July tag of 2013 and some good news

I found out at the beginning of the month I'm the winner and runner up of Visible Images June Challenge: Character. Hence the new blinkie badge my prize was the choose of any clear stamps for £10 which is basically 2 stamps. Due to the random selection of winner and runner up anyone can win except for Craftstamper magazine the standards are so high. In all it is important to do your best in everything you do. Tim Holtz is launching a new load if idea-ology plus stencils I'm having trouble trying to keep up. Only joking I only choose the stuff I actually want so for July's Tag of 2003 this is my creation:

The technique was using a brayer and distress ink I barely glanced at the post so the result was make it up as I go along. Grunge board with Rock Candy crackle paint, I was little impatient with drying and rushed the process with the heat gun. Ideally it should be left for day or more but I don't get free 'quiet' slot at the kitchen table till 7pm sometimes later. A half a day is wasted through waiting and with this heatwave, crafting is difficult. My intention was make something which celebrated Handover day in Hong Kong but ended up different and random. Mistakes can be turned into something wonderful. Distress Stains were dabbed in the cracks, I made my own tissue tape as ideo-ology range is so expensive, you can use washi tape instead.
Didn't have simple saying in my collection a stamped text on vial labels works as fine, most of stamps are PaperArtsy except for the Aztec Sun which is GCS(Great Canadian Stamp). For embellishments I used Muse token attached to crinkle ribbon with mini safety pin and metal charm (not idea-ology). Grunge board is strange as it smells like new shoes, very rubber and meant to be  altered as it doesn't lie flat. Element range is hard to find I end up buying and Mini safety pin might be discontinued. Some places still sell them if you know where to look.

These are the stamps I've chosen and don't know if I have time to make something for Visible Image's July challenge.

I've discovered something new this month it's called Smash book, all it's really is sticking stuff on pages. K & Company sell these Smash book which is spiral bound and has lots of coloured pages plus there are numerous accessories. It's like what I have to spend money on a new idea when I have been doing this kind thing for years since about 2000 when I was studying Foundation Art and Design it was called Visual Diary and brought on by Dan Eldon. I did buy a doodles smash book and few stuff from Amazon, at the moment I'm using Walls Journal Notebook due the fact it becoming annoying trying to align the writing. More details on 'smashing' will later I have stuff to right now.

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Second entry for Visible Image June challenge

Second card for June challenge  'Visible Image has character' is

Clara, she is first card I made and took me 6 hours to complete the card. I was working on card sketch layout. She and Edgar were embossed on 250gsm cardstock and coloured in Distress stains.
For her I chose Seedless Preserve, Aged Mahogany, Walnut Stain, Scattered Straw and Brushed Corduroy. The skin tones are a mixture of Spun Sugar and Scattered Straw as glazes, I tried to remove the stain from her face and area become napped up hence importance of having clean hands.

I always used precoloured embellishments as it saves time. I believe the lace is in Chipped Sapphire and Pine Needles. The background is light mix of Aged Mahogany and Tarnish Gold with middle section stamped in old free rubber stamp of Craftstamper before they gave away clear.

There's more paper flowers here accented in Stickles Shabby shutters and Weathered wood. I used Tim Holtz's method of adding acrylic paint to foliage Idea-ology to give worn feel. The reason I added a clock well it originally piece of grungeboard and thought using clock face would better because influence by Doctor Who. Current Doctor played by Matt Smith, he's assistant is Clara Osward otherwise known as 'impossible girl'. Besides there's lot of Steampunk influences in Doctor Who and can't wait for next one.

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Visible Image June challenge

Ever heard of Visible Image I haven't until I discover them in July 2013 issue of Craftstamper magazine. Not only was free 'clear' stamp designed by Visible Image but in their advertised it showed some of range of stamps produced by the company and they are great too. What caught my eye was anime/manga inspired character stamps, I normally stay away from cartoon stamps because to be honest they are rubbish and stamps cost money so I only buy high quality impression.
I had bad experience with 'clear' stamps especially Stampendous as they tend to squishy and yellow but with Visible Image I gave an exception they use high quality photopolymer, their stamps are firm and give a good impression. Pop along to their website and gave the stamps a try.
Also they have monthly challenge going on their blog, For 'Visible Image has character' I will enter 2 cards, first one:

Edgar and his pet raven. I chose Steampunk style because character really suited to this theme. I did some research to get idea of what Steampunk the best way to do is look at fashion for colour scheme and definition. Majority of art involves clocks and gears but it's much more about this. Think of Doctor Who, HG Wells it's a good idea to watch some films/animation such as Steampunk.

Distress stains work well if layered or mixed with other colours here I used Seedless Perserve and Brushed Pewter for background. Edgar I coloured him using mixture of Distress Stains and Markers plus Ink palette as help to separate the different colours which are Pine Needles, Black Soot, Chipped Sapphire, Brushed Corduroy, Scatter Straw and Aged Mahogany. Highlights I used Inkessential white gel pen. I'm still practising with watercolour techniques using the Stains made it easier, the Markers were harder to manipulate the colour.

There's so much metal components on this card it kept falling over as I trying to photograph. I was thinking of dials and gears which compliment they each because everything is on the card for a reason as to convey a story. Idea-ology Sprocket gears, locket keys, Time pieces, Game spinners and other miscellaneous antique brass embellishments.
The side panels is stamped in Stampers' Anonymous ledger and others with embossed in Stampendous Fran tage aged bronze.
This month has been hectic with all these monthly challenges I'll leave Craftstamper for next one because need a rest. These challenges are good thing as keep the resistance and block way.

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Another set of cards for Stamping Sensation's June Challenge

I intended to make another card for Stamping sensations and ended up with 2. They have both the similar layout and bird themed stamps only difference is the colour.

This one is darker and still worked on card layout sketch, majority of materials came from Issue 62 of Papercrafter magazine. Infact there are several card and papercrafting packs of goodies but all cost £7.99. This stash has the summer palette of pinks, blues and greens. In Crafterstamper they showed how to make your own paper tapes using double sided sticky tape. I sort of panic because there was a colour clash or LED light was playing tricks on me. I just blasted the background in terracotta Colorwash spray and added lighter colours in the foreground.
Main stamp image is from Paperartsy Hot picks range and others are Crafty Individuals. I've found some wonderful Asian foam stickers from a crafty store. Normally I buy Sanrio, San x and other Japanese stickers in Hong Kong just to show there are good thing if you look in your local craft shop not Hobbycraft.

I decided to enter this one for Stamping Sensations: Summer Blooms. I'm still making paper flowers by hands but more sculptural using glossy accent to glue them on and gem in place of a brad.
Paper is from still from Papercrafter magazine collection.
Rubber stamps are: Stampers' Anonymous-Tim Holtz, Crafty Individuals and Cox and Cox- birds and nest stamp collection. It does still has more over collaged style but I'm working on the minimalism.
There one more set to complete before I rest for a bit and craft again.  

This is what Oscar made he altered a loo roll and is in process of altering a cloth.

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My take on Tim Holtz's June Tag of 2013

Watercolours are not my kind of thing because I find them hard to manipulate the colours and prefer to use acrylics. This month's tag is quite a challenge for me the end result is not that bad and I figured out how to get even coverage of colours in the non wrinkle technique.

June's tag involves the use of Distress Markers and the use of an auto wet brush basically to blend and mix colours. This is my second attempt I was worried because the layers of colours wasn't blending immediately only realising later it's one those time delay effects. Hard to see what the actual colours he was using I used Rusty Hinge, Fired Brick, Faded Jeans, Broken China and Pumice Stone.
Distress Inks- Walnut Stain was used to darken the edges.
For the non wrinkle blend involved the use of 3 different Distress range mediums Paint- Broken China, Ink-Dusty Concord and Stains-Wild Honey. The key is not to mix the colours too much but can be layered. Tim left out details on what to add to crinkle ribbon to finish off the tag I used a mixture of Distress Paint- Broken China and Stains- Wild Honey and Scatter straw.
The Background rubber stamped I used PSX, Paperartsy and Stampers' Anonymous 6 to show that June is the 6th month in the year.

What I do with the monthly challenges projects I displayed them in my unfinished Artist's Shrine. More of building site really and the penguin needs to completed. Tim's tag was completed very quickly and spend the rest of evening playing with Oscar the hamster. He was on the gnawing mission last night and made arched doorway on the loo roll. Maybe I'll include more of his creations.

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June Challenges and say Hello to a new friend

I'm still new to these challenges and sadly none of my work has gone chosen so far it has been a while since I last made a proper card or any with rubber stamping. As the old cliché it's not the winning but taking part which counts and each day is fresh page in a journal waiting to be filled.
For June I decided to enter this card in 2 challenges:
Country View Crafts: Die Cuts
Stamping Sensations: Summer Blooms

 

I doodled some card sketches and chosen a colour palette, to me June is start of summer this season's colours if sorbet. I used Candy: Dark Red, Greens, Blues with Walnut Stain.
Lots of Distress Inks and Stains were used so I won't go into much detail as usual I pick out whatever pre Distress paper scrap in stash. Don't have die cutting machine but have lots of Die cuts in fact 38 pages brought from Create and Craft. The trellis was painted using Distress Crackle paint: Antique linen it turned out green. The roses individually hand crafted from 4 hearts punch using 10 pieces with some small punched leaf details, the flowers took the longest to make.
Rubber stamping were in Stazon Jet Black and used: Crafty Individuals, Stamper Anonymous, Paper Artsy Hot Picks, Birds and Nest set from Cox and Cox.
I should of used an aperture card then wouldn't need to cover the edges with paper string: idea-ology.
Finally added small touches using faux gems and flowersoft.
Not too much of background were hidden by embellishment I have been known to over collage things.
I have still have Tim Holtz June tag of 2013 to complete plus my version for February. In the meantime say hello to my new best friend. He is called Oscar and is Syrian hamster I believe is about 3 weeks old.

I brought him on Monday from Pets at Home, in fact all Syrian hamsters are boars (males)

He's panda coloured and I worried about him on Monday and Tuesday he was active and playing on the wheel but changed on Wednesday, barely eats and spends much time in his house and only comes out to collect wood shavings to build a nest. I've checked Oscar last night he doesn't seem to have wet tail and still fairly active. Since he is still new maybe still settling in, I remember what happened to Cherry the Chinese dwarf she suddenly died in within 6 days.
Hang in there little Oscar.

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RZ-028 Blade Liger Papercraft model

I received request for more details of the RZ028 Blade Liger Papercraft model, the original post was on ipapercraft but the blog was closed downed and all model downloads current being transferred to another. I don't know who was original creator of template and all I know it doesn't contain any instructions on how to assemble just pictures of various completed parts. This papermodel is suitable for beginners but for anyone who wants a challenge.
Download templates at:
Original rar file
Zip file
Pdf only, be sure to download the following images there are 10 in total
rar files can be opened with Winrar

Here are the parts I've completed so far

 Head

(Not shown: Back legs and tail). The body is tricky part sadly the model is incomplete because it got damaged like some of other model (by malicious person) and my old printer is on the blink. I'm planning a remake of whole thing once I get a new printer.
The materials I used:
 ColorBase Vivid Card 170gsm Chocolate, Coral Red, Kingfinger Blue and WHSmith brand 160gsm bright coloured. No less than 120gsm as some parts like legs has be sturdy.
Anita or any tacky glue which is not slow drying or gummy.
Tweezers and tooth picks for spreading glue these are optional.
Paper piercer for scoring lines
Bone folder for sharp folds
On the pages which says Black print out on any dark coloured card stock (I chose Chocolate/Dark Brown) to make it easier to see the cut and fold lines. You have to match the pieces with those completed in the photos and recommended for more advanced papermodel assemblers. I started since 2008 and been on and off, I do have other crafts.

Good luck

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