****SOME TIPS FOR STARTING SCENIC STAMPING****
****HOW TO 'MASK' WITHOUT THE HALOS****
***WATER COLORING TIPS***
***HOW TO CORRECT
EVEN MAJOR 'MISTAKES'
AND STILL
SALVAGE YOUR SCENE***
***MAKING A SCENE WITH JOAN--'THE OLD GAS STATION'***
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IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT THE PIP. THEY ARE NO LONGER
BEING MANUFACTURED. THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THEM HAVE NOW RETIRED, SO THE FEW I HAVE AND
WHATEVER ONES YOU MIGHT FIND IN STAMP STORES ARE THE 'ONLY' ONES LEFT!!! 5/03
My first and most important tip, is to get the 'PIP' (Perfect Image Positioner) I just
can't stress that enough! It is heads above any other positioner ever made! After all
these years of my raving about it, I finally decided to sell them myself. I never wanted
to before, as I thought people would think I was only raving about them to sell them. Not
so!! If you get one, you will see for yourself!
The PIP consists of an "L" shaped acrylic square and 3 different
sized clear acrylic plates. You place a plate up to the square and stamp your image snugly
up against the corner of the square. Take the plate and slide it around the scene paper
until you find where it looks best. Then, put the square back up snugly against the
plate, being careful not to let the plate move, carefully remove the plate and then stamp
your image in the corner of the square. If you want to see how two or 3 images might
look together in a scene, stamp each image on a separate plate and kind of overlap them as
you move them around to see how they will look together. This way, you will know if
the images will work well together before ever stamping the first image on your actual
scene! Wipe the plates off with a damp cloth or baby wipe after each use, and
remember to keep them clean, so you don't wind up with smudges on your scenes. With the
PIP, you can get the tiniest of images squeezed into the tightest places if you want. It
is a Wonderful stamping tool!
I use a variety of brands of color pencils and pens. Berol and Bruynaeel are the main ones
I use. Then there are the Prang and Ticonderoga, which are inexpensive, but have terrific
colors. I also like Staedtler Karat watercolor pencils. Actually, these are the Only
watercolor pencils that I Do like......as they blend so much better than all of the other
brands I have tried.
I like to use the watercolor pencils to do things like trees or bushes. I will take a
darker green watercolor pencil and pretty much go over the already drawn lines of the tree
or bush....then I take a Prang kind of light yellow green pen and dab it to blend with the
color pencils marks......but not to just mix them totally........as I want to have a
multicolor look. I hope you understand what I am trying to say here. You just kind of
swish the color pen here and there to swirl the color pencil lines down into the tree or
bush.
Another good brand of color pencil I use a lot is Design Spectracolor. Oh, back to Prang
for a minute......their color pens are terrific, also, .........great colors, that are
also very inexpensive.
If you don't yet own a color copier, once you complete a scene, take it and have it color
copied, and use the copies to send out to other stampers .......retaining the original to
use as the 'negative' for future copies. (If your original ever fades and you have kept at
least one good color copy, you can also make good copies from it as well) This way,
you always have scenes to send to others.........and you can actually enhance the look of
your artwork when it is copied...if you get someone who is willing to take the time to
work with you (OR, if you have your very Own color copier!)
To get a better copy of your artwork, you need to tell the copy person to put the copy
machine on a DARKER setting. They have a tendency to always want to use a light
setting....but that makes your artwork look all washed out.
Also...either buy your Own (flatbed style) color copier or..learn the term
"REPEAT IMAGING"...... as that makes the copy machine print out 2 scenes on one
page, instead of just one......and you are paying for the paper........NOT what is ON the
paper. If necessary, I also tell them to reduce the size of the scene to allow for the
Repeat Imaging. This saves you 50% on your cost of copies to send to all of your friends.
Your BEST bet, though, is purchasing your own 'flatbed' color copier. They pay for
themselves in no time at all. You can get a good one, like a Hewlett Packard, for about
$300, which usually includes a scanner, printer and fax machine, all in one!! GREAT deal!!
(Hubby got his at Staples for $299) Update: You can now buy
these combo machines for as little as $150.00! (3/03)
Having the right images to 'build a scene' is very important. What I do, is choose a stamp
that will be the focal point.......or "star" of the scene.....then I just start
filling in with other images I think will make it (hopefully) look good. Remember, the
"PIP" allows you to actually 'see' if an image will look good or not BEFORE
stamping it onto your paper, since it allows you to move the image around on the scene,
until you see just where it looks 'right' in proportion to the other things you have
already stamped in the scene.
Getting images in the correct proportion to other images in a scene, is most stampers
weakest point. The PIP makes getting the proportions right a snap!
Your imagination is your best bet in stamping. You can also get ideas for scenes from
things like greeting cards.......those collectible plates catalogs, magazines and the
terrific website... webshots.com. It has the MOST wonderful photos to get idea from, and
the most beautiful colors to inspire you from Mother Nature!
Here is another tip........the larger your focal image is.......the easier it is to fill
in and complete a scene........as you will be using less images......due to the sizes. I
seem to be a sucker for 'detail' in scenes, so I usually use a lot of images.......but I
admire those who can use just a few images and still have a gorgeous scene! There are MANY
times, I wish I could do that.......but, alas, I just can't! If there is a square inch of
bare space......I am literally compelled to 'fill it in'!! ( :
I hope this can give you at least a little something to get you going.. When you do a good
scene, send me a copy for my website! : )
If you are looking for a good deal on acrylic blocks, contact Budget Blocks By Gedda.
For a good deal on ready to use wood mounts in grab
bags, contact American Art Stamps. They also carry cushion. 45 Pc Wood Grab Bags
Email: AmArtStamp@aol.com
or call 310/371-6593
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****HOW TO 'MASK' WITHOUT THE HALOS****
As far as masking goes, no one ever showed me, either, so don't
despair.....you Will learn, just as we all did. I will do my best to explain it to
you....and how it is done.
One of the things I discovered when making a mask, was that when I cut out the mask, I
needed to cut "inside" the lines of the image, instead of on the lines, or just
outside the lines. And even when doing this, I found it necessary, when stamping over the
mask, to first slide the mask down the image you are trying to cover, to where the line of
the image you are masking, is actually showing beyond the mask. You need to do this to
avoid getting what I call the halo effect......where there is this irritating blank white
space all around the image you were masking!
You don't want to use too thick a paper for your mask, but not too flimsy, either. I like
to use blank index cards, as they are sturdy enough to last pretty much forever. I store
my masks in envelopes in the drawer the stamp is in, or in the notebook the dies are in,
if using the temporary mounting system. That way, the masks are easy to find.
I use a small piece of removable tape on the back of the mask to hold it in place when I
stamp over the mask.
Now, if you do wind up with any white area after doing all you can to avoid it, most of
the time, it isn't all that hard to just fill it in. Say you were putting trees or bushes
behind a house, or person, or whatever, and you wound up with some halo. If you look at
the lines in the bush of tree, you can pretty much make a few squiggly lines here and
there to fill in the area and once you have colored it in, no one will notice , unless you
tell them! Okay, so you will have to Trust me on this!! : )
If you have convinced yourself that you cannot draw a squiggly line to save your life (oh,
you can too! You just THINK you can't!! : ), if you want to do it the harder way, you can
take your mask and move it down your image you are covering even more, then ink just a
corner or edge of your bush or tree stamp, and dab it here and there, until you have
filled in the blank space. That is a little more tricky, but it can be done. You just have
to keep moving the mask around and down enough to give the stamp room to fill in the blank
area.
So, remember, when you are cutting out your mask, be sure and cut INSIDE the lines of the
image, and when you place it on your stamped image to be masked, slide it down to where
you can actually SEE the outside line of the already stamped image.
Little by little, you Will get the hang of it. Like anything, it just takes a little
practice, and the more you practice, the faster you will get good at it.
Even when you do still, on occasion, get a halo effect, just carefully look at what is
missing between the masked image and the one you just stamped over it. Many times, it is
as simple as just taking a pen (or pencil first, if that makes you feel more secure, that
you can then go over with a pen) and continuing the line of the image you just stamped, on
over to the one it needs to join.
One other thing. If you ever get any of the image IN the one you were masking, usually
something as simple as one of those white correction pens, or the new jelly white colored
pens, will cover up any small mistakes. It is very good to learn to work with the mistakes
we all make. Most can still be fixed in some way, if we don't panic and just relax and
think about it a little.
(Update from when this was written: Read about using white out and color copiers to
correct even major mistakes, so you don't have to Ever toss out any scene. A copy machine
is a Fantastic stamping tool!!)
Just have FUN with your scenes! I don't think any of our scenes will wind up in the Museum
of Art, so don't take it all that seriously. Do the best you can, but keep the fun in it,
or it isn't worth doing. We need to do things that Ease our stresses in life, not things
that add TO it!
Scenic stamping is fun and relaxing, if you don't take it, or yourself too seriously. It
is also very rewarding, in the creative sense. I hope you will find something of value to
you in what I have said here, and that you will continue
to enjoy this amazing hobby.
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TIPS ON COLORING WATER
Scene used for these water coloring tips: 'Slate Rock
River'
I use several shades of blue for water.......usually different every
time.........and when I have finished......I use a very light blue color pen and go
around the edges of the water and any areas that would be shaded.....like at the bottom of
the boulder in the water.......and the splashes, etc......and under each of the slate
stepping stones. Sometimes I then take the Berol white pencil and go over it all to kind
of blend all of the colors. The very last thing I do is to take a white Pentel fine metal
tip correction pen and make squiggly lines for water. I almost always use more than just
one color when coloring in any image. It gives it more depth and helps bring it to life.
In the area where the reflection of the trees is in the water......I lightly colored the
trees in green in the water........went over it in irregular lines with blue for the look
of water......then went over that with a heavy hand......with the Berol white pencil to
mute the reflection......then on to the white correction pen water lines. (Berol seems to
be the ONLY white pencil I have found that works for this.) Not knowing how these colors
will show up on your monitor, it is hard to know how much help this may or may not be.
I can only Hope this helps you.
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TIPS ON HOW TO CORRECT
MISTAKES
IF YOU HAVE A COPIER
(I was ecstatic when I stumbled onto THIS!!)
This Scene is Called 'River Fishing.' (See Scene below. Try to ignore the things to the right of the
scene, that I obviously forgot to take out when I first scanned it. Sorry.) Now,
doesn't this scene look a tad cluttered to you?
(I guess you will have to scroll down and take a look! :
)
When I finished it, I regretted using so many images in the water, and really didn't like the end results of the scene, but I had a lot of time in it, so wanted to salvage it in some way. What I decided to do may seem drastic, but it worked beautifully. I got out my trusty Pentel Metal Fine Tip White Out Correction Pen and just whited (is that a word?!) over everything I decided shouldn't be in the scene. As you probably have discovered, you really can't color over white out very well, if at all, so I simply made a copy of what was left of the scene on my color copier, and recolored it on the now plain paper. It is so simple to do. You can copy the whited out scene on fancy paper if you like, but I am finding that I wind up using just plain computer paper more and more in doing my scenes. One reason it doesn't matter is, when I make more copies of my scenes for people, I laminate them anyway, so it is sturdy and doesn't really need heavy card stock. I don't know that computer paper would stand up all that well if you are using water colors....but you never know until you try!! Now, if you will scroll down below the cluttered up River Fishing scene, you will see the results of using the Pentel White Out Correction pen.
Don't you think the revised one below looks much better
than the first overly cluttered one above?
Maybe you can see the difference better seeing the two versions of 'River Fishing' Side by Side
As you can (hopefully) see, I also added more color in the second version. Even if you don't have your very own 'flatbed' (I HIGHLY recommend this type over the loading types) color copier, you could salvage your art by taking it to either Kinkos or any office supply store and making a couple of copies of it, after whiting out the unwanted parts. We are so fortunate these days to have SO many wonderful tools at our disposal.
joanewear@aol.com
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Just found a scene lesson I wrote for a stamp magazine that you might find
useful.....
"The Old Gas Station"
MAKING A SCENE WITH JOAN
"THE OLD GAS STATION" By Joan E. Wear 2/24/99
The inspiration for "The Old Gas Station" scene came from the old gas station
stamp from River City Rubber Works. The man in the scene is from there, also, and just
seemed like a natural with the gas station. I usually start off a scene with one or two
stamps that will be the focus of the scene and just kind of ‘fill in' from there.
After positioning the gas station stamp, with my Perfect Image Positioner, also known as
the "PIP" (now available through my website), I used my PIP to position the man,
so he would look in the right proportion to the gas station and car.
I simply cannot emphasize enough, the importance of using the PIP. I have tried almost
every other positioner, and there simply is no equal to the PIP.
Next, I look through my stamp drawers to see what might look good with the gas station and
man. Since the gas station has kind of an old timey country look to it, I decided to look
through my farm related images. The crates of apples and chickens from Diamonds Rubber
Stamps looked good to me, and that made me think of a stamp from Art Impressions, of a
fence that has a basket of apples by it. That should work really well.
Now, I use my PIP to slide the images around the page to see where they would work best.
Since the fence and basket of apples is larger than the crates of apples and chickens, the
fence will have to be down toward the bottom of the scene, since things closer to us
usually look larger than things farther away.
In scenic stamping, a ‘general' rule of thumb for good proportion of
images used is, larger stamps go toward the bottom of the scene, medium size images would
be toward the center of the scene, and the smaller images would be toward the top of the
scene. Of course, there will always be exceptions to the rule, but this is just something
to keep in mind.
The crates of chicken and apples look good proportion wise, beside the man, but I thought
that it needed a little something extra, so I got my always useful Anne-Made Designs
little clump of grass stamp, and stamped it all along the bottom of the crates.
I like to have as much ‘life' in my scenes as possible, so I start looking for some
animals that would work with what I already have. I notice this lunging dog from 100 Proof Press, and think he would work well tied
to the fence. All I had to do after positioning and stamping him, was to draw in a little
loop around the fence post.
I decided to give the dog something to be lunging at, and what better than a natural
antagonist, a cat?
I had noticed the old broken down truck from Rubber Farm in with my farm stamps, and it
seemed perfect for this scene. Since I was using a 5 X 8 blank index card as the paper
source for this scene, I didn't have a lot of room, so it was obvious it would have to go
to the left of the gas station and behind the man and crates.
This meant that I would have to mask the man. When you cut out a mask, always try to cut
it out INSIDE the lines of the image, to help cut down on that ‘halo' effect.
I now needed a background for my scene, and knowing that Anne-Made Designs is a treasure
trove of great background images, I dug through my ample collection of them and found the
perfect choice to go with what I already had. (Anne-Made Designs is now owned by Stamping Sensations.)
After masking the gas station, I used the PIP to see where to place the background stamp.
I repeated the other end of the same stamp on the other side of the gas station.
All that was left now was to use some ‘detail filler' images, so I got out my
favorite grass stamp and some pebbles. I used the pebbles in the area where I imaged
an old road would be, and the grass around the old truck, etc. I also used what I call my
‘dots' stamp from Anne-Made Designs to give a look of sand or just texture.
Since the scene now had a lot in it, I decided not to put in any clouds, and chose instead
to use my JoanWearDesign" birds image in one upper corner.
All that is left to do now, is to color it all in, and color is something that everyone
has to decide for themselves. My only suggestion on color, is to not be afraid to be bold
with colors, and to always use more than just one color in each image.
Come on now, Everybody, NEVER BE AFRAID TO MAKE A
SCENE!!
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