Nothing New Under the Sun Series...Gothic Arches

Hello again, and welcome to another chapter of a Tutorial/How I did that section of my brain. This one however may leave a lot to the imagination because I kinda forgot to take pics along the way. But I know that your imagination will be able to pick up and run with what you see none the less.

I actually started working on this project (background) back in late March when a swap for using gesso went up at ATCsforall. Didn’t join in on this one due to other pending projects. And slowly finding myself shying away from ATC’s. But I wanted to experiment with the gesso. I’ve only ever used it as a primer, and that was rarely.

I try to recycle papers, boxes, clippings, backs from office calendars, and pieces from old projects that didn’t make it into the final work. Talk about collecting stuff...gaah, lets not. Went about gathering what called to me and came up with a few recycled pieces this time. An Epson paper box. A heart that was rubber stamped, embossed and colored with markers from 2005. A little cutie with wings, sitting in a shoe leftover from a project last year. Dragonflies from my Greeting Card making days, and ribbons from my doll making days, 1994.

It started with the Epson box. Got the gesso and a foam brush and did a slap dash dance on the blank side, let it dry. Then danced the other direction with a another layer, let it dry. Hmmm, looked too plain for my taste. Needed more texture. Got a plastic top from a water bottle, took it for a few dips in a pool of gesso, and randomly stamped about the paper. Yup, that was better so I let it dry.

The dance continued with acrylic paints brushed to cover most of the surface. When it dried, watercolor paints were spayed to cover the rest adding more of a textured, speckled look. Loved the results…

...fast forward to May. Gothic arches, OK. Let’s try our hand at this. So I joined in on a Gothic Arch Chunkies: Vocabulary swap, 3x3 or 6x6. I printed out the arch template provided, and made my own vocabulary words on the computer. The assemblage of this process happened over a few days.

You may be asking, “Where is your Muse?” She’s letting me call the shots on this one, and silently working in the background. She’s letting me think that. Hah!...I tried to pull off the “chunky” part of this theme, but I was goin’ on a downward spiral from 0-60, headin' for the realm of Gaudiness. Sweet Pedro help me! Eyes popped wide, sweat drippin’ off my forehead. I was quickly turned around, never to look back that way again. Oh the horror! My Muse got me out of that one!...pics have been edited for fear of causing horrible nightmares.

Ahh, that's better

Doors, yeah, I like those. This one was gonna be for the heart. I took a scrap piece of the gessoed card stock, peeled off the top layer and used it as the background for the heart to rest on. It made the opening less bulky. To make the arches extra sturdy, I applied a piece of chipboard from a recycled office calendar using gel medium and let it dry completely...meanwhile

The vocab words needed tending to so out came the Distress inks in a variety of colors. Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick, Broken China, Peeled Paint, Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany, Dusty Concord, Antique Linen, Old Paper, Vintage Photo, and Walnut Stain. Did I use all of them? Well, yeah. At some point from all the mootsin’ around with putting the theory into practice, they got used.

The beginnings of mootsin’. Still very plain. Needs more vavoom to it, yeah?

Let’s crumple it a bit. *goes to fridge and gets the lemon juice* Grabs a brush and the heat gun.


Smoothed the paper out and brushed on the lemon juice. Hit it with the gun and got some nice effects from this method. But I still played around with the lemon juice for a few more layers until the desired effect was reached.

Tore the vocab words around two of them, the third one I cut out. Edged them with Distress inks and was satisfied.

By the time that was finished, the arches were ready to be cut and assembled. I added papers, rubber stamps, gel pens, and distressed the edges on them. There were two arches that begged to be outlined with a white opaque pen. Grabbed the pen an got busy.

OMG! Do you know the time I had trying to make this pen work? I thought I had “The Ultimate Gel Pen”. Hey, that’s what it says on the pen. Yeah, well, it ain’t! Once I got it to write I went about doing the outline on one side of the arch. By the time I finished the other side, it all disappeared! You could barely see it. Aaargh! What was that? So I went up another notch and pulled out the white Sharpie. And after pumping and scribbling for what seemed like forever, it flowed white. So I went over the first pen with it. It looked better, so I left it...Until the next morning when I went to view them. Awww crap! It disappeared too! Get on ma nerves why don’t ‘cha. Ever have one of those moments? I walked away.

Went out for coffee with my friend Jannie and she was telling me about her encounters with finding the right “white” pen to use. She had tried different ways to achieve the effects and also gotten a few ideas from one of the sales clerks over at Blick that she was going to try out. Guess I wasn’t the only one flustered about this. And I remembered reading a thread somewhere on AFA about the best one’s to use. When we left each other, I was determined to find a pen that worked.

I searched and found that Kati started a thread a year ago (see, recycling does work) about white pens and the best kinds to use. Singo came up a lot, it was the overall favorite. Sakura, Gelly Roll, and Sharpie were also used by some. There was a link posted about Roni over at Ink Stains and how she did a side by side comparison on three different white pens called “Inkssentials White pigment Pen vs. Signo and Galaxy”. I so went there ‘cuz I needed visuals. Blown away to say the least. So much so that I went out the next day and bought two Inkssentials white pens. Just what I needed! Went back to the arches in hopes for a miracle and got one. Did the outlines again, and they are still there, as white as snow! Happy dance! Even sent a pen off to Kati. It’s the little things, ya know? Aww geez, went on a rant about the white pen. So sorry about that. *jumps off the “rant box” walks away embarrassed.*

Artist Trading Card Box...Nothing New Under the Sun Series

Listening to the rain as it hits my window, I am shifted into a meditative state. I wonder if time is standing still for some of us in our own creativity. Are we where we’re supposed to be? For some. But some of us are just arriving. It’ true for me. I am enlightened with these thoughts as they float through my head. The words come to me.

“With the rains comes the growth of a seed. A seed to be watered, nurtured. And in time, one will cultivate the gifts that have been given.”

What is to become of the artists that we are currently?

“In time, the phenomenal gift that you possess will be a blessing to all. So let the rain water surround your creativity today.”

Once again creativity erupts from the depths of a land that stills leaves a lot of untapped wonders in my life. My Muse lives there and has beckoned me once again to come visit. Sometimes she comes to me just as I am waking from a deep sleep (just before I’m fully awake). Those are some of the better prompts I think. At times I sit and go into lucid dreaming and she comes to hang out with me. And at times I could be in the middle of doing something else and she bombards me with creative ideas. Today she is a bit serious. She is playful most of the time. By playful I mean that nine times outta ten I have no idea what the final piece will look like or turn into. I am learning to trust where she takes me. Leading me by an invisible hand on this and other plains. Seeking, discovering parts of me that are in need of awakening. Letting me know that I have yet to tap into the places of where I really should be. And I am starting to feel it too, just below the surface. If I pay attention, listen and create when the promptings come, I reap the gifts that are offered me. I am always grateful. This is one of the gifts, and I share it with you.


This little box is made to hold 8-10 Artist Trading Cards (ATC) but you can put other things in too. You can hang it just about anywhere. If you want to wear it as a necklace, you’ll need to extend the length of the cord. The finished Box is 9 1/2 long (with cord) by 1” wide...First I have to confess that I have some bad habits. One of them comes as a beverage in 12oz cans (12 or 24 packs) in a red box with white lettering as you can see. Make no substitutes, it’s just not the same.

The other is listening to my Muse. I also have a habit of recycling and reusing (this is a good thing). My Muse came to me the other week with a “What if…” and took my on another journey to create with it. This information comes through her. None of it was written anywhere, until now. Oh, did I mention that at times she makes me work hard in trying to figure stuff out? All I have is this big empty box that’s screamin’ to be cut and I just wanna cut it!

“What if you took it apart to make it smaller and easier to work with?”

Oh hey there. Ya gonna give me something’ to work with today?

“Yup. Gonna make an ATC Box today. And I’ll even help you make the template for it too.”

Really now? Hot dawg! Well let’s get started. Went gathering.

Ruler
X-Acto knife
Manila folder or paper (to make the template)
Your choice of chipboard, cereal, cracker, soda pop, etc. (not too thick, you wanna be able to cut, score, and fold it)

She watches as I meticulously cut the box into smaller pieces (OCD moment). Then taking the best piece and cutting out the Box to hold the atc’s. Wait, the cards won’t fit. Remember what I said earlier about listening? Well, I didn’t. Wound up cutting another box apart and going back to do it the right way.

“Jeez”

Her head shakes back and forth as it goes into her hand. I could see the smile on her face. She’s very patient with me.

This template was made from a manila file folder. Box: 8 1/2” long x 3” wide (front/back). And 101/2” long x 1”wide for sides. Top: 2 3/4 wide x 4 3/4 long with the sides coming in at 3/4” on the folds.

*NOTE* may need some adjustments. I suggest you do a mock up (scrap paper) with the folds before cutting the actual box (‘cuz me and measurements dun get along all the time). Once you get it to your specifications, trace the top and bottom onto your chosen chipboard and cut them out.


“Now that that’s done, you’re gonna score and fold your Box and Top. And get you some nice papers to cover the box too.”

Yeah, yeah! *excitement*...and some rubber stamps…and ooh, how’s about a Twinchie?

She’s got a big smile on her face.

“You really like the Twinchies, huh? OK then, add a Twinchie.”

So wait, I’m foldin’ and scorin’, but what about taping it so I can cover it?

“Patience. Go and gather these things.”

Ooo, she’s so serious…..scary.

Coordinating 12”x12” papers: Prints (outside), Solids (liner)
Distress inks
I used Worn Lipstick and Black Soot
Rubber stamps
Glue stick
Glue (I use *Beacon’s 3-n-1 Instant Grab.)
*Use in a well ventilated area.
Gold cording for trim (flat)
25” Cording for hanging
(I used leather cording.)
Embossing tool or Bone folder for scoring
4 Eyelets (extras if you tend to miss the mark like I do. Striving for perfection.)
Eyelet tool of choice
2 Beads
Heat gun

…hmm, something may be missing. OK, so now what?


“What if you taped the Box together and then added the eyelets? What would happen?”

Well then I would…(had a Columbo moment). Wait! If I taped it, the Box would get crushed. It would be too tall and narrow for the eyelet tool and my hands to fit. So it needs to stay open to set the eyelets.

“You got it. Excellent deduction there kiddo. And you answered your own question”, she says as she pats me on the shoulder and smiles.

“Score the Top and bottom of the Box and fold. Now, lay them flat on the liner (inside cover) trace and cut out.”

“Lets do some random stamping on the outside paper.”

But it’s already printed.

“Yeah, and pretty plain too. Get the glue stick ready. Next you want to cut the outside piece for the Top piece adding a selvage of 2/4” on all sides, allowing for folding under. Take your glue stick a do a little dab in the middle on both sides of the Top to hold the papers in place. Make two holes close to the edge and set the eyelets. You can tape the Top sides together now. Glue and fold the outside paper first, tucking the selvage to the underside. Apply glue to the liner, press and hold.”

Wait, wait, that was too easy! And what about the outside piece for the Box bottom?
Thinking all the while about how she would have me put it all together. That part seemed like it was gonna be hard.

“Yeah, so? I can make it complicated if you want me to. *blows a raspberry* You gonna finish up the Top now?

Yup *blows a raspberry* Back at ya! Gave a grunge look to the Top corners with Black Soot ink. Set it with the heat gun. Whipped out my trusty Beacon’s to add the trim. It dries crystal clear and fast. It’s also acid free and waterproof.

“And now for something completely different.”

Oh gawd, there she goes. I can see a glint in her eyes. What are you gonna have me do now? You gonna make me pay for what I said earlier about this being too easy, huh?

“Me? I wouldn’t do such a thing. *smirk* I think the glue is going to your head.”

She may be right. *turns on the fan*

“Better now? Can we continue?”

*another raspberry* Let’s continue.

“For the rest of the Box and to finish, apply a dab of the glue stick to the inside bottom to hold the liner. You’ll need to cut a strip for the underside of the outside bottom. Run the glue stick down the middle of the strip (just a dab) leaving the edges free.”

“Make the holes for the eyelets (close to the edge) and set them. Apply glue to the inside walls, leaving 1/2”-1” around the top. Fold and crease the Box and liner, smooth out. Nowwww you can tape the sides together.”


Finally.

“OK, you know that big piece of stamped paper you have left?”

Yeah.

“Turn it over (print side down). Put the box on top leaving 1/4” selvage for the bottom and 1/2” selvage for the top. Roll the Box and paper till all sides are covered slightly creasing for placement (like a present) allow for overlap. Starting with one side, use the glue stick to apply paper to the Box. Snip the top/bottom selvage corners, fold and glue under the liner and the bottom strip. Finish off by gluing the liner and bottom strip down. Grunge the top and sides of the Box. And don’t forget to set it with the heat gun.”

*NOTE* Due to the placement of the eyelets for the Box bottom, you may have to snip a little more from those sides.


Whaaaa, this is so cool.

“Yeah, I know. Doesn’t take much to make you happy does it? C’mon, let’s finish this. What you want to do now is glue the trim around the bottom. Thread the leather cord through the top, then through the bottom to make it one piece. Once you get the desired length, tie knots at the bottom Add the beads and two more knots. Now add your Twinchie and you are done.”

Oh my gawd, this is brilliant! I can put a least 8-10 ATC’s in here.


“I take it that you are pleased with the results then?

You betcha. Thank you so much for showing me how to do this.

“It’s nothing new under the sun. I just wanted to gift you with a different way of discovering through your creativity. You can be sure that there is more to come. I’ll be back soon.”

I love my Muse. She is welcomed with open arms. Let your creativity flow.

Blessings.

Nothing New Under the Sun ~A series of tutorials~

THE TWINCHIE INCEDENT
(my first set of Twinchies)

This is the first in a series of tutorials that I have put together over the years of creating my art. More will follow. This is nothing that has not been done before, hence the series title. It’s about what happens when I let my Muse put visions and thoughts into my head and the results thereof. What is really enjoyable is the serendipitous effects from it all. I have these ideas and what I think the final results should look like, but alas, my Muse directs and says different. Do ya think it can get any better than this? Yeah it can.

So, I added my name to a group of 20 artists at MotherHenna’s blog in a collaborative effort to create heART Cards. A limited edition of fine art cards to be exchanged amongst 20 artists. It was something that I knew I wanted to create to bring me up out of my depression and grieving for awhile. My Muse knew I needed this too. Shae was so ready to have some fun with me.

Did I get the gist of what this project was all about? Yup. Did I read all the directions? Yup, did that too. Or so I thought. And off I went to create. Gawd it felt good to get on track again. But it wasn’t until after, when I went back for updates that I realized something was not quite right. “Each artist creates 20 cards of heART theme in any size from 2x2 inch to 5x7 inch” it said. Cards! It said cards! That word somehow disappeared in the instructions when I read them. It wasn't until they were all finished that the word suddenly appeared in my head. These weren’t cards! Waaa—what happened?

Apparently my Muse had something to do with this missing word and something else in mind...This is how it happened.

I started gathering supplies in excitement. Did I know where this was going? No, it was all about the amusement of my Muse and serendipity.

9x12 Water color paper-140lb
(I used Strathmore 400 series 'cuz it’s been hanging around in my art studio since 1983!)
Water color crayons and pencils
Gesso
Distress/shimmer misters
Brushes (they’re hiding)
Water (it’s in the kitchen)

I applied gesso to the paper and let it dry. Stared at the blank page for a bit. Hmm. Did some crazy moves with the crayons and pencils. Stood back, scratched my head. This doesn't look like anything special I thought. Lets add some wet brush strokes and see what happens. My Muse was not impressed yet either. Misted with some shimmers and stood back once again for a better view. Still not it.

“Awww come on, this looks like those fuzzy little seed thingies that you get when you blow them off their stems into the air” I hear. *arrow to the heart*

Hey, what do you expect for someone using some of this stuff for the first time? But it looked like that to me too. OK then, how about some direct to paper stamping then? Gawd, you’re hard to please, I say.

Archival Ink (black)
Rubber stamps
by Hero Arts and Embossing Arts Co.

Stamp, stamp, stamped to cover the whole page.

“Much better. This is coming along nicely”, I hear over my shoulder.

Now where is this going? Oh yeah, I could get 20 of something from all this, yeah? She is so laughing at me.

Although the water color paper is thick, by the time all the manipulation was done, it still curled around the edges. *light bulb*I know! I’ll back it with a stiffer board then it’ll stay flat! A recycled Express Mail carton instantly came to mind. Cut it slightly larger than 9x12. That was her idea ya know.

Grabbed some YES paste and spackled that bad boy all over with it (on the written side). That was my idea. Slapped the work on there, let it dry. It was stiff alright. Got out some matte fixative and sealed its fate.

Once it dried, I measured 2x2 squares on the back and cut them out. With an X-Acto knife and metal ruler, 'cuz that’s how I roll. Twinchies? Yeah, twinchies. So this is how you make them, I thought. I got 21 of ‘em outta that deal, ha! On a roll now. My Muse is rollin’ on the floor howling with laughter by now.

“Wait a sec Princess, this is so not done yet” she says between snorts. “You gotta add hearts, remember? And your squares look nekkid.”

*death glare* Back to the gathering of bits-n-bobs. I’ll fix her.


Gel Medium (regular, matte)
Booger Dots
(Glue dots OK?! They stick like ‘em)
Archival ink (black)...again
Distress Ink (Black Soot)...again
Rubber stamps-Angel wings
(Leavenworth Jackson)
Sharpie marker (black)
Gold Doilies (OCD episode coming on)
Handmade, textured paper (red)
Heat gun (yup, you’ll see why in a sec)
Foam hearts (these are sticky backed)
You don’t have to use this kind. Hey, they've been hangin’ around the studio for some years too ya know.
Tweezers or bamboo skewer (not shown)
You’re gonna need them. You try holdin’ a 1/2” foam heart between your fingers and puttin’ heat to it. See how far you get.

She set me up I tell ya! And I had no clue where she was takein’ me.

The foam hearts were plain and needed to have a different look. So I distressed those tiny little boogers with ink. But the ink wouldn't dry! Ink was all over my fingers and my fingerprints were showing up in places they shouldn't. She’s in tears with laughter now.

“Bring on the heat gun!” she says.

So I did. Discovered all too quickly that a little bit of heat off to the side is all that is needed. Use those tweezers or skewer! *melt, shrivel, glare*

“OK, new idea……how about adding chains? No, not what you think. Cut 2” pieces to add the mix.” Gawd, she’s so demanding!

Went about distressing each square with inks. While I was at it, I heat set the ink on the squares too. Cut out the doilies. Stamped the wings onto paper and cut them out (another OCD moment). She’s pretty quiet right now. I think, what’s up?

As you can see, I do like the assembly line method of doing things…cut, cut ,cut...And the ramblings went on in my head. She was putting other creative ideas in my noggin! That’s why she was so quiet. But I let them go on and went with it. I’m telling’ ya, it was a set up!

“OK now, this is whatcha do”, she says. Do the doilies first (gel medium as an adhesive). Next the chains (Glue dots)...that ought ta hold ya”, she says with a smirk. “Wings next, nice cutting job by the way. Hearts to finish. Use some gel medium on the wings and hearts even though the hearts are sticky backed.”

Really?

“Yeah really, just do it.”

And this is how they turned out. How cute is that?! Waaa!

“See, I knew they would turn out like this”, she says. “I’m impressed. I had a clue, but you needed to trust yourself and make it happen.”

What, you gettin’ all sappy on me now?

“No, you just never cease to amaze me. That’s why I hang out with you. Sometimes when you try to control your art, the creative process gets muddled. Loosen up girl! Let it happen. Let it flow through serendipity sometimes. You never know what you’ll get. Just sayin'.”

Well this was not what I was expected to hear or what I planned. It just happened that way, swear it did. Wanna know what happened to the collaborative artist project? Oh, I finished them on time and actually made 20 new 4”x4”cards! Ha! They have since reached their
destination. There should be a nice package of cards waiting for me at my PO Box right now.

To date I have about 13 of these twinchies left. Gave some away and will trade some. Some artists have recommended putting them on a bigger card, an ATC, hang tag, etc. I have another idea that I'm gonna try. Will post it when it is finished. Maybe as another tutorial. So……there ya have it, The Twinchie Incident. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial.