As usual, I absolutely love this month's stencils! When I pulled them out of the envelope and saw circle patterns, I did a little dance in my kitchen. I love me some circles! I felt like these would be fabulous mixed together with another of my latest obsessions - making my own hand-carved rubber stamps. I thought it would be really cool to have a set of stamps that would coordinate with my stencils, so I traced some of the circles from the 9x12 stencil onto different pieces of rubber, then drew and carved designs around them. Here's what I've made so far:
Here's my first art journal page - the background was done with watercolors, then I used my stencils with Archival Ink to layer on top. (Notice some of the circles where I layered the 4x4 scribbly stencil on top of the other circles - you just mask one stencil with the other... I love how this looks!) Then I used black Archival Ink to stamp a few images from one of my hand-carved stamps, doing my best to line up the center with the circle so that the inked background image would become part of the stamped design. Finally, I used Derwent Graphix markers to add some color (and dimensional paints, of course!) I was pretty excited about how well the elements worked together.
If you look closely, you can see that I used the 4x4 again to get pattern in the middle of the dark blue circles. It gives just a little bit more texture and depth, I think.
I had so much fun putting these together, and I'm sure I'll use the stamps and stencils together a lot more, and I'll definitely make more stamps to pair with my stencils!
Hopefully you're feeling inspired and excited to get this month's stencils. And if you're not yet a member, sign up by March 15th to start your membership with this set!
Happy Stenciling!
Gwen
Love your rubber stamps and the way they complement these stencils, Gwen!!
ReplyDeleteWas wondering what material you prefer to carve your stamps out of? I'd like to give this a whirl! :)
Thanks Mary! I've tried a few different kinds of rubber for carving. The kind of retro / atom looking stamp was carved from a piece of Blick rubber and the others were SpeedBalll Speedy Carve. I prefer the Speedy Carve - it's a bit easier to carve and it takes details better. I have trouble using the #1 blades on the other types I've tried, and the tougher surface on those makes it easier to slip up and make mistakes. Hope that helps!
DeleteThank you so much, Gwen! I read that SpeedBall Speedy Carve works great, so thanks for confirming!
DeleteYour stamps ROCK!!
wonderful stamps and examples!
ReplyDeleteLove these designs Gwen!! Each one is unique and so pretty. I really dig how you incorporated your stamps, handwriting, and doodles.
ReplyDeleteTake care and STAY POSITIVE!