The top of summer time break is rapidly approaching which implies quickly, we will likely be dropping our daughter off at school. Whereas it has been busy serving to her put together, I’ve loved with the ability to spend a while getting artistic.
Once I started to consider making one thing particular to have a good time all issues Scrapcosy, I wished to create one thing distinctive. I like making handmade books, and thought it might be enjoyable to create a e-book in a seashell. Like usually occurs once I create, the ultimate piece turned out a bit completely different than my authentic imaginative and prescient. Typically this may be irritating, however I’m studying that normally, adapting via the modifications might be enlightening.
Maybe this seashell journal will likely be a treasured souvenir, containing particular reminiscences from a visit to the seashore; or maybe it is going to be used to retailer ideas and hopes for the longer term; possibly it would merely be used as an artwork journal for somebody who adores the ocean… Regardless of how it’s used, I hope that every time it’s opened, the attractive pictures hidden inside will transport to a magical place.
One in every of my favourite facets of this piece is that, upon opening the shell, you might be greeted with the attractive coloured graphic, harking back to a treasure map. I additionally love that among the pages have spots the place you possibly can depart hidden messages, following this quarters’ theme “Hidden”. Including tabs to coloured stamped pictures, was a easy technique to create a particular function, one I will likely be sharing with you on this submit.
When looking for the shells I might be utilizing for my covers, I made positive to seek out two that have been related in measurement and enormous sufficient to simply accommodate the stamp designs. If you cannot discover giant shells, you possibly can all the time stamp partial pictures in your pages and make it work.
Some could say that getting began is the toughest half, and for this undertaking, I would simply agree. Earlier than I may create any base layers, I wanted to create the pages for inside my shell covers. Following instructions I discovered in certainly one of my artwork books (Sure – Erica Ekrem) on bookmaking, I started the bookmaking course of. I folded Bristol paper (my most well-liked artwork substrate) to make signatures. I then traced the shell’s edge to make a template for chopping the distinctive design. I additionally drilled holes into the shells to safe the covers when the e-book is sewn collectively.
Though the pages weren’t almost as giant as I had envisioned, and trimming them to the shell’s edge design created an odd formed web page, I may see my thought coming to life.
As soon as the entire preliminary preparation was full, it was time to make some artwork!
I collaged the coloured tissue onto the within of every seashell with Ranger Industries – Misery Collage Medium (matte) and set it apart to dry. After it was utterly dry, it was straightforward to take off any overhanging edges with a sanding block. I added a gold edge to the completed shell with a metallic paint pen.
Subsequent, I started to sort out the pages. I’ve seen Leandra use paints to stamp many occasions and actually liked her outcomes, so I made a decision it was time to do that approach for myself. I grabbed two completely different inexperienced coloured PaperArtsy Fresco End Chalk Acrylic paints – Zucchini (FF119) and Hyde Park (FF50) and used a brayer to use the paint to my stamp, then randomly stamped alongside the sides of every web page. I feel it is best to work with one colour at a time and do a number of pages then put aside and add to a different web page. I did discover that the extra occasions I loaded the brayer, the extra the paint appeared to construct up on the stamp and the main points weren’t as clear. When this occurred, I merely washed off the stamp and dried it, then started the braying and stamping course of as soon as once more. I like the imperfect look the painted stamping created!
Now that every web page was grounded with the flowing seaweed pictures, it was time so as to add a little bit of background colour for an ocean reference. I like the best way that Ranger Industries – Misery Inks react when they’re spritzed with water, and thought this might create a beautiful watery impact for the pages. I inked every web page with the misery ink after which flicked water droplets with a paintbrush.
I stamped a web page of various fish pictures from the stamp units with Ranger Industries – Misery Archival ink (Black Soot) and watercolored them with Misery Inks in varied colours. Earlier than chopping the photographs out, I drew small tabs out from the photographs at a location that I thought of could be straightforward to fold. When chopping out every sea creature, I made positive to chop alongside the tab traces I had drawn.
Whereas I had the entire stamps helpful, I additionally did some stamping among the many pages. By this time within the development of the undertaking, I had already determined that it might turn out to be a journal of types. I wished to depart some pages with open area for sketching or writing. Whereas I left various pages with solely the seaweed alongside the sides, others had the addition of creatures and shells. These pictures have been coloured utilizing misery inks.
I wished the primary web page of the e-book to behave as a title web page. To do that, I stamped and warmth embossed certainly one of my favourite stamp designs from the Scrapcosy stamp set 12 (ESC12). Then I used the Misery inks to paint within the filigree patterns.
Every signature is edged with metallic gold paint just like the seashells in order that when the e-book is closed it would look unified. The final step to finish was binding the entire signatures along with the back and front seashell covers. I used a coptic sew methodology of uncovered binding, selecting a pure coloured waxed linen thread I believed would go properly with the nautical facet.
I knew all alongside that I wished this undertaking to cowl the entire matters from this quarter: Books and Journals, Ink Pads, and naturally the designer deal with Scrapcosy. I’m actually happy with how this seashell e-book turned out, and hope to seek out the proper use for it, together with all these “hidden” (the quarterly theme) spots inside.
Whereas the seashells are undoubtedly a particular fashion, I feel that this could possibly be tailored to suit many alternative themes. The road of PaperArtsy Eclectica stamps designed by Scrapcosy incorporates many alternative themes, one other one I really feel may work very properly with any such undertaking could be the flowers or greens, using seed packets for covers, and even the tea designs to create a booklet for tea cookie recipes. There are such a lot of instructions you may take this! Hope this offers you a number of concepts. ~ Ann