Designing postcards with small linoleum stamps made from scratch is easy and you don’t need much supplies. I recently made this series of postcards, starting with stamping and then experimenting with mixed media to refine or modify the designs.
Try it, it is a lot of fun and it goes quite fast.
To make Bauhaus inspired postcards, you will need:
Paper : watercolor or yupo paper, bristol paper would work too
Here is how to make these Bauhaus inspired postcards
Start by stamping your design
Start by making a few stamps. Here I used circle and semi circles shapes, you could use just one stamp like this one. You can use a bottle cap as a template to trace your shape.If you want to go faster you can also use stamps with the two half circles back to back or facing.I did some of the cards freehand, but if you want to be more precise, you can trace a grid on your paper with a pencil.
I used a sponge with fluid acrylic brushed on it as a pad, I don’t mind the textures, they actually add to the design.
I am a Blick Art Materials affiliate and I receive a small compensation for sales. That does not effect in any way the cost of the purchaser’s order but it helps me keeping the content of this blog free.
FW Artists Ink is an acrylic-based, pigmented, water-resistant ink in a range of 38 colors, all of which have either a three-star or four-star rating for permanence. FW Artists Inks work well with airbrushes, dip pens, technical pens and brushes. – Primary Colors Set
Start stamping on your card, alternating directions when stamping.There will be variations in the intensity especially if you stamp more than once in between using the pad, those variations add interest to the design.
Then refine it with mixed media
Wait for the inks or fluid acrylics to dry. Now it is time to have fun, your imagination is the limit. You can use watercolor pencils, watercolors, felts, markers, colored pencils…..
If you used a pencil grid, start by erasing it.Felts can be used to outline and define the shapes a bit more.You can also use a felt tip with a color a bit lighter than your original ink to color over the white areas.
Colored pencils or watercolor pencils will also work to color in the shapes or the background.
Here are a few ideas of what you can do.
Bauhaus inspired PostcardsYou can frame them and display them!
Originally from France, I have been living in North Vancouver, Canada for the past 20 years.
My work has been collected and exhibited extensively in Canada and internationally. I am also part of the Art Rentals and sales program of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Many of my paintings have been published in Art books and magazines (Artist Magazine, Watercolor Artist Magazine, Acrylic Magazine, International Artist Magazine). I wrote 2 art instruction books with North Light/F+W Books.
I have been writing for the last 5 years for my blog: paintingdemos.com, that has a mailing list of about 10 000 subscribers and about 20 000 visitors per month.
I am an active member in the community, as a co-founder of the North Shore Art crawl, a co-founder of a weekly life drawing group, a board member of the North Vancouver Arts Council, and have been invited as a juror for public art, art grants and juried exhibitions. You can read more about my collaborations here.
