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Norma Anne is the humble princess of her own domain. Many thanks to all who help and apologies for my mistakes. Contact Norma Anne at NACHattin@NAChattin.com
04.14.04 NAC last updated: January 14, 2010
Funky Color Blocking
Color blocking gets a new look with this fun method of ink application. Inspired by the creative folks at Stamper's Anonymousin their trade show booth and online--I set out to experiment with this fun technique.
Their technique calls for slick paper, Staz-On(tm) ink, sponges, bold border stamps, funky focal stamps, and easy masking techniques.
I had to make a few modifications because while I own over 100 ink pads, only 3 of them are Staz-On. I had just bought some new Ancient page colors (to add to my original collection of 18-wry smile) so I used those with sponges. I also did not have all the great looking border stamps from Stamper's Anonymous so I used the ones I had and supplemented with pen lines too.
I tested out porous paper along with the slick paper to see the differences. I used Adirondack(tm) inks on that sample. I also tried direct to paper coloring without the sponge and liked those results too.
Even after making these five I find myself wishing I'd tried alcohol ink spritzer, more markers, rub-on metallics, and other toys in the process so I will probably come up with some more.
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Tips:
Start with a larger size piece of paper than you plan on using in the end. You can trim after coloring for results that seem to pull together better.
If you absolutely hate a piece after stamping, see what can be salvaged from it. Cut away all but the image with a bit of background and re-assemble it on your card or project.
Begin with lightest colors first and don't hesitate to use layers of colors in each section.
Add dimension to finished designs with glitter, fabric paint, eyelets, punches, ribbons, and other embellishments.
While you may have a design in mind for a particular blocking, don't be afraid to turn it upside down or sideways for better results.
The Flamingo Tag
This is the design that I used all hand drawn lines on. It was my least favorite going into the decorative portion, but became one of my favorites after stamping with beach images and trimming to fit a pre-made tag. I used a sponge for ink application and bit of gold ink as an overlay.
Soul Searcher
This is the sample I did only with ink pads and no sponges. The colors had not completely dried so I got some pretty overlapping. I trimmed the original square into a rectangle.
Drama
I loved this shape before stamping and felt like I ruined it afterwards so I just cut it up
Drama Queen
This one is accented with punches and glitter paint. It's the only one I did not resize.
Heartbreak with Elvis
I almost tossed this one without stamping because the blue was so dark and dominant. I have a blue "issue" anyway. But I like how the stamps turned out and I embossed the star punches to light it up a bit more.
Ponder
This is the sample done on porous paper with Adirondack inks. I liked the earthy feel of the colors and stamped it with images from nature. This was cut from a rectangle to a square and that vastly improved the final design.
Special Thanks to my friend Lynn Barwald for sharing this technique that she saw!
