Magnolia Rhapsody
Posted: February 20, 2017 Filed under: magnolia rhapsody | Tags: Nuvo crystal drops, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 25 Comments
Penny Black has added more lovely brushstroke stamps to their collection including this beauty, Magnolia Rhapsody. I have several techniques I use with my brushstroke stamps; for this card I used memento markers, blending colour both on the stamp and on the paper. Using a stamp positioner I started by stamping the whole image in angel pink memento ink; this gave me a reference image which helped me apply the darker inks in the right places on the stamp. Next I inked all the petals with an angel pink marker then added lilac posies ink to the flower centres and petal tips. I spritzed lightly before stamping so the colour would mix a little then blended further on the paper with a damp brush. After finishing the petals I inked and stamped the leaves, then the branch and twigs.
To give a bit of a bokeh look to the scene I stamped again around the main image without applying more ink. The result was pale pink and green petals and leaves in the background. I tried out the morning dew Nuvo crystal drops on petals and leaves; you might be able to see my little dew drops in the photo below. I added a thin strip of cardstock to the bottom of the card base and balanced it with bit of sponged green at the top.
Thanks for dropping in today.
Supplies
Stamps: magnolia rhapsody, stitched flowers (PB)
Ink: angel pink, lilac posies, pistachio, olive grove, espresso truffle, tuxedo black memento markers & versafine onyx black ink (Tsukineko)
Also: Nuvo ‘morning dew’ crystal drops
Paper: hotpressed 100% cotton watercolour paper, olive textured cardstock
The world with you
Posted: February 17, 2017 Filed under: Hand lettered, World Map | Tags: Darkroom Door stamps, Hand lettering, Ranger Distress stains 13 Comments
This vintage looking map card is for my husband’s birthday today. I am not suggesting he is vintage, far from it as he is only one week older than me! I used the world map background stamp from Darkroom Door and distress stains to give it an aged look. I began by stamping the image on hot pressed watercolour paper in versafine onyx black. Versafine is a pigment ink so I knew it wouldn’t bleed when I added stain and water over the top. I added vintage photo distress stain over most of the panel first then followed it with more distress stain and water (colours listed below) loosely filling the oceans in blue and the land in yellow and green.
When the panel dried I added some water splatter and stain splatter. Up until this point the process had been fairly quick but then I started playing with sentiment ideas. The one on the card is probably attempt no.217! I went through several different wordings and a couple of paper types and nibs before I resorted to something simple. Once I had written it satisfactorily I dropped water on it, extra stain and added a little postmark which just happens to be from a place where I lived the year before we were married. Sweet words like “I’d travel the world with you” were not to be. Don’t get me wrong I would travel the world with him and did travel from one side to the other 16 years ago. My simple wish with a pointed pen and ink and lots of love!
Supplies
Stamps: World Map, Correspondence (Darkroom Door)
Inks: versafine onyx black (tsukineko) vintage photo, broken china, mustard seed, bundled sage, ground espresso distress stains & inks (Ranger) Mocha writing ink (Parker)
Pens or pencils: handmade nib holder (Foiled Fox)
Papers: hot pressed 100% cotton watercolour paper (Fabriano) natural white 110lb cardstock(Neenah)
A new poppy to enjoy
Posted: February 16, 2017 Filed under: Dynamic | Tags: Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, WOW embossing powders 16 Comments
If you are familiar with Penny Black stamps you will know there are a lot of poppies to choose from. The one on my card above is a lovely new outline stamp called ‘dynamic’. I chose to heat emboss it in clear powder then colour with watercolour pencils. I used only five colours, varying the intensity of the red by adding more in the shadowed areas.(I also added a little sparkle to the petals with wink of stella) I used two greens for the stem and leaves, a black in the centre and a grey around the image.
Once my colour was complete I let it dry then ironed the embossing out of the paper. To do this you place the panel face down on some printer paper and iron with no steam over the panel until the embossing has melted into the paper underneath. It still looks embossed but it is no longer raised or shiny. I ended up giving the panel a wide red frame and a die cut sentiment from the same cardstock as the frame. Don’t forget to check out all the new loveliness in the new Bliss release.
Supplies
Stamps: Dynamic (PB)
Dies: You enjoy(PB)
Ink: versamark (Tsukineko)
Pencils: 174, 199, 233, 225, 155 Albrecht Dürer watercolour pencils (Faber Castell)
Paper: hotpressed 100% cotton watercolour paper
Also: WOW clear embossing powder, wink of stella clear marker
Falling florals
Posted: February 15, 2017 Filed under: Brusho, Gladsome | Tags: Brusho, Penny Black stamps, WOW embossing powders 22 Comments
Today’s card features one of the new colouring book style images from Penny Black. I chose to let brusho powders do the colouring for me. I embossed the stamped image off the top of the watercolour paper using versamark and clear embossing powder. I taped down the top and sides of the panel to prevent warping when I added water to it. With brusho you can add water first or powder first. For this panel I started by sprinkling powder over the embossed panel; I was selective in where I sprinkled it so I would get purple flowers and green leaves but I knew there would be soft blending between the colours anyway. I spritzed from above and from the side to spread the colour down beyond the stamping.
I did do a little touching up with a paintbrush where the colour hadn’t completely filled a section but I really didn’t need to alter much.
Once the panel was dry I trimmed it and added a sentiment then attached it to a cardbase. I also added a print of the stamp inside the card in violet ink and on an envelope as well.
The new release from Penny Black is appropriately called Bliss and is now available in the online shop and browsable in the online catalogue. There are so many gorgeous new stamps and dies in this release; drop in again tomorrow when I share some more.
Supplies
Stamps: Gladsome, All great things (PB)
Ink: versamark, versafine imperial purple (Tsukineko)
Paint: purple, ultramarine, emerald green, violet brusho (Colourcraft)
Paper: fabriano hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: WOW clear embossing powder
Purple Iris
Posted: February 14, 2017 Filed under: Pure Iris | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 13 Comments
This iris card is a project from last year; it features one of my favourite techniques for brush stroke stamps: inking with memento markers. You could use any water soluble markers I imagine, it is easy to apply colour to the stamp with them and their water solubility makes it possible to get nice colour blends. I stamped on a piece of hot pressed watercolour paper which I had splattered some masking fluid over.
I began with some drips of water on the watercolour paper panel. I inked the stamp with the markers listed below, spritzed the stamp and used the MISTI to stamp on the panel. Wherever the stamp hit the water droplets it bled into the surrounding area. I also blended the ink with a paint brush and water. When the panel was almost dry I stamped again in purple and green to get some extra definition on the leaves and petals. To frame the iris I painted some very diluted northern pine ink around the background then waited for it to dry again before adding some splatter.
I remember when I did made this panel I ended up stamping several at the same time; some ended up darker and more defined, others were pale and looser. It all depended on how much ink and water I applied to the stamp.
Thanks for dropping in; I’ll be back tomorrow with brand new stamps from Penny Black!
Supplies:
Stamps: Pure Iris(PB)
Inks: Memento Cantaloupe, Grape Jelly, Sweet Plum, Olive Grove, Pistachio (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Hot pressed Fabriano watercolour paper, Olive Green cardstock
Also: masking fluid
Red Blush
Posted: February 13, 2017 Filed under: Red blush | Tags: Brusho, CAS, Penny Black stamps 20 Comments
I am participating in the CAS watercolour challenge again this month and as it turns out I have used exactly the same technique as last month. I really didn’t set out to do that but sometimes cards just emerge from experimentation more successful that expected! The theme of the challenge this month is ‘Love’ so a red rose fits in nicely along with a reminder to celebrate, perhaps Valentine’s day or an anniversary.
I used the water stamping technique to create this image and I almost didn’t continue with it after the initial application of brusho powder. I stamped the rose with water then sprinkled crimson brusho over the flower and bud area and emerald green over the leaves and stems. This technique can create a mess but it can also give you a loose watercolour representation of the stamp. Once the colours started reacting with the water I used a brush to move some colour into areas that needed more and a paper towel to remove colour where there was too much.
All that colour in the rose is from crimson brusho, which you can see is a mix of different colour crystals. The darkness of the bud is a mix of crimson and emerald green. Initially I thought it was going to be a dirty brown but it has enough red tones to resemble the way the colour of a bud is often darker than the full blown rose. Thanks for dropping by; make sure you check out all the ‘Lovely’ inspiration over at CAS Watercolour challenge
Supplies
Stamps: Red blush, Heartfelt (PB)
Ink: versafine onyx black ink (Tsukineko)
Paint: crimson & emerald green brusho (Colourcraft)
Paper: hotpressed 100% cotton watercolour paper, red cardstock
Shining lights
Posted: February 10, 2017 Filed under: African Trees, Hand lettered, Tribal | Tags: Darkroom Door stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Tsukineko Versafine inks 10 Comments
I’m still having fun with the African stamps from Darkroom Door, this time combining a loose watercoloured background with a sharp silhouetted tree in the foreground. I stamped the ‘tribal’ background first on watercolour paper in several colours of distress ink. Once the whole pattern was stamped I painted over it with water and the colours blended from into each other.
I let the background dry completely before dropping some water strategically here and there. When water comes in contact with distress ink it reacts and dilutes the ink. By letting the water sit for a minute then dabbing it up with a paper towel I was able to create light patches which look a bit like lights in an already abstract sky.
I stamped the tree over the ‘sky’ once it dried then painted the ground with black soot distress stain. My sentiment, inspired by the ‘watermark lights’ was handwritten in McCaffery’s Penmans black ink.
Supplies:
Stamps: Tribal, African Trees (Darkroom Door)
Inks: Distress wild honey, spiced marmalade, fired brick inks, black soot distress stain (Ranger) versafine onyx black (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: neenah natural white cardstock, neenah epic black cardstock, fabriano hot pressed watercolour paper
Writing ink: Mc Caffery’s Penman’s ink black
Nib holder: Exclusive handmade from Foiled Fox
Floral border
Posted: February 9, 2017 Filed under: Centerpiece, Stitched Edges | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Sakura Koi watercolour paints 18 Comments
Between Christmas and New Year I did some major re-organising in my work room and changed the way I store my stamps. I am still working out a few details and wondering the best way to store my wood block stamps but other than that the new system seems to be working well. One benefit of doing some serious sorting was re-acquainting myself with my supplies. I pulled out a stamp from a few years ago and my Koi watercolour travel set to make this card.
The stamp is a bouquet of flowers in a vase but as you can see I left the vase out of the picture and just worked with the flowers to create a border. With masking I could have positioned the flowers even more closely but I was hoping to finish this card fairly quickly so I just stamped the flower part of the stamp with the MISTI then moved my watercolour panel and stamped again. I used distress ink to stamp so I could blend it while painting. To keep it simple I used two colours of paint on the petals switching back and forth between a pink and a pale orange. I painted olive green into the leaves but then went around the edges and over the stems with a marker. To complete the flowers I painted black dots and yellow centres.
It really was a fairly quick panel to paint, the time consuming part ended up being the way I mounted it between a strip of pink and a die-cut edge of pink. I should have just attached it over the top of a pink panel but I made it less bulky but more fiddly by cutting both the watercolour panel and the pink cardstock with the edge die then aligning them on the card base. The Happy Little Stampers challenge this month is watercolour with an optional twist of die-cutting, so I’m popping over to add this one in.
As I write this I am sitting beside an amaryllis which looks like it might just burst out in bloom today. It is a gift from one of my artsy accomplices and it has been growing very steadily since the new year. It’s nice to have a real flower inside when all outside is snow and ice!
Supplies
Stamps: Centerpiece, words of kindness (PB)
Creative Dies: stitched edges (PB)
Inks: abandoned coral distress ink (Ranger) Olive grove memento marker, versafine Spanish moss (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah Natural White 110lb cardstock, pink cardstock
Also: Koi watercolor field sketch travel kit (Sakura)
Effulgence note
Posted: February 7, 2017 Filed under: Color Burst, Effulgence | Tags: color burst, Penny Black stamps, WOW embossing powders 13 Comments
When I was making my pink and gold love card last week I had two panels on the go. I created both using the emboss resist method along with colorburst powders. I didn’t do too much blending on this one so the patterns the powders made after I’d spritzed them remain, especially on the left hand side of the panel.
I embossed the ‘Effulgence’ stamp on hot pressed watercolour paper in clear powder then sprinkled ultramarine and violet colorburst powders over the panel. I spritzed the panel from above and watched the colour move before adding any more powder or water.
I wanted the area around the flowers to be completely covered in paint so I blended some areas with a paintbrush. Around the edges I left it abstract. The panel was very tall and thin so I ended up with a tall thin card finished with a sentiment popped up over the flower stems.
Supplies:
Stamps: effulgence, sentiment collection (PB)
Paint: violet & ultramarine Colorburst watercolor powder (Ken Oliver)
Cardstock: hot pressed watercolour paper
Ink: versamark (tsukineko)
Also: clear embossing powder
Family Tree
Posted: February 6, 2017 Filed under: Hand lettered, Tree heart, Triple Banner | Tags: color burst, Hand lettering, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps 16 Comments
This delicate tree stamp is called `tree heart`but it reminded me of a family tree. I tried turning it into my family tree with names along the branches but it did not look that good! Instead I used the emboss resist technique with colorburst powders.
I embossed the tree in clear powders on hot pressed watercolour paper then sprinkled a few different colours of powder over the panel. I kept the colours separate as I sprinkled knowing they would blend anyway as I started adding water. I spritzed first then used a small paintbrush to move and blend the paint.
I love the way the emboss resist technique traps colours in little white borders. My next live class is a Watercolour resist class and, as often happens, I nailed two projects then took much longer to finalise the third. I was so happy to complete the designs I rewarded myself with some lettering playtime and made a bunch of custom black on white sentiments. I pulled out nine different banner, tag and label dies by Penny Black, cut them from black cardstock then used Dr Ph Martins Bleedproof white paint and a nib pen to write a sentiment on each one. The nib holder in the photo is an exclusive handmade holder sent to me by the lovely team at The Foiled Fox. It is delightful to write with. The bleedproof white paint is too thick for the nib straight out of the jar so I mixed some with a bit of water and it worked nicely.
Now I have a few sentiments in reserve ready to add to future cards.
Supplies:
Stamps: Tree-heart(PB)
Dies: Triple banner, Tagged, A Pocketfull (PB)
Paint: Colorburst watercolor powder (Ken Oliver) Bleed proof white (Dr Ph Martin)
Cardstock: hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah Solar White
Ink: versamark (Tsukineko)
Also: clear embossing powder (WOW)
Nib holder: Handmade by The Foiled Fox
Heather Telford 