Stamping in Piano Keys - Fun Mixed Media Element

 

Welcome to another of my posts for Gwen Lafleur’s Artist Tribe.   If you’ve followed any of my art journeys then you probably know that I love to repurpose unusual things in my projects. 

I recently came across, (more like tripped over) a peach basket full of old piano keys in my garage.  They had been stashed there compliments of a neighbor who generously left his old upright piano on the street for the monthly bulky trash pickup.  Well that was just too tempting of a morsel for me to pass by.  So with a big grin, I filled up my trunk with all the pieces I could fit, including the piano keys.  Three years later, I’m finally inspired to use them.

Three ivory piano keys.  The keys themselves are actually thin plastic glued onto a wooden key block.  The keys can be popped off and stamped on to use in mixed media projects and art journals.

Gwen was kind enough to let me test drive one if her latest stamp release- Eclectica³ EGL-19 by PaperArtsy, or as she refers to it, Build a Collage - Birds.  The combination of birds, botanicals, and Asian characters drew me in.  All of her stamps are so incredibly detailed. I was excited to try them out on the piano keys with blue ink.  (I’ve been on a blue kick lately.)

It turned out to be a simple project and I loved the results.  Separating the keys from the block was simple.  I just needed to slip the edge of my craft knife between the plastic and the wooden block to pop the key off.  I lightly sanded the back of the key to remove any glue residue and cleaned the front with a little rubbing alcohol.  Then I stamped the plastic with a Staz-On Ink Pad and set the ink with my heat gun.  I finished each key by edging it with a Gold Paint Pen.  It couldn’t have been any simpler.  

If you don’t happen to have any piano keys on hand, look around for some other alternative surface.  Think outside of the box to make something uniquely yours.  I love the look of these stamp snippets.  It changes the perspective and let’s you appreciate the details of the artwork in the stamps.

These elements worked up so quick and easy.  I decided to keep stamping.  Here’s a few I created with Eclectica³ EGL-04 Aboriginal Inspired.  

Here’s a few more beauty shots.  Note I even ventured out into red and green ink.   (I’ll list all the stamp sets that I used at the end of the post.)

I had a chance to use one of the piano keys and many of Gwen’s stamps in Gwen’s Bits N Pieces online workshop.  I think the piano key vignette is my favorite of the six box sections.

Here’s a closeup. 

These are the PaperArtsy stamp sets I used in this list: 

• EGL03-Motifs;
• EGL06 Plus Signs; 
• EGL08 Mark Making Circles;
• EGL13 Botanical Illustrations
• EGL-19 Build a Collage - Birds

I hope I’ve inspired you to find some alternative surfaces to stamp on.  You just never know what you’ll trip over.  It might turn out to be something really cool.

Stay Well!  Jill