Exciting news...

...for you if you love the Rare Image Rubber Stamps GARDEN sheet! Check out the Stamp Something blog March 13 and on for the fun!! :o)

Here's a shadowbox card I just finished up featuring both the RIRS GARDEN and PETS sheets images. I've been so inspired by Pat Moore's art on the RIRS site that I wanted to start stamping some scenic artwork again. The shadowboxes can be a little putzy and you have to concentrate when you're measuring and cutting LOL but when they are finished I really get a kick out of having these little dioramas sitting around on my desk for a bit. I have a few more I finished last year and had thought they were on my blog but I couldn't find them anywhere. I'll post the three of them here in the next few days...

Card measures 3 1/2" square and 1" deep

STAMPS: cat, birdbath and tree - Rare Image Rubber Stamps, path - V.I.P., cottage - PSX, mountain scene - Comotion, large grass - All Night Media, small grass - Stampin' Up!

INKS: Adirondack Willow, Lettuce, Pesto, Sandal, Latte, Stampin' Up! Bashful Blue

SUPPLIES: stamp positioner, ruler, pencil, eraser, stipple brushes, colored pencils, Flower Soft, Exacto knife, Micron 02 black finepoint marker

NOTES: see below

I generally start scenic work by drawing the approximate size of the finished piece on paper, and then stamping the images I'm planning to use so I can see how it fits together.



After I measure the cardstock for the total piece and mark where score lines go, I draw my opening and trim around it with an Exacto knife.

At this point I usually stamp the scene on the inside panel and if I screw it up (like this time LOL) I just stamp it on a matching piece of cardstock trimmed to fit. I like to continue part of the scene onto the inside side panels so the card looks good from an angle (and I do the outside side panels a bit too, if I'm not too lazy ;o)

For any areas that don't match up perfectly, or there is blank space, I use the finepoint black marker to add what's needed. A good example is the continuing line of the path on the frame area - once the card was folded together I drew in some grasses to continue the path stamped on the inside so it would look like it was coming into the forefront. This is where I also added the Flower Soft to start on the frame and draw the eye into the scene.

To apply color, I used the lightest colors and applied them with Airebrush stipple brushes, then filled in darker using the same and colored pencils. I kept a mask over the cat the whole time to retain the crisp white.

Hope you enjoyed - now go check out Stamp Something!