Some products featured in this post were gifted by SIMON SAYS STAMP.
This post also contains affiliate links to SIMON SAYS STAMP I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The Tim Holtz Monster Reunion CMS381 stamps have been around for a while, but now there are coordinating Tim Holtz Monster Reunion dies from Simon Says Stamp Monster Reunion Wafer Dies 381sss.
Which means these weird little creatures can finally escape the stamp block without me having to negotiate all those edges with scissors.
Obviously, they needed a suitably messy tag to celebrate.
The background started with Distress Spray Stains, letting the colors overlap and build up into a dark and grungy base.
The reverse stenciling technique helped pull some of that color back through the pattern.
It breaks up the sprayed areas without adding another heavy layer and leaves those irregular lighter marks showing through.
There is already quite a lot happening in the background, so I kept the monsters themselves more controlled. The stamped images were colored with Distress Watercolor Pencils, using a muted mix of green, purple, orange and darker neutral tones.
I like the pencils for images like these because I can decide exactly where I want stronger color and where I want the stamped details to remain visible.
A few Distress Spray Stain accents bring some of that looser background color into the focal point as well.
Once colored, I cut the monsters with the coordinating Simon Says Stamp dies. The white border around the images is especially useful here: against such a dark and busy background, it separates all those tiny stamped details from everything underneath instead of letting the characters disappear into the tag.
For the focal point, I layered two monsters together over loose fibers and textured scraps. The overlapping figures give the center much more depth, while the black stamped details, messy threads and white splatters keep everything connected to the background.
And then there is the sentiment: “I don’t bite… usually.”
With those faces, I wouldn’t take any chances. LOL
Keep some variation when using the Distress Watercolor Pencils. Darker shadows next to lighter, more transparent areas make all those tiny stamped details much easier to read.
On a busy background, that little border created by the coordinating dies can make a surprisingly big difference. Here it gives the monsters enough separation without having to simplify everything behind them.
That’s it from my desk today!
If you already have Tim Holtz Monster Reunion, the new Simon Says Stamp Monster Reunion Wafer Dies make it much easier to turn the individual stamped monsters into layered focal points. And frankly, these guys deserve to get out more! You can find more layered, messy experiments in my mixed media tags.
Stay happy , stay creative…Till next time!
Ciao Zoey
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Some products featured in this post were gifted by SIMON SAYS STAMP.
This post contains affiliate links to SIMON SAYS STAMP I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Some products featured in this post were gifted by [BRAND]. This post also contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.