Life is an Adventure | June Challenge Inspiration | Sue Plumb

Hi everyone!

Sue Plumb here today and it's my turn to share some inspiration for the Viva Las VegaStamps Monthly Challenge with you! If you haven't already seen the June inspiration image, it looks like this...

"Let's play with LIFE. Be inspired by nature, the tree of life, trees & roots, stars, star charts, the heavens & earth, above & below. Think tandem but opposite. Yin & Yang."

I was super inspired by the solitary tree image, and I knew I wanted to create something featuring a tree and incorporating the word "life". I was also inspired by the neutral palette of the image, so I grabbed my altered book art journal to play and this is what came out...

As always, I did my best to document my process as I went along (although sometimes I get so lost in the creative process, I forget to take a picture!) 

1. I started by adding some gesso to my book page. This was not only so I could prime the surface, but also so I could strip the yellow tint to the paper back a bit.

2. I then took some old music paper and another sheet of book paper tore up some small pieces. (I wanted to add some extra interest to the page, as the one I was using was the dedication page and didn't feature much text.)

3. I collaged the pieces onto the page using matte medium.

4. I then rubbed a little extra gesso over the collaged pieces using my finger to help them blend in.

5. I felt like using a different colouring medium, so pulled out some water soluble wax pastels in raw sienna, burnt sienna and black and added some colour to the page.

6. I then used a water brush to blend and soften the lines I had drawn.

7. I used the Stitching Lines stamp to create structure in my foreground.

8. I then used the Doodle Dots stamp to add some interest to the sky.

9. I then stamped out my feature images onto some tissue paper. I chose this method as I wanted to ensure I had a good, clean image rather than stamping directly onto the book. It also gave me the ability to shuffle the images around to decide on placement.

The stamps I used were:

- Weathered Tree

- Banksy Balloon Girl

- Flock of Geese

10. I adhered my images to the page using matte medium, then took the pastels and added a little shading and colour around them.

11. I added the quote using the Choose Your Own Adventure stamp, then added the remainder with a black pen.

12. I finished with the second part of my quote in the bottom corner. For continuity, I used the word "choose" from the same stamp, then simply added the word well in pen.

I love how this page turned out and I can't wait to see how this month's challenge inspires all of you!

To enter, make sure you link up your entry via this post HERE before the end of the month.

You could win a project spotlight on the blog AND some new rubber! So what are you waiting for? Get busy!!

Thanks for stopping by so I could share this with you. I hope I have inspired you to get inky too!

Stamps used:

- Stitching Lines

- Doodle Dots

- Weathered Tree

- Banksy Balloon Girl

- Flock of Geese

- Choose Your Own Adventure

Other materials:

- Colour Blast white heavy gesso

- Old book and music paper

- Monte Marte acrylic matte medium

- Staz On ink

- tissue paper

- Reeves Water Soluble Wax Pastels

- Ohto Fude Ball 1.5mm pen

Dare to Dream... and Let your Heart Soar!

Hello everyone! Susan here my take on the Viva Las VegaStamps! June Challenge Inspiration Board. Luscious blues and greens... wings and words... I LOVE it!!! Challenges are a fun way to push yourself to try new things and new styles – and to be perfectly honest – this was way out of my creative box.

I started with a watercolor paper that I monoprinted with a blend of blue and green metallic Ranger Adirondack acrylics. Then I scribbled and smooshed on some blues and green Faber-Castell Gelatos to my liking. Using gel medium I fused a ghost monoprint on deli paper, which glues the layers together while giving translucency to colors below.

I wanted to have a scribbly heart so I made a dribbly heart mask by melting/drizzling Amazing Remelt onto my non-stick craft mat. I waited a few minutes for it to cool and solidify. Then I placed onto my background then sprayed with black Ditto glimmer spray.

I let the spray mostly dry before removing my handmade mask. Look at all the glorious blue and green exposed! I brushed some water at the top where the spray was still a bit wet and let the black color drip down. This was fun and a bit scary... I'm a total newb to the dripping technique.

I gave a blast with the heat gun to dry everything and added a few strokes of Gelatos to the heart. I stamp the butterfly onto a matching painted cardstock using black Versafine ink, then embossed with VLVS! ultra high gloss EP... and BAM!!! Wings that POP! I fussy cut and cut in half. To finish this mini masterpiece, I overstamp the bubble wrap texture and spell out "dare to dream" with Hero Arts Unicorn white pigment ink {this is the white of all white inks} and heat set.

I gently slide the collage into a Deflecto Acrylic Craft Frame and tucked the wings off each edge giving me a new georgeous piece free-standing art in an instant.

"Let Your Heart Soar..."

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

From Viva Las VegaStamps:

"Distressed Alphabet from December Daily Plate #1430"

"Bubble Wrap Texture" #19566

"Butterfly Spotted" #9459

Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder

Other Supplies: watercolor paper, white cardstock detail scissors, black Versafine pigment Ink; Hero Arts "Hero Hues" Unicorn {white} pigment ink; various blues/greens Faber-Castell Gelatos; detail scissors; Faber-Castell Gel Medium; drizzle heart mask made with Amazing Remelt; Ditto black shimmer spray; and a Deflecto 3" x 4" Acrylic Craft Frame.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Thanks so much for dropping by! Have you seen the JUNE inspiration board... its AMAZING!  I invite you to join us and play along with the June inspiration challenge {CLICK HERE for details}. Just make a creation using the inspiration above and your stash of VLVS! stamps... linkup and you could win more RUBBER!

If you would like to see more of my creations please visit my blog, sbartist : painting in the dark HERE. Have a fabulous day!!  Sb

June Challenge

It's time for our June Challenge -- JUNE.
First, thank you so much to each and every entry for May. Stop by and check out all the glorious VLVS! inspired pieces that were entered.

Now onto June's Challenge:

Please feel free to enter cards, tags, layouts, altered bits, art journal pages and more! You may draw inspiration from ANY part of our mood board; Tropical locals, palm trees, birds, flamingos, silhouettes, sunsets, suns, stars, celestial anything, sand, beaches, nautical, ombre effects, mint, teal, yellow, orange.. you name it!

Don't forget the rules:
-Create a new project based on our inspiration board
-Use at least one (but certainly more if you want) Viva Las VegaStamps! rubber stamps
(We are now allowing competitors stamps to be on your work, but please make VLVS! the focus of the project, thank you.)
-Post it to your blog with a link back to us
-Upload to our linky using your direct blog post link (You may also upload via facebook, flickr or other gallery)

You could win a Project Spotlight post on our blog + some new rubber of course!

And visit us back here tomorrow for some inspiration from Mary Brockway!

An InLinkz Link-up