Time flies when you’re having fun! Next month marks my one year anniversary with the n*Studio Creative Squad!
There’s a brand new project up on Nathalie Kalbach’s blog today. This time the theme is Let’s Go Somewhere and I even created a video tutorial to go along with it, so be sure to check that out here!
I haven’t shared any of the completed projects I made for the Creative Squad so far, so if you haven’t been visiting my friend Nathalie’s blog, you’re in for a treat!
Looking back on everything I created in the past year, I see some of my absolute favourites among the n*Studio projects. Nat (and her awesome assistant Kim)’s monthly prompts always seem to bring out the best in me.
Nat’s designs are of course also right up my alley, so I truly enjoy working with her stamps and stencils and I think that shows!
But you don’t have to believe my word for it… Take a look for yourself!
Click on the photo if you want to know more about the project, the materials I used and what prompted me to create it. The link will take you to the original blog post on Nathalie’s blog.
Hi there! Today I’m sharing my Creative Squad project for June over on Nathalie Kalbachs blog!
Each Tuesday the team shares a themed project on Nathalie’s blog. This month the theme is My Own Drum and all projects feature Nat’s Stampendous Fashion Dame Cling Stamp Set.
Head on over to the n*Studio Blog to see the entire project!
Hi there! Welcome to the Nathalie Kalbach and Friends Summer Hop!
If you would like to start at the beginning of this hop, then please check out the Stampendous Blog. They’ve started hopping on Monday, so there is loads to discover there!
I’m sharing this iconesque Fashion Dame today:
Here’s how I created her:
1 | Cut a sheet of grey board into four 4″ x 6″ pieces.
2 | Set two cards aside. Cut a rectangle window in one of the remaining cards and a Gothic arch in the other.
3 | Use Archival Ink to stamp the Fashion Dame and her attire on one of the plain cards. Cut the Fashion Dame pieces out.
4 | Give the Fashion Dame pieces a coat of gesso and the other cards a coat of gold acrylic paint. Leave to dry.
5 | Use the Art Deco Wallpaper Stencil to stencil the background card in turquoise and dark blue. Use embossing ink to stamp a halo with the smallest of the Kaffee Klatch Cling Stamps, sprinkle on some Vintage Jade embossing glitter and heat set the powder with a heat tool.
6 | Take the Gothic window card. Use an old plastic (credit) card to apply gold paint to the card through the stencil that comes with the Elephant Foam and Cling Stamp Set. This will create a nice raised texture. Leave to dry completely.
7 | Take the rectangle window card. Use embossing ink to stamp with one of the stamps of the Fiesta Cling Stamp Set. Sprinkle with Blueberry Cheesecake embossing powder and heat set the powder with a heat tool. Use your finger to apply a bit of pink, blue and gold paint on top of the embossed frame.
8 | Adhere the Gothic frame to the background card and the rectangle frame to the front of the Gothic frame.
9 | Apply colour to the hands and face of the Fashion Dame with Neocolor II’s and a watercolour brush. Use acrylic paint to paint the lips and clothing.
Use one of the Fiesta Cling Stamps to stamp on top of the cardboard pants with embossing ink, sprinkle with Blueberry Cheesecake embossing powder and heat set to create the patterned pants. Stamp over it once more with the pants stamp and Archival Ink.
Stamp and emboss the jacket with embossing ink and Mint Macaroon embossing powder. Add black dots with a Posca marker.
10 | Adhere the Dame to the icon frame and add small turquoise dots with a Pearl Pen.
11 | Leave the card as is, or paint an old frame pink, apply gold stencilling with the Art Deco Wallpaper Stencil and adhere the Fashion Dame icon to the front of the frame.
For more inspiration, featuring Nathalie’s fabulous stamp sets check out all the wonderful projects in this Summer Hop!
Here are the links to the other designers participating in the hop today:
Stampendous is kindly giving away three prize packages of Nat’s foam stamp sets. So don’t forget to comment for a chance to win and be sure to check out the Stampendous Blog to find out more! The give-away is closed! Winners are announced here!
Ooooh… and before you leave! My post for the n*Studio Creative Squad is coming up on Tuesday, so be sure to check out Nathalie’s blog next week to see the spin off project I created with these leftover pieces:
Hi there! Welcome to the Nathalie Kalbach and Friends Blog Hop!
The n*Studio Creative Squad is joining the Stampendous Design Team today for a blog hop focusing on Nathalie’s awesome foam stamp sets!
If you would like to start at the beginning of this hop, then please check out n*Studio. Or go over to the Stampendous Blog: They have been hopping there all week, so there is loads to discover there!
I’m sharing this art journal page, featuring Nat’s Elephant Foam Stamp, Cling Rubber and Stencil Set:
The idea came to me when I was flicking through an old Flow magazine and found the image of two acrobats, doing a stunt on a couple of horses. They were just made for Nat’s Elephant!
Here’s how I created my art journal page:
Print | Monoprint a background with a Gelli Plate. I started by pulling a print of just plain red paint. Then I covered the Gelli Plate with rows of ultramarine, light blue and white paint, put the Lily Wallpaper stencil on top and pulled a print on top of the red layer.
Stamp | Cover the solid Elephant foam stamp with white paint and stamp the Elephant onto the page. Once that’s dry, stamp over it with the Elephant cling stamp using black ink.
Collage | Stamp another Elephant (cling) image onto a sheet of copy paper using neon pink ink. Cut out the elephant’s cloth and collage it over the stamped image on the page. Cut out the acrobats and collage them on top of the elephant. The guy was missing part of his legs, so I sketched them back in.
Stamp some more | Use the Fiesta Cling Rubber Stamp Set and the stencil that comes with the Elephant Foam Stamp Set with white paint to create curtains for the ‘circus tent’.
Glaze | Darken the area under the curtain with a glaze. This is a thin layer of translucent paint that I created by mixing black paint with a glazing medium.
Doodle | Add details with paint markers, pencils and gel pens.
Finish | Add more stamping, more stencilling and splatter paint until you feel the page is done!
For more foam stamp inspiration, check out all the wonderful projects in this Blog Hop!
Here are the links to the other designers participating in the hop today:
Stampendous is also kindly giving away three prize packages of Nat’s foam stamp collection. That’s three x three foam stamp sets with a foam stamp, a cling stamp and a stencil each!!! So don’t forget to comment for a chance to win and be sure to check out the Stampendous Blog to find out more! The give-away is closed! Winners are announced here!
Other:
Canson Mixed Media Imagine (8.3 x 11.7 inches, 120 lb.)
Gelli Arts Gelli Plate
Golden Acrylic Glazing Liquid
Hero Arts Neon (Neon Pink)
Liquitex Soft Body and Heavy Body Paint
Liquitex Matte Medium
Ranger Archival Ink (Jet Black)
Stabilo Write 4 All (Black)
StazOn (Black Cherry)
Uniball Signos
UniPosca markers
Charcoal pencil (Black and white)
Hello September! It’s the 10th already, so I’ve got a new instalment of Inspired by for you!
Inspired by is a monthly challenge that my friend Riikka and I started 3 years ago. We decide on a theme (and that theme can be anything from a film, a book, a painting, to an item, colour scheme or material) and then we create something with that theme or thing in mind.
We keep what we’re making a secret until reveal day on the 10th, when we show you and each other our creations.
This month’s theme is all about our sweet friends, amazing teachers and huge inspirations Nathalie Kalbach and Birgit Koopsen!
I think this month’s theme emerged in June, right after Riikka and I each individually took classes from Birgit and Nathalie. Riikka went to their joined retreat in Finland and I went to the same retreat held right here in the Netherlands.
Both ladies not only teach classes and create stunning art work, but they also have their own product lines.
Birgit products are produced by Carabelle Studio and she’s getting ready to release a set of brand new designs as we speak!
During the retreats, there was one class they taught together and in that class all of their products were available for us to use. So for this Inspired by, the briefing was to use Birgit and Nat’s stamps on one (or more) project(s), just like we did in class.
I started out by rummaging through the gelli prints I did during the retreat. I worked on some of them to warm up, but in the end I decided to create this page in one of my art journals:
The background is created with modelling paste and one of Nathalie’s stamps. On top of that there are layers upon layers upon layers of spray ink, stamped images, black Stabilo All pencil, Liquitex paint and markers, Derwent Graphik Line Painters, some green Neocolor II and a white Sharpie.
I should also add that the page wasn’t blank when I started. There already were some remnants there of a glitter paste I made from gel medium and Elizabeth Craft Designs Silk Microfine Glitter.
The hearts and leaves images are Birgit’s stamps, stamped on one of the gelli prints from the retreat, cut out and adhered to the page.
I’m pretty sure I was taught all techniques used on this page by either Nathalie or Birgit at some point in my crafty career and I love that the page (at least to me) even looks like a Birgalie or a Nathit!
Thank you so much Birgit and Nat!
And now please visit equally awesome Riikka to check out her Nathalie and Birgit inspired project!
Check out my latest n*Studio Creative Squad project on Nat’s blog.
