Easy Masking Technique to Create a Painting using Viva Las Vegastamps!

Wow it's the end of March already!!! Susan here with my last post for my term on the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team and I have pulled a rabbit out of my hat for my last project!

Did you know you can paint with stamps??? You can build up beautiful scenery with many individual stamps. I know it sounds daunting but it's pretty easy and I'm going to show you how! I recently received the new Easter Plate #1372 of stamps and there is this adorable Bunny Artist #18115 in a painter's smock and I knew exactly what I wanted to create...a painting using stamped images.

I recently treated myself a set of Derwent Inktense Pencils that I have been pining for since I saw a project made using these pencils by Lisa Fulmer. Now I can finally paint on fabric and get a watercolor effect -AND- it's permanent.

I needed to go through my stash of VLVS stamps to grab some of my floral stamps.

I am building up a large floral scape by masking with paper masks and multiple stamping using Bouquet #9680, Hyacinth and Leaves #10301, and Sunflowers #9918 - and the Bunny Artiste will be painting them.

For this project I am stamping onto a cotton muslin. I first begin by stamping my florals multiple times on plain paper and trimming them out to make individual masks. I would have used post-it notes, but I didn't have any within reach. Start by stamping an image, then place mask over and then stamp again, slightly overlapping. I repeated stamping florals multiple times to build up a large floral scape. This required several masks {one mask for each stamped image in layering process} so the additional prep time of fussy cutting is well worth the reward of a beautiful piece in the end.

Please see accompanying image number to go along with written instruction/description.

Photo #1: Bunny Artiste stamped on muslin in brown Staz-On ink off to the right side of my fabric. Photo #2. Next I stamped one Hyancinth, placed a mask over and stamped another to the left. Then placed a mask over the second Hyacinth also. Photo #3: I repeated by adding Sunflower image stamped three times; applying a handcut mask after each stamping. Photo #4: Detail stamped images covered by my paper masks. Photo #5: After completing Sunflowers and masking, I stamped the Bouquet three times slightly angling around the other flowers. I started in the center, then reinked and rotated to stamp left and right sides. Photo #6: Remove the masks to see the full layered image as one scene. Now the completed image is complete and ready for coloring.

 Now I begin painting my scene with the Inktense pencils
and build up layers of color.

Then to get a softer, watercolor look, I used a waterbrush to blend out some of the color. This really brightened and intensifed the colors. I continued building up and blending the color with the water brush until I reached a point I was happy with. For a finishing touch - I added some white gel pen to add back in some highlight areas. Some of these were lost from bleed out when blending out the colors. Not a problem. The really nice thing about these Inktense pencils - after the first time you wet the colors, when dry - they are permanent. If you re-wet - they do not blend out any further. These will be fun to play with more on other projects.

HERE IS THE FINISHED MASTERPIECE!

I showed this to my pals at my local monthly Altered Book Club meeting and they thought I had painted this from scratch. They were shocked to hear that it was all stamped images. So this project is a definitely a winner! Off to create some more : )

I hope you have enjoyed my projects as much as I have enjoyed creating for the Viva Las Vegastamps! Design Team over the past six months...it's amazing how fast the time has flown by. Beginning in just two days there is a brand new design team starting and I am just as excited as you are to see what the new team will create. I won't be far away. You can keep up with me by visiting my blog, sbartist : painting in the dark HERE. 

One day left to enter the VLVS Theme Challenge for March! We are doing this just a little different this month. Trying something new. CLICK HERE for info on submissions. inLinkz your "BIRTHDAY" wishes for Terri Sproul creations using Viva Las Vegastamps! for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate at the VLVS online store. Don't forget to check out the Viva Las Vegastamps! store.

Stick around a while and see what our talented Design Team has been up to...thanks so much for visiting.

Have a crafty day! Sb