Stamping with Watercolor

Gears 6/9/16

Art Journal Stamping with Homemade Foam Sheet Shapes

Stamping with Watercolor

The gears were stamped by dipping foam sheet shapes I cut into watery watercolor. I had to tinker to get the optimum amount of pigment. I found the color did not get laid down evenly but it was easy to move it around with a brush. Easier than penciling and painting each gear by hand.

 

The Composition

My original stack of gears (the darker ones) felt too unstable so I added a row of lighter ones on the left towards the bottom. Even with a stylized or abstract image, the brain still is pleased by balance and stability.

The background is stamped with pleated rubber non-stick padding. I drew the arcs to the left of the gears to symbolize how one's actions send ripples out into the world.

The surprise: is that there were no surprises. I planned it and executed it and it looks good but...maybe it is time to dig deeper and take more risks.