Penny Black Perfect Pear Stamp - My Story

It's no secret that I love everything about pears.  I particularly like the green, crisp, not ripe ones.  They have a unique taste, and the texture is different and appealing.  Aside from their taste, I think pears are the perfect fruit for drawing, painting, and, of course, stamping.  It is interesting, with it's shape and color variances.  It lends itself to creative interpretation.

When I had my stamp shop, The Stamp Pad, I taught many classes.  The most requested was always my 'pear class.'  We also had monthly demo days, and my trusty pear stamps were almost always used as subjects on my demo cards and techniques.  My groupies, uh, I mean customers, looked forward to what 'Lynda was going to do with her pears this time.'  But I digress.  Onto today's card......

 This stamp was a must-have for me when Penny Black first introduced it, and I hurried to add it to my collection.  However, I put off using it, as so many of the 'master stampers' had created such exquisite art with it.  I felt intimidated.  So, there it sat, lonely, and wanting to come out and play.  Finally, I brought it out and let it sit on my desk for several days.  Then, on a whim, I decided to take the plunge.  I wish I could say that a masterpiece developed from that plunge, but, alas, I tried and tried, and every piece found its way quickly into the circular file.  

Not to be outdone, however, I decided to take a different approach.  In the past, I had tried inking it with mini stamp pads in various colors, with markers, adding color where I thought it should go.  Yeach!  It was so difficult to see where the areas were on the rubber stamp surface, and I just could not get the colors where I wanted them.  So, lightbulb moment, I thought, why not ink the entire stamp with one color?  Genius, huh?  I know, you're thinking 'duh!'  Hey, it takes longer for some of us, be kind.

So, with the help of my trusted Misti, I inked up the stamp with Tim Holtz distress ink in scattered straw, then stamped it off on scrap paper, then onto a panel of Strathmore vellum bristol paper.  Aha!  There it was....the pear in all it's lovely perfection, all of the details finely printed out before my eyes.  I proceeded to add colors with my distress markers and inks, and a watercolor brush, layering and blending as I went along. 

The background:  I sponged distress colors onto the panel , the stamped background stamps...script, swirls, etc, here and there for interest.  To finish it off I stamped the verse, then added pieces of the die, which I had sponged with color first; and finally some green crystals.   Not perfection, but I'm sure that with practice, I will be able to conquer 'the pear' once again.  

Stamps:  All Penny Black:  40-493 Perfect Pear, 30-338 Special Thoughts, and various PB background stamps. 
Other:  Tim Holtz distress inks, Penny Black Creative Die 52-035 dots & swirls (I love, love, love this die); crystals from my stash.

I am adding my card to these challenges:

Penny Black At Allsorts - Anything goes

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Bright and cheery colors

City Crafter Challenge Blog - Tutti Frutti

Mod Squad Challenge Blog - Song inspiration (Apples, Peaches, Bananas and Pears by The Monkees

Addicted To Stamps - Make your mark

The Daily Marker 30 Day Color Challenge 

That's it for now.  Perhaps I will be back later...I need to catch up with my posts for the 30 day color challenge!  Thanks for visiting....I do appreciate your comments.    

Blessings,

lynda