Six Tulips
Posted: May 12, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Efflorescence, Watercolour | Tags: CAS, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 9 Comments
I am continuing with my Tulip Festival theme, an idea inspired by a regular visitor to Bits & Pieces. (Thanks, Karen) On this card I have a watery array of tulips stamped with distress stains on watercolour paper. Distress inks are designed to react with water and each other which makes them great for blending on flowers, patterns, backgrounds etc. I inked the tulips on the stamp with Victorian Velvet first then added a touch of Barn Door at the base of each bloom. I inked the buds and stems with Crushed Olive and stamped on watercolour paper. I then used a waterbrush to blend the two colours together. To frame the panel I diluted some Tumbled Glass distress stain and painted around the edges pulling the colour into the centre and diluting it further to fade it out. Finally I flicked red and green inks over the panel, attached it to the card base and added a sentiment.
I haven’t visited any of the tulip beds yet but I did drive by the canal yesterday and saw there were plenty in bloom. Are they blooming where you are?
Supplies:
Stamps: Efflorescence, Amazing (PB)
Inks: Versafine Spanish Moss (Tsukineko) Barn Door, Crushed Olive, Victorian Velvet, Tumbled Glass Distress stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Avon Brilliant White 110lb smooth, Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Two Tulips
Posted: May 11, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Dainty | Tags: CAS, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 8 Comments
When I set out to make this card I had two things in mind. I wanted tulips to mark the beginning of the Tulip Festival here in Ottawa and I wanted to use the current sketch at CAS(E) this sketch. I did not plan to make it one layer at all; the sketch really looks like at least a two layer to me. I made a stencil in masking paper (removable grocery sticker paper) with the new tulip die from Penny Black. It’s called ‘Dainty’ and I can see myself reaching for it often. I stuck the mask down and painted with a waterbrush picking up colour from watercolour pencils. I did not lay down too much ‘paint’ or water; the card base is not watercolour paper so I didn’t want it to warp or soak through to the back.
My daughter came along at this point and commented on my ‘floating tulip’. It did need grounding; I just hadn’t worked out a method at that point. Anyway, I left it as I had promised to take my daughter shopping for a dress to wear to her Academic Dinner on Thursday. We arrived at the mall at 4:30 clueless that it was going to close at 5:00! First store, second dress, happy girl, thankful mother.
I came back to my card, masked and sponged a frame around it then looked for a suitable sentiment. My plan was to stamp the sentiment in green so it would double as some grass but none of my green inks matched the leaves. I was about to settle for less than the best green when the it occurred to me that a dark blue might work. It did.
And the card just happens to also work for the One Layer Simplicity challenge, Fabulous Flowers.
Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet Wishes PB)
Dies: Dainty (PB)
Inks: Memento Summer Sky, Danube Blue (Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer Watercolour Pencils Vermillion 117, Sap Green 167 (Faber-Castell)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Natural White 110lb smooth
Golden Blooms
Posted: May 6, 2014 Filed under: CAS, One-Layer Simplicity challenge, Petal Power | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks 19 Comments
After years of avoiding yellow and orange tones in clothes and fabrics I am really enjoying using their bright warmth in stamping these days. I especially like the combination of yellow, orange and navy. I know leaves are rarely navy but orange and navy are opposite on the colour wheel so they create a contrasting stable colour scheme. I chose three colours to participate in this week’s Less is More challenge and the layout is inspired by the CAS(E) this sketch for the week. I just realized I can link up with our current One Layer Simplicity Challenge also to use flowers on a one layer card.
I cut a curved mask to cover the lower two thirds of the card base then chose three stamps from the transparent set Petal Power. I inked the solid petal stamp with mustard seed distress stain and added spiced marmalade along the petal edges. I then inked the co-ordinating outline stamp with just spiced marmalade on the top edge and stamped over the blooms. I stamped a few leaves in chipped sapphire distress stain and added the sentiment in Memento Paris Dusk.
Supplies:
Stamps: Petal Power, Sweet Wishes (PB)
Inks: Memento Paris Dusk (Tsukineko) Chipped Sapphire, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seeds Distress stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110lb smooth
Sapphire Tapestry
Posted: April 26, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Floral Tapestry | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 17 Comments
When I recently created these two cards I was so taken with Chipped Sapphire distress stain and the Floral Tapestry stamp I kept it out on my work table and kept playing with it for several days. The panel above was created by inking the stamp with distress stain then spritzing it with water that had pearl ex mixed into it. The water reacted with the stain and the pearl ex created a lovely sheen that is unfortunately not apparent in the photo. The sheen has a gold tint so I matted with dark blue and gold cardstock. (a little hint for those who are all about the ‘matchy-matchy’ like I am: if you do not have the exact colour cardstock to pair with your stamping you can apply the ink you are trying to match to a similar coloured cardstock or even white cardstock)
When I stamped this image in the spritzed distress stain the first impression was much darker and some of the flowers were getting lost in all the stain. This panel was made from the second impression. I find that I can often do two or three impressions when I have inked a stamp with distress stain because a little spray of water spreads and dilutes the stain left on the stamp.
Do you have a favourite ink colour at present? Blue happens to be my favourite colour anyway but at different times and in different seasons I reach for other colour favourites in my artistic endeavours.
Supplies:
Stamps: Floral Tapestry, Gratitude (PB)
Inks: Memento Paris Dusk (Tsukineko) Chipped Sapphire Distress Stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Classic Crest Natural White 110lb smooth , Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, PB Periwinkle mix & match paper, gold card
One Layer Simplicity #4
Posted: April 22, 2014 Filed under: CAS, One-Layer Simplicity challenge, Skyline 9 Comments
The challenge hosted by Ardyth at One Layer Simplicity this month is ‘Road Trip’ and can be about the travel method or the destination. I decided to feature a city far away on a Thinking of You card. Most of my family live in cities on the other side of the world, sadly not cities I can take a road trip to.
I have created city-scapes with this stamp before using more of a watercolour effect. I simplified the process for this one layer version. I masked a square with painter’s tape and inked the top of the stamp with tumbled glass distress stain. I stamped once, reinked the top of the stamp again and stamped below the first impression. I stamped a third time with blue then added a little memento potter’s clay ink for the last two impressions. I sponged the perimeter in blue and potter’s clay before removing the masks and adding a sentiment.
The challenge is open until April 24th so it is not too late to add your travel inspired card. My card also fits in nicely with the current Addicted to CAS challenge “Far Away“.
Supplies:
Stamps: Skyline, Eloquence (PB)
Inks: Memento Potter’s Clay & Versamagic Aspen Mist (Tsukineko)
Distress Stains: Tumbled Glass (Ranger)
Cardstock: Classic Crest Solar White 110lb smooth ( Neenah)
One Layer Blooms
Posted: April 21, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Friendship Flowers, Petal Power, Watercolour | Tags: CAS, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 8 Comments
I have a one layer card for you today made using watercolour techniques. I often set out to make one layer cards by starting my stamping on a masked and scored card base. But if something goes wrong I end up cropping out the image and putting it on a second layer. For this card I masked around all the edges of the card front with masking tape. This not only framed my image it also kept the watercolour paper from warping too much when it got wet. The paper does warp but I keep it taped until it dries completely by which time it has flattened out again. I inked the roses with two pinks, spritzed with water and stamped. While the image was still wet I added a little more of the darker pink in a few places and blended the image a little more in a few places. I used the same technique with the green inks on the leaves and stems. I finished with plenty of ink flicking on this one and a sentiment in the darker green ink.
The Penny Black blog will be featuring one layer cards all week so pop over there each day to see what the other designers created. The One Layer Simplicity challenge for April continues for a few more days so there is still time to add a “road trip” themed card. I finally got one made and will have it up as soon as I get it photographed.
Supplies:
Stamps: Petal Power, Friendship Flowers, Special Wishes (PB)
Inks: Memento Angel Pink, Pear Tart & Memento markers Rose Bud, Bamboo Leaves(Tsukineko)
Paper: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Flowers under the sea?
Posted: April 18, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Floral Tapestry | Tags: CAS, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 12 Comments
Even though these stamped panels are small they are from a much larger background stamp, Floral Tapestry from the new Bloom release. I used some distress stains on the whole stamp to create a panel (to be seen another day) then, because there was still plenty of stain on the stamp, spritzed it with water and stamped it again. These watery images are the result. When I look at the feathery plant it reminds me of a seaweed and, of course the colours are also nautical, so it could almost be an under sea scene.
I think I might have a new favourite ink colour. Chipped Sapphire distress stain is the dark blue in these panels and it is quite lovely. Expect to see more of it! The colours happen to be three of the colour choices for the current Mod Squad Challenge so I will link it up over there.
Thanks for dropping by.
Supplies:
Stamps: Floral Tapestry, In my Thoughts , Special Wishes (PB)
Inks: Versafine Majestic Blue (Tsukineko) Chipped Sapphire, Evergreen Bough, Broken China Distress Stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Classic Crest Solar White 110lb smooth ( Neenah)
Also: Purple hemp twine
Jubilant
Posted: April 9, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Jubilant | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 14 Comments
I think this is the first time this gorgeous stamp has appeared on my blog. I inked it up ages ago and had the simple dark brown image sitting around waiting for further inspiration. Because I inked the stamp with distress stain the ink pooled in some areas of the stamp more than others. I really like the effect of darker and lighter tones along with thicker and thinner lines so initially I didn’t want to add colour to the image. I eventually decided to colour a few flowers, cut them out and pop them up. I have said before I am not a fussy cutter, these three relatively simple blooms were enough for me. As if the fussy cutting wasn’t enough of a surprise I also decided to add half pearls which I coloured to match with an alcohol marker!
Supplies:
Stamps: Jubilant, Every Happiness (PB)
Inks: Memento Espresso Truffle Marker (Tsukineko) Vintage Photo, Spiced Marmalade, Dusty Concord Distress Stains (Ranger) Brown Marker TN8 (Spectrum Noir)
Cardstock: Fabriano 25% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Sticks & Stones Mix & Match Paper
Also: Keepsakes Memories half pearls
Softly, softly
Posted: March 29, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Softly, Watercolour | Tags: CAS, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 59 Comments
After a week of lovely features on the Penny Black blog I decided to continue playing around with the new large scale stamps. I created a panel with the Softly stamp on watercolour paper without a definite plan of how to use it. Once it was complete I turned it this way and that and used scraps of blank card to frame it so I could decide where to crop it to fit on a 4.25″x 5.5″ cardbase. It was at this point that I chose to have the image in landscape orientation rather than portrait. I like the flowers hanging down.
My watercolouring process began by inking the stamp with Memento Angel Pink and New Sprout markers. These colours are quite pale and when stamped made perfect outlines for me fill with colour. I used two pink watercolour pencils and two green, colouring first then blending with a waterbrush. I masked the leaves in the top left hand corner and stamped a couple more flowers.
I was tempted to add a pale watery border but I resisted. I was even more tempted to flick some pink and green droplets over the panel as that is currently my favourite thing to do . I was tempted to add a pretty organza ribbon but my inner Susan Raihala said, “Leave well alone.” She might have suggested bling, which of course she would have pulled off perfectly, but the bling-thing doesn’t come as naturally to me as it does to her so I just stopped. I didn’t want to risk spoiling what I had done.
Would you have added a little something more?
Supplies:
Stamps: Softly, Special Wishes (PB)
Inks: Memento Markers Angel Pink, New Sprout & Memento Luxe Pear Tart(Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer Apple Green 170, Moss Green 168, Middle Purple Pink 125, Pink Madder Lake 129 (Faber-Castell)
Paper: Fabriano 100% & 25% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Neon Blooms
Posted: March 2, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Flower Dance, Promenade, Stencils | Tags: CAS, Penny Black stamps, Penny Black stencils, Tsukineko Radiant Neon inks 20 Comments
I played with a couple of new products when creating this card for the current challenge from CAS(E) this Sketch. Imagine Crafts Tsukineko recently brought out a new line of inks called Radiant Neons. I used the Electric Yellow, Orange, Pink and Green for the flowers and stems. The ink pads are incredibly juicy so I barely needed to touch the pad with the ink blusher to pick up enough ink to sponge through the stencil.
The other new products featured on this card are stencils from Penny Black. I used the promenade and the flower dance stencils from the new Happy Everything release. I can see so many possible ways to use these stencils so expect to see more of them in the next little while. I could have added the black outlines with the co-ordinating large stamps but I have been wanting to do the ‘scribbly black line technique‘ on a card so I kept the stencils in place to draw in some black outlines with a Pitt artist pen. After I removed the stencil I added a few more scribbly lines here and there. I used a post-it to mask between the words of the sentiment so I could scribble in my own ampersand and then added a couple of scribbles either side.
Can I just add that it takes a little longer to post a card while watching the Oscars!
Supplies:
Stamps: From the Heart (PB)
Creative Dies: Flower Dance, Promenade (PB)
Inks: Radiant Neon Electric Yellow, Electric Orange, Electric Pink, Electric Green & Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Pen: Black Pitt Artist Pen (Faber-Castell)
Heather Telford 