July 2003 -- Carolyn S.
"Faux Bleach Technique"

carolyns@orientalstampart.com
Eagle, ID

(Click on picture for instructions)

How long have you been stamping?
I was introduced to stamping approximately 3-1/2 years ago when a lady I had met through mutual friends moved to Boise, Idaho, from the
SF Bay Area and was scheduled to teach a class at one of our local rubber stamp stores. Because she was new in town and didn’t know many people I thought I should sign up for her class. In the week following, she invited me to her home to see her stamp room
and to use some of her supplies. That’s all it took and I was hooked. She was so generous with her stamps, supplies and willingness to show me the ropes. This is a trait that all rubber stamp artists seem to have.

What is your favorite technique?
There are numerous techniques that I favor – bleach, polished stone, watercolors and pastels. I am known as the EXPERIMENT stamper
because I am always attempting something new or different and tweak many techniques just to see the results. I am enthralled with new products, new designs and images, and want to try them all. Pergamano is a beautiful art and I intend to perfect this technique to
use in conjunction with rubber stamps. I did a simple card with it for my May MOSAS 7 project.

Favorite stamp company?
I don’t have favorites, but I do lean towards companies that produce Asian and floral designs. Flowers are some of my favorite images and I love to color them using pencils, watercolors, paints or chalk. My husband tells me I didn’t get sufficient sand box time as a kid because I spend so much time in my stamp room.

Favorite Asian stamps?
When I started stamping I immediately looked for oriental images and found Stonehouse Stamps through the internet. Anne Stone was really helpful. She provided me with some tips, pointed me to the work of Missy Hatalsky whose work is featured on Anne’s site. I sent her one of my first Asian cards, and she critiqued it and offered encouragement and inspiration. I have had several other companies inspire me, including but not limited to Beeswax, Posh, Blockheads and I must mention the Monthly Rubber Stamps Club (Diane Miller). Diane was very helpful and encouraged me to enter my work in their monthly contests. I felt this was an excellent way to learn the art of rubber stamping. When you see your work in print and can compare it to the work of others, it can be humbling. It also provides constructive
self-criticism as you learn from viewing the work of others.

Favorite stamping accessory? (i.e. EP, UTEE, Pearl-Ex, punch) When I think of favorites, I think of those that I could not live without – hot gun, VersaMark pad, embossing powder, metal ruler and X-acto knife. Watercolor pencils, paints and powders would be next in line. I do not like glue but prefer tapes to layer my work and perhaps down the road will boast as a proud owner of a Xyron machine.

Favorite colors?
This one is so easy – pastels (blue, green, pinks, purples) RED and
BLACK, of course, for Oriental cards. I am a ‘winter’ color person so I rarely use bright yellows or ‘summer’ shades in my art. I challenge myself with these colors.

Your favorite embellishment to finish a card?
I love trinkets (charms and coins) and ribbon and fibers. AND, layering is one of my favorite ways to complete a card.

What is the one tool you couldn’t live without? (i.e. X-acto knife, heat gun, glue stick, sponge)
Heat gun

Any helpful tips for the group?
If I was going to give advice to a new member or a beginning stamper, it would be “just try it, and don’t be afraid to do it in a different manner.” I would also encourage them to join a local group as well as a group(s) on line. I would encourage them to sign up for classes to learn from the experts. I have met so many friendly, helpful people through my new found hobby. I feel like I have known them my whole life and could count on them to help me with my art or problems or
questions unrelated to rubber stamping.

As a member of the Oriental Stamp Art group on yahoo, why do you like stamping in the Oriental theme?
I wish I had a good answer for this one. I have always leaned
towards oriental art and started collecting netsukes many years ago. When we lived in California, our home was decorated using a lot of oriental furniture and accessories. Some of them I could not part with and they are in our home here in Idaho even though our home is Mediterranean styled. Asian art is soothing and I am particularly fond of floral paintings. I just finished reading two books, “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “Forbidden City.” I would recommend these to others who are curious about the geisha culture. “Forbidden City” was written in the old style prose and was more difficult to read. Whereas “Memoirs of a Geisha” was so easy and a book that was hard to set aside.

Is there any one place or city you’d like to visit to find rubberstamps, supplies, or Asian art elements?
I have always wanted to travel to the orient; however, my health prevents it. I do attend local stamp conventions and spend a lot of time surfing the web and purchasing supplies on line and downloading projects and techniques. My travel comes via the computer and I appreciate the members that point me to a new site or to interesting topics.

What other stamping lists or clubs do you belong to?
Locally, we have a club that meets monthly at one of our rubber stamp stores and three members from this group get together each Wednesday taking turns at each of our homes. I also belong to the Monthly Rubber Stamp Club and Club POSH on line and subscribe to many newsletters and web sites that feature rubber stamps. Yahoo’s Art World, Magenta and Altered Books are groups that I enjoy. Because of a hearing problem, I no longer attend classes. The last
class I attended was during a period when I could hardly hear and it was embarrassing for me to ask the instructor to repeat her instructions and I felt it was detrimental to the others attending the class as the instructor appeared irritated when interrupted. This
forced me to look to the internet for on-line classes and projects that I could do at home.

What favorite Stamping magazines would you recommend?
For ideas and inspiration, you can’t beat Stampers’ Sampler. I also like RubberStampMadness and Rubber Stamper. Expression is another favorite of mine.

Published in any magazines? If yes, please list.
My cards have been featured in RubberStampMadness and Stampers’ Sampler. They also appear in the on-line galleries of a Monthly Rubber Stamp Club and Posh Impressions.

Any other hobbies, talents or craft interests?
Loving flowers, I like to garden and roses are at the top of my list. I have had a rose garden at every home we have occupied. My
sewing and needlecraft have taken a backseat to stamping. I also do photo books using scrapbook techniques and two years ago created a family history book for each of our children and grandchild that took me more than nine months to complete. I ended my career working for a software development company so I enjoy the computer and use it to create projects and would be lost without it. At my age, few have the ability or the desire to learn how to use a computer thus I feel extra lucky to be computer literate. I also like to read (something else that occupies my mind and doesn’t require interaction with others).

What inspires you to be creative? i.e. do you listen to music while you stamp or watch TV, keep an art journal?
I was a working career gal in corporate America (accounting) until I fell, forcing early retirement. We packed up our belongings, sold our home and moved to a slower paced lifestyle where the sky is blue and living is less stressful. I lost the hearing in one ear and shortly thereafter an infection caused problems that have been ongoing. Because there are times when it is very difficult to hear and communication is limited, rubber stamping has given me an outlet to express myself. It keeps me occupied doing something I enjoy; and a means to meet others without face-to-face communication. It has been my lifeline, so to say. My inspiration comes from my online
friends, from their encouragement, their web sites and from my local group. The members of OSA are the most professional group of artists and very generous. I treasure their friendship.

Any art background ?
No formal art training – just grade school coloring.

Have you used any unusual item in your stamping that wasn’t necessarily meant for stamping? (i.e. found item or household item ) This is where the experimenting enters. . . I have picked up feathers from the ducks that swim behind our home, rocks from the yard and twigs from the trees to use on my cards. Now that I am into altered books, I even picked up a piece of window screen and tape used in new home construction. My eyes are constantly roving the sidewalks and street to see what might make the perfect embellishment for one of my projects.

Any favorite books on stamping or art techniques that you would recommend? Any on Asian arts & crafts?
I look at all that I can get my hands on and the most exciting book
this week is “TRUE COLORS” by Somerset Studio. It is a collection of art journal pages created by several well-known artists each one picking a different color for their work. If you enjoy altered books, you will love this collection.

Do you have a day job when you’re not stamping?
At last, I can say my days have no demanding structure. The 8-5 routine was left in California so each day is a new adventure. If I want to shop, I go; if I want to stamp all day, I stamp. When my DH wants to eat, he yells “Do we get any dinner today?” The time disappears rapidly. We love our surrounding area where we have ducks, geese, deer, fish and a beautiful home to sit and watch the world go by. We treasure each day and feel very fortunate. If we could change one thing it would be better health, as that limits our activities and reduces the energy to accomplish more.

Tell us about your family and where you live.
My husband, Jim, also retired early due to ill health. When I retired, he was ready and eager to hit the road for a better place to spend our final years. He is an outdoor enthusiast so moving to this area was an easy choice. He can fish from our back yard and check out the deer that cross in the front of our home. As more California people find Eagle, our quiet, less stressful environment could change and the deer will move further out to survive. We will celebrate our 49th
wedding anniversary in October. We both have a love for music and especially jazz, and we attend the annual jazz festival in Sun Valley each fall. Trips to visit family and friends fulfill our desire to travel. It is always nice to be back home. We have three grown children. Two live in Southern California and one in Florida. We have one granddaughter who has been with us this last month. She is a college student
studying graphic design. She is ‘my dolly’ and brings a tremendous amount of joy into our lives. We will miss her when she returns to California. I am also happy that Jim supports me and is one of my best critics. My stamp room is off limits and is definitely my sanctuary. He likes it that way and has his own office to browse the internet and watch TV. How perfect can it be!

I am honored and proud to be this month’s SAM. Thank you OSA for opening your arms and your hearts to me. I no longer feel like a newbie, however, I still have lots to learn.
Carolyn

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INSTRUCTIONS FOR "Faux Bleached Technique"

Tim Holtz of Ranger Products featured this technique in Rubber Stamper. However, Tim's method used dye reinkers and water to create a wash for the color. Her is my experiment using pigment inks:

Use a manila file folder as your card, stamp an image (preferably one without too much detail) with VersaMark and emboss with clear embossing powder.

Using your pigment ink pads (cat eyes and chalk pads work great), apply color on top of the image and around it to create a background using the direct-to-paper method. Darker colors around the image produce better results for contrast and the faux bleach appearnace.

Place the card on your ironing board between double sheets of plain newsprint (newsprint is the paper used for packing with no printing on it.) Regular newspaper can also be used. Using a medium hot iron, heat the card and the embossing powder will metl and be absorbed into the newsprint.

Remove the nesprint and you will see what appears to ba a bleached image. The manila cardstock creates the bleached dolor and provides a smooth surfance for the inks.

Mount the card as desired.

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