September 2006 - Annette Warkentin, Ph.D.
"3-Panel Screen"

dragonlady2@verizon.net
"Yucaipa, CA"

(Click on picture for instructions)

How long have you been stamping?
I discovered stamping years before I ever took myself seriously and started exploring the stamping world. That was about five years ago.

What is your favorite technique?
My favorite technique is whatever technique I am using at the time. That may read a bit odd, but as I discover and rediscover techniques, I continue to learn, grow and become. It's a great feeling.

Favorite stamp company?
Anne Stone's website www.stonehousestamps.com, www.inkastamps.com, www.artneko.com, www.aboutartaccents.com are some of the companies I return to again and again. All of their rubber is top quality and their images are deeply etched, their service is outstanding and they're friendly. Acey Deucy images also make me drool, so I own all of them. .

Favorite Asian stamps?
My internet ID is Dragonlady, not because I have a horrid temper, but because I collect dragons, so DH dubbed me 'Dragonlady', so I am partial to dragons and anything Asian. Kimonos, fans, pagodas, torii gates, koi, bridges, you name it, they are all favorites. I enjoy the cultures of the Orient, their foods and the 'feel' of all things Asian. Japanese, Chinese and Korean are my first choices.

Favorite stamp accessory?
How does one choose just one? My Genesis paper trimmer is a must in my studio. I own five paper cutters, but the Genesis is perfection personified. I can cut 1/100 of an inch off a piece of cardstock and the cardstock is cut perfectly. My heat tool, sharp scissors, brass stencils, score it tool, scanner, punches, tons of them and my incredible stash of washi rank up there, too. If I had to choose one item to remove from my stamping room, it would be a hard choice. Maybe I could live without the curtains! LOL.

Favorite colors?
Purples including lavenders, teals and turquoise, shades of green with gold, red and gold with black, black and white, any colors with texture I can 'feel' with my eyes draw me to them.

Favorite embellishment to finish a card?
I have to admit that I am addicted to those wee brass Chinese coins. They seem to be able to fill an area and make a silent statement without taking away from the design and flow of the art. A punch, either the positive or negative, can add so much to a card, too, without being overbearing.

What is the one tool you couldn't live without?
Scissors. Double-sided tape comes in a close second.

Any helpful tips for the group?
Ask questions, look at the art created by others and ask how they did it. Buy stamping magazines and how-to booklets. My favorite magazine is Vamp Stamp News because of all the tips she includes every month. The samples she shares make it possible for me to see products before I buy. Be sure to attend classes and take a friend or plan to make new ones in class. Be inquisitive and you will learn more than you ever thought you could. Stampers are generally generous with their knowledge, so take advantage of the opportunity to learn from others. Learn from Master Stampers by copying their art. They won't mind, just ask first. Your art won't look like theirs, but until you develop your own muse, it is wise to follow in the footsteps of masters.

As a member of the Oriental Stamp Art Group, why do you like stamping in the Oriental theme?
The Orient has always intrigued me. Washi, silk brocades, kimonos, eating with chopsticks, bonsai plants that stop me in my tracks…And The Great Wall of China. Chinese are credited with inventing gunpowder, papers and a gazillion other things long before we came on the scene and I marvel at their talents. I enjoy all aspects of Asian cultures. I collect dragons, cloisonné, netsuke, soapstone and jade carvings, brocades, teak carvings and Kokeshi dolls all from the Orient. OSA is a perfect venue for me to enjoy the Orient and beauty with all of the incredible art created by our OSA members.

Is there any one place you'd like to visit to find rubberstamps, supplies or any other Asian elements?
R.O.C., Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Shanghai, any Chinatown or Little Tokyo or Korea Town I come across in my travels.

What other stamping lists or clubs do you belong to?
I belong to a plethora of groups. My local stamping club is one I started and our members have become personal friends. We rotate homes and each of us teaches a technique when the group meets at our home.

What favorite stamping magazines would you recommend?
The most bang for your buck is definitely Vamp Stamp News. Nancie Waterman, publisher/editor, makes sure that every issue is chock-a-block full of ideas, hints, techniques and samples of stamping. Her style of writing allows anyone with a modicum of stamping knowledge to follow along and make sense of what she is writing. I do enjoy Just Cards and Take Ten where I have been published, but were I to have only one monthly magazine subscription, it would be VSN.

Published in any magazines? If yes, please list.
Vamp Stamp News several times, Take Ten several times, Just Cards a few times and Expression with an article published. I was also interviewed and art published on RubberStampMadness.

Any other hobbies, crafts or art interests?
I am an accomplished cook according to those who sit at my table. I also sew and design clothing, embroider, knit, garden, sing, sign (American Sign Language), hike and quilt. In my spare time, I do interior decorating for friends who ask.

What inspires you to be creative?
Time and seeing Stampers' art inspire me. When I have time, I love to stamp. I create time by doing my daily chores between 4:30 and 5:30 in the mornings, Monday through Friday. That way I have no chores or laundry to do on weekends. Sounds odd, I know, but with my house clean and dinner in the crockpot every day when I leave for my office, I know that my arrival home means I will have time to create. I learned ever so long ago that to get something, I have to give up something. I gave up watching television so I can stamp and create. It is a perfect trade-off. I receive so much pleasure from stamping that a missed program or ten doesn't phase me. What else inspires me to be creative? Seeing! That's why I love it when our OSA members scan art they create and receive. I can see for myself how they have birthed a feeling by using an image, a texture or colors in combination. I never come away from our OSA galleries without thinking, "I want to try that!"

Any art background?
Does helping my dad paint the garage when I was ten-years-old count? I took the obligatory Art Appreciation in college and I've taken stamping classes with Kelly Kilmer, Carolyn Holt and Mary Jo McGraw over time, but most of what I have learned, I learned by seeing scans of art created by members of OSA. OSA's members are the most inspiring for me because they share their creations and techniques. Ours is a most caring and giving group, so I would have to say my best art background comes from each other our members.

Have you used any unusual item in your stamping?
Haven't we all? I used some weather stripping my DH had left over from a house he was building. I also used some flashing that was orphaned on a work site. Look around my home and you can see stamping on tree bark, on sidewalks, walls and on wood coasters and trays. I have stamped on people, children's faces, in chocolate, on mirrors, on new paper toilet seat covers, street curbs, pears, apples, casts on broken legs, fabrics and the list goes on and on and on…

Any favorite websites you would recommend for inspiration?
My favorite is still www.orientalstampart.com and all of our Elite Vendors' websites. Most of the vendors have galleries to peruse and find inspiration.

Do you have a day job when you're not stamping?
Yes. I work with county deaf and severely hard-of-hearing school programs. I am also liaison for the cochlear implant program and act as an independent advocate expert witness in court cases involving neglect, abuse or special education needs. My earned doctorate is in clinical psychology, so I do volunteer clinic hours 1-2 evenings a week. Each quarter, I train teachers at local universities. Once each quarter, I am a keynote convention speaker somewhere in North America where I advocate innovative teaching strategies to address children's specific learning modalities.

Tell us about your family and where you live.
I live in Southern California and grew up in San Diego. I was born in Minnesota and most of my parents' families still live there. I am married to the most incredibly supportive husband and have one daughter, a host of friends and a gaggle of pets.

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3-Screen Panel
By Annette Warkentin, Ph.D.

dragonlady2@verizon.net

Cut black cardstock 4 1/2" x 9".

1. Measure 3" toward the center from the left narrow edge.

2. Fold toward the center and crease firmly at 3".

3. Turn over and fold the other narrow end toward the existing fold.

4. You should have a 3-panel accordian fold; one panel folded back and the other coming forward. Set aside.

5. Cut a piece of red cardstock 4 1/4" x 8 1/4".

6. Punch the four red corners using Fiskars Royal corner punch.

7. Stamp the butterfly image overall using black Marvy dye ink.

8. Put 5 wee dollops of glue on one black panel: 4 corners and in the center. I have added white bits of cardstock so you can see an example.

9. Center the red butterfly cardstock on the black cardstock.

10. Use weights, bulldog clips or paper clips to secure the cardstock and set aside to dry completely. Please don't skip this step even if you are tempted. This step insures that your screen will open when it dries. A folded screen that remains folded and won't open isn't what we're creating. lol

11. Take off the clips and carefully lift up the red cardstock so you can apply 10 more dollops of glue, 5 dollops per panel.

12. Place flat and press firmly.

13. Fold the screen again, creasing the red cardstock so it folds with the black cardstock.

14. Secure with weight, bulldog clips or paper clips. Set aside to dry. Please don't eliminate the 'set aside to dry' step. The screen must dry this way or it won't open properly.

15. Measure washi 2 1/2" x 3" and mount on gold vellum.

16. Trim the vellum leaving 1/8" on all 4 sides. Center on left panel and attach with glue or double-sided tape.

17. Cut out gold medallion from red good luck envelope, center on right panel, attach.

Stamp the images:
1. The wee Japanese girl is stamped on cream cardstock with Marvy black dye ink and colored with Marvy markers.

2. Cut out the colored image. Coloring it after cutting it out is more difficult than coloring it first.

3. Attach the child image to the bottom right center panel of the screen using foam mounts to give her a 3-D effect.

4. The peacock folding screen image is stamped on red cardstock using Marvy black dye ink.

5. Cut out the screen with Kai scissors.

6. Score the stamped screen as shown from top to bottom at the fold lines.

7. Fold the screen image and crease it closed.

8. Use double-sided tape or glue to attach the stamped screen image. Attach only the right panel of the stamped screen image to your 3-panel prepared screen. Be sure that the left and center panels of the stamped image are 'free' and unattached so when your screen is opened, the stamped image is 3-D.

9. To close the screen, fold the stamped image screen first, then fold the large screen.

Thanks to About Art Accents who donated the materials and stamps to make the screen.

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