Texture, stamp making and Sweetest Day?

Yesterday when I finally made it upstairs to the studio...had to do some homestead bills...not my favorite job to do but grateful they are done and paid.   So as I went up stairs to create a few more papers for the Illinois Art Educations Association Conference that I'm taking only a very small parting sharing and teaching this Friday, I was thinking about how much more these teachers give. So for the short amount of time I have to present I'm going to try to give them as much an experiences as I can.  So I'm creating most of the papers almost finished so then they can add the colors and coat them.  Sand magazine with the canyon textiles, to adding image transfers...did I mention I'll have 24 teachers...so I've been creating paper for them the last week and a half.

The back side of the Kraft paper is coated already for the teacher with Polymer medium and for 1  hour and 45 minutes with them, I had to create a texture on the front of the Kraft paper. Mainly because of drying time...but they will be able to add the color to it.  I've got big sheets bigger then this drying on the rack. I forget how much fun it is.

Had some music going and was scribing in as I went, using different tools to make marks. I know I'm not going to use the right wordage for this...some thing I fall short on but they will get the just of it for sure and take back to their classrooms what the want.  

 After tackling the paper making I was questioned about how to make the stamps that I have in class and would I show them how...I so easily forget and just bring the stuff in class and students want to know how and I forget to add that in to the class session...just too hard to bring in 14 years or so of educational stuff into one class session...but I share as much as I can...before the brain just forgets what the heck I was doing...happens often these days. I kind of feel bad that I didn't bring this all in...but this class was about layering the mediums and collage papers with some object stamping.  Simple things laying around like caps off things and even rubber stamps can be use with caution as of clean up in the detailed rubber areas needs to be cleaned out good or you lose that when stamping with acrylics, instead of an ink pad.  Rambling I know....

 So this sink mat has seen better days it was clear but now it's dark from all the National Geo. magazines and inks from that. So I'm wanting to make a smaller hand stamp and thought why don't I use this mat for a plate and just roll on some of the extra stain I had left over from making stained tissue papers and see what happens. Well with all that abuse to the surface it has left a great texture for the surface and it now looks more like rocks/river pebble then every before. 
materials for making them,  Fun foam from craft store, wooden blocks, if you have a hand made have him cut some or the hardware store guys might cut a board down for you. if not you can glue this to foam core square...warning it may fall about later from the water but you should get some usage out of it. Any ways...I keep trailing off.  I just printed this on the white paper to check it out.

Then I cut the shapes out and traced them on the fun foam...lots of extra work but I got what I wanted from it. Then to add a spin to it or my own voice I cut notches in them... I may lose the effect for the river rocks but I jumped and here you go.

 Making these stamps worked better for me if I do them the night before or day before so I can allow the Polymer to dry. Polymer, polymer, polymer yes I use it on everything...when you buy in galloon sizes and know how great it is...for duel purposes...then why not.  So put a coat on the top and after you've cut out you shapes, lay then on be careful not to get the polymer on the surface of the foam...if you do just wipe it off quick. After the polymer has dried then I give the rest of the wood block or foam core a coat on all other sides and let it dry. The polymer is a protective coat so it helps the acrylic paints and water not to soak in so much in clean up.. I usually have a bucket of water near by when I'm using them and I drop them in till I can wash them up better.

As you can see....Play to over and I had to do just one more...or and then another idea popped up and before you knew it I had looked up and two hours went by...done missed lunch time. 

So I came down and the husband was watching a movie and I asked it he wanted to visit his uncle...and he did so we got cleaned up and went for a visit. Uncle Cliff was out at a whittling demo and well then we decided to go for an late lunch or early dinner...Ended up at Outback and the waitress shared with us that  it was Sweetest Day...Silly neither of us knew that. So came home and watched the movie Heat with our favorite Actress, Sandra Bullock. Got a good couple of laughs...

Now today I've got to get my behind ready for Artist Way tomorrow... Can't believe it I've got 10 in the session...this will be great.