The Stampscapes® 101: 9-Step Thumbnail Grid, Lesson V
Oaks & Stream

9-Step Progression, Lesson V, Frame I

Waterside Bluff Left-148F and Right-149F were stamped in Marvy Dark Brown #18. Note: the right bluff was stamped twice --stacked.

9-Step Progression, Lesson V, Frame II

Oak Tree (Large)-179G was stamped in Marvy Dark Brown #18.

Note: Two impressions were made at staggered heights. On the image to the left, I wiped off some of the ink towards the bottom of the trunk to soften the area where it meets the grass.

9-Step Progression, Lesson V, Frame III

Oak Tree (Medium) was stamped twice in a combination of Marvy Dark Brown #18 and the Brown #6. Note: The reason I used the two was for variation, and I felt a direct application of #6 was going to be lighter than what I wanted. The bottom of the trunks were softened as the large oak was.

9-Step Progression, Lesson V, Frame V

Multiple impressions of Cloud (Cumulus)-018E was stamped in both the sky and the water in Marvy Salvia Blue #60.

9-Step Progression, Lesson V, Frame V

The Tonal Applicator-084E was used to flesh out the land --grassy area-- in Marvy Pale Orange #16. Note: #16 is a very light hue and is a good color to begin with in the color-building process. I wanted it primarily on the land, but I occasionally took some very light taps of it into the sky and water to prevent a fragmented look (Two clear-cut distinctions between areas of different colors --ie. sky = blue, grass = golden brown, water = blue without any of them blending).

9-Step Progression, Lesson V, Frame VI

The Tonal Applicator was used to start bringing in color to the sky and water in a Ranger Industries Sea Shells Ocean Aqua pad. Note: As with the #16 Pale Orange, in the last color used, this Ocean Aqua is a great blue to start out with. The entire Sea Shells line are great starter colors in that they're all just barely darker than the white of standard white paper. I call these types of colors in these light values foundation colors. They start out the toning process with very light and, often, bright colors -- great colors to build on.

9-Step Progression, Lesson V, Frame VII

The Tonal Applicator was used to add a slight greenish color to the golden grassy area in Ranger Industries Sea Shells Sea Grass pad. Note: This green gives the golden grass and blue sky something in common --there's a bit of blue and yellow in this green. The colors starts to unify the different areas with color.

9-Step Progression, Lesson V, Frame VIII

The Tonal Applicator was used to brighten and darken the sky and water area in Marvy Manganese Blue #36 . Note: There are bright light colors, and there are bright dark colors. Value = the relative darkness of a given hue or shade. Intensity = the brightness of a given hue. This blue used to be one of my favorites in the Uchida line due to its light and bright nature. By taking the darker areas of the sky and water a step darker, it makes the clouds seem one step brighter by contrast.

9-Step Progression, Lesson V, Frame IX

Oak Branch-203G, Flock-112A, & Reeds Lg.-068D were stamped in Marvy Black #1 and Buck-008A was stamped in Marvy Dark Brown #18. Note: The Oak Branch and Reeds Lg. help to extend the depth of field in the scene by adding something very close to the viewer's eye. The flock of birds and buck help to enhance the midground and background while adding a great deal of visual interest to the scene. I wanted the Buck to stand out against the background oak trees but thought black might be too dark. So, the dark brown was used again. If it was stamped too lightly, it would look like it was a part of the tree, and if it was too dark it might be a bit obtrusive to that area of depth in the scene.