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Talking to Myself

“Too many word stamps.  You never use them all,” said my irritable inner critic.  Lately my inner critic has been full of constructive advice said in a gentle tone.  Not tonight.  She was in foul mood.  But I can be a real pain the rear too- just ask my kids!  So I decided to show that cranky critic I will use them all. Ha!  I used tons of them here!!

I started this background with NO CLUE where it was going.  Not completely true, I knew what colors I wanted since it is week  4 of the Summer of Color.   I read the sayings as I was stamping & something shifted for me.  My inner critic wanted to have a heart to heart conversation.  A kind and open talk.  Not the cranky authoritarian rant. The art reflected that conversation – myself talking to myself.  That’s all my inner critic is- the scared, defensive, protective me talking.

The  stamps are by Donna Downey,   Dylusions, and Tim Holtz.

In the video you see me cleaning off my stamps by stamping them in a journal.  That lets me clean most of the ink off the stamps and build a base for a journal page.  I used up leftover paint on the palette on the pages too.  Here’s what it looks like for now. On the left side the blue if my favorite part- that’s what happens when you use watered down acrylic paints.  Happy accident  I will be trying again!

I spent way too long trying to get a good photo of the main work. Fiddled with the colors in Photoshop.  Retook the photos.  This photo came out true to life the first time.  Does  that ever happen to you?

{ 40 comments… add one }

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  • froebelsternchen/Art Journal Journey July 8, 2012, 9:47 am

    GORGEOUS CAROLYN! I love the idea and am totally inspired! GREAT!

  • Maria McGuire July 8, 2012, 12:13 pm

    Just love the colors and the way you used all the stamps. I think the use of cut-outs to trace for the main image was genius, need to do that! And, you have reminded me to put my left overs in my junk journal which I always seem to forget!

  • Terrie: Creative Explorer July 8, 2012, 1:43 pm

    Inspiring! Love the colors for the SOC challenge and it’s such a creative use of the word stamps. I love the blocked effect they give. Great job and good reminder about using the leftovers.

  • Marcie July 8, 2012, 6:35 pm

    I absolutely love this. Where on earth did you get all of these amazing rubber stamps??? A true inspiration!!!

  • Paula - Buenos Aires July 8, 2012, 6:46 pm

    Wonderful stamp puzzle, vibrant colours, lovely flow in the girls.

  • Cynthia July 8, 2012, 9:45 pm

    Yes, inspiring is the right word! I LOVE the colors! I love all the words–what a fabulous idea. And the end product is just gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing the video too!

  • Rita McGregor July 8, 2012, 11:11 pm

    You really have a collection of cool word stamps. The ladies are quite glamourous! I like the colors together, too. 🙂

  • jane w. July 8, 2012, 11:30 pm

    I love this!

  • Valerie-Jael July 9, 2012, 1:57 am

    Great idea, love how you have used the colours! Valerie

  • helena c July 9, 2012, 6:51 am

    loved it at first glimpse and then I read the backstory and I love it even more – such a wonderful way to utilise your stamp collection

  • Stefanie Stark July 9, 2012, 6:58 am

    I like these beautiful colors and I love the story respective the dialogue between you and Ms Inner Critic – I know somebody who seems to be very similar to her 😉

  • Marja July 9, 2012, 7:04 am

    I an totally inspired and thanks for this great idea.
    your work is marvelous with the speaking ladies. So you.
    To use all these word is very spectacular. Marvelous Work
    Lovely greet
    marja
    (marjascreativity)

  • Jan S July 9, 2012, 7:49 am

    This is fabulous…love your ladies…and what a great collection of lovely stamps you have…Jan x

  • Carol July 9, 2012, 8:24 am

    Wow! Love the ladies and thus your multi stamp background works! ~ ~ thanks, ^_^ (A Creative Harbor)

  • Dolores July 9, 2012, 8:40 am

    Love your use of all the word stamps plus the extra page you have going for another day. Awesome page in the end. Sometimes mistakes are new learning experiences.

  • Stephanie Corder July 9, 2012, 8:46 am

    This is gorgeous, I LOVE the way you outlined her with color – she is so full of positive energy!
    Can’t wait to see what you come p with for next week!
    Oddly enough, the only way I can get a “true to life” photo of my work, is by taking pictures outside!

  • Diana Taylor July 9, 2012, 9:52 am

    I love it – great images and a wonderful background. I like the idea of cleaning up your stamps and using up paint on journal pages to create backgrounds – ingenious! Great work!

  • Scarlett July 9, 2012, 11:47 am

    Very cool!! Love the vid and process photos, it’s such a creative piece!!

  • Mrs S July 9, 2012, 12:01 pm

    This would make the worlds coolest wrapping paper!!! Those colours are perfect for Summer of Colour
    x x x

  • Elisabeth R July 9, 2012, 12:25 pm

    I love your pages! The background are perfect with all the words. Good thing you didn’t listen to your inner critic! *lol* And those ladys are just gorgeous!! 🙂

  • Kristin Van Valkenburgh July 9, 2012, 2:51 pm

    xo!

  • BJ July 9, 2012, 2:58 pm

    Brilliant pages and great video too. Love the tip cleaning off stamps on your journal pages. I will most definitely be doing that in future instead of all the scraps I just throw away! Need to get into journaling, just dabbling in it at present. Thanks BJ

  • Corrine July 9, 2012, 4:34 pm

    Wordalish post. I love seeing all your stamps filling the pages…..and the colors are pretty wonderful too. Yes, the photo thing, it’s so weird when that happens as if you were meant to wait and take it again and nothing seemed different just the result. xox

  • Nora Clemens-Gallo July 9, 2012, 5:11 pm

    Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!! I had fun watching your video. I just love what you created here!

  • mandy at eight is enough July 9, 2012, 7:35 pm

    Cool video….thanks for sharing…you have lots of stamps…lucky…great journal work…xxx

  • Tracey Fletcher King July 9, 2012, 7:56 pm

    I loved the video and laughed at the here comes the big mistake bit… it turned out so beautifully in the end and I am glad you told your inner critic to take a hike… and all those stamps… I would like to organise a play date one day and come and visit and play with all of your supplies… it would be such fun!!!!!

  • aquariann July 9, 2012, 9:03 pm

    What an amazing collection of stamps! Watching your video was rather fun. Great process.

    ♥ aquariann
    Art Update: Clematis Drawing

  • Kathy July 9, 2012, 9:16 pm

    This is SO COOL…that I am speechless…get it??!! Haha, I love this!

  • Diane Salter July 10, 2012, 7:04 am

    Once again–I love!!

  • Ritu Dua July 10, 2012, 8:51 am

    Absolutely awesome work of art 🙂

  • Annette G July 10, 2012, 1:16 pm

    Beautiful work, Annette x

  • Jo (fiddlesnips) July 10, 2012, 4:03 pm

    Wonderful artwork, I love those ladies in their beautiful dresses – and well done for using all those rubber stamps so creatively!

  • Terri Neggers July 10, 2012, 7:03 pm

    I just love it! What a great use for your stamps, and so great that it became meaningful for you. Thank you so much for showing us your process!

  • Shahrul Niza July 11, 2012, 8:57 am

    WOWWW! I LOVE the artwork so much. I wish I had that many word stamps, LOL. So clever with the background colors too. LOVE it. Hugs.

  • Jenny July 11, 2012, 9:06 pm

    Absolutely gorgeous Carolyn… just LOVE the word stamped background… and the colors are perfect.. beautiful work…

    Hugs
    Jenny x

  • denthe July 12, 2012, 9:16 am

    What a great idea! And your journalpage looks awesome!

  • Lisa Bowlin July 12, 2012, 8:24 pm

    OMG I love this!

  • Marjie Kemper July 13, 2012, 4:41 pm

    Fabulous! Love the way you used so many stamps and really enjoyed watching your coloring process. Thanks for sharing!

  • Caz July 19, 2012, 4:17 am

    what an amazing background!!

  • overyoure July 29, 2012, 1:47 am

    +1