Creating a Winter Wonderland: Layering Stamps, Ink & Embossing in an Art Journal

Sometimes an art journal page starts with a very clear idea. Other times, it starts with a colour palette, a handful of stamps and the desire to see what happens.

This winter-inspired page was one of those projects.

I wanted to create a winter wonderland using layers of colour, stamping and texture, building the page gradually rather than trying to plan every detail from the start.

Watch the original process 

The video is still useful if you'd like to see how I built the page from the beginning, including the stamping, stencilling, ink blending and embossing.

The video takes you through the stamping, stencilling, ink blending and embossing so you can see how the different layers come together.

Building the background

I started with a small Dyan Reaveley art journal and built up the background using several shades of Distress Ink - Salvaged Patina, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire and Black Soot.

Working with several shades rather than one colour helps create depth in a background.

I wasn't looking for a perfectly even blend. I wanted areas of lighter and darker colour so that the stamped imagery would have something to sit against.

This is something I often find useful in art journaling: The background doesn't have to be perfect because it is there to support everything that comes afterwards.

Adding another layer with a stencil

Once the background was established, I added the Pucker Up stencil. A stencil is an easy way to introduce another layer without adding more imagery.

At this point, the page is already beginning to have some visual texture, but it is still quite loose. That's exactly what I wanted. I could then start adding the more recognisable elements.

Using stamps to build the scene

I used imagery from the Shady Designs Festive Fusion collection to create the winter scene.

Rather than treating each stamp as an individual focal image, I used different designs at different levels of importance. Some elements are there to be noticed. Others are there simply to add detail and make the background feel more interesting.

This is something worth remembering when working with a collection of stamps - Not every stamp has to be the star.

A small image repeated in the background can sometimes be just as useful as a large focal image. It is also a good way of getting more from a stamp set because you aren't limited to using each image just once or in isolation.

White embossing for a touch of winter

One of my favourite parts of this page was adding white embossing powder. I used Versamark Clear Embossing Ink and WOW White embossing powder to introduce those crisp white details.

Against the deeper blue background, the white immediately gives the page a colder, wintry feel. It also creates contrast.

You have soft, blended ink in the background, stamped imagery sitting across the page and then those sharper embossed details catching the light. That mixture of textures is what helps a relatively simple background feel much more dimensional.

Let the layers do the work

I really enjoyed creating this winter page because it gave me the opportunity to play with contrast.

Sometimes it is simply about adding one layer, looking at what you've created, and then deciding what the page needs next.

That is where the creativity happens.

Until next time, take care,

Lou
xxx

Supplies

• Dyan Reaveley Small Creative Journal
• Shady Designs Festive Fusion Collection
• Shady Designs Pucker Up Stencil
• Distress Ink: Salvaged Patina, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire and Black Soot
• Versamark Clear Embossing Ink
• WOW White Embossing Powder
• Heat tool