by Shelly Stokes, Founder and Creative Mentor Today I want to take a HUGE step away from everything I have ever said about making Paintstik rubbings. Today, we’re going to talk about making “messy” rubbings. And not just a little bit messy — we are going straight for the joyfully messy version! (By the way, […]
Paintstik Rubbings 2: Sticky Stuff Alternatives
by Shelly Stokes, Founder and Creative Mentor Last week, we talked about my favorite method for creating clean, clear paintstik rubbings. To do this, I shared my fondness for sticky mats and sticky spray. Well, that’s all and good if you happen to have these items on hand. But what if you don’t? I am […]
Paintstik Rubbings 1: Clean, Crisp Images
by Shelly Stokes, Founder and Creative Mentor One of the comments I hear most frequently from readers, students and shop owners is “wow, my paintstik rubbings don’t look anything like that!” Rather than telling you what I think is the right way to make rubbings, I thought it might be a lot more fun to […]
Stamp, Squish and Spritz!
No, we’re not going to run and jump into puddles, but we are definitely going to play with water — and a few really cool water-based products. Technique #3 from Rubbing Plate Roundup is actually 3 techniques tucked into one section. I call the section Water Color Rubbings and it’s a ton of fun! When […]
Paint a Doodle-ooo!
The fabulous new Doodles Rubbing Plates are finally in the warehouse and ready to ship. Hooray! I had hoped to have them a month ago, but they are certainly worth the wait. As always, the plates are packaged with a header card that has a series of thumbnail images, so you can see what’s in […]
We’re One Step Closer to a Doodle Fest!
Oh my gosh! I just finished a quick test of the new Doodle plates and I am thrilled beyond words. OK — not quite beyond words — obviously, I’m still typing. The images are simply fantastic. (I’ll refrain from using the word “awesome” — my graphic artist would hang me!) But the new plates are […]
Shhhh… Want A Sneak Peek At Our New Rubbing Plates?
I’m really bad at keeping secrets, especially when I’m excited about something new! I drove up to visit our rubbing plate company yesterday to see the prototypes of our new Doodles plates. They’re absolutely gorgeous! When I make this trip, I take along a supply of fabric and paintstiks so I can test the designs […]
Sneak Peek: Metal Embossing
I’ve been reading articles in Cloth Papers Scissors for several years about embossing designs on metal, and I’ve often wondered if I could transfer the designs from our rubbing plates to metal. Happy me — the answer is definitely “yes!” This technique will definitely be included in my new Rubbing Plate Roundup book. Here are […]
Show Us Your Stuff! [Call for Submissions]
Got an idea? Tell me about it! I posted this call for entries / submissions in the Cedar Canyon Online E-zine in June. There’s still time to submit your ideas and potentially see them in print. What Are You Doing With Rubbing Plates? I’m working on a new book project that will feature a bunch […]
Oops! Now What? — Cleaning Up Paintstik Rubbings
Even though I’ve been making paintstik rubbings for a gazillion years now, I still find myself running off the edge of a plate and putting paint where I don’t want it. Or dropping my paintstick on the fabric, or something that causes me to say “Oops!” (Yes, sometimes I say something other than “oops” but […]
Are You Allergic To Single Colors?
I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely a “multi-color” girl. What ever I do, what ever I create, I want LOTS and LOTS of color! Why would I confine myself to one or two colors when I can use a bunch? Today I’ve got tips on how you can make multi-color rubbings. With the […]
Better Tools for Better Rubbings — My Favorite Tips!
I must have seen a pizza commercial one too many times — I hate when that stuff sticks in my head! But, it gave me an idea for discussing a common problem, so I won’t complain. If you are wondering what in the world pizza has to do with paintstiks, just paste a smile on […]