Create the Background
Work on a tag cut from Smooth White Ready to Stamp Card. Decant a little Vanilla chalk paint and thin it roughly 50:50 with water so it flows easily. Using a soft brush, paint the tag with London Brick water-based ink, applying it generously. While the ink is still wet, brush in the diluted Vanilla chalk paint, allowing the two to mingle and marble across the surface. Add more clean water where needed so the paint flows and creates soft patches of lighter and darker colour. Leave the tag to dry completely. As it dries you’ll see a beautifully mottled, chalky background.
Add a Subtle Vintage Pattern
Ink the Vintage Background stamp with Moonlight White archival ink. Randomly stamp across the tag – a section at the top, a little at the bottom and along one side until you're happy with the composition. The white design should be soft and understated, just adding gentle texture rather than a bold pattern. For extra interest, lightly blend Speckled Egg and Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide in a few areas, then darken the very edges with Versafine Clair Nocturne to 'frame' the tag.
Stamp the Fairy Image
Place the dry tag into your stamping platform. Position the Make a Wish stamp so there will be space for the sentiment at the bottom. Ink the stamp with Watering Can archival ink and stamp onto the tag. If any areas look a little light, ink again and restamp – the platform will keep everything perfectly aligned. Allow the archival ink to dry before moving on.
Paint the “Blend” Layer
Now for the magic of the technique. With the tag still positioned in the stamping platform use Warm White chalk paint with a fine brush to carefully paint inside the stamped fairy – skin, dress, wings and dandelion head – using the stamped image as a guide to avoid the surrounding background. As you paint, the London Brick ink beneath begins to bleed softly through the chalk paint, tinting the white into a muted peachy tone. Don’t worry about getting a perfectly uniform coat – the charm comes from those gentle, uneven tints. Let this layer dry completely.
Stamp Again for Crisp Detail
Re-ink the Wish stamp with archival ink and stamp directly over the painted area. Check for any light patches and re-ink and if needed, stamp again just in those areas. This second stamping restores all the fine line work over the softly coloured figure.
Add White Pencil Highlights
Using a China White pencil, begin adding highlights where the light would naturally hit – the left side of the face, top of the arms and legs, the front of the dress folds and the tops of the wings. Keep the pressure light at first, then switch to a softer white pencil to intensify a few key areas such as the tip of the nose, the front of the skirt and the brightest parts of the wings and dandelion seeds. On smooth cardstock like this the effect stays soft and subtle, which suits the dreamy look of the piece.
Stamp the Sentiment and Finish
Stamp the coordinating “May all your wishes come true” sentiment (or wording of your choice) across the lower part of the tag. Mount the finished panel onto black cardstock, punch a hole at the top and thread through ribbon or twine to complete the tag.
This simple combination of ink, chalk paint and pencil turns a single stamp into a rich, layered mixed media piece – and once you’ve tried it in one colourway, it’s hard not to make a whole stack of tags using colour variations or other stamp designs.
Cosmic Shimmer
