Tale-ing Fragments #10: Challenge the World

Hi everyone,
I'm back with another Tale-ing Fragments collage, I'm really enjoying making these! What was interesting for me in making this one was how many layers I could combine in what ended up being pretty flat. The key and wing are the only elements with noticeable bulk, but there is still a lot of depth thanks to translucent  elements.

This close-up, for example, combines collage paper, stencil, washi tapes, stamping, heat embossing and a tiny film segment. All of these are translucent and create amazing depth just layered over each other. I love how they combine into new images and hint to the story.

I chose one of Tim Holtz's found relatives as the focal point and hero of our tale, and tinted the image. I love this guy, there's such strength and pride in his stance and kindness in his features. He also has great style, doesn't he? He seemed to me like someone ready to take on the world for what he believes in, hence the "challenge the world" title and the 'live your dream with passion' snippet.

Other parts add to his story, the typewriter and 'how to hold a pen' snippet I highlighted with embossing glaze suggest a writer, and goes with the 'tell the story' snippet at the bottom. A journalist? A novelist?

His story includes many elements, calling for freedom and for love, "where there's great love, there are always miracles". The 'she' in the keyhole was completely unplanned, by the way. I was testing different placings for for the keyhole and the opening just framed the word perfectly :)
The key, keyhole and wing balance each other in the composition and work as hints for our hero's story. I leave it to you to decide how, thinking of the different stories these elements can tell is part of the fun don't you think?

You can see the making process of the collage in this video:

This is a focus video showing the whole process of tinting the focal photo (I had to cut it in the collage making video but thought some might be interested in seeing the whole thing):

I'm submitting this collage to the Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge for their "it's a man thing" theme.

Hope you enjoyed this project and found his story interesting 🤎
Take care and see you soon,
xx
Naama

Tale-ing Fragments #9: artist, be you

I think that one of the best things I've learned lately is the importance of play. You know how they say that kids learn about the world through playing? Well, it works for art too :) The more you play the more you understand your medium, material and personal style. It's nothing new, really, we all know the saying "practice makes perfect", right? But I feel there's a difference. I've never really liked "practice makes perfect", for one thing - I rather like imperfections, but more importantly it suggests a specific outcome goal that would make everything better, but what if you find something on the way you like even more? That's why I like "playing" better, it's still trying out stuff, but it gives much more room to follow what ever happy (or not-so-happy) accidents happen along the way. I know it's just words, but let's face it, "practice" sounds like homework, "playing" sounds like fun, and it is!
This collage is one result of my recent playtime. It, and the above "I like playing" monologue, are largely inspired by Tim Holtz's FB live demos. There's something amazingly inspiring about seeing someone doing and sharing what he loves, his enthusiasm and joy is visible and catching. He always says we should play more, and if my Instagram feed is any indication - we do (check out the timholtzdemo hashtag to see how many are playing along!).
I've been making these Tale-ing Fragments for a while now, and they're usually a form of collage, so I decided to try and make one without pre-planing, just play and see what happens. To give myself a start point, I took up Simon Says Stamp Monday challenge blog's theme "It's a man thing", and added my own theme - art. I picked this youth from the Found Relatives pics, doesn't he looks like a dreamer? I think so. I also think he looks a bit sad, like maybe things didn't quite go as he hoped.

That gave me a snippet of his story, so I found some texts that would fit. I usually use a sentence or two, but I like how the texts in this collage tell a story without... well, telling it XD

I used washi tapes, stenciled fabric and stamps in the background and purposely kept most of these elements in subtle coloring so that the colors of "painting" background really pops. It was made with one of my favorite Simon Says stamp stencil and distress crayons. I love how the crayons catch the brushstroke texture from the base, and their colors are so rich!

Most of the coloring in this piece was made with crayons, which amazes me because just a few weeks back I never would have used them like this, they were accent paint for me, but now - oh the possibilities...

This collage resonates things I felt over the years, questioning myself or having to answer to others' questioning. It's relevant to so many aspects of life, but when creating it's almost always there, it's just part of the process I guess. It does take courage to be you, and not only in art, but in the creative process I find that playing really helps, if only because when I call it play I don't take myself too seriously and just have fun. I don't know about you, but I learn and do a lot better when I'm having fun ;)

Hope you're all safe and well, 

xx

Naama

click for the challenge and awesome inspiration🤎

Tale-ing Fragments #7: Nature's grace & beauty

"With shining eyes she noted all of nature's beauty and grace."

  
Like my former post, this project brings together the results of trying out different materials and techniques. The first part I made is actually the small frame in the center. It's a Baseboard Lace Frame I altered with Distress Crayons and Glazes, it's pretty amazing to think it started in pale cream-color. I particularly like the silver shimmer created with Brushed Pewter crayon.

 

I usually alter elements like frames to fit whatever it is I want to frame, so it was a little strange for me to do it the other way around, but I went through my stash and found this lovely lady. Then I looked through my recent experiments for a background and found a bright green one with botanical images and the story was set in my mind. Does she not look like she's listening? Observing? 

I had to remake the background because the piece I had was too small, which gave me the opportunity to play with the imagery. I started with Yupo synthetic paper and created a mix of greens with alcohol inks. Then I used Tim Holtz's Entomology stamp set and Alcohol Lift-Ink pad to create ghost images of insects and writing. The lifted handwrite was stamped on the photo around our studious lady. When I was happy with the alcohol ink background, I added Collage Paper over it with the technique Tim has shared in a demo last week using Resist Spray. The spray creates a shiny finish that deepens the colors and, because the lifting creates white images, the black images on adds depth and interest.

For some extra spots of color I stamped, colored and cut some of the Entomology images. The cicada was especially fun because I could place it next to the ghostly lifted image! Since I didn't want to block too much of the background (it has big wingspan!) I stamped the image on acetate as well and added the clear wings to the body, I really like how dimensional it all becomes.

I chose to add a moth instead of a more colorful butterfly because it's delicate coloring fit better with the colors I used to tint the photo and the text strips.
The final part was making the frame. It wasn't planned, at all, but I felt a frame was needed and could not find one in the right size, so I decided to try and make one! I used a similar technique to the one I shared in my last Tale-ing Fragments post, but with Woodgrain Cardstock and I really love the results! I'll definitely make more frames from no on, it's just so convenient!

I'm entering this project to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge that has a 'create a scene' theme. I figure it fits since it is telling a story, albeit a fragmented one ;)

SSS Monday Challenge Blog

Hope you enjoy this little walk-through, I'd love to hear what you think and as always feel free to ask anything!

Keep safe and keep your spirit up,
xx
Naama

Mechanical Blooms

"Bloom where you are Planted"

I think that the idea behind this saying is very fitting for our current time, the covid-19 situation has placed us all in uncharted territory on some level, be it working from home, not going outside or meeting the people you love. It's all so confusing, but the best we can do is keep positive and try to make the best with our time.
Like many artists and crafters I found that I have more time to experiment, play around with materials without really thinking or aiming for a specific outcome. The project I'm sharing today came about as I was experimenting with different techniques, I'll try to break it down a bit.

The background brick wall texture was made using a variation of the Distress Glazes & Crayons technique Tim Holtz shared in his (now becoming regular - yay!) Saturday demo about two weeks ago that focused on Distress Crayons. I used it over Texture Paste applied through a brick stencil and I love the results! (I was asked to make a tutorial for this brick wall variation, you can find the video in my Facebook page here). I cut out the brick texture to the size I wanted and adhered it to my background, in the final stages I added a bit of moss 💚 

The flowers were actually inspired by a stamp image of a flower made from metal plates. If you follow me on social media you know I've been making paper flowers for a while (usually tiny ones), I thought why not try make a metal-paper flower? I used embossing folders for the petals and electric wire for the stem of two flowers, the third I just nailed down 😂

I'm still working on this idea, but for now - definitely like these whimsical blooms!

I wanted to add a message, but when I put down a sentiment strip it just didn't fit, it felt too detached from the quirk-celebration going on, so I decided to play with it :)
I cut the sentiment in gold letters and then cut a whole lot more letters in black and scattered the letters of the message between random black letters. The message is still readable, but you might need a moment to piece it together, so it becomes more a part of the background than a focal point. The black letters are barely visible at first, but it's surprising just how much these kind of details add to the final piece.

I'm not sure I covered everything, it's a small piece (20x15cm) but there's a LOT going on! If  missed something - feel free to ask! ^^

I'm entering this project in two challenge blogs: the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog that has a texture theme this week, and the Sandee & Amelie Steampunk Challenge Blog that extended their March challenge to give us all some more time to play :)

SASPC Blog

  

SSS Monday Challenge Blog

Hope you enjoyed this project, keep safe and keep that smile on your face :)

xx

Naama

Muses #1: Alterman's Moon

We all have muses in our lives: poems, movies, books, a sentence that caught with us and stayed around. One of mine is this poem by Natan Alterman (1910-1970) titled "Moon":

* Based on a translation by Lewis Glinert.

This poem was written in 1938, it's one of Alterman's best known works an much can and has been be said about it. For me, reading it years back, I was left with two main impressions: the idea that a familiar, everyday sight can seem new again and the visual of a moon at the spear of a cypress tree. (Alterman talks of a Mediterranean cypress, Cupressus or "Brosh" in Hebrew, that is characterized by a tall and narrow canopy that is often spear-like in shape). I've often found myself reminded of this poem when seeing just this sight: the moon at the point of a tree, and it always made me smile because it felt fresh and wondrous, no matter how many times I saw it :)
I love this poem always, but in these crazy times it warms my heart even more. It's not without poignancy, but it expresses wonder before minute, everyday things that we usually don't acknowledge, and I think that within the craziness and uncertainty we currently live in it's more important than ever to remember the little things that make us smile.
So look out your window tonight, find the moon at the point of a tree and smile back at it 🤍

This collage was in my head for a while, working out how I want it to look when, a few days back, I saw a demo of the paints I used (Distress Crayons, demonstrated by the one and only Tim Holtz) and bam - I knew they would be perfect!

I wanted the background to have the lyrics repeatedly, so I printed them on the blank Collage Paper (my new best friend in collage making) in different font sizes and scattered them about. Then I colored over the background with Distress Crayons, they gave the exact vivacity I was looking for while keeping the text visible. The tree is an Idea-ology half-tree that got a tint and a new hairdo to look like a Cupressus tree. The lovely moon was made with alcohol inks - I love how textured it looks!

For the trail I used the new Distress Glazes + Crayons technique Tim shared in his demo that creates all these little pits, isn't it the coolest??

This was one of these projects that took a lot of time hibernating in my brain before I started working, and maybe that's why it didn't take very long to finish. It's nothing too fancy, but it's close to my heart (and already on my wall). I felt like sharing it, so aside from posting it here I'm entering it to the Simon Says Stamp weekly Wednesday Challenge, which has an Anything Goes theme this week.

I hope this project will give you a smile, keep safe and find the little things that make you happy,

xx
Naama

Memories are Cracks in Time

Hi everyone, hope you've had a lovely weekend ^^

One of my favorite ways to try out new ideas and techniques is taking part in a craft challenge, there's just something about a theme thrown at you that gets the creative juices flowing. Simon Says Stamp have a couple of great challenge blogs, and in this week's Monday Challenge the theme is 'crack it up' - no way I'd skip that! YUM
It was one of those cases when one idea sparks the next, and I had a lot of fun experimenting and playing along.

The challenge title gave me several ideas for techniques and mediums I could use - from stencils to crackle paste - and I ended up combining most of them in the background. You can see the stenciling in two corners. The large 'crack' was done by stamping into the wet texture paste, then I added some crackle paste. I really like how the two pastes combined as they dried and the cracks appeared. I then added some color with sprays and some shading with markers.

For a focal image I immediately thought of this awesome broken pocket watch stamp by Visible Image. I decided to give it some dimension by stamping it a few times, then cutting out and layering pieces in different heights, I even glued some of them at an angle to give the feel of movement, as if the watch had burst from the inside out. To add texture and shine to the watch I selectively clear embossed some of the the base to create depth, and on the shards I brushed some Nuvo crystal drops for subtle shine and used the same drops to create a raised shiny border on the frame and metal ring. I added some Distress Mica Flacks here and there to emulate broken glass. I finished it with a couple of clock hands for Tim Holtz's Idea-ology.

The combination of the clock image and the challenge title brought the idea of memories as cracks in time. I really like it because a) it's sort of true and b) it gives an interesting twist to the often negative associations of 'crack'. I'll definitely come back to this idea in future projects, it really got the wheels turning, but for now - hope you like this little experiment!

Tale-ing Fragments #4, Timan Chronicles 1: Brief Meetings Minutes, log entry 267

“there’s time”

he said

“if you so choose”

And vanished.

Do pictures whisper stories to you? They do to me. 

Usually it’s photographs, but this guy, oh – this guy has SO many stories. But he keeps them on the low, let’s out a sentence here, and image there. I’m not sure what it is, the way he does and does not look at you, the way he does and does not smile, the sketchy feel of the image, but I can’t stop staring at him (I have the wood-mounted stamp AND a stamped image I colored on my desk. We star at each other a lot). And every now and then – a whisper.

Expect to see him again.


The details on this one are a bit crazy.
I've taken it as an opportunity to try a whole bunch of new things and because it was in the working for a while kept adding more. And more. And MORE. I'm still not sure if I went overboard or not quite far enough, one thing is sure - I definitely had fun with it ;)

I've entered this work to the Simon Says Stamp 'Grunge it up' challenge on their Monday Challenge Blog. I'd just love to hear what people think :)
Too much? Not quite there? Somewhere in between?

Till next time *blink*