Something About Nothing

Still thinking about the polka dots and repeating flowers.  I want to make more repeating designs to go with them.  I have played with a few different ideas. I decided to try leaves. They stamp nicely over the polka dots, just like the flowers. Time to try them out on fabric!

I absolutely love this photo of my Keiko.  I use it on Facebook whenever I am wishing someone a happy birthday.  I created my wonky Keiko stamp using this photo as my model and so I had to make her some party gear!  I started with the hat and bow: But realized something was missing - a party blower! This might need to be my birthday wish on Facebook in 2017.

If you follow me on Instagram, you might notice I like cats.  I post a lot of video and photos of my two studio assistants: Mister and Keiko. I can't do much without them being right in the middle of everything. So I suppose it is only natural that I attempt to make a cat stamp. Here is my attempt at creating a 3" square Keiko stamp: The lower right shows the first attempt at the stamp.  I didn't quite like the scruffiness of all the fur lines so I carved them out. And then finally refined the lines so that the bottom left is the final stamp.  I think I got her wonky eye, and ear down just right.  There is still room for improvement though.

Time to play with pattern. I've debated whether to carve more out of the center as the design wasn't exciting me. But once I colored it. . . . . . and repeated it, I liked it a lot more.

I thought I would create some flowers I could stamp on top of the polka dots from Day 8. I like the flowers but I was having a hard time getting just the right shade of polka dot to put them on top of. This one was too dark. . . . This one was too light . . . . Although now that I have had a few days, maybe it wasn't so bad.  But this problem led me to think out side the box - or actually outside the polka dot!  I suddenly realized I could stamp the flowers in different colors and end up with a fun page of flowers. I also realized I could off set the flowers with the polka dots. And while I was at it - why not stamp all three stamps on one page! I mean, why not?!

Using the semi-transparent paint I picked up from Artistic Artifacts ,  I printed polka dots on some hand dyed fabric. The top fabric is blue first and then yellow inside,  while the bottom fabric was black first and then blue inside. The black and blue is my favorite. I have mixed feelings about the way the paint is repelling on the rubber. While it isn't what I envisioned, it does create a pretty cool texture.

Melanie Testa and Carol Soderlund have written a book, Playful Fabric Printing , which I am very excited to read next month.  I've ordered my copy and will pick it up when I go to Craft Napa in January. In the meantime, I have been thinking (constantly) about Melly's polka dot fabric and decided I would carve a couple of stamps and try to make some of my own polka dotted fabric. Carving my first polka dots - 4"x6" Day 8 of Carve December - Lisa Chin *Squeeeeeeee!*  Funny how sometimes the simple things can tickle my fancy. Next I decided to try creating a stamp that would outline the dots. Polka dot stamp - 4"x6" *happy dance!* Day 9 of Carve December - Lisa Chin Next I will have to try stamping them in a repeat on fabric!