Make your own custom wax seal

Posted on 13th August 2015 by Neil

Last weekend I went to a craft show, and amongst the ridiculous amounts of dies I noticed a dip pen and wax seal stand. Wax seals have a sense of class, of authenticity, of originality, even in the electronic age. And I’ve wanted my own for ages (my faux ones still didn’t quite hit the mark), along with some of the gorgeous pens. But where would be the originality be in a mass produced metal wax seal stamp? It was at that point I thought – I could make my own, couldn’t I? Thus started another steep learning curve (in between doing all the glass etching).

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Glass Etching with Armour Etch

Posted on 12th August 2015 by Neil

I have learnt three things on this little project:

Etching glass with Armour Etch through a vinyl stencil that I cut on my Silhouette Cameo is quick, simple and delightfully effective. This inexpensive Ikea glass is now carrying the branding that I use for my studio.
Photographing glass, like mirrors, is incredibly tricky! I spent roughly 15 minutes etching the glass, and then the next hour learning how to take the photograph! I ended up lighting it from beneath with a small LED push-light with a sheet of paper between it and the glass to dim it slightly. All of this was in a blackout tent, with a small amount of light from above, and poking my phone through a small slit in the tent. The first attempts had so much reflection of both the lighting and the surroundings, the etching wasn’t visible.
Cleaning the glass digitally was so much more effective than in real life. I’d done my best using alcohol and non-shedding cloths, but the pesky dust specks really showed up despite my best efforts. The Spot Healing Brush in Photoshop really came to the fore to remove them. Though not perfect, I think as a bit of amateur product photography I can get away with it 😉

All that’s left to do is the rest of my glasses!

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Background Check: Day 2

Posted on 28th July 2015 by Neil

It’s Day 2 of my online class, and we’re playing with stamps and inks to make backgrounds. In the main today was revising techniques I’ve previously come across, but always good to see them used in imaginative ways by the tutors and yank them back to the forefront of my memory! Here’s today’s highlights:

Lots of stripes, and not a stripe stamp in sight. What’s a man to do? Go find some funky foam and cut that into strips. Add a bit of removable double sided tape, and ta da, strippy stripy stamps and backgrounds 🙂

I also like the idea of working more on mid-tone cardstock. I remember in college working on a charcoal ground and getting on better – you can use light and dark shades to emphasise shape, form and, in this case, pattern. I’ve been doing some zentangling on Strathmore Toned Gray Artist’s Tiles and finding the same (more of that in another post).

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Scented Tea Light Gift Card

Posted on 28th June 2015 by Neil

I know there are myriad ways to make similar cards, but since I’ve been reminded that I offered to do some projects using the Eazi-Score board from Diamond Card Craft I’ve designed this version from scratch specifically for those using the board. You may remember I also made a tutorial video using their Eazi-Box score board to make multi-sided shaped boxes.

Just a quick note on the Eazi-Score board before the tutorial: it’s designed for use with A4 card stock and you can simply place your card to the guide bar and score using one of the individually named channels. It’s easy to make your Half Fold – Gate Fold – Stepper – Kinetic – Shutter – A5 – DL cards and more. For most projects, there is NO need to cut your card to fit the board as it was designed for use with A4 card. Boxes are just as easily made ( box template and instructions are included with the board) and it’s designed for left or right handed crafters. There are 5 Embossing patterns too – Heart – Diamond – Flower – Butterfly and Wavy line perfect for making your own embellishments.

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A little upcycling: converting a cutlery canteen

Posted on 16th June 2015 by Neil

I’m determined to have a clear out some of the things I’ve kept as ‘they’ll come in handy’ to make room for things I actually use. To that end, I’ve upcycled a shabby (empty) old cutlery canteen that was previously being kept in my grandfather’s old shed, and then languished in my outhouse/garage and shed for even more years. I stripped out the innards, sanded everything back and revarnished with a dark oak polyurethane varnish. I relined it with ‘antique red’ felt, and it now complements the lounge decor as a handy hidey-hole for the remotes and glasses I find necessary to have the TV in focus.

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Missing an end of term deadline…

Posted on 4th June 2015 by Neil

I’m normally one to meet deadlines with time to spare… for instance, all my Craftwork Card samples are always delivered in time for the shows on Create & Craft.

This project was started in my final term at college, some two years ago now. It was part of my geometric constructions for lanterns (featured here), and I made a wireframe cage based on the same shape. The idea was to then grow salt crystals over the wire frame and photograph it as part of my final major project. As anyone who has tried growing crystals knows, it takes time – and in this case, the piece didn’t finish ‘growing’ until 6 months later, well after I’d finished my extended diploma. Since then, it’s languished in its protective bucket on a shelf in my studio waiting to be photographed. Prompted by a need for more space, I got the camera out late last night and took the photos. I think it was worth the wait…

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A totem for the modern day?

Posted on 26th April 2015 by Neil

After getting very frustrated trying to drive around a gridlocked Leicester over lunchtime today, I took out my angst on my bit of lumber! I’m delighted to have finished my modern day totem and now need to take my own advice. Charring the outside of the wood was a joy to do, and with a stiff brush the surface carbon comes off leaving a lovely dark woodgrain, which I have enhanced with some black shoe polish. Hopefully the wax will help resist the weather, and the exposed raw wood will gradually silver with age. The light was fading when I took the photo – I’ll try again when the sun isn’t setting!

A chip off the old block

Posted on 25th April 2015 by Neil

You know me… never one to do something on a sensible scale, especially something new. Well, as normal, I’ve thrown myself into a new project and may be it’s a little bigger than it should have been for the first time I’ve picked up a chisel and mallet since I was at school.

The outhouse is being rebuilt, and our main contractor decided that a cross beam (apparently called a purlin) wasn’t needed, and it was pointless to take the timber back to the yard as the restock fee would negate the refund. So what does a mixed media artist do with a spare piece of planed lumber 7½” high and almost 16 feet long? He decides to carve it and make it into a modern day totem.

Yesterday, I managed to get the beam cut in half to 2400mm long and scorch the surface using a blow torch. Above is day one of my chipping away, learning how to hold mallet and chisel, take away just enough wood to get a bas relief without massive gouges because the chisel was upside down. A quick application of black shoe polish has helped define the scorching a little better and a quick buzz with a flap wheel sander on my Dremel and well… I’m certainly no master carpenter. I wonder if by the end of the phrase there’ll be a discernible improvement?

Altered Art: My ‘Sit & Be’ Windchime

Posted on 20th April 2015 by Neil

I was once asked by a therapist if I could just ‘sit and be’. Back then, it was a concept that made no more sense than someone speaking double dutch. Nowadays, I have come to learn that it is at least something I’d like to aspire to, and am beginning to understand how to. To that end, I have spent some of today in the ‘now’ of creativity, converting the side panels of an old caravan belonging to my grandfather into this decorative all-weather wind chime:

The aluminium came from the caravan panels, and was coated with tar on one side and a thick layer of oxidation and algae on the other.

I used tin snips to cut out my discs, and a piercing saw to cut out the middle sections as well as the individual hanging shapes. A rub back with steel wool and turps, then a beating with a ball pein hammer before punching the text in gives the texture. I used Silks Acrylic to fill the text and add a splash of colour.

The texts are various reminders about taking time out to be still – for me, the reminders are still very much needed!

Inspiration Seeds: an altered art assemblage

Posted on 2nd April 2015 by Neil

I recently undertook a house clearance, and one of the items that caught my eye was a wooden caddy that had been used for many years to keep tea bags in:
I decided this box needed a new lease of life, and rescued it from the pile destined for the tip. A quick discussion in one of my Tuesday evening groups came up with the suggestion to make it a seed storage box. After a bit of a rub down, addition of some moulded embellishments and some cut and layered lettering, I painted everything with Americana Decor Chalky Finish in Lace:
I then decided to age it, and covered it in tarmac and left it over night to ‘set’ before cleaning it back to get the vintage look.

It was at this point the seed of an idea took root and I decided that it would become a ‘seeds of inspiration’ box and went on to cut out and make matchboxes, pillow boxes and seed packets ready for my collection. Over the past few weeks I have filled, labelled and collected and here present my altered art assemblage ‘Inspiration Seeds’: