

Mixed Media Mayhem - Fashion Square

As a materials junkie, I couldn't wait to try my new Dylusions Spray Ink, and, as usual, I did not have a plan.  After spraying several layers of alphabet stencils, I had a vibrant background that didn't speak to me.  To tone it down, I layered dress pattern paper unifying the random color splashes.  I liked the graphic lines the pattern paper provided, but what next.  Just that week, fellow art chix, L. W., dropped off a pile of old fashion patterns.  I scanned and resized them ( so as not to destroy these bits of fashion history) and made foam stamps from some of the silhouettes. Dictionary papers grounded the models and pieces of the pattern pocket identified the source of the images.  To show the vintage of the pieces I aged the page with Golden Nickel Azo, Distress Inks, and Walnut Ink.  My favorite medium for aging...Walnut Ink...you can dilute the grains to any strengths.  So here is the final result....You can see the letter stencils in the detail pic...just visible.  I also used a spray fix to keep the dyes stable when I wanted to add another layer.

There's No Place Like Home

Back home and could't wait to use my new Dyan Reaveley Dylusions stamps, Right Up Your Street, to celebrate my joy in my humble home.

I used clearance rack foam sheets to make textured background and Inktense pencils to color the houses and letters.  I love the Stampin Up blender to bring liquify the ink pencils.

Alluring Beauty

I had a month away from home, and I had few art supplies.  I decided to use this time to practice drawing faces.  I downloaded Jane Davenport's Whimsical Faces and purchased a couple of basic instructional booklets.  Practice and practice...I filled three Stratmore visual journals with sketches and then went back to colorize them.  I also tried drawing different ethnic looks.  I printed several to use in collages.  This is a study in black and white called Alluring Beauty.  

Irises in the I Phone

My first attempt at an Iphone painting relied on several new apps that allow free painting, texturizing, and layering of photographs.  I wish I could use these apps on my Macbook to view the actions on a larger screen, but perhaps that makes the special challenge.

Sunset Place

India is such a rich environment for photography.  The juxtaposition of traditional and modern, the intensity of color, the richness of textures.  A walk through the old city in Jaisalmer, India brought me to this lunch stop...well if I could get past a small obstacle.  I love the geometric shapes in this space...

Jaisalmer, India

This mixed media triptych is based on photos taken on my trip to Jaisalmer, India, with its colorful doors and intricate architectural features.  Mounted on encaustic board, the images were used as a base for overpainting with encaustic colors enhanced with Pearl-Ex powders.  They were stamped with wood blocks purchased in Jaisalmer and embellished with metal Hindu charms.  I won first prize in a photo contest for this work.