greenpepperpressblog

Tag: rubber stamps

  • m.i.y.o.

    Tomorrow is the last day for the current GPP Street Team Crusade.  We've been Making It Our Own and many artists have come by to share their inspiration and interpretations as we strive to add an authentic and personal touch to all that we do.  Often we turn to custom tools to keep things original and unique – like carved stamps or cut stencils.  There have been many times where I have created an element simply because it didn't exist and I needed/wanted it.  THAT is how I began designing and selling rubber stamps.  I made images I wanted to have that weren't available yet.

    GPPSTC31banner2 

    MWc31c

    As you know, we are huge HIM fans in this house.  I have an entire drawer of HIM shirts, at least 5 hoodies, several bags, and countless accessories with heartagrams thanks to Hot Topic, Spencers, Heartagram.com, and concerts.  In the early days there was not alot of merchandise with the heartagram on it….so we had to Make Our Own.

    MWc31b 

    I carved these stamps and we used them with fabric paint or even cooler: bleach, to make tshirts and stuff.  I cut stencils too.  And the heartagram pendant came by request of Peter and his friends (they all wanted one), made from pink wire.   It's awfully primitive but pretty cool of me don't you think? 

    MWc31d 

    A couple summers ago I made these for my NJ/NY HIM Street Team.  Super quick and easy and inexpensive.  Great party favor.  

    The heartagram selections at Hot Topic these days are kinda scarce again until the new album comes out (too long from now!) so I may have to go back to Making My Own HIM merch.  (Very closely related to Make It Your Own is Do It Yourself!)  Stop in at the Street Team to see what we are doing….and then come back later in the week to see the new challenge and play along with us.

  • *claps wildly*

    MWfundraiserupdate 

    I wanted to thank all of you who came by to offer your support for our friend Paula and her family.  The update on our fundraiser:  70+ orders, and I'm still logging them in.  *THANK YOU*.  This is really cool.  If you haven't read all the comments in the last post you should click and have a look – we've gotten two from Paula, and she reminds us all to check our smoke alarms, practice our escape routes, check on our insurance, and get a good fire-proof safety box. 

    Thank you for your kind words for my brother and his family.  I think your prayers and good vibes worked as it appears they have held the tides from entering their home.  It will be some time before life is normal but eventually they will be sleeping in their own beds again.  *offers prayers of gratitude*

    One more note of thanks to friends and readers who have spread the word about the fundraiser.  I really appreciate that this has grown wings and got bigger than I even hoped.  I'm enclosing a button, since I've already offered it to some…if you want to use it please link it to the order page on GPP HERE.

    PaulaButton2

  • *claps wildly*

    MWfundraiserupdate 

    I wanted to thank all of you who came by to offer your support for our friend Paula and her family.  The update on our fundraiser:  70+ orders, and I'm still logging them in.  *THANK YOU*.  This is really cool.  If you haven't read all the comments in the last post you should click and have a look – we've gotten two from Paula, and she reminds us all to check our smoke alarms, practice our escape routes, check on our insurance, and get a good fire-proof safety box. 

    Thank you for your kind words for my brother and his family.  I think your prayers and good vibes worked as it appears they have held the tides from entering their home.  It will be some time before life is normal but eventually they will be sleeping in their own beds again.  *offers prayers of gratitude*

    One more note of thanks to friends and readers who have spread the word about the fundraiser.  I really appreciate that this has grown wings and got bigger than I even hoped.  I'm enclosing a button, since I've already offered it to some…if you want to use it please link it to the order page on GPP HERE.

    PaulaButton2

  • hot topic, new rubber, special benefit

    A special announcement….but first, check your smoke detectors.  Practice your escape routes….

    MWhottopicforPAULA    

    Paula 

    MWmockups   

    I will post an edit here when I have the order information ready.  I hope you'll join me in rallying 'round Paula and her family.  Keep them in your prayers, and while you are at it, pray for my brother and his family as they have been sandbagging for days in Moorhead, MN, with the hopes of fending off the flooding waters from their town and their home.  Fire and water….I'm thankful for the four walls around me today, aren't you?

    EDIT:  I've loaded the new rubber sheet to Green Pepper Press.  Keep in mind it is pre-order so won't ship for a few weeks.  I set up a new shipping policy so this half sheet can go out by First Class mail, which is slower but cheaper!  ($1 to U.S., $1.70 to Canada, and $3.00 elsewhere) 

    Thank you for all your kind words.  Anam asked about a paypal donation address – that has been set up by Paula's friends and can be found HERE.

  • hot topic, new rubber, special benefit

    A special announcement….but first, check your smoke detectors.  Practice your escape routes….

    MWhottopicforPAULA    

    Paula 

    MWmockups   

    I will post an edit here when I have the order information ready.  I hope you'll join me in rallying 'round Paula and her family.  Keep them in your prayers, and while you are at it, pray for my brother and his family as they have been sandbagging for days in Moorhead, MN, with the hopes of fending off the flooding waters from their town and their home.  Fire and water….I'm thankful for the four walls around me today, aren't you?

    EDIT:  I've loaded the new rubber sheet to Green Pepper Press.  Keep in mind it is pre-order so won't ship for a few weeks.  I set up a new shipping policy so this half sheet can go out by First Class mail, which is slower but cheaper!  ($1 to U.S., $1.70 to Canada, and $3.00 elsewhere) 

    Thank you for all your kind words.  Anam asked about a paypal donation address – that has been set up by Paula's friends and can be found HERE.

  • check mates

    X and O were my partners in crime for a while.  Of course x and o would eventually take you to tic-tac-toe, right?  Then onto checkerboard…..the scale made me think of the chess punch, and soon I was channeling new ideas which required new tools.  Here's the visual story:

    MWnewideas 

    MWnewtools 

    MWchessstencils  

    MWchessmasks  

    MWchesstest  

    MWchessstencilssmall  

    Oh, let me take a moment to recognize that this is my 300th post.  When I noticed I had just hit 100 on the Street Team blog I checked the count over here and it was at 299.  Wow!  Dear readers, this platform, my blog, helps me define who I am – and it cleared the path to meet you.  What's that saying?  It's out on the limb where you gather the fruit.  I ventured out and you served the fruit.  Thank you.

    MW300  

    Back to chess…..like WAY BACK.  Making these new tools was like revisting old friends.  For nearly ten years I have incorporated chess pieces in my work.  Here's some of the visual history: 

    MWchessarchive1 

    MWchessarchive2  

    MWchessarchive3

    MWchessarchive4 

    MWchessarchive5 

    MWchessarchive6 

    MW HIMchess

  • check mates

    X and O were my partners in crime for a while.  Of course x and o would eventually take you to tic-tac-toe, right?  Then onto checkerboard…..the scale made me think of the chess punch, and soon I was channeling new ideas which required new tools.  Here's the visual story:

    MWnewideas 

    MWnewtools 

    MWchessstencils  

    MWchessmasks  

    MWchesstest  

    MWchessstencilssmall  

    Oh, let me take a moment to recognize that this is my 300th post.  When I noticed I had just hit 100 on the Street Team blog I checked the count over here and it was at 299.  Wow!  Dear readers, this platform, my blog, helps me define who I am – and it cleared the path to meet you.  What's that saying?  It's out on the limb where you gather the fruit.  I ventured out and you served the fruit.  Thank you.

    MW300  

    Back to chess…..like WAY BACK.  Making these new tools was like revisting old friends.  For nearly ten years I have incorporated chess pieces in my work.  Here's some of the visual history: 

    MWchessarchive1 

    MWchessarchive2  

    MWchessarchive3

    MWchessarchive4 

    MWchessarchive5 

    MWchessarchive6 

    MW HIMchess

  • x meets o

    It was back in June that I shared my journal work spinning a "+" into an "x".  See {positive spin}.  Now "x" has a new friend, meet "o".  Duh, right?MWxopages 

    My ritual is to collect and create supplies and then process the palette (or in this case shapes) on journal pages.  If it clicks I will have filled up many pages and will take what I've learned onto other surfaces.  What started with an xoxo stamp from the dollar bin ended up as a full arsenal of custom tools:  stamps, masks and stencils.  I saw that x next to that o and I was toast.  Hyper-focus designing new tools was my mission, and trying them out in the journal was a satisfying reward.  MWootools  

    MWxxtools  

    Because we had terrific weather this week I was able to move my studio outside and spray with abandon, completing six painted canvases where x meets o.  A peek at the canvas work:

    MWxocanvaspeek  

    When you want a little something different to bring to your art:  make new tools.  When you can't find a supply that you need:  make new tools.  When you want to create authentic and original art:  make new tools.  xoxo

  • x meets o

    It was back in June that I shared my journal work spinning a "+" into an "x".  See {positive spin}.  Now "x" has a new friend, meet "o".  Duh, right?MWxopages 

    My ritual is to collect and create supplies and then process the palette (or in this case shapes) on journal pages.  If it clicks I will have filled up many pages and will take what I've learned onto other surfaces.  What started with an xoxo stamp from the dollar bin ended up as a full arsenal of custom tools:  stamps, masks and stencils.  I saw that x next to that o and I was toast.  Hyper-focus designing new tools was my mission, and trying them out in the journal was a satisfying reward.  MWootools  

    MWxxtools  

    Because we had terrific weather this week I was able to move my studio outside and spray with abandon, completing six painted canvases where x meets o.  A peek at the canvas work:

    MWxocanvaspeek  

    When you want a little something different to bring to your art:  make new tools.  When you can't find a supply that you need:  make new tools.  When you want to create authentic and original art:  make new tools.  xoxo

  • crusading, cutting

    Mw_stc19

    We wrapped up the month of March with a record number of participants who shared links to their custom cut rubber stamps.  We took a vote and bumped cutting stencils to April.  Congrats to Susan Warder for being the Top Hat Pick for Crusade No. 18.  I made a little tutorial on stencil cutting over on the Street Team blog, and will continue adding to it as I did last month with the carving tips.  I’m still obsessing over roses…had to make stamps and stencils yesterday.  WARNING:  It’s Addictive.

    Mw_making_stencils_and_stamps

    Mw_using_rose_stamps

    Mw_using_rose_stencils

    The only way to know if you have cut a good and useful image is to put it to work.  These are the beginnings of journal pages using both acrylic paint and spray paint with my new stamps, stencils, and masks.  Give them a test run before cutting more because you’ll learn what you might have done differently, or what additions you’d like to have:  for instance, a solid image of your stencil to create a foundation to make it *pop*.

    Mw_using_it_grid

    I don’t often use people or faces in my work so I’ve stayed away from attempting a portrait stencil.  But I’ve been wanting to do a Valo, and a Poe, and finally starting working on them.  I had an a-ha moment when I decided to take this design which wasn’t quite working, and turn it into a half-face.  I got so excited with it I had to make a PS brush and take it for a test ride digitally.  I think I’m ready to cut HIM out now.  *grins*

    Mwvillestencildoomtext

    Mwvillestencildigitalred_3 

    Mw_ville_stencil_test_2

    Wanna join a fun community of artists?  Come see what we’re doing on the Street Team.  We have new players every month, so don’t be shy.  We have artists who share their time and talent, but most of all, their enthusiasm for making cool stuff.  Seriously, *we rock*.