Join Lizzie Jones as she takes you back to Ancient Rome!
You can check out Lizzie's entire Ancient Rome Pinterest board HERE.
We’re starting our Stamp-a-faire journey by heading back in time to Ancient Rome! The Ancient Roman Era is known for its detailed visual art works. The Romans particularly admired fine painting, intricate mosaics, and grand sculpture. These mediums were greatly valued and often included in public spaces as well as the homes of wealthy citizens. Cameo glass works were also popular around this time. They were largely affordable and enjoyed by a majority of the population. Highly developed silver work and jewelry, on the other hand, was a privilege of the rich.
In addition to purely visual works, the era is also distinguished by its functional artwork. Architecture, currency, metal casting, and pottery were all adorned with carvings and reliefs. They depicted a wide variety of subjects, from military heroes to gladiators and pastoral scenes. The Romans appreciated these works as much for their aesthetic value as for their role in historical preservation. Everything from walls to oil lamps and coins portrayed the valors of the day, many in the act of battle.
The Ancient Romans were also directly influenced by the artwork and architecture of Ancient Greece. Mythological figures were a favored subject. Gods and goddesses frequented the works of Roman artists for hundreds of years. Botanical motifs, like the acanthus and laurel leaves, were also borrowed and modified to reflect Roman tastes. They, along with patterns such as the “Egg and Dart” and structures like winding triumphal columns and arches, helped give Roman architecture its signature form.
Now that you have a little background about the era, let’s get on to a couple of fun challenges that incorporate elements of the frescoes and mosaics that are so characteristic of the era!
Below you will find a Spotify playlist that has been put together just for this era! There's enough music to entertain you for nearly two hours while you are working on your challenge projects!
Now onto the challenges!
Colorful painted frescoes were greatly admired in Ancient Rome. They portrayed everything from urban scenes to landscapes and people. Follow along with the video to see how embossing paste transforms basic cardstock into a plaster canvas. You can get wonderful results with outline stamps and your favorite coloring medium or keep it simple with solid stamps. And you’ll just love the texture of your finished pieces!
Use the techniques in the video to create your own Faux Fresco. Use outline stamps and your favorite coloring medium to replicate the appearance of painted plaster. Or try solid stamps on your textured surface for an old, weathered look.
--Now it's your turn! Create a project that features some type of "faux fresco". You can choose to re-create an exact project from the designer above or design your own. Your project must also incorporate at least one Papertrey product.
--Post your project on your blog, in your gallery or on any other photo-hosting site (such as photobucket or flickr).
--Add your project to the InLinkz list below.
--You will have until 7am EST, Tuesday, August 26th, to add your link to the list to be eligible to win. And you can enter as many times as you like.
Romans favored mosaics for embellishing the walls and floors throughout their architecture. These beautifully tiled pieces often depicted mythological and historical scenes, but were just as regularly geometric patterns that varied in complexity. You can achieve tiled designs in your projects using one of today’s easy techniques!
Try your hand at one of the Mock Mosaic techniques featured in today’s video. Use self-adhesive foam to create a custom tiled stamping block. Die cut a scene using the Mosaic Tile Die or a cover plate. Or create a mosaic stencil with clear cardstock or vellum that you can use for sponging, misting, and more!
--Now it's your turn! Create a project that features some type of mosaic. You can choose to re-create an exact project from the designer above or design your own. Your project must also incorporate at least one Papertrey product.
--Post your project on your blog, in your gallery or on any other photo-hosting site (such as photobucket or flickr).
--Add your project to the InLinkz list below.
--You will have until 7am EST, Tuesday, August 26th, to add your link to the list to be eligible to win. And you can enter as many times as you like.
--As a reminder, you will have until 7am EST, Tuesday, August 26th, to add your link to the list to be eligible to win. And you can enter as many times as you like.
--TWO randomly selected winners will be chosen from ALL the entries within this list on Tuesday, August 26th. The winners will be posted on our Tuesday night Stamp-a-faire winners page at 9pm EST. The randomly selected winners will each get a $25 PTI gift certificate to spend however they like!
Thanks for joining Lizzie on this journey! We look forward to seeing your projects!
