A couple of months ago here in the CLASSroom, Ellen featured 3 beautiful tags that she created using Gesso. I had never used it before but was so inspired after seeing her tags, that I knew I was going to have to give Gesso a try.
On her Tag #2 she states, "I painted a layer of gesso directly on to my red rubber image (you will find another image below showing the amount of gesso that I use. If you slather on a layer that is too thick you will lose all the stamp details. If the layer is too thin, it will dry quickly and not leave a nice impression. Experimenting with the amount of gesso to use will be gained by experience only." Well it was time for me to experiment and gain some experience! Just exactly how much was "too thick" and how much was "too thin"?
To begin my experiment I decided to use the largest and detailed image from the CHF "Key Elements" set. I applied a truly thick layer of Gesso on my rubber image and then stamped the image 3 times.
Each resulting stamped image had less and less Gesso. Oh my!! The results were incredible! Where more Gesso did compromise the detail, it made up for in fabulous lumps and bumps (aka TEXTURE)!!
(Be sure to follow Ellen's advise to immediately wash off the Gesso from your rubber stamp. It rinses off quite easily before it dries... not so much after it dries!)
I chose to use Tim Holtz Fired Brick Ranger Distress Ink. So after the Gesso had dried I applied it directly from the pad to the image stroking it in all directions to emphasize all the texture. The results made me giddy with delight!
Can you believe how fabulous that is!?! And this is the image with the least amount of Gesso. Check these out!
I lightly sanded the images before applying a second color of the Distressed Ink.
I cut out and matted each image and made 3 cards. To show off some of the Basic Grey's "June Bug" and "Lemonade" Designer Paper Collections, I tore the front right hand edge completely off.
By adhering the designer papers to the inside of the card, some of the paper can be seen whether the card is open or closed. These are such gorgeous prints! I mixed and matched the two collections with 2 different patterns per card.
To make this set of cards more versatile, I chose to stamp the sentiments on separate detached strips. This way, no matter what the need or occasion may be, I can easily add any sentiment desired. A cute mini paper clip is attached to each card just for this purpose. This could also be a fun gift set with several sentiment strips included for the recipient to add as needed.
I also had lots of fun layering and matching the Art Flowers to the designer papers. I couldn't find a good pink or yellow to match on one of the cards so I used my Copics to color them for a closer match.
Gesso is wonderful. It is extremely easy to work with and gives such fabulous depth and texture to a project. And I've decided that there is no "too thick" or "too thin". It's all goodness and just depends on the look (and feel) you want to achieve. What could be better!?!
(Click image for larger view.)
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The following products used on these cards are available at Ellen Hutson, LLC.
Stamps: Cornish Heritage Farms: "Key Elements", "Weave Backgrounder", "We Remember" ('With Sympathy' sentiment), "Wedding Centers" ('Happy Wedding Day' and 'Congratulations' sentiments), "Silhouette Blooms I" ('Thoughts of You' sentiment)
Papers: Memory Box: Granny Smith, Currant, Crimson; Neenah: Classic Cream; Basic Grey: "June Bug", "Lemonade"
Inks: Memento: "Tuxedo Black"; Ranger Distress Inks: "Fired Brick", "Old Paper", "Weathered Wood"
Accessories: Claudine Hellmuth: Studio Gesso; Art Flowers; Dew Drops; Tim Holtz; Mini Paper Clips; Ribbon Lace; Ornare: Piercing Tool and Template
