Gods blessings
Posted: November 16, 2016 Filed under: Skyline, Woodland Beauty | Tags: Brusho, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 5 Comments
It’s time for a card with a vintage feel; you know they pop up here from time to time. I began with a watercolour panel splattered in a fine spray of masking fluid which results in tiny dots of white to represent snow. As with past cards in this style I used vintage photo distress ink which blends very nicely with water. The smoky black areas were added with black soot distress ink as well as an elegant writer pen. I can’t remember whether I stamped the buildings over a mask or just partially inked the stamp, either way the result made the skyscrapers appear to behind a snowbank. I blended the ink with a paintbrush above the snowbank and later, once the buildings were dry, painted the ice and sky with turquoise brusho.
To frame the scene I ran the vintage photo ink pad around the edges of the panel then attached it to a cream card base.
Supplies:
Stamps: Skyline, Woodland Beauty, Holy Night(PB)
Inks: Versafine vintage sepia ink (Tsukineko) vintage photo, black soot distress inks (Ranger) Elegant Writer (Speedball)
Paint: Turquoise brusho
Cardstock: Fabriano cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Spring in the city
Posted: May 29, 2016 Filed under: Prancers, Skyline, Stamped Landscapes | Tags: Dr Ph Martin Hydrus watercolor paints, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 9 Comments
I created this card way back in the dead of winter when I was using the ‘soft whisper’ tree stamp to create snowy scenes. I set it aside and it got buried under other projects. I need to post it now as Ottawa seems to have had its 15 minutes of spring and marched straight in to summer.
There is a lot going on in the scene so I had to think through my order of operations. I used the MISTI to stamp the tree several times adding black, grey and pink ink separately. When the tree was finished I stamped again with versamark then embossed in clear so I could easily paint a wash over the tree. I kept the variegated wash in the top half of the panel merging from blue to pink to apricot then stamped a skyline of grey buildings below it. I filled in the space around the buildings with pale grey ink then added black trees in the foreground.
I hope you are enjoying some pretty scenery where you are.
Stamps: Soft Whisper, Skyline, Prancers (PB)
Inks: Memento Angel pink, London fog, Tuxedo black, Versamark (Tsukineko)
Paint: Dr Ph Martin’s Hydrus watercolours
Cardstock: Canson 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, black cardstock
Also: clear embossing powder
It’s Christmas time in the city
Posted: December 24, 2015 Filed under: Hand drawn, Hand lettered, Skyline | Tags: Hand lettering, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 15 Comments
City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style,
In the air there is a feeling, of Christmas
Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile,
And on every street corner you’ll hear :
Silver bells, silver bells
It’s Christmas time in the city
ring- a- ling, hear them ring,
soon it will be Christmas day.
Supplies:
Stamps: Skyline (PB)
Inks: Vintage photo, Black soot distress inks (Ranger) Elegant Writer (Speedball)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, pink & black cardstock
#Pink Coat in New York
Posted: August 16, 2015 Filed under: On the Town, Skyline, Stamped Landscapes | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 22 Comments
I have another card for you created back in the dead of winter for a Dirty Dozen gallery on Splitcoaststampers. I had already created a NY skyline card the previous month but this I did this one when the theme was ‘For the love of friendship’ and it has a little story to go with it. I made other cards with the theme of friendship in mind but this card was made for one special friend.
When I found out my husband and I were going to New York City for our 25th wedding anniversary (the trip was a gift from our children) I asked my friend, Nan if I could borrow a coat. Despite living in Canada for 14 years the only coat I own is a ski jacket and I was not going to New York with my old ski jacket. My friend Nan, on the other hand has the most extensive coat collection I have ever seen. I borrowed a bright pink wool coat and it was freezing in NYC when we visited so I wore that coat all day long for four days. We took pictures on the Empire State, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in Saks 5th Ave and in Central Park. I put some of them on my instagram with the #pinkcoatinNYC so my friend could see the fun her coat was having. Sadly I handed the coat back after the trip with this thank you card. The coat on the card actually turned out looking like the real thing. In real life though my husband is taller 😉
I created this scene on watercolour paper generously splattered with masking fluid so I could get the snow storm effect. I inked the stamps with memento markers then added shading and blending with a paintbrush and watercolour pencils.
It’s bizarre to post this card while it is 31°C outside!
Supplies:
Stamps: Skyline, On the town (PB)
Inks: Memento London Fog, Dandelion, Tuxedo Black, Danube Blue, Rose Bud, Northern Pine, Summer Sky(Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hotpressed watercolour paper, Epic Black cardstock(Neenah)
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid, Kemper spatter brush, Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils
Winter view
Posted: August 8, 2015 Filed under: Prancers, Skyline, Stamped Landscapes | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 6 Comments
Here is another wintry scene I created back in January for Splitcoaststampers. My first month with the Dirty Dozen was January and all the projects had to be finished and uploaded by the 13th. When I was planning my time and projects I did not know our children had planned a trip for my husband and I to celebrate our anniversary and birthdays. They had purchased air tickets, broadway tickets and a hotel room in New York for four days! Some cards were finished before I left on January 6th and a couple, including the one above, were finished when I returned. Inspired by our trip I created this card for the ‘All Cooped Up’ theme and could not imagine a better place to be cooped up in winter than an apartment overlooking Central Park. As you can see from our photo we enjoyed walking through the park in bright sunshine. Freezing cold but sunny.
To create this scene I splattered masking fluid on watercolour paper with a spatter brush, then, when it was dry stamped partial imprints of the skyline stamp spritzing both the stamp and paper to make sure my colours blended. I used a brush to pick up and add more colour around the buildings to create the impression of a grey day. Before stamping the bottom buildings I added a snow bank mask so the base of the buildings and the trees would appear behind it.
Supplies:
Stamps: Skyline, Summer Fun, Prancers (PB)
Inks: Memento London Fog, Tuxedo Black, Paris Dusk (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hotpressed watercolour paper, Epic Black & Solar White cardstock(Neenah)
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid, Kemper spatter brush
A reason to celebrate
Posted: January 6, 2015 Filed under: Skyline, Watercolour 19 Comments
This is a repost of a card I made this time last year. After I had posted it I put it away for the right occasion. Today is the right occasion and my husband is the recipient. We are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary by spending four days in New York; the trip is a gift from our children. I am very excited!
All the details about the card can be found here. I hope to post a few picture of our trip on instagram and my other blog. Have a good week!
Inch by Inch 4: Vintage Skyline
Posted: November 20, 2014 Filed under: Skyline, Stamped Landscapes | Tags: Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Inchie Arts, Penny Black stamps 16 Comments
From a snowscape to a vintage cityscape my Inchie experiments continue. I never would have guessed when I first saw this skyline stamp that it would become such a favourite. Working on a 3″square splattered with masking fluid, I stamped ‘Skyline’ several times, never a full impression just the top of the buildings and without reinking so that the foreground images were darker than the background. I added colour with several earth tone watercolour pencils layering and blending colour until I was happy with the values and shadows. I mixed a blue and green to make a dark colour for the sky then added brown over the top to make it more muted. Finally I removed the masking fluid to reveal the cream flecks which I think make it look like an old damaged photo.
Deciding what to turn it into was difficult. I would have liked to create a notebook but time was not on my side so I made a card. I tried a patterned background, a portrait oriented and a landscape oriented rectangular card and two different sentiments before deciding less was once again more. Don’t forget more inchie arts inspiration on the Penny Black and the Inchie Arts blogs.
Supplies:
Stamps: Skyline (PB)
Inks: Memento Rich Cocoa (Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils (Faber Castell)
Cardstock: Neenah Natural White 110lb cardstock, Inchie Arts 3″ cream square, Penny Black mix & match Sticks and Stones paper
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid
Snow Wishes
Posted: November 15, 2014 Filed under: Skyline, Snow Wishes | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 9 Comments
The theme on the Penny Black blog has been intricate dies this week and the designers have created beautiful projects. My card today features one of the new intricate sentiments fitted into a snowy city sky. To create the scene I splattered masking fluid on white cardstock then brayered Memento Bahama Blue ink from one end which resulted in the colour fading out toward the other end. I stamped part of the slapstick cling stamp, ‘Skyline’ at the base of the panel and sponged yellow around the buildings and used a grey marker on the facades. I die cut the ‘Snow Wishes’ sentiment out of the top of the panel and out of a piece of white cardstock then fitted the white diecut into the stamped panel, attached it all to the black mat and finally to the white cardbase.
Stamps: Skyline (PB)Creative Dies: Snow Wishes (PB)
Inks: Memento Bahama blue, Dandelion, London fog inks, Versafine Onyx black (Imagine Crafts/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Solar white cardstock, Epic Black cardstock (Neenah)
Central Park in snow & masking fluid questions answered
Posted: November 6, 2014 Filed under: City lights, Prancers, Skyline, Stamped Landscapes, Tutorial | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps 16 Comments
Last week I posted a very snowy card and received several questions about using masking fluid. I decided to make a short video showing my set up for flicking masking fluid. Masking fluid isn’t just for flicking, of course, but you could be excused for thinking that when you see how rarely I do anything else with it!
I included the card above because it shows snow created after flicking a generous amount of masking fluid on a piece of watercolour paper. It is actually the piece I flicked in the video. I painted over the masking fluid with a blue and a pink distress stain (listed below) and then while the paper was still damp stamped the Skyline stamp in grey a few times then blue. I once again used the little tree from the Prancers set in the foreground. I cut the large sentiment from Yuletide Greetings into two pieces and stamped the front and the inside of the card.
Some answers to your questions about masking fluid
What is masking fluid?
A non-staining liquid composed of rubber latex for masking areas of work needing protection when colour is applied over the top
What type do you use?
Winsor & Newton non permanent masking fluid with a slight yellow tint. The yellow tint makes it easier to see where it has been applied. This is probably more useful when carefully painting the masking fluid onto a project rather than flicking it with careless abandon!
Are all brands the same?
I have used the Winsor & Newton brand for years and cannot comment on other brands. I think the key is to make sure you buy non permanent because you want to remove it after all your stamping/sponging/painting is completed.
Where do I find masking fluid?
Masking fluid is an art supply often used by watercolour artsists so you can find it in art supply stores, usually with the watercolour supplies.
How do you remove masking fluid without ripping the paper?
I must admit I haven’t had too many instances of masking fluid ripping my paper. The spots from splattering are small and rub off very easily. Sometimes with larger dots or sections it is harder to remove the masking fluid. If you are painting a larger area do a test on your paper first to make sure you can remove the masking fluid successfully. I always use my fingers to rub it off but you can use a clean soft eraser.
The video I have created shows how I splatter panels for projects such as the one above. Hopefully some of your questions will be answered once you have watched my process.
Supplies:
Stamps: City Lights, Prancers, Season’s Wishes (PB)
Inks: Memento Nautical Blue, London Fog, Northern Pine (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko) Victorian Velvet, Broken China distress stains(Ranger)
Cardstock: Neenah Solar White 110lb cardstock, Fabriano 100% cotton hot-pressed watercolour paper, textured blue cardstock, textured green cardstock, linen textured paper
Also: Winsor & Newton masking fluid, Kemper Spatter brush
‘Tis the season
Posted: November 4, 2014 Filed under: CAS, Skyline, Snow Drops, Tis the season | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks, Tsukineko Radiant Neon inks 11 Comments
‘Tis not quite the Christmas season just yet but it is the season to change the clocks back which is what we did on Sunday. That means the sunset came earlier than I am used to and I was able to enjoy it at the end of a run. The light was orange and yellow behind the silhouetted trees and buildings as I ran home and that is what inspired this silhouetted city scape. I was undecided about a sentiment until I read the Less is More and the Splitcoast Clean and Simple challenge for this week, both are about non-traditional Christmas cards. This card is definitely non traditional especially when you peek inside to see the rest of the sentiment along with some black snowflakes. Seriously, who wants black snowflakes? I am not sure they work. What do you think?
I brayered the colour onto Neenah natural white cardstock, first radiant neon electric coral, next memento dandelion and lastly from the other end of the panel summer sky. (There is no summer sky left at the top of the panel as I had to trim it after messing up the sentiment.) I stamped the skyline stamp in black then brayered black to cover the base of the panel. The windows are coloured with a white gel pen and the sentiment stamped in versafine onyx black ink. I gave the panel a thin black mat and popped it up on dimensional squares. Inside the card is the rest of the sentiment trimmed from a new die cut and paired with the Snowdrops die cut.
Supplies:
Stamps: Skyline, Season’s Wishes (PB)
Creative Dies: Tis the Season, Snow Drops (PB)
Inks: Memento dandelion, tuxedo black, Radiant Neon Electric coral, Versafine onyx black (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Neenah natural White 110lb cardstock, black cardstock
Heather Telford 