Flags of many nations - all made from stamps

We all love flags!  

  Here are a few which have been made up into canvas prints in a variety of sizes and have gone  as far away as Australia,New Zealand, USA,Canada and Japan, as well as closer to home!   Shown here are my LOVE version of the Union Jack,

Welsh flag, Stars and Stripes (USA),

Australian flag, Swiss flag and German flag, all made from the stamps of each country.

The largest I've had made was a Union Jack  100 x 60 cms but generally they are approximately 30 x 40 cms according to the format of the flag itself.They can also be produced as giclee prints. 

These are just a few of many I've made from stamps - others can be seen on www.rachelmarkwick.co.uk    and I'm always happy to discuss commissions for more unusual flags such as one made in the colours of the Ugandan flag, including Ugandan stamps but also other themes from countries and subjects associated with the recipient. Possibilities are endless .. just ask! 

Self imposed deadlines ..

Managed to complete the German stamp collage flag in time for the world cup final on Sunday 13th July 2014 in which Germany will play Argentina.  I set myself a target for this one and it worked!!  But who will win?  These and many other flag stamp collages are available as prints, canvas prints, cards and some originals are also for sale ..  various sizes,   and you can also commission a flag if you don't see what is already there ..

The flag of Argentina in stamps was made a while ago:

German flag flying high as German team beat Brazil 7-1

The result of the Germany v Brazil match last night has caused me to get a move on with completing one of my many works in progress, the German flag stamp collage ..

 I always find out interesting facts when making up the flags. Just found a nice woodcut by Gerhard Marcks (1889 - 1981 ) a German who was mainly a sculptor but also produced some very nice  woodcuts and prints, including this one on a stamp issued in 1989. . I also thought Peter Paul Rubens was Belgian, but it turns out that he was born in Siegen, Germany in 1577, so he's going in the black part of my flag too! (top right) J.S.Bach (top left) is there too (top right).A lovely German stamp issued to commemorate the Bauhaus art school appears in the central red part shows a striking image by Laszlo Moholy Nagy .. who was actually Hungarian, but was a professor there, so I've used my artistic licence with this one! Many of the predominantly yellow stamps included here were sent to me in exchange for beer labels from a contact in Germany made through Postcrossing - thanks Uwe!

Happy New Year .. new work in progress: the Brandenburg Gate stamp collage

After a short break over the Christmas period, I have now spent three days, so far, on my latest stamp collage, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. One of my FAQs (frequently asked questions) is "How long does it take you to do a picture?" and the answer is never the same! This is my fourth landmark subject and the first one, the Colosseum took about a month  although I wasn't working on it 24/7!
I've never visited Berlin, but recently have felt a great interest in doing so as I've received correspondence and German stamps from a couple of Berliners via Postcrossing, of which more in another post! Postcards showing the Brandenburg gate gave me added inspiration!
 Making one of these landmarks is quite complicated, from choosing the image to  finding all the suitable stamps to use and my filing system doesn't always work!  I'm using  German stamps for the main structure of the gate - pre and post unification as I felt that was the right thing to do. The wall was once a symbol of division between the two states but now it has become a symbol of peace.I'm still trying to work out how to do the Quadriga (bronze statue on the top). I've found a few possible horse candidates but others may be more suitable if I can find them .. this is the time consuming bit!
Like other well known tourist sites, there is always a huge crowd around  and many famous people including President Kennedy visited the Brandenburg Gate. Size also matters in this case too, as within reason the figures need to be in some sort of acceptable proportion! (artist's licence does come into play here up to a point though).    So, on with the job! Scissors and glue at the ready to deal with crowd control!