Mojo Monday with Glenda Waterworth
Issue 2 - April 28th 2014


Welcome to the second edition of Monday Mojo Magic which this week features PanPastels. 

If you haven't come across these before, they are pans of compressed chalk pastel which you apply to your surface with a foam sponge. 

They are very highly pigmented which means they give a lot of colour very quickly and they are extremely easy to blend and mix on the surface. 

Comparable in size and price to a quality inkpad and available in a huge range of artist's colours, they have definitely become a firm fixture in my craft room.

Quick Links
Materials List
Step by Step
The close up
2014 Artwork
The back story
Where to buy
PanPastel Backgrounds

This week I am showing you a very easy way to create backgrounds using PanPastels and just one inkpad - Versamark.  The beauty of this technique is that it allows you to add multiple colours to a single stamped image and with the fine and pointed tip  Sofft Tools, you can be very accurate with your colouring.

underwater scenepastel backgroundparfum de paris
Materials List

Selection of stamps - here are some of the stamps I've used:

You can experiment with lots of different types of paper and card (including coloured) as unlike many other media, you don't have to worry about the paper warping or buckling when wet.   

 

Step by step photos
PanPastels and Versamark

Begin by inking up a stamp with Versamark and stamp it randomly over your card.

 

 

 

PanPastels and Versamark
Wipe the Sofft sponge gently over the PanPastel two or three times then pat onto your stamped image. Once you see the image start to appear, use a circular motion to gently rub the pastel over the stamp.

 


PanPastels and Versamark
When using similar colours, there is no need to change the sponge, you can pick up a second colour and apply it right next to your first, overlapping slightly to blend the colours.

 

PanPastels and Versamark

Continue to colour over your stamped images blending tones together.

Wipe the surface clean with a soft cloth. You can use kitchen towel, but be gentle as it can actually scrape through the surface and leave scratches if applied too harshly.

PanPastels and Versamark

Add further images in the gaps to create more pattern and introduce a third colour which is still in a similar colour range to the first two.
PanPastels and Versamark

If it starts to look too patchy, don't worry, you can continue to blend colours at any time.
PanPastels and Versamark

Add some background pattern - our Texture, Lace or Gothic Fragment stamps are perfect for this.
 

PanPastels and Versamark

The great thing about PanPastels is you can lighten or darken it at any time. There is still some residual tackiness to the Versamark which means you can add a darker or lighter colour to change the mood.

PanPastels and Versamark
 

If you want to add any focal images using the same technique, you need to be aware that it will not be completely opaque and some of the underlying pattern will show through.

 

Taj Mahal pastel
PanPastels are so forgiving that you can usually rescue a piece gone wrong.  This is the piece that I started in the step by step pictures above, but I added an image on the left which I wasn't happy with and almost put it in the bin.

Instead, I added some black over the offending image, then after rubbing it quite hard with a soft cloth, I stamped the gothic window element over the top and used a lighter colour (Umber Tint) to give me a light on dark image. 

The dark corner then needed to be balanced in other areas, so I added more fragments and used some dark blues to balance the colour composition.  Now that it is finished, I love the bright glow that appears to be behind the buildings - proof that the best things are sometimes the result of a happy accident!


Here's another example made with flowers from the Butterfly Daisy Collage stamp set.




I started with pale blues and aquas, then added in pinks and lilacs.

 

Finally I used a flowery Texture Fragment to fill in the gaps using a pale yellow.  

 

Once the whole piece has been rubbed over with a soft cloth, you can see if there are any gaps that need to be filled in with a little colour or more pattern.   

The close ups

Here are some larger photos of my finished backgrounds using this technique with details of which stamps were used.

flower pastels
Butterfly Daisy Collage and Texture Fragments

parfum de paris
Parfum de Paris

underwater scene
Mermaid Collection and Texture Fragments


pastel background
Gothic Fragments (plus script from a retired set)


dream card

This card was created with Texture Fragments and Indian Textiles in the background, then overstamped with Versafine Onyx black using a tree from Fantasy Woodland and a stamp from Floral Edges.  I have found that Versafine is one of the most opaque black inks available to stampers and a particularly good one over PanPastels.

I have used an ivory card base and stamped script in the corners with stamps from the Eccentric Edwardian stamp set using the same technique with Versamark.  The effect is deliberately subtle because I chose a colour (Burnt Umber tint) which was very close to the colour of the cardstock.

2014 Artwork

Here are a couple more cards made using the same techniques.


This one uses the lovely Rose Stem Script stamp and a spray from Rose and Thistle.


And here's one I blogged last year using stamps from Oriental Crane and a Crafter's Workshop Template called Tile TextureClick here to see the original blog post.

The back story

I originally ran this series in 2013 and this time round, I have used my own tutorial to inspire me to create a new piece of artwork to share with you. 

I love to create and I am also passionate about inspiring and enabling others to create too.  I hope that this email gets your mojo working and you feel motivated to get into your crafty space and have a go.

I am also featuring the new cards on my blog each week with a colour challenge - visit glendawaterworth.com for more details.
Glenda

PS - if your creation features Chocolate Baroque stamps, then why not share on our Facebook Group or our wonderful private forum. In both places you will find a friendly community of like minded Chocolate Baroque fans.

Where to buy
Chocolate Baroque Logo
Stamps and PanPastels used in this project are available at my online store