Berry bramble
Posted: December 15, 2017 Filed under: Berry bramble | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Ranger Distress stains, WOW embossing powders 12 Comments
Sometimes it is fun to rediscover and incorporate some techniques you haven’t used for a while. I love to splatter masking fluid over watercolour paper to create the look of falling snow but sometimes I don’t think about it in advance or just don’t want to wait long enough for the masking fluid to dry. Salt to the rescue! While salt does not create bright white dots it does make lighter areas and pretty patterns that look a little like snow or fairy lights.
You can see some pale pink and brown pattern in the background of the scene; to create this I wet the whole panel, inked the stamp with festive berries and ground espresso distress markers and stamped it onto the damp paper. I dabbed at the inky impression immediately with a paper towel so I would have soft shapes that would not overpower the foreground image.After drying the panel completely I put it in my stamping platform for all the berry work. First I inked and stamped the whole stamp with festive berries distress ink.
Next I switched to markers and added shading to the berries and darker colours to the twigs and calyx. (yes, of course I had to look that up!) I used barn door and aged mahogany to add depth and shadow to the berries. I used chipped sapphire and ground espresso to darken the stems and calyx. After I had added colour I used a small paint brush and water to blend the stamped colour. Once the panel dried I embossed the berries with versamark and clear powder which gave them a frosty, shiny look. The embossing made them waterproof so I was able to add weathered wood stain to the panel without diluting the berries. I kept the stain dark on the left and diluted it with water on the right then sprinkled salt to created the speckled effect. I decided not to add a sentiment yet as I think this one might be a winter birthday card not a Christmas card. I popped up the whole panel on some foam and added it to a natural white card base.
Supplies
Stamps: berry bramble
Inks: festive berries distress ink, versamark
Distress markers: barn door, chipped sapphire, aged mahogany, ground espresso
Distress stain: stormy sky
Hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: Tonic stamping platform, WOW clear gloss superfine embossing powder, salt
Wow, this card is absolutely STUNNING!!
So pretty, Heather! I think I might be mustering up enough courage to try my hand at it.
Wonderful light and shadows. Thanks, as always, for your process, Heather.
I didn’t think that red berries on brown branches could look so atmospheric and pretty Heather, and the blue background together with the pink left after stamping the berries and removing most of the ink really adds a new dimension to it. The salt does make gorgeous patterns too. x
Absolutely stunning! The berries are beautiful and the background gorgeous! xxx
Wow! I learned about using salt years ago but never created anything with this stunning effect! Thanks for sharing.
I love this stamp Heather and adore how you have used it here. The berries almost look as though they are made of tiny glass beads. My efforts never look this good! The contrasting blue background is fabulous. Another wonderful piece.
Ditto on the “wow.” I’d keep this up all winter in a frame, on the wall. Really lovely. Thanks for the tips.
WOWZERS! I love your card! Thanks for sharing your technique!
psure I’m obligated by law to love this one. I especially like the embossing to give the berries that ice coated look.
not to be redundant, but this card is a stunner. So lovely, and the background is beautifully ethereal. Thanks for sharin
Gorgeous watercolouring Heather. Amazing design! xx