Embossing #AtoZ Challenge

Embossing is one of many ways to add texture to paper. 

I went a little crazy a couple years ago when I saw this article in Bound & Lettered, 

a magazine for book & letter artists. This article is by Carol Dubosch. In the link you will find a downloadable PDF of the script seen above she created & teaches in workshops .

I based an entire alphabet plus variations on her script&

 cut my own embossing plates from water color paper.

My tracing light box is indispensable for this process.

 

The process is time intensive as each letter, & at times

 elements of the same letter, has to be individually embossed into the paper.

Just another way I get into the zone. 

What activity makes you forget about time & the rest of the world?

Embossing Addiction Continues

   I can't help myself. I enjoy turning on the light box, getting out the alphabet components and disappearing into embossing. Every word can be a bit different every time.

 

 Deciding the way they should all go together is the fun.

They can also be used as stencils. Much quicker but a different result.

A good view of the cut letters on the light box & the stylus I use to make the impression in the paper.

Canson Mi-Teintes with it's slight texture gives a nice result. Lots of color choices.

I plan to create even more letter forms to play with. Custom cards anyone? Just ask. 

Many Thanks

It's been a very busy Spring with multiple opportunities to meet with friends old & new. Just to be clear I am not saying any of my friends (or I) are old. To rephrase, long time friends.

I pulled out the embossing letters i created awhile ago & did some thank you notes for friends who hosted me on my mini travels a couple weeks ago.

I added the water color first. Then did the embossing with my light pad. Love that thing.  

 This is most of the cut outs for the letters. The fun is mixing & matching.

 The light pad mentioned above. Beats the old light boxes by a mile.

Just about ready to head out to PBI in 2 days. There is always the worry, am I taking enough? Am I taking too much? Since I am driving I can put more in my car than I need which is a bonus. The weather in Michigan this time of year can be ANYTHING. So packing for summer & winter just in case is warranted. I will be making paper & I refuse to be cold so have packed appropriately for an artic trek, plus rubber boots. 

 I'll mention here my love of packing cubes. Seen in the lower part of the picture. They come in all sorts of sizes & colors, & they make packing for a long trip, where you are moving from place to place, so much easier. My husband & I can pack in one big duffle and know what belongs to whom. Plus your clothes don't get wrinkled because they are contained. We stay in a dorm type setting for PBI with no closets so they are great for keeping things organized for an extended stay.

I hope to be posting from PBI. Wifi there is a little wonky, but watch for me! I'll be the one with the smile on my face.

Amazing Times

Just got back from a truly wonderful experience at lake Louise in Northern Michigan. We 21 women had a fantastic Art Retreat with two exceptional artists, Pamela Paulsrud and Rosie Kelly. I suggest  you go poke around their sites or search for images.

We dabbled in paste paper, eco dyeing...with incredible surprising results, suminogashi, and binding the results into book form.

Over the next few posts I'll focus on one aspect of what we learned or played with. Here is a taste of how the process began:

 We filled a full sheet  40" X 26" of Arches Text Wove with writing, front & back. Pam offered prompts to get us to use different sizes, our non dominant hand, a conversation between ourselves and our 4 year old self.  A fun freeing experience.

Next came applying paste & pigment to the page, again front & back. To later be cut into pieces for book structures.

 It doesn't look like much yet, but hang inthere with me.

 Plus I have recently gotten addicted ot embossing letters. I incorporated this into my book for the title page which I will show you next time. This is my practice piece.

Till next time....