artist in residence

Imagine That: DIY StazOn Markers

In The Studio

While at Creativation, someone asked if the new VersaFine Clair inks would work with alcohol markers. Not having any on hand, I devised a quick substitute using Fantastix, StazOn All Purpose Stamp Cleaner, and a StazOn ink pad. VersaFine Clair appeared to hold up quite nicely in this quick trial, by the way*.

It’s been my plan since then to play with it a bit more, so in today’s Imagine project I made a set of StazOn markers in varying shades of 4 different inks, enough to color a pretty floral bouquet (stamped in VersaFine Clair, of course).

You can see how quickly this came together on the Imagine Blog!

*StazOn markers are solvent-based, so not 100% the same as the more common alcohol inks on the market, but the properties are similar. Always test your ink/marker combos before committing to a larger project, just in case!

Imagine That: We’ll Always Have Paris

In The Studio

Or, if not, we can make a memento of it in about an hour and a half!

Longtime readers may have a sense they’ve seen this project before, but that’s because the inspiration came from one of the pieces I did as decorations for my 40th birthday party. I used the same basic techniques, this time in a smaller (8″x8″) format with strictly Imagine products and, of course, filmed the process so that you can follow along and see exactly how I used the wash tape to “draw” the figures.

Head over to the Imagine Blog for the full supply list and the video of the project. Enjoy!

Imagine That: Backgrounds to the Forefront

In The Studio

Background stamps are, by their very nature, excellent as a foundation for a project. But some are just so gorgeous that I hate to cover them up!

For today’s project over on the Imagine blog, I used a white embossing powder resist technique with a very detailed Joy Clair stamp and highlighted it with three ink colors from a Kaleidacolor pad.

The result was a really pretty blend of colors and pattern that reminds me of a color fabric that I could not bring myself to cover up with more than a simple button-and-brad embellishment.

Head on over to the Imagine blog to see how quickly this card came together!

Imagine That: Mixed-Stamp Mermaid Card

In The Studio

Have you ever started a project and realized you needed another element or two, but the stamps you have on hand are in a different style from your focal image? That’s what happened as I was working on my mermaid card for the Imagine blog.

I had the background (Joy Clair) and the mermaid (Santoro) stamped and ready to go, but she needed some supporting elements. I was concerned, at first, that the underwater elements from another set (Waffle Flower) would look too different since the outlines were thicker and, overall, less delicately rendered.

But I soldiered on, just the same, and it turned out not to be a problem. I think the fact that all my stamping was done in the same ink (VersaFine Clair, Warm Breeze) helped quite a bit to unify the different stamp styles. Also, I used the exact same colors on the seaweed, coral, and shells as I had on the mermaid (a mix of pastel Memento Markers), even though it meant some non-traditional colors and shading. The consistent color palette definitely helped blend the entire piece together and the result is a very fun card that I am more than a little pleased with!

Head over to the Imagine blog to see just how the card came together!

Imagine That: It’s a Three-Fer!

In The Studio

So this month the Imagine team gave us an interesting assignment: design a project to be sent to another Artist to complete and get someone else’s instructions in return.

I received instructions from Kyriakos on how to make an awesome necklace and earring set out of Sheet Metal ovals that had been embossed and inked with StazOn! You can see how I was able to follow his instructions on yesterday’s Imagine post!

The instructions for the card I created were sent to Kyriakos in kind, and his version of my card can be found on the Imagine blog today!

Direct Link for the feed readers: https://youtu.be/eKT2KmKD9BI

Of course I went ahead and made a video of my card, which you can see above, and I have the full supply list right here for you!

Imagine Supplies:

VersaFine Clair – Verdant, Charming Pink, Nocturne
Memento Luxe – Pistachio
Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray – New Sprout, Rose Bud
Memento Marker – Pear Tart
Creative Medium – Clear
Craft Mat
Palette Knives

Other Supplies:

Cardstock – White, Pink
Waffle Flower – Flower Circles Stamp Set
Cricle and Butterfly Stencils
Darice – Heat Tool
Acrylic Blocks