Best Fishes

Greetings! It's Tuesday so it's time to share a project created for Topflight Stamps. This week we're showcasing PaperArtsy's wonderful products. Since it's been very hot, I've been wanting to go to the beach, but creating a slimline card beach scene with PaperArtsy's Kate Crane (KC006) Rubber Cling Stamp Set, the Kate Crane Mini 007 (KCM007) Cling Mounted Rubber Stamp, and the Kate Crane Mini 008 (KCM008) Cling Mounted Rubber Stamp Set is as close as I can get at the moment. The background was created with Mattint and Fresco Finish Acrylic Matte Glaze.

Here it is!

Topflight Stamps Products Used:

Kate Crane (KC006) Rubber Cling Stamp Set by PaperArtsy

Kate Crane Mini 007 (KCM007) Cling Mounted Rubber Stamp Set by PaperArtsy

Kate Crane Mini 008 (KCM008) Cling Mounted Rubber Stamp Set by PaperArtsy

Dragonfly Mattint

Greenstone Mattint

River Deep Mattint

Fresco Finish Acrylic Matte Glaze

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Other Products Used:

Solar White Classic Crest Cardstock by Neenah Papers

Bristol Paper by Strathmore

Copic Markers: 

 Fish: BV25, BV13, BV11, BV01, BV00, BV000, BV0000, Y28, Y26, Y23,Y21,Y11, Y02, Y000, YR12, YR02, G14, G12, R83, R81 R14, V06, V04, B01, V000, B28, B24, B02, B00, YG45, YG41, YG25, YG23, YG21, YG2`, Yg03, YG01, N4, N3, N2, N1, N0

 Fishhead-man's Skin: BV000, E50, E21, E11, E00, E000, 

 Fishhead-man' Hair: E49, E47, E44

 Fishhead-man's Cheeks: R81, R20

 Fishhead-man's Clothing: N7, N6, Y26, Y23, Y21, Y11, Y04, Y02, B02, B00, V06, V04, 

 Fishhead-man's Eyes: B63

 Fishhead-man's Fish: R39, R25, YR04, Y04, G14, B16, B06, B24, V04, V06, N4, BV13

Black Pigma Marker by Sakura

White Gelly Roll Gel Pen by Sakura

Slimline Layers Die Set by Waffle Flower Crafts

Watering Can Archival Ink by Wendy Vecchi for Ranger Ink

Purple and Grey Textured Cardstocks by Bazzill Basics

"best fishes" Sentiment Stamp by justjohanna/Odd Bird Planet (closed)

Ink Jet Vellum by Strathmore

Jet Black StazOn Ink by Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko

Comic Speech Bubble Die Set by Whimsy Stamps

2" Sookwang Double-sided Tape

Paint Brushes

Make-up Sponges

Low-tack Tape

Craft Mat

Glassboard by Glassboard Studios

Stamping Platform

Instructions:

1. Create a slimline card from grey cardstock. Set aside.
2. Use Tuxedo Black Memento Ink to stamp the fishhead-man from the Kate Crane (KC006) Rubber Cling Stamp Seonto Copic-friendly paper. 
3. Fussy-cut the image, color with Copic markers, and edge with a black marker. Set aside.
4. Use Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and a stamping platform to stamp the big fish from the Kate Crane Mini 008 (KCM008) Cling Mounted Rubber Stamp and the five fish from the Kate Crane Mini 007 (KCM007) Cling Mounted Rubber Stam onto an 8½" x 3½" panel of Bristol Paper. True confession time, I cut my Kate Crane Mini 007 (KCM007) Cling Mounted Rubber Stamp to separate the fish from one another.
5. Use Copic markers to color all the fish on the panel of Bristol Paper. 
6. Use a paint brush to apply Fresco Finish Acrylic Matte Glaze over the Copic-colored fish to seal them. *
7. Shake the Dragonfly, Greenstone, and River Deep Mattints well, add a dime-sized amount of each color Mattint to the craft mat, then use make-up sponges to apply the Mattints horizontally over the fish until the panel is tinted to your liking. Let dry. Warning: Be sure to have a relatively dust-free, cat-fur free crafting area. *
8. Use the second largest die from the Slimline Layers Die Set to cut the stamped background panel. 
9. Edge the image panel die-cut with Watering Can Archival Ink. 
10. Use the largest die to cut greyish/purple cardstock and use that die-cut to mat the image panel die-cut. 
11. Adhere the matted image panel to the reserved grey slimline card.
12. Adhere the stamped, colored, and fussy-cut fishhead-man as shown.
13. Cut a strip of ink jet vellum and back with two-sided tape. 
14. Use Black StazOn ink to stamp the "best fishes" sentiment onto vellum and let dry.
15. Use a speech bubble die to cut the sentiment.
16. Trim the top of the speech buttle die-cut, then adhere as shown to finish the card.

Notes:

• I tested the Fresco Finish Acrylic Matte Glaze to see if it would smear, smudge, bleed, or otherwise mess up images that were stamped with Memento onto Bristol Paper and colored with Copic markers. The only problem that I encountered was with the dreaded red Copics and images where the Copics hadn't sunk into the paper and had left that gummy surface. Those images smeared and smudged. 
• I plan further experiments with the Fresco Finish Acrylic Matte Glaze on Copic-colored images to see whether I can use translucent Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylic Paints to create backgrounds. I probably will try the Matte Glazed Copic-colored images with my other acrylic paints as well. I'll keep you posted. 
• I was able to apply Mattints over the Matte Glazed Copic-colored images which left a slight tint over them, which was what I wanted. 
• The Mattints warped the Bristol Paper slightly, so it might be best to tape the edges down prior to applying them.
• Additionally, since Mattints can be used to adhere things, dust/dirt from my craft area and cat fur migrated onto my project. I was able to remove, some-not all of it. Alas.
• Retrospectively, I wish I had used plain white cardstock for the sentiment/speech bubble and had moved the Fish-head man so that he was "standing' on the bottom of the mat.