art journal page tutorial...

this is one very L O N G post...

I got carried away with the photos...

but I do think they help 

to get the picture across...

ok...that was corny...

***at the end of the post, 

there is a special SALE code...***

I had no real page plan when I started,

 except to show a new technique...

"stamping with rubbing alcohol"

it starts like this...

here's one of my original stencils...

the large heart...

it comes with both the stencil & the mask...

this is a large art journal page,

 for my art parts art journal...

it's specialty stamping paper, 

cut to 8 ½ x 6 inches...

***IMPORTANT INFO***

specialty stamping paper has a magical coating on it & the coating makes every ink you add to it MUCH slower to dry...

it's VERY important 

to dry each ink layer that you add...

if you don't...

even the smallest amount of ink will smear...

trust me on this!

DRY EACH LAYER!

for this technique, it's important to use 

specialty stamping paper 

for really good results...

the other benefit to the specialty stamping paper is that the fluid we add does not penetrate the paper...

I like that because when I work on the back of this page, I don't have to deal with color in the wrong places...you have a nice clean page to work on...

here's my process... 

I laid the stencil on my page & it's a bit to the left...

not exactly centered...

the bottle you see below is filled with rubbing alcohol & I have a CLEAN polka dot background stamp...

a CLEAN stamp is important for this...

if there is residual ink on the stamp, the alcohol will reactivate it & the color will transfer...

I stenciled the heart with tea rose archival & removed the stencil...

for this step,

I DID NOT dry the ink...

I misted some rubbing alcohol onto my craft sheet & moved it around (with my finger) to make a wet area large enough for my background stamp...

then I placed my unmounted stamp into the alcohol...

do this ONLY ONCE...

more than that & you pick up way too much fluid & you loose the stamp pattern...

I stamped randomly over the page...

not pressing it everywhere...

you can see the alcohol is bleaching/lifting the archival ink...

you can also see the wet alcohol dots outside the heart...

the rubbing alcohol does not harm

the specialty stamping paper...

you'll not see any warping, 

piling or bubbling of the paper...

also, because the stamp was clean, 

there is no ink outside the heart...

now it's dry...

with the mask on, protecting the heart, 

I used sky blue archival with 

the vintage ledger stencil & ...

stenciled 3 areas...

you can't go wrong with the triangle theory...

3 areas will make the eye move & it makes the art more cohesive...

(I sound like I know what I'm doing...huh?)

next, I stamped my sentiment with jet black archival...

what a surprise...

my next image will be a flower...

I stamped it onto the newsprint side of a piece of clearly for art that is covered 

with newsprint paper...

I only use glue n seal to adhere the newsprint paper to the CFA...

glue n seal is best paper adhesive in the world...

I cut out the flower and inked the polka dot background stamp 

with tree branch archival & 

stamped over the flower...

I used just 1 flower for this page, 

but it's nice to have the others 

ready for another day...

I inked over the flower with sky blue...

I used my custom DIY archival pad to stamp the stem/leaves onto newsprint/clearly for art,

then cut it out...

I find it convenient to label the bottom of the pad with the archival reinker colors,

in the order that I used them, to create the pad...

and here's the color variation on 

the leaves/stem stamp from being inked with

 the custom pad...

nice subtle transition...

love it!

next, I like to test drive the pieces to see where I want to add more to the background...

(if you like clean & simple...

you could quit right here)

I inked the new vintage text background with tree branch...

then placed the heart mask over the heart & stamped the text randomly, again in 3 areas...

for random background stamping,

 I like to use the stamps unmounted...

to add the next background layer,

I used the polka dots/stripes border stencil 

with sky blue...

to create a border along the left side...

to add some shading around the heart, I replaced the mask and inked around the heart 

with brushed corduroy...

this time I didn't dry the distress ink...

I misted some water onto my craft sheet, tapped the new splatter brush into the water & spread the bristles over the distress ink

 to create water spots...

distress ink is formulated to react with water...

but...

here's an 

oopsie...

I had used my brush with tumbled glass distress stain a few days ago

 & didn't rinse off the color...

so you'll see I got both water spots & some BONUS color!

unplanned...

but cool...

you'll also see that the archival inked heart does NOT react with the water, because

archival ink is waterproof when dry...

I used a waterproof pen to doodle wiggly lines around the heart...

even this tiny bit of pen ink 

MUST BE DRIED...

now some watering can archival, with the  checkmate stencil, 

to add another background layer...

again, in 3 areas...

the bow was stamped onto newsprint/clearly for art with jet black and cut out...

I inked it with sky blue and stamped over

it with the vintage text stamp...

that was inked with tree branch...

those stenciled dots needed to be accented, so I found the little tip in our junk drawer & tapped it onto the watering can archival pad & stamped around the dots...

to add dots to the centers, I tapped the ball end of the remnant rub tool onto the leaf green pad...

I LIKE when a tool has multiple uses!

I also used the design  ruler to add some lines to the left side...

and a black glaze pen dot to the ends of the lines...

now I like the border...

I used my white magic mat board & 

die cut these hearts...

inked them with leaf green, and stamped over them with the polka dot background, 

using fern green...

the flower, stem/leaves, bow and hearts are now glued on...

 I ***thought*** was done...

but...

I decided that the background 

still needed more, so this time I added inky dots with the splatter brush &

brushed corduroy distress stain...

just dispense some onto the craft sheet...

tap the splatter brush into the stain...

the heart mask was replaced to protect the heart...

then I spread the bristles over the background

and now the background has another layer...

I added a line on each side of the page & 

a 3 x's  to the right side of the heart & this time it's really done...

here's a better look at those tiny ink dots...

and LOTS of polka dots!

so think about this...

#1...

normally a page (or card) starts with the background & you build upon that...

this time, I had my main image down & added the background layers right where they needed to be...

it's a different way to look at things... 

the process is fun...

try it!

#2...

it's a great new technique,

stamping with rubbing alcohol...

any % of rubbing alcohol you buy 

will work just fine...

70% or 91%...

just buy the cheapest one...

stamping with alcohol works best

 on specialty stamping paper, 

because the ink stays wet & sits on the surface...

I bet you're wondering...

does the alcohol damage your red rubber stamp?

NOPE...

I rinsed it off with water...

that's it...

Ted said there are 2 main REALLY

harmful things for red rubber...

one is prolonged exposure to direct sunlight...

so don't leave your stamps sitting outside on your deck, baking in the sun all summer long...

and the other is petroleum products ...

they are not friendly to red rubber...

#3...

mix & match old & new products to create something brand new and get even more use from what you have...

look at what you have & how it can be combined with something else for a new look...

#4...

even after stamping with alcohol, 

the archival ink is still permanent, when dry...

so, I could have added distress ink over the whole heart & it would NOT smear...

distress and archival inks like each other...

#5...

you could use this page as inspiration for a card...

just choose a smaller heart stencil and go from there...

#6...

look around your home 

for things you can stamp with...

today, I used the little tip I found...

all sizes of jar lids make great stamps too...

I bet you'll find fun possible stamps in your home...

so that's an art journal page...

studio 490 style...

I hope you enjoyed it...

I hope you'll try it...

and I hope you'll

have a great weekend and

make art!

wendy

ps...the funkie junkie is offering a

 special SALE CODE 

to celebrate sending out 10,000 orders!

CONGRATS Linda & staff!...

here's the code to enter at checkout for 

an extra 10% off your order...

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