...For T!m's 12 Tags of Christmas, Lots To Do, Saturday Surprise, and Wednesday Stamper...
3-a:
Have I mentioned how much fun I'm having taking my in-studio vacation to make T!m's 12 tags of Christmas? On day three he made two tags. The one above and the one below are my interpretations of T!m's examples and instructions, using what I had on hand to make them both.
3-b:
If you want instructions for making the tags, you'll need to get them from T!m's blog. You'll also need to see T!m's tags to understand what I did differently, for comparison and contrast. I've listed my adaptations below:
Using What I Have On-Hand...
- As much as I would love to have them, I do not own a distress ink stamp pad or re-inker in "soot", which was needed to color the tags. I substituted washes of sumi-e ink, but I suppose you could use black watercolor washes as well.
- T!m used washers and brads to attach the worked images to his tags. I'm absent washers, so I set some nailheads instead, then used the studded hammer tip of Ranger's texture hammer (LOVE this tool!) to rough them up a bit.
- Alas, I do not own the glorious trees stamp that T!m used, but last year I carved my own tree, so I pulled that out of my stash, masked the image to layer it, and created my forest on 3a.
- On both tags, I substituted a Rhona Farrer flourish for T!m's, and on 3a, I used Hero Arts "dot pattern" for the negative image snow flurries instead of the stamp that T!m used.
- My metal "Joy" charms are, well, not metal at all. I used 120# kraft, die-cut the circles and embossed the larger ones, giving each of them separate washes of metallic Japanese ganzai paint. You could use perfect pearls just as easily, I'm certain. I antiqued the edges with Ranger's walnut distress ink and used a Micron pen to write "Joy".
A Hint Or Two...
Somewhere along the line, T!m makes a point to say that "it's all in the details". This phrase should be listed as one of the supreme life-lessons for artists. As with all projects of artistic merit, paying attention to the little things makes all the difference in the world. I tell my own students: Be careful not to confuse acquiring the patience to do things precisely with being "fussy". Paying close attention to detail is often the only line that's drawn between amateur and professional, and it is what will train you to do what you intend to do with ease.
And one more hint (just because I'm feeling generous): Never confuse "happy accidents" with "mistakes". While true "happy accidents" are sometimes encountered -- often leading to wonderful new discoveries, "mistakes" on the other hand, are neither "happy", nor "accidental". They are sign posts that read: "more practice needed".
If I ever hear another student whine and say something like, "I don't need to take this too seriously, it isn't like I'm going to be doing it for a living..." (and I will hear it, again and again...), I think I'm going to keel over and go mad! In a nutshell, even if you're a hobbyist, an accomplished hobbyist is a happy hobbyist, and you can't be having fun if you're unhappy with your work. Did you hear me use the word "perfect"? Never! "obsessive"? You've got to be kidding! I said "accomplished". There's a huge difference here. Accomplishment has everything to do with how you feel about your work when you've honestly assessed it, and it's that sense of well-being that drives us to artwork in the first place. So there you go "n" and "n" -- you know who you are, LOL! Some good advice that I hope will help you get even more enjoyment out of everything you do!
And thanks, T!m. It really is "all in the details"!
Now I'm off to...
Put the finishing touches on a pot roast
Finish one of the books I'm reading and get back to The Time Traveler's Wife
Feed the dog
Put on some music, and
Make more tags!!
Have a great day, Everyone!
