Hello Topflight Stamps fans! This month our Guest Designer is Cher Lashley and I think we will be seeing some very interesting art inspiration from her! Here is a little bit about her:
Cher B Lashley started her art journey as a fine artist in oil painting and after seven gallery openings around the US and a couple of European collectors she opened her own gallery. It was there that she discovered stamping and collage, which became her main focus after the closure of the gallery. Her newfound skills lead to publications in various magazines and teaching appointments along the East Coast and onto Arts Editor for a popular magazine. A personal development resulted in a ten year hiatus from art and it was not until a friend told her to have a look at the social media sites featuring the new techniques in stamping and collage that she took up the brush again.
Cher is currently developing and honing these new skills to make her own and start another leg in this joyous journey. You can connect with her on Instagram and various Facebook groups @studiocher65.
Now on to the first project!
GIGI
Here’s a fun canvas to keep you busy in your cozy studio during the first of these dark winter days. I redrew this giraffe image from a Pink Ink Design stamp on a 12 x 12 canvas, but the following instructions will be for you to stamp the actual image onto an 8 x 8 canvas and have a lot of fun with a minimal color choice while you’re at it. Remember: this is to have fun with the process, to stretch your art wings a bit and fly a little higher, not really about the finished product. Although I’m sure that they will all be lovely, as well. So, let’s start.....
Supplies:
- 8 x 8 Smooth surface canvas
- Paintbrushes
- Gesso
- Light Ivory and Turquoise Acrylic Paint
- Choice of three ink or watered down acrylic colors
- Misting bottle with water
- Stencils (floral and leaves0
- White Full Body Acrylic Paint
- Stazon or black waterproof ink pad such as Versafine
- Derwent Inktense or Colored Pencils
- Black and White Posca Paint Pens
- Tombrow or water color makers in same color way as inks/acrylics
- PVA or adhesive of choice
- Matte Medium or Modge Podge
- Black and white check or tissue of choice
- Spray or brush on varnish or gloss medium
Stamps:
- Stamp one flower twice or use another floral stamp of choice to make up trio
- Leaf Stamp
- Rose or other object stamp of choice for neck
Process:
- Gesso canvas and allow to dry
- Stamp giraffe onto canvas or if using a textured canvas, stamp onto light duty watercolor paper panel, cut out and adhere. (Note: If using cutout, adhere after ink process)
- Mist water in small upper left hand corner area. Drop first ink choice color, turn on side and allow to drip slightly. Repeat this process for right hand side and lower left side using your other two choices of color medium avoiding area where you plan to stamp giraffe. Dry thoroughly with heat gun.
- Using stencils of choice, apply with makeup sponge lightly loaded with heavy body white acrylic paint. (Note: tapping off excess before applying give a smoother image)
- Stamp giraffe on smooth canvas or if using textured canvas, stamp onto light weight watercolor panel, cut out and adhere after inks have dried.
- Base coat giraffe in light ivory acrylic.
- In areas shown if using Inktense apply Sea Blue followed by Teal Green and wet out using damp brush, blending and pulling color further into area: if using colored pencils or thinned acrylics, apply a blue followed by a teal and blending and adding until satisfied into area.
- Eyes can be done with Inktense, Tombrows or watercolor markers or colored pencils. For Inktense and Tombrows, apply color to inside outer edge of iris and blend in towards iris with damp brush: adding some yellow or green for spark. Do not color into white areas designated as highlights. Use a black Posca for pupils and white Posca for highlights. With a damp brush, pick up a tiny bit of white acrylic just on corner- work out on pallet stroking over in same space until paint is distributed somewhat on brush and apply as floated highlight to bottom of iris to give more life.
- Paint spots and stamp neck using a turquoise colored acrylic.
- Dry entire painting thoroughly, then brush over with matte medium or Modge Podge
- Do liner work as indicated, including eyelashes using a fine liner waterproof black pen (like a Pitt). Other colors can be used for the scroll work in ears if desired.
- Stamp florals on light weight watercolor paper, color with Tombrows or markers of choice, cut out. Stamp leaves in black. (Note: I used black acrylic paint because I wanted that sort of hit and miss look). Using a white Posca outline inside leaves.
- OPTIONAL: I love black and white against bright colors; consequently, using punches of various sizes, I cut out circles of white dotted scrapbook paper and adhered to center of stencil florals and mounted onto foam tape to adhere to center of stamped flowers.
- Arrange trio and leaves into pleasing corner piece, lightly adhering to each other.
- Cut four strips of chosen tissue, mitering each top corner. Starting on side and folding over, adhere tissue with matte medium all round.
- Adhere corner floral piece and allow all to thoroughly dry.
- Seal with spray varnish or brush on a gloss medium.
Hope you loved this little adventure into canvas stamping as much as I did. Once you’ve gotten the hang of how many great supplies you can really use on a canvas, it opens up to a whole new world of possibilities. So have fun, make a lot of messes and produce your own stunning canvases. Till next time....Artfully yours, Cher
