I’ll never forget the first time I saw a Red-Billed Streamertail (aka “Doctor Bird”, the national bird of Jamaica)…I was on my honeymoon in Ocho Rios and this crazy thing that looked like a giant fly carrying a snake buzzed past my head. I had seen tons of hummingbirds before, but these things were everywhere near our resort and seemed to dance around the sky with those beautiful tails floating like ribbon behind them. It was love at first sight for me!
So, when I saw the new “Hummingbird” stamp set from Sheena Douglass, I didn’t hesitate to alter it into my favorite bird. I started by simply stamping the gorgeous hibiscus, sentiment and hummingbird images onto a 5″ x 7″ piece of Ultra Smooth Cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.
Next, I sketched in a tail by hand using an alcohol-friendly ink and mimicking the sketchy feel of the original images. Once I had colored the flowers and bird with Spectrum Noir markers (colors listed below), I covered them with a thin coat of rubber cement using a detail paintbrush.
By blending Tumbled Glass, Broken China, and Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks all over the panel (the images remained clean because of the rubber cement protecting them) and spritzing a little water on top, I was able to achieve a kind of ethereal background that reminded me of how magical the first time I had seen these creatures was for me. Once the water droplets had dried, I removed the rubber cement from the images by just rubbing with my fingers.
A simple black mat and a handful of clear sequins was all I thought this scene needed before I mounted it onto a heavyweight white card base. I love how the tail adds movement and emphasizes the sentiment on this card, and I won’t hesitate to alter my stamped images again!
Do you alter your stamps in any way?
Spectrum Noir Markers used:
- Flowers – PP1, PP2, PP6, BP7
- Leaves – CG3, CG4, DG3
- Hummingbird – AG1, AG2, AG3, AG4, AG5, CR5, CR7, CR9,TB3, TB5, TB7, BG2, BG4, BG6, BG8, IG2, IG4, IG6, IG8