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Welcome to the Designs by Ryn blog! The monthly Customer Creation Challenge can be found above in the navigation menu as well as links to my Shop, Facebook Page and Pinterest. Along the right you will find my Design Team. I hope you enjoy your visit and leave with some inspiration.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Stamps on the Sidewalk

It's Sunday night and I'm sitting down with a tea. Seemed like a good quiet moment to try my hand at blogging again. It's something in between keeping a Facebook page for the stamps and a personal journal. Both are now pretty much habits for me. I find this a little confusing as it seems to be smack in the middle of both outlets. I'm interested in so many things - what do I "talk" about? How much do I share of myself? lol, I'm sure I'm over thinking it and one day I'll look back at this and smile at how shy and inexperienced I was ;)

My current idea is that I plan to write about anything to do with art. What inspires me visually, what creation I am dabbling with and of course anything stamp related.

So, that brings me to this blog post... It's been a beautiful Fall here in Southern Ontario this year. A gorgeous symphony of colour was in full force during the last couple of weeks and now the cold rain is helping the leaves to the ground.

I went for a walk one morning after the rain and found a surprise on the sidewalk. The colour had soaked out of the fallen leaves and had stained the fresh concrete beneath them. I couldn't help thinking that this was mother nature's version of stamping! I took WAY longer than expected to get to where I was going because I had my camera out and my nose to the ground the whole way!

Here are some of the pictures I took. I think the layering effect is just gorgeous! Along with the texture in the sidewalk and the muted colours they really remind me of mixed media paintings...

I moved this oak leaf aside to show the stain left beneath it
I couldn't believe how defined the edges of some of the leaves were! Some even had veining...
These cones are from an Alder Tree. I guess this effect isn't limited to leaves. These cones had more than enough pigment.
The horizontal texture in this photo was made by car tires. Even more layering!
Love the depth that was naturally created by some leaves staying put longer than others before they were brushed away by pedestrians or the wind.



My experiment at home...

 
After my walk I was inspired to see if I could create the same effect at home on watercolour paper. I used no extra ink - just some wet brown leaves that I had picked up on my walk. I soaked a piece of 140 pound water colour paper with a wet paper towel and did the same to the leaf. I then closed the book and put a heavy weight on top to keep the leaf pressed flat. This is the result! I moved the leaf so that it's imprint could be seen at the top.
I think next time I might soak the paper and secure it to a board while wet. This will minimize the paper warping from some areas being wetter than others.

That's it for now :) Hope you are enjoying the changing of the seasons as I am.
Ryn

29 comments:

  1. fun and insightful post. I love to make leaf prints by coloring on the veined side with juicy markers and printing.
    Blessings,
    robyn

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    1. It's been a long time since I tried that! Thanks for reminding me. Lots of fun!

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  2. Wonderful journey into your creative world… with interesting results! Beautiful presentation of subject matter in your photos…!

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  3. Thank you for sharing with us!!! Guess who's gonna walk head down after the next rain storm!!! I see some new stamp designs looming on the horizon...;-)

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    1. hehe, oh no! You'll be late for everything like me ;)

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  4. beautiful pictures and what a great idea!

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  5. Ryn, I use leaves through my Big Shot to create impressions on watercolour paper and fabric. I then use them in my card making. It leaves a great impression. Japanese maple leaves, even poppy leaves work. If you can create enough pressure, then you get great results. It was lovely to read your post, and to see your photos, take care, Judith xx

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    1. Judith that sounds really neat! I'll have to keep an eye on your blog to spot where you've done that...

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  6. I love the inspiration I get from nature. I haven't done anything like this is in a long time. Might have something to do with the fact that here in Florida we don't have much of a change of seasons and not many fall leaves.
    ...as for the paper warping, you can always iron the paper once you are finished, if you want it flatter.

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    1. Thanks Anna, I get a lot of my inspiration from nature. I hadn't thought of using an iron! Will have to try that...

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  7. Hi Ryn, Love your post, so much inspiration. It has been such a glorious Fall and still is ! Our 'red Oak' which is normally somewhat brown in the Fall is truly red this year ! Have a great day, Shirleyx

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    1. I loved the photos that you posted to your blog. It looks like you live in a great area to witness the leaves changing! Red Oak leaves would be gorgeous to see :)

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  8. I have to admit I've never seen such marks in the pathways here and I so wish I could, they're incredible! The pictures you took of them are beautiful. Thanks to your post and the comments from other readers have inspired me to try some experimenting with leaves at home that doesn't involve bashing the bejeebies out of them to make them 'bleed' haha. Thanks Ryn. Looking forward to your next blog post :0)

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    1. Aw, thanks for your kind words about my post and pictures :) I hope you have fun experimenting!

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  9. Oh wow, wow, wow, Ryn... This is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! There is so much beauty and inspiration everywhere, if we just take the trouble to look. My hubby is one of those people who never observes anything when we're out and about, and when we first met, he was highly amused at me enthusing over Wall Pennyworts, which he'd never even noticed before! I just love, adore, rave over the pics you've posted here, and your own experiments too - definitely something to try! I wonder how light-fast the results would be?

    This reminds me of the Erosion Bundle project - if you don't know what this is, visit http://carolynsaxby.blogspot.com - Carolyn has done this several times and has come up with the most astonishing results. Entropy and decay... Who could imagine that such beauty could come out of this?

    I haven't been blogging much lately because of a family crisis (problems with elderly parents) which have affected my health quite badly, but thankfully Mr. Mojo has come back and I'm busy art journalling! Hope you'll pop over for a visit and see my latest blog posts.

    I'm going out to raid the garden for nice fallen autumn leaves! What a great project!!

    Nice to see you back in Blogland.
    Hugs,
    Shoshi

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    1. Hey Shoshi, you are always so wonderfully passionate about art! Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm :)So glad that you found inspiration from my photos. I love looking for details when out on walks. My boyfriend is into insects so that has rubbed off on me and now I look a lot closer than I used to. As long as they're not crawling on me we're all good!

      I checked out the Erosion Bundle Project. Very neat! Thanks for sharing the link!

      I am sorry to hear that you've been continuing to go through a hard time and hope that things get easier for you. Hugs!
      Ryn

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    2. Thank you Ryn! Yes, I am enthusiastic about art - it moves me so much, and I am so stimulated by colour, texture and design! This has increased as my powers of observation have been trained over the years, and for me some of my most exciting moments have been when I have spotted the sometimes tiny examples of beauty in the natural world - a minute and perfect plant, bits of broken pine cone forming a beautiful pattern, etc.

      I have got some leaves being pressed between dampened watercolour paper at the moment but so far not a great deal of success - I think beech leaves are perhaps the most resistant to giving up their colour to the paper! We've got so many fallen leaves in the garden at the moment so perhaps I should try some different kinds.

      I love your moth stamps, but I am terrified of moths in the real world when they fly into the house! So irrational... Why is a butterfly OK but a moth frightening? Lol!

      We struggle on with my parents. At least Dad seems happily settled in the residential home, and is probably well enough to come home, but Mum is not able to cope with him and has absolutely no understanding about confusion, or how different he is now. Her deafness is now an overwhelming problem and there can be very little communication. Their house is still not sold, but we are making progress getting power of attorney set up so we can manage their affairs more easily. I do get concerned about my dear hubby overdoing things at the moment - he's very tired.

      Hugs,
      Shoshi

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  10. I'm posted a pic of my first attempts at the leaf printing on this week's WOYWW, Ryn - they are pretty blotchy and not as good as yours! I'm definitely going to experiment further with this.

    Shoshi

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  11. Hi Ryn, thanks for all your lovely recent comments! After I'd finished using your stamps last night, I fully intended contacting you to let you know and then I must have forgotten (put it down to the dreaded brainfog) - but you found it anyway! Of course you can post it where you like - I'd be flattered. I'm very pleased with how it came out. Your stamps are so awesome... It was the first time I'd tried the moths.

    The die-cut cards weren't really my style, but it's a good discipline to work "outside the box" once in a while, ins't it. I'm determined to use up some of my ancient stash and clear the decks a bit. They turned out better than I thought they would, and I may make some more.

    Have you set off on your travels yet? I keep wondering how you are getting on, and whether you managed to sort out all your paperwork.

    Shoshi

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  12. Thanks for your latest comment, Ryn - the album in honour of my Dad is turning out to be a really fun project. I started the first page today, after preparing all the bags ready for embellishing. I'm very excited about it, and it's bringing to mind all the good memories of my Dad as he was before his present decline set in.

    Shoshi

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  13. Ryn, What a great blog post! I'll now be walking my dogs with my head down looking for "stamps" on the sidewalks!! Very inspiring, too, as I'll probably pick up a leaf or two so I can try it on my own!

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  14. Great post! Love the how you tried to duplicate nature!

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  15. I'm just over from PCL and am looking around. What a great post. It's amazing what we take for granted and never really examine, isn't it? I have some homemade paper I intend to use this technique on. Lovely!

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  16. Wow I am so impressed by your cards and stamps they are gorgeous! The water spot tag is simply amazing! I am so glad you were a guest so I could discover your art!

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  17. Barbara Cleggett12/01/2012 3:26 am

    Mother nature blesses us with many things and Autumn is one aspect which can give us a diiferent dimension to crafting. I have picked ujp my and gone to the park leaf hunting. What winderful inspiration and talent you share with us Ryn.Thank you!

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    1. Barbara Cleggett12/01/2012 3:28 am

      oops! I have picked up my new camera!

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  18. these are beautiful. Love the leaves gives me great inspiration. Thanks for sharing.

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  19. Hi! Nice to meet you. Came to find out about your water droplets stamp and got stopped first at these amazing photos. They, as the leaves themselves, are works of art! If only we all took more time to go outside and appreciate the beauty! TFS.

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