Pile of Watercolour Possibilities
Posted: February 27, 2025 Filed under: Classes, Hand painted, sennelier watercolours, Watercolour | Tags: Canson watercolour paper, Classes, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolour paints, sennelier watercolours 7 Comments
After teaching a couple of watercolour classes lately I have amassed quite the pile of panels. They are full of potential for card making. As well as painting separate panels I’ve also been creating abstract or background watercolours in a couple of art journals.
The purpose of the exercise has been two-fold. The main plan was to revisit a range of watercolour techniques in order to share them with others in classes. Additionally I chose to work small so we could complete quite a few practice pieces during class leaving us with ‘card sized’ panels to turn into cards later if we wished.
I have enjoyed the preparation and the classes so much that I have almost 100 panels on hand! My next in person class is going back to basics in regard to card making. I will cover assembly tips and tricks as well as design principles in order to create balanced and beautiful card layouts. It is exciting to have all these panels around just waiting to be transformed into cards.
As you can imagine I also have piles of gel prints, alcohol ink panels, collages and patterned papers that could be turned into cards. It’s rather nice to have all these options…
Whimsy and Watercolour
Posted: February 24, 2025 Filed under: Classes, Hand drawn, Hand painted, sennelier watercolours, Watercolour | Tags: Classes, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, sennelier watercolours 3 Comments
As I mentioned in January I have been playing with watercolour techniques then adding whimsical doodles over the top. Today’s card is another example. I switched the order in the title of the blog post because the whimsy has over powered the watercolour in this panel even though both elements are still obvious.
I used only three paint colours to paint the squares on the watercolour paper, some touching while wet, resulting in soft blends. All the colours you see were mixed from the same three paints – a blue, a pink and a mustard. The doodling was done with a black fine tip pen and a gold gel pen.
Even though the gold details from the gel pen are a minor part of the design they were the catalyst for choosing a gold mat and sentiment. In my upcoming in-person class I am teaching design principles and assembly techniques for card making and this thank you card is one of my examples. ( I wish I could remember who makes that pretty thank you die, but I’m not sure)
Leaf & Lavender Gel Print – Video
Posted: July 9, 2024 Filed under: Classes, gel press, Tutorial | Tags: Classes, gel press, gel printing, Tutorial, video 6 Comments
With all the summer rain and summer sun we’ve been having lately I am surrounded by plants and flowers. And when that happens what do I do? Well yes, I pick some and put them in vases. I wander around the garden and enjoy them but I also gel print them. I’ve done a couple of plant printing sessions recently and have some prints, cards and videos to share over the next few weeks.
I set up to film recently and began with what I thought would be a warm up print; I don’t always film my warm ups but I am so happy I did because I think this print was the best of the session.
I did this print without an end purpose in mind but I think it would make a great book cover for a future hand made book. The leaves look like sumac but I’m not certain. The flowers are lavender from my garden and the buds were closed when I printed them. I noticed today the buds have opened so I will pick some more and try printing them again. The fragrance was lovely as I used them but the ‘fragrance’ of acrylic paint definitely overpowers the lavender on the print.
My mind is full of botanical gel printing ideas right now as I am not only making videos but also teaching an in-person class here in Ottawa. I’ll be back with more botanical gel print inspiration soon as I’ve already turned some prints into cards.
Last minute ink smudge!
Posted: October 12, 2023 Filed under: bell & berries, Classes, Penny Black | Tags: Classes, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 11 Comments
You can probably guess from the title that this card was involved in a last minute ink smudge incident. The Penny Black bell & berries stamp was stamped, blended and dry, the panel was trimmed and attached to the card base and I had just stamped the sentiment in vintage photo archival ink when the unthinkable happened. Not just one but two archival ink smudges appeared on the card, one on the top right edge and the other on the bottom edge. I think we can all assume that the culprit was my right hand! If that ink was water based I might have been able to dilute and remove it but there is none of that magic happening with archival ink.
Not only was this card destined to be sent out as one of my Christmas cards but it was also a sample in my upcoming Painting with Stamps class. I reassured myself with the thought that although the two smudges would prevent it from going in the mail, it wouldn’t stop it from being a sample and perhaps a cautionary tale as well.
But dear reader, do you see any smudges? Indeed you don’t. The fortunate positioning of those smudges meant that I could trim the whole smudge off both the right hand side and bottom edge I cut through both card base and panel combined then attached the smaller two layer panel to a new card base. My card’s mailing status has been restored.
So, if you are interested in learning how to position your smudges for the easiest rescue and recovery come along to my next in person class; there are a few spaces left.
Today’s post features affiliate links to the following companies. If you buy through these links I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. The Foiled Fox Scrap’n’Stamp
Oops; I forgot your birthday
Posted: September 28, 2023 Filed under: Classes, gel press | Tags: Classes, gel press, gel printing, online class 2 Comments
My family and friends know I have issues with remembering birthdays in a timely manner. I combined a vintage sewing pattern image with a partial gel print to send an apologetic belated birthday greeting.
Combining vintage pictures or photos with gel prints on a card is an idea I got from my friend Betty. She has made many clever cards using the same combo. Now that I have made one of my own I’m going to have to do it again, hopefully not due to a missed birthday!
I’ve been prepping for my next Art Journal Adventure class which features images from vintage sewing patterns so that is how I happened to have this fashionista backed and cut out. The bright orange print is one from my online Gel Print Journey class and the contrast turned out to be a winner. Since I am talking about classes please check out my Classes page and if any of the online courses capture your interest use the code ENDOFSUMMERSALE at checkout for a 20% discount during September.
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Mushrooms & Pods
Posted: May 23, 2023 Filed under: Classes, Darkroom Door, fairy toadstool, gel press, Lavinia, mini meadow mushroom, online class, pods stencil, woodland fern | Tags: Darkroom Door stamps, gel press, gel printing, Lavinia, online class 6 Comments
I often combine my gel prints with stamping and on this card there is a bit of brand matchy-matchy which really works for a whimsical look. The print is a ghost print made while filming my new class Gel Print Journey. There is a surprising amount of paint and pattern on this ghost print; sometimes they are a lot more ghostly!
The gel print was made with the Lavinia stencil ‘pods’. Last week when stamping with a friend I was able to pair the background with some Lavinia stamps. I don’t own any…yet but I did enjoy the fun of arranging little scenes with their pretty silhouettes.
If you are not familiar with the world of ghost prints or stencil prints or even gel printing, check out my new online course. The TEAMBLOG10 discount is available until the end of May so now is a great time to join me.
(Compensated affiliate links from Foiled Fox, Ecstasy Crafts* & Scrap n Stamp)
*if you visit the Lavinia products at Ecstasy Crafts make sure you use the heathertecs10 discount code at check out
Gel Printing with the Strands stencil
Posted: May 18, 2023 Filed under: Classes, Dies, Echidna Studios, Flutters, gel press, online class, Penny Black, rustic birdhouse, strands | Tags: Echidna Studios, gel press, gel printing, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps 4 Comments
A stencil gel print for you today. I created this distressed print on a large gel plate so I could pick up a card front and an envelope print at the same time. If you don’t have a large plate you could just use the same paint colours and stencil on a second print. Just in case you didn’t catch my news yesterday, my new online course Gel Print Journey is now available! (And there is a discount for blog readers TEAMBLOG10)
The stencil is called ‘strands’ and it is a digital design I created and have made available in the Echidna Studios etsy store. The bold print shown on the card above was made with copper, burgandy and purple paint so I chose a dark burgandy cardstock to cut dragonfly elements and a sentiment strip. Printing directly on the envelope is a easy way to co-ordinate with your card and I placed a sticker on the white envelope before printing to preserve white space for the address. I think I might make a video of this process because it’s quick and effective, a combination I like.
The pattern on the second card is very muted because it is a ghost print, the leftovers on the plate after I pulled the one above. I cover this technique in my new online class using a range of different stencils and colour combinations.
Even though ghost prints are often patchy I like using them for collage or backgrounds as I have here. The line between cream and grey ended up looking like a path or lawn and I just like the unique grungy texture.
The dies and stamps I used to finish the cards are all Penny Black, those dragonflies on the first card are some of the first dies I ever got and they’re still a favourite.
(Compensated affiliate links from Foiled Fox & ScrapNStamp)
Gel Plate Plant Prints
Posted: May 16, 2023 Filed under: Classes, gel press, online class | Tags: Classes, gel press, gel printing, online class 6 Comments
I have a few more plant gel prints to share with you. I put these ones together as a gift a while ago but saved this post to co-ordinate with the launch of my new online class Gel Print Journey. This class has been in the works for a while so I am excited to finally share it with you. It is an introductory class covering printing with acrylic paints and includes loads of techniques, hours of video instruction and a few inspiration galleries at the end so you can see what I do with some of the prints. (there is a discount code at the end of this post)
In the new class three of the lessons cover leaf, grass and feather prints teaching the techniques used to make the cards in today’s post. For the card above I used one large leaf but often I use a mix of leaves, grasses and when available, flowers.
Because I made all these prints with a 6″x6″ gel plate I was able to cover the card front and save a strip to add to the edge of the envelope. I used double sided adhesive to add these prints to my card fronts but a tape runner or gluestick would also do the job.
As you can see in the print above ferns print very well. I rolled red paint on my plate, pressed a fern frond and a flower into the paint, removed paint all around the elements with tissue paper then pulled the remaining print with gold paint. So much fun! Now that I have plants growing again in my garden I will be creating a new pile of nature prints.
I promised to let you know when my class launched and because my blog readers are such an encouragement to me feel free to use the discount code TEAMBLOG10 for a 10% discount when you register.
(Compensated affiliate links from Foiled Fox & Scrap n Stamp)
Art Journal Adventure & how it started
Posted: February 2, 2023 Filed under: Art Journal, Classes | Tags: Art Journal, Classes 3 Comments
I have been art journaling for quite a while now but I only started teaching in-person art journaling workshops in 2022. I was inspired to start after doing an online class with Dina Wakley and talking with the owner of the Crop A While where I have taught for years. The page shown here was completed using Dina Wakley supplies and techniques she demonstrated.
One of the things that made me enthusiastic was the journal she used. The size and the type of pages are a great match for me and for a class setting. The journal is 6″x6″ and the paper is heavy weight watercolour paper. In class we have covered a whole range of techniques and mediums because the paper can take it.
This page features acrylic paints, printed tissue papers, black markers and a chipboard bird. The page Dina demonstrated was definitely more abstract than mine; it took me a while playing with the torn papers and textures but I finally settled on a loose ocean and sunset theme.
When I started teaching Art Journalling I called the class ‘Art Journal Adventure’ and it turned out to be aptly named. It has been a a wonderful adventure so far. I have made new friends, learnt and taught new techniques and developed quite strong mixed media muscles! Last year we had seven episodes of Art Journal Adventure and I am starting up again in 2023 with season 2. The titles ‘season’ and ‘episode’ are just fun titles I settled on; you can start at any time (you don’t have to join at the beginning).
The first episode for this year is now posted on my ‘classes‘ page and the Crop A While website also. I guess the theme does take something from the page shown here as we will be layering semi-transparent papers such as printed rice paper, table napkins and tissue. Are you an art journaller? What size journal do you use? What’s the paper like? I am always interested to hear what my creative friends are enjoying.
(Compensated affiliate links used when purchasing from Foiled Fox, Scrap n Stamp)
Circle Flowers journal page
Posted: March 25, 2022 Filed under: abstract flowers, alphabet medley, Art Journal, checkered, Classes, Darkroom Door, gel press, Hand drawn, mesh, Stencils | Tags: Art Journal, Classes, Darkroom Door stamps, Darkroom Door stencils, gel press, gel printing, Mixed Media, Penny Black creative dies 8 Comments
Last week I spent several happy hours gel printing. One of the prints I completed has ended all over this art journal spread. If you are a gel printer you know you can sometimes pull a couple of prints of the same design. The first one is full of colour and pattern and the second is often called a ghost print as it displays outlines and left over bits of paint.
For this journal page I used both the bold blue and green print and the ghost print. The ghost print can be seen on the top left and bottom right corners and is peeping out in a couple of other places. The first print which was very geometrical has been turned into circle flowers. It also had traces of a new stencil called ‘pods’. You will see more of it here on the blog because it is fabulous!
Also in the background you might see some black ink stamping (DD mesh and alphabet medley) and the texture of paste through the DD ‘checkered stencil. The text you see is a fabric tape with dictionary definitions of happiness; it is the first 49 & Market product I have bought and it is going to be handy!
There is plenty of white gesso over the background to pull it together and mute some of the bold elements.
The flowers are all cut with Penny Black ‘abstract flowers’ dies which basically cut slightly wonky circles so I could have cut them myself but why bother when the machine will do it. The print was on rice paper so I could cut a few layers at once. After drawing an edge on each circle with a silver paint pen I stuck a small circle on a larger one, then sewed a cross in the centre with silver thread. There are stems in the set of dies but I doodled mine with a black marker. The blue splatters and pops of pink are from inktense pencils which are coming in handy for art journalling.
I know that was a lot of photos and chit chat but that is the way with some art journal pages especially the collage ones which involve different papers, paints, stencils, and mediums. I probably haven’t mentioned everything I used but if you are still here now I’m sure you’ve heard enough!
If you are in Ottawa and feel like doing a little art journalling of your own, there are still spaces left in my next Art Journal Adventure workshop where we will be creating a watercolour green and leafy spread similar to what you see below. All the details are on the Crop A While website.
Supplies
(Compensated affiliate links used when possible)
Heather Telford 