Alternatives to Rubber Stamp Carving

On Black Friday, I treated myself to some discounted online workshops from North Light Shop, which carries products and classes for Cloth Paper Scissors.  Among the {ahem} eight downloads I purchased, was Playful Printmaking with Dina Wakley.

I've been putting her class instruction to use in my art room, finding some interesting alternatives to carving my own rubber stamps for making original prints on papers for my art journaling and collage creations.

Without giving away all of her workshop secrets, I wanted to share some of the new things that have found their way onto my work table.

First, I created some monoprinting tools by cutting shapes out of thick watercolor paper (Dina used tag board, otherwise known as manila file folder, but it didn't prove thick enough to make a good print for me so I opted for something thicker) and gluing them down onto pieces of tag board.

My experiment with tag board-on-tag board

My experiment with watercolor paper-on-tag board

By applying paint with a brayer, the tag board creates a kind of stamp for monoprinting onto art paper.

My first run was more about trying the technique than producing something I plan to use for a specific project.  Some of the papers were kind of pretty, though some were a bit of a hot mess.  I think I need to spend some more time looking at Dina Wakley's work to see how this style of printing works with her art journaling style.

Next, I tried using a pen to press designs into regular old foam, like I find in the kids' section at the craft store.  I found this technique a little more promising. I could use some of the same designs I've used when carving stamps into rubber, only this process is MUCH less labor intensive!

Both of these are designs I've carved into rubber before.

It sounds like these stamps should last for quite a little while, making impressions for months and even years to come (whereas the tag board stamps don't stand the test of time quite so well).

The main thing for me has just been getting back into my art room!  I'm not sure what causes the procrastination; what crazy person puts laundry and house cleaning ahead of art time?!?

At the risk of dooming my intentions to failure by making them into New Year's Resolutions, I'd like to see 2017 be a year of increased art-making, even if it's only an excuse to get my hands into their preferred state of paint-y and glue-y-ness!

Creative Excursion to Sakura Sunday

Yesterday was Sakura Sunday, the culmination of the week-long Philadelphia Cherry Blossom Festival.  The festival is a celebration of Japanese music, art, food, and culture, and Sakura Sunday brings all of these elements together on the grounds of the Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park.

I found out that "sakura" means cherry blossom, and is a common female first name, as well as a Japanese surname.

I have been hearing about this festival for years, and was so happy finally to go with my husband and two daughters.  We drove down to the Mann Music Center, then took a free shuttle from their parking lot to the event.

Waiting for the shuttle, the girls are ready for the festival!

First off, the girls tried their hands at some radio broadcasting! We found a KYW "Kidcasting" booth, where they both got to record a news piece about the day's events.  The recording doesn't appear to be on the Internet yet, but hopefully I'll be able to let them hear it before too long; they'll feel "famous"!

I may be biased, but they seem like naturals!

There was a separate area at the event set aside for a Cosplay Showcase, but the whole Sakura Sunday was really a cosplay showcase.

I had never heard of the concept until two weeks ago, and now I've run into it twice!  Cosplay is basically dressing up as a fictional character, and people who do it often choose characters from Japanese manga and anime, though I think it has spread well beyond that cultural focus.

I loved this guy!

Lots of people shared their cosplay looks at Sakura Sunday, and were more than happy to pose for photos for anyone who might be interested.

We even ran into a college-aged friend from our church who participates in cosplay....

...as well as her mom, who was contemplating an outfit that was a bit more...comfy...

The girls got a chance to try their hand at origami.

We ate food from food trucks.  (I opted for vegetable lo mein in an effort to stay at least a little culturally appropriate.  Somehow a hoagie, pretzel, and funnel cake didn't suit the day!)

We checked out some of the crafts and other merchandise for sale, including these beautiful hana tsumami kanzashi, or Japanese silk flowers, handcrafted by local artist Sara Gdula.

There was a wish tree, where you could write your wishes on a tag and then tie it to the branches.

When I came home, I felt inspired to create a little cherry blossom beauty of my own.  I looked online at some photos of cherry blossoms, as well as some more stylized versions of the flowers, and then I carved cherry blossom and branch stamps.

And stamped the blossoms in pink, of course--the signature color of the day!

Favorite Projects of 2013

I spent some time last night going through my blog posts from the past year, giving myself a chance for a little retrospection.  I thought it would be fun to collect some "blog favorites" over the year to share with you.  Today, I am highlighting some of my favorite projects from 2013. 

I didn't keep up with my Christmas in [Insert Month Here] series as faithfully as I had hoped, but it did yield a few project favorites that I will be doing again.  Besides finding ways to reuse all those Christmas cards, which I enjoy doing every year, I also really liked the patchwork/collage effect of the paper stockings I made back in September. 

I gave several of my acrylic and ink painted glass Christmas ornaments as gifts this year.  The results are so varied and unexpected that I can see myself making more just to see how they turn out.

Before I learned proper bookbinding techniques at the CREATE art retreat this past summer, I made these adorable little raisin books using electrical tape and rubber bands.  I've made tea box books, too.  My next books will be from soap and butter boxes with some proper stitching, so stay tuned!

One of my very favorite projects this year has been carving my own rubber stamps.  In fact, I am considering a major rubber stamp carving project for this next year, which I'll tell you more about soon!

Some cute little "object stamps" that are perfect for mail art

The silhouette stamps are some of my favorites!

Though the tag and clipboard stamps are right up there, too!

I'd like to try some more houses on a hill to perfect that design a bit.

And, ah, the Dennison label-style stamp!

More house stamps...I can't resist!

I really enjoyed learning a gesso resist technique from a Claudine Hellmuth video that created the designs on these hearts back in February.  I have whole books full of paint techniques I haven't tried; hmm....I may have to work that into my plan for the new year, too!

Scripture journaling was another new project I tried this past year.  It's hard work to translate Bible passages into visual representations!  It is such an effective way to internalize the message of the Scripture, but it takes real discipline to stick with it.

Learning some of the symbols, fonts, drawings and designs associated with Sketchnotes has been a fun part of the project, and applicable to other drawing and note taking projects besides just scripture journaling.

I absolutely loved the birdhouse charms I made from a kit from Heather Alexander last month.  I ended up giving a couple as Christmas gifts, and have several more on my craft desk, half-made.  My husband noticed that the wooden crates our clementines come in have triangular wood pieces that could be trimmed to size for additional roofs.  Reduce, reuse, recycle!





And, of course, throughout the year, my love for collage and mail art continued.  My glue stick and sewing machine continued to work overtime to create postcards for friends and just for fun over the months. 

from "Finally!" post in November

Paper scraps, fabric, postage stamps, rubber stamps, stickers, decorative tapes, buttons, ribbons, photographs, text pages, postcards, musical scores, vintage documents, book illustrations--all were pressed into service for collaged mail art through the year.

from "Feeling Stitchy" post in October

 

from "Stitchy Vintage Collage" post in October

 

from "More Mail Art & a Giveaway Winner" post

from "More Mail Art & a Giveaway Winner" post

And finally, I continued creating Zentangles this year, even taking a workshop on the subject at a local arboretum.  The tangled borders on the postcards below were a great exercise in various tangle designs.  With six or seven Zentangle books on my shelves, I'll be revisiting this calming drawing practice again in 2014!

Going back through my blog posts gave me a chance to review my projects, my excursions, and the swaps and challenges that filled my creative year.  I'll be back with a couple more retrospective posts, and some creative plans for 2014 very soon.

Wishing you all the best for these final days of 2013!

Merry Christmas, Scrappy Rolodex-Style!

I dug into the envelope full of Christmas goodies that Mary sent to me a couple of months ago in order to turn old Christmas cards into holiday postcards for some mail art friends.  I had forgotten how many awesome cards, stickers, and rub-ons she had included in the package!  In that moment, the empty Rolodex cards on my desk and the pile of stickers from the envelope melded together in my mind's eye, and I had my evening activity all ready for me!

I added in some of my Christmas-themed Cavallini tapes, along with the stickers.  Those tapes cost a lot of money, but, boy, do they ever last and last!

A very simple set of rub-ons on a red background made a super-simple but really pretty card.  (Unfortunately, it's also a little sticky, so I'm not sure exactly how long it will survive in its home in my Rodolex with the other cards!)

Next, I used some of the awesome postal-themed Santa napkin I mentioned earlier to create a few additional cards.

I added lots of additional rubber stamping and some more decorative tapes.

Now, I have a pretty full Rolodex, and I can move onto the next one--a not-so-long ago thrift store find.

And because we all love those yummy, thick, colored page edges, whether it's an art journal or a set of Rolodex cards, here's a peek at the top edge:

If anyone is interested in doing a Rolodex swap, please get in touch through the comments, or by email at aleakaskey@yahoo.com.

Happy holidays, everyone!