Imagine That – Behind the Garden Wall

In The Studio

For my next project for Imagine I decided to see how VersaFine Clair did with a gel plate and create a monoprint.

You never know exactly what’s going to happen with gel prints–I had one idea in mind and, per the usual, ended up somewhere rather different. But, once again, I don’t mind!

Instead of one monoprint, I technically created two, then layered them after chopping a hole in the first one to show this little bunny (a chipboard piece I’d used as a mask and then incorporated into the final piece) behind/through the brick wall.

As far as the VersaFine Clair, well, it did wonderfully on the gel plate. It gave an interesting, almost textural coverage on the paper and the natural translucency of the ink is definitely an asset when doing a multi-layer print.

To see just how this composition came to be, hop on over to the Imagine blog!

Imagine That: A Tale of Two Backgrounds

In The Studio

Y’all know I’m always up for happy accidents and long ago gave up the idea that things must turn out like I pictured in order to be acceptable. My next project for Imagine falls squarely in that category.

I started out with the idea of doing a marbled background and, well, maybe one of them is pretty close, but the other turned out more like a camo pattern and, hey, I don’t hate it.

In fact, it was a really cool example (I think) of not just happy accidents but how you can do the same things with the same materials and end up with two totally different results.

And I used both backgrounds to make very different cards–one with a more feminine slant and the other more masculine. And I love when I come across techniques that are this versatile.

So head over to the Imagine blog and check out how I came up with these two backgrounds at once and see if it doesn’t spark some happy accidents of your own!

Imagine That: “Painting with VersaFine Clair”

In The Studio

My love affair with VersaFine Clair continues!

This time I decided to see what the ink could do outside of (or in addition to, I should say) your basic stamping.

I’d had some experience using it with Fantastix while at Creativation and I loved the dry-brush effect it gave. But what about making it more fluid?

Since VersaFine Clair is an oil-based ink, diluting with water wasn’t going to yield the results I was looking for. To see exactly how I solved this dilemma and created the scene above, check out the video over on the Imagine Blog!

Imagine That: Who Can Resist VersaFine Clair? Delicata Can!

In The Studio

When I was first playing with the new VersaFine Clair inks I made the accidental discovery that they interacted with Delicata inks in a very interesting way!

When the Delicata is stamped first and the VersaFine Clair is stamped on top, the Delicata acts as a natural resist! Yes, I’m using exclamation points because this was really cool to see happen and it was something I had a blast showing off at Creativation last month!

What can you do with this technique? I think it’s a great way to add an all-over pattern to your project without having to resort to complex stamping. When you use a faint shade of Delicata (Champagne is my favorite) the patterns showing through the overlaid image are little surprises which I think are really cool.

You can see exactly how this works over on the Imagine Blog!

Imagine That: Matching Notebook Cover and End Papers

In The Studio

Y’all know how much I love to make and/or decorate notebooks, right? In this project I got to do both as I made the notebook from scratch (because why not) then decorated the cover and made matching end papers for the inside front and back covers.

End papers can really add a nice finishing touch to a hand bound book, elevating it from craft to art. I admit, I don’t always go to the trouble but I always feel better about my project when I do!

I’m also really jazzed about the string closure I devised for this little pocket notebook. It was super simple and I’m very likely to use this on more projects as I maybe finally get around to making some journals for sale. We shall see.

At any rate, you can see how this came together over on the Imagine blog, complete with video! Go check it out!