The french theme just got started with the fleur-de-lis of the previous week, and of course I have always looked out for an Eiffel tower stamp when online or in a craft store. I just never seemed to find the right one. They were either too simple or too expensive, but as the laws of creativity often ironically wants it, I think the reason was only that I needed to figure out a new technique or two and make it myself instead of the easy way. With a little stroke of luck I learned a new skill with my cutting tools that allows very fine detail. Exactly what I've been needing! And so my Eiffel tower saw the light, as my most detailed stamp so far, and a inspiring kick-off for week 3. I have already used it in a few different ways and know it will be one of my mainstays in future.
As a non-practicing-blacksmith I will never have too many anvils. Heavy and cold steel as they are, to me they are objects of excellent beauty and grace. More than just a tool for the trade, the right lines on an anvil can drive me to poetry. I brought my two working anvils from South-Africa when we moved here, and kept watching the anvil scene to see if a well-priced third one presented itself. It took a while, but at last it did! It was a pretty small little thing, with beautiful lines, and it was Australian made. Perfect! I have been needing something smaller and portable for lighter studio work, but if I only use this charming one for display it would be enough. So while anvil fever swept through the house until the weekend when we could drive down to the coast and fetch it, I made anvil stamps and anvil prints.
In the meantime, I've been working on a commission that required some roses. In mixed media I'm always a little torn between using ready-made papers, patterns and images and producing my own. This was no exception. None of the roses I cut from photographs and magazines 'wanted' to be there, and a painted rose would be too serious. So I made a plan. I made a stamp, scaling it up from a delicate design on one of my scrapbooking papers. It worked well, and I made another bigger one to use in combination, producing the outlines of the roses, and filled the insides with tones of red paint.
Days 4-7 saw an umbrella stamp and three textures of simple leaves, very handy in anything needing the soft touch of foliage.
But even with 21 new stamps it was the end not, as new ideas for stamps kept popping up, and I made notes so I could get to all of them. But for now, week 3 is over and done and tomorrow's stamp still a mystery.
As a non-practicing-blacksmith I will never have too many anvils. Heavy and cold steel as they are, to me they are objects of excellent beauty and grace. More than just a tool for the trade, the right lines on an anvil can drive me to poetry. I brought my two working anvils from South-Africa when we moved here, and kept watching the anvil scene to see if a well-priced third one presented itself. It took a while, but at last it did! It was a pretty small little thing, with beautiful lines, and it was Australian made. Perfect! I have been needing something smaller and portable for lighter studio work, but if I only use this charming one for display it would be enough. So while anvil fever swept through the house until the weekend when we could drive down to the coast and fetch it, I made anvil stamps and anvil prints.
In the meantime, I've been working on a commission that required some roses. In mixed media I'm always a little torn between using ready-made papers, patterns and images and producing my own. This was no exception. None of the roses I cut from photographs and magazines 'wanted' to be there, and a painted rose would be too serious. So I made a plan. I made a stamp, scaling it up from a delicate design on one of my scrapbooking papers. It worked well, and I made another bigger one to use in combination, producing the outlines of the roses, and filled the insides with tones of red paint.
Days 4-7 saw an umbrella stamp and three textures of simple leaves, very handy in anything needing the soft touch of foliage.
But even with 21 new stamps it was the end not, as new ideas for stamps kept popping up, and I made notes so I could get to all of them. But for now, week 3 is over and done and tomorrow's stamp still a mystery.
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