Argy Bargy!

Argy Bargy!

Hello there!
Thanks for stopping by. Oh boy have we been busy!!!
Our New Stencil Club has certainly been well received.
If you haven’t heard about it, read all about it on the website!

Since we’ve had a right old Gelli Plate and Stencil week of it here, I thought, with it being Bank Holiday Weekend and all that, 
we could take a little trip down the more traditional Picture-building canal today. 
Ingredients:
 Denim Adirondack
Trim a piece of A5 Clarity card back 1.5″

Run low-tack masking tape around all 4 sides, 
half on the card, half off.

Using black Adirondack, stamp the canal barge
horse and reeds into place.

Colour in with Promarkers

 Mask off the barge

Fluff up some cotton wool, like clouds,

Pat the cotton wool in a Versamark pad, 
and transfer the gloopy Cotton wool to the artwork.
Add a Post-It moon too.

Load your brayer with Stonewashed Adirondack
and roll in the sky. See the clouds?
These are pretty naff, but you get the picture1

Water next.
Lay down a piece of paper where you want the canal.

Load your brayer with Denim, roll it over some screwed up paper, and then transfer the pattern to the artwork. 

It’s a start, but the horse is levitating…

Canal path required. Use Sandal Adirondack, like so.

Rolling hills needed…

Tear with a ruler or the side of your Clarity mat.

Just cover up the canal, and brayer in the hills.
Lettuce Adirondack is a good colour.
Add some miniature reeds along the water’s edge 
A little shadow under the barge with a make-up sponge.

A little depth with Adirondack up in the hills…

Best attach the horse to the barge, eh…
Promarker and a ruler will do the trick.
Now we can go down another path, if you like –
Let’s change the weather, turn down the brightness.
Load your brayer with Espresso and roll around the edges, coming into the artwork an inch or so.
Then trim the sides away.

Now we have a much moodier, artier piece, don’t you agree?
Sunny.
Overcast.
Spot the difference!
I know which path I’d rather be walking along!

Have a great Sunday.
xx
much love,

50 thoughts on “Argy Bargy!

  1. A tranquil Sunday Typically Gray picture – excellent!! and love it – so very very pleased that the stencil club has got off to an excellent start! I do wonder what else you have in store for us throughout the year!! Have a great day at the studios today Barb xx

  2. I love that set of stamps and have used it a lot! Beautiful scene Barbara!
    Have a good day….think of all those Shiny Happy People cheering you on today! Love and Hugs. X

  3. Hi Barbara. I´m really practicing on my brayering technique. If I end up a smidge as good as you I´ll be a very happy bunny.
    Just off to watch you on the tele.
    Bye
    Val in Spain x

  4. Hi Barb,
    Love this, it just looks so calm and peaceful. I'd rather have the sunny one than the overcast one but if I was in the canal boat, I'd be a bit worried as I'd be stranded as the horse is off on his own to find pastures new !!!! Off to watch the show now – good luck although you won't need it. Stamps look fabulous and I'm sure there will be lots of sell outs. Love Alison xxx

  5. Hi Barbara, I love this set, thanks for giving us the step by step – now I won't have to search my DVDs looking for the tips!! Hope the show goes well, the stamps are beautiful and I'm sure they'll fly off the shelves – literally in some cases. 😊 xx

  6. I love these stamps Barbara and would prefer the sunny day, been on too many wet and snowy canal holidays! Loving the new stamps and sell outs already. Have a great day love Diane xxx

  7. Hi Barbara,
    Love both of these pictures they both take you on a happy journey. Now watching you on C&C and can now see why everyone is going nuts about the wheely stencils, I just couldn't visualise them before. Hope you have a great show, now off to purchase some goodies. Love Bev xxx

  8. Hello Barb, both are great images, hopefully being a bank holiday weekend, it will be the sunny path, and living near the Grand Union canal, we may even have a chance to take a walk there. Thanks for the step by step, Show is recording as we speak, so look forward to catching up later. Great to hear that so many are excited about the Stencil club. Bx

  9. Another great blog. Not tried a scene yet, not sure I'd get the perspective right. Watching you on tv at the mo – love the new lapwing stamps. Might just have to order! x

  10. Watching on the tv and reading your blog, what a great start to Sunday. I remember you doing the barge on tv a while ago so its good to see it again. Great way to practice perspective. XX

  11. Morning Barbara, so pleased the stencil club has got off to such a brilliant start but I never had any doubts your products are always so fantastic
    Another great project I'd far rather be in the sunny picture but I live the moody one too
    Jackie x

  12. Hi Barbara. Like Donna, I am sat watching you on TV while reading your blog, I am one happy lady : ) Love the cards but have to say I would be in the sunshine every time! Take care.

  13. all last year we had a poster in Ballymena that said "Summer is a state of mind", it always made me laugh when it was raining. Love boy your art pieces as always Barbara, hope you're having a great weekend. Maddy x

  14. Just finished watching the show today. So much inspiration and excellent products, not surprised that there were so many sell outs.

    I love this scene as it reminds me of the canal boat holiday I had with Guides a few years ago, when we were opening some of the lock gates in sleet. So the moody one definitely brings back the memories. I just wish we could have had the summery scene!

  15. Gorgeous card Barbara. I haven't seen this set before. Another for list! Great show today. Feel really inspired and can't wait for my new goodies to arrive. Enjoy the rest of your day. Ela xx

  16. Just had to revisit Barbara to say fantastic show and congratulations on the sell outs. You and nigel made me laugh and it's ok your top was fine- we were all looking at the art work! A star as always and thank you for the inspiration. Now off to make it look like I've just spent the last 2 hours being productive!!! Love Diane

  17. Lovely tranquil scene – have the shows recorded to watch later when there will be no interruptions! Will have to send the other half for an afternoon snooze!! Susan x

  18. Love this it's bringing childhood memories back when I used to go to Langollen and see the horse drawn barges. About to settle down with a coffee and watch the recording of your show this morning. (Had to record because church got in the way)!!

  19. Lonely card as always and brilliant TV show also. I purchased the lesson 23 stamps last night and had to sit on my hands throughout the show! I will, however have to find a way to fund the stencil club membership!

  20. Fabulous artwork as usual Barbara. Loved your show today, all the tips and techniques were great. Enjoy your bank holiday Monday. Pat x

  21. Hi Barb,
    Just me again. Thought the show was brilliant today, Nigel's comment about the Karcher was so funny! Love the wheelie alphabet stencil – great that it has lower case as well. The bird stamps ( all of them! ) were lovely too. I decided that I'm going to get my wish list directly from you instead of C&C but will have to wait until next month I think. Love Alison xx

  22. Hello Barbara, what a lovely show today. Didn't it go well with all those sell outs! I have to say I loved the birds but they will have to wait. I have too many stencils to get first! xx Margaret Col.

  23. Great show this morning Barbara, I thought you were going to spell my name out at one point! Fab design team samples.enjoy the rest of your bank holiday! wxx

  24. Lovely card and great show today which I caught up on late this afternoon.
    Beautiful design team cards and all products fab .
    Must say Barbara you looked fab -loved your outfit -where did you find it??
    Hope you get some rest tomorrow,
    XxRuth

  25. I agree with above comment colour of your top really suited this morning. Great show as usual. Only just got round to reading blog been at a barbecue for grandson's birthday. Lovely afternoon great to be outside. Wonderful scene with the barge, always good to have reminder about scene building. I am still trying to get it right. Lynne xx

  26. This is lovely Barbara!
    Taking your "spot the difference" literally……On the left artwork, the tether horse-to-barge is missing, there's an extra hill to the left of the horsey and there are three bulrushes, not two, & less shadow at the front of the barge….but who cares anyway – each one is a unique & beautiful piece of art 🙂
    Really enjoyed the show today and looking forward to my goodies arriving from Clarity. I hope you're leaving someone in charge while you're away! LOL
    Have a brilliant time with your guys & gals – you do a great job and deserve a break. Have fun, love Carole xxx

  27. Great card and great show this morning I even joined in the live chat on Facebook, while watching you on the telly and ironing at the same time. Now that's what I call multi tasking !! X

  28. This is a fabulous picture. I love the canal boat and the gorgeous horse. I never thought of using cotton wool for clouds before.
    I really enjoyed the show today and hope it isn't too much x
    Denise xx

  29. I love this set and i would prefer the sunny path too. Could we have a working boat to add to the set, please. I did do a picture using an outline I did from a real boat, and a bridge to go with it too. It was specially for someone who owns and uses an old working boat to haul cargo round the big working boat gatherings, and the outline was taken from a photo of their own boat. xx Maggie

  30. This is lovely Barbara, and I think I prefer the second more moody scene, also I think this one might get further too as the horse on the other scene isn't hitched to the barge It's great that the stencil club has been so popular, and your C & C show went well too. Unfortunately I only caught the first hour as I had to go out. We went on a canal boat holiday many years ago and these stamps make me think of what a wonderful time we had. x

  31. Great artwork. Whilst I prefer to sunnier, brighter one, I do like the moodiness of the darker one. The clouds also came out better, I think, in the darker one. Caught some of the show. What I saw was brilliant. Will catch up with recording in the week. x

  32. Great to see the two cards, side by side. What a difference a bit of shading makes. Love the cloud making technique too. Horrible day here in Ireland, typical BH Monday, wet and windy.

    I had to record your programme on Sunday, then found out the stamps I wanted had sold out. I am a persistent so and so at times, so I've ordered them direct from your website!

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