Saturday 10 October 2015

Japanese Garden - Darkroom Door

Once again I've been having a great time playing with Darkroom Door's new collage stamp, 'Arty Mosaic'.  This time I've used it to create a background on canvas.


  1. Paint two layers of gesso onto blank canvas board.  When dry add layers of warm white, titanium white and skin tone along with a dash of paynes grey.  I painted with my fingers, but a brush may make less of a mess.  I find it easier to control and blend the paint with fingers.
  2. Stamp 'large Japanese script' on top right section of canvas.  Then stamp 'Arty Mosaic' onto white tissue paper using beige ink and heat set.  Cut apart the image into three sections and use clear gesso to affix to the left hand edge of canvas.  Go gently as the paper is delicate.  I roughed up some of the edges with my finger nail once it was down to give it a distressed look.
  3. When dry, add a light layer of white paint over different sections of the canvas.  Affix beaded lace scrap to lower right section of canvas using clear gesso. 
  4. Add floral Japanese fabric (paper would work too).  I cut around some floral pieces and added it to the layering, using clear gesso to affix.  You may like to blend the fabric in the lower section of the canvas by swiping coordinating stamping ink and dashes of white paint, heat setting as you go.
  5. Stamp 'orchids' using beige ink onto canvas and heat set.  When dry, add a thin transparent layer of gesso over the blossoms - this will act as a placement guide when gluing tissue paper orchids in place.  
  6. Stamp 'orchids' once more onto white tissue paper using beige ink.  Heat set the ink, fussy cut around the blossoms and affix each matching blossom to image on canvas with clear gesso.  I found I needed to add one more tissue paper blossom to help balance the work.
  7. Stamp 'Geisha' direction onto canvas with black ink (to help with placement of tissue paper image) and once it's dry, add a layer of white gesso over it.  Stamp 'Geisha' onto tissue paper with black ink and fussy cut around image.  Affix to work using clear gesso.
  8. Stamp 'love script' onto small fabric scrap of silk and add to top right corner of work using clear gesso.  Add any additional pearls to complete work.
Darkroom Door products used:
Collage stamp - Arty Mosaic

Other supplies used:
Paint - white and clear gesso, white titanium. warm white, skin tone and paynes grey
Small canvas board, beaded lace, Japanese floral fabric, white tissue paper, silk fabric scrap, pearl sticker



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