Viva Las Vegas Link Up Blog Hop Featuring Mary Vogel Lozinak Stamps

Hey there everyone.  The Design Team at Viva Las Vegas Stamps is having a blog hop featuring stamps by Mary Vogel Lozinak on Saturday, 26 May, and Sunday, 27 May 2012.  And best of all, they have kindly invited other artists to play along with them by simply linking into their blog, hence the name:  Viva Las Vegas Link Up Blog Hop Featuring Mary Vogel Lozinak Stamps.  Needless to say, you are about to see some fabulous designs by the very talented VLVS design team, as well as the talented artists who have also come to play.

For my submission, I have made an image using Claybord, also known at Stampbord, by Ampersand.  It is a wonderful surface to stamp on because it takes inks and stains beautifully, is very forgiving, and a lot of fun to use.  When I saw Mary's stamp images, I just knew they would be quite suitable and lend themselves beautifully for this technique.  As you will see, there is so much imagery to play with in her stamp images.

I first stamped the Sun Background image onto a piece of Claybord using Black Ancient Page ink.  I then added a wash of Claybord Inks in various color combinations, without worrying about staying within the lines.  In the photograph below, you can see where I had to use a black Sharpie pen to fill in a few areas that did not stamp.  

Did you ever think you could erase your mistakes when you stamp your image?  Well, you can with Claybord.  As I said, it is very forgiving.  In the next picture, you can see where I actually "erased" some of the color and leveled out, or equalized the appearance of the black stamped image with the area I had fixed by adding the black Sharpie marker.  To do this, you simply take a tiny piece of #0000 steel wool and gently rub it over the clay surface until you are satisfied.  Erase too much, no problem.  Just add more color. 

Still doesn't look like much, does it?  In the next picture, I have first scratched the clay surface and added more color to the image.  If you look closely at the picture, you can see the tiny scratch marks made with the scratch tool.  I am actually removing color with the tool or, as I like to call it, "highlighting" the image.  At this point, more color can be added.  You can add different colors or the same colors, or even leave it white. For instance, if you look closely, you  can see where I added a wash of pink ink over the green background in the areas that I scratched back to white.  

At this point, I am actually done with coloring and scratching.  However, the piece looks quite dull and flat.  Now comes the magic.  Spray the piece with a nice coat of clear gloss sealer.  The colors will absolutely pop, and the areas scratched will become more visible.  When the light hits these areas, they seem to glow with a beautiful pearlescence.  

This piece would make a beautiful addition to a box top, a book cover, or even inside a frame.  

Stamps Used:  Images from Mary Vogel Lozinak Plate 1400

I hope you enjoyed my Claybord piece, and please check out all of the other wonderful artists who have shared their creativity.  And don't forget to come back Sunday, 27 May, to see more submissions. I have a few more things in the works, so I hope you can come back.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

Barbara