African American Fabrics: Printing with Foam Board

"Color Gurls", by Kweli Kitwana, (c) 2012

Designing a "NEW" fabric print requires a bit of experimentation!! In this photo I am working with foam board to create, "Color Gurls", an www.AfricanAmericanFabrics series in progress. 
Making your own stamps out of supplies you already have on hand can result in a rewarding and inexpensive art project. 

I typically like to use recycled or scraps from my home and studio. This not only keep cost down, it helps in doing all I can to promote the "green" artist in me.  In this project, I am using foam board scraps. 

A few EASY STEPS:  (1) after cutting the board to my desired size (random in my case); (2) simply removed one side of the paper from the board; (3) using a paint brush or ink pen I "craved" my design in the foam; (4) Once I carved my design, I applied one coat of gel medium (you can use what you have on hand)  to seal the foam and protect it from wet paints.
 Presto!!! You now have a stamp. Thing is...I used the same stamp over and over. Surprisingly,  I found the stamps provided the ability to rinse between colors. plus, once I completed the project I rinsed the stamp again and let it dry to use later. NOTE: I place my stamp under a heavy book while drying to prevent welting (i am guessing this could happen, since it's paper)

Now that I have this nice print, time to digitize it for printing on fabric. I can't wait to get my swatch!! 

See my other designs at my shop.

• Read my other post and learn about my other project
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• So much for "online"...Come and create, retreat and get inspired with me at the ART SHACK, BABY!!