I
have missed my blog. I have missed my
art time. My world has been a blur of
school carnivals and Halloween and laundry.
All my good intentions vanished- like so many things around here! But, I pushed aside the clutter, like an
adventurer cutting aside the jungle, and found my work space. It was still there! All the paint spatters, dried Superglue, and
neglected tools welcomed me back. But
what happens when dead paint brushes greet you?
You know, the ones that you assured yourself you would wash as soon as
you put them down. Instead you felt the
need for just one more quick embellishment, one more stamped image, then the
phone rang… Now the bristles are a blue
plastic mass.
Well,
I can’t give you a NEW paint brush, but I can help you restore your paint
encrusted bristles to working order.
Ready for this? White
vinegar. Yep. Pour some white vinegar in a glass and soak
the bristles. After the paint has
softened and some of it has dropped out of the bristles, use your finger nails
to clean the bristles. Then wash the
brush well in soapy water. This has
saved many a paint brush at my house.
After
dropping my encrusted paintbrushes in vinegar, stashing all my beading supplies,
scraping polymer clay off the floor, and vacuuming up all the tiny paper clippings
I finally had space (physical and
emotional) to play. Of course by this
time it’s nearly bedtime, but I determined to “carry on”.
Some
time back while visiting my sister-in-law in Dallas I came across an intriguing
new stamp toy. Bright green gears and
cogs promised to open new rubber stamping windows! I couldn’t wait to begin. Of course I opened it as soon as possible to
run my fingers over the smooth plastic and turn the cling stamps over in my
palms- but I had not actually made anything with the contraption.
So,
with the mission to conquer the Stamping Gear (by Inkadinkado) I pulled up my
rolling chair, spread out the pieces before me, and grabbed a supply of white
typing paper. I tried to find some
stamped samples online in galleries, but there didn’t seem to be much out
there. So, I began to play with the
tools. I have learned a few things about
the Gear which I will share with you.
There is so much potential here, and I hope Inkadinkado will exploit
it. Can you imagine a set of cling “gears
and mechanisms” to go with the Stamping Gear?
And a new selection of sizes and smaller cling stamps could make the
contraption more applicable for card making enthusiasts. (Hint, hint Inkadinkado! )
Here
are a few basic observations I made while playing.
*When
making an image to go on a card, reach for one of the gear shaped pieces, the
ring or oval, rather than the smaller cogs.
While the cogs look smaller, the diameter of the stamped image is much
larger than what results from the interior of the gears.
*Use
a fast drying ink to prevent smears and smudges.
*Use
a juicy inkpad. This technique uses a
lot of ink! Think about it, when
stamping a closed pattern you will be stamping your image 32 times!
*The
Gears and Cogs both have triangular shaped holes in them that make it easy to
stay on pattern. For example, when
stamping at every second notch you can just proceed to the next triangle. Or for stamping every fourth position skip one
triangle. You’ll see what I mean when
you try it.
*When
you intend to stamp along the outer edge of a cog or gear and are placing your
stamp on the paddle, keep in mind the triangular notches that extend out from
the gears and cogs. Be sure to place
your stamp far enough from the edge of the paddle so that the notch doesn’t
interfere with stamping.
*Try
it out on typing paper first! I have started my very own notebook filled
with samples and notes about how I accomplished the look. I will share a few pages with you.
 |
| Here I recorded the tools and patterns I used. The two tone image shows the effect of off-setting the second stamp image. |
 |
| Again showing the use of two colors. I started with just the image on the right, then I repeated that and stamped inbetween each branch with the citronelle ink. I took notes of tools and patterns. |
The last three images: The first two show the difference between a completely closed pattern, meaning I stamped at every notch and an open pattern where I stamped at every fourth notch. The last shows where I began recording the stamp placement and orientation on the paddle.
Well, duties call. But throughout the next week I plan to keep
experimenting with my Stamping Gear. If
you own a Stamping Gear I would love to see some of your creations and hear
some of your tips.
Happy Weekend!- Renee
