Carmine – No Line Watercolour Video

Posted: November 16, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: carmine, Penny Black, sennelier watercolours, Tutorial | Tags: , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

I hope you enjoy today’s no-line watercolour video. When I first saw this stamp I knew it would be perfect for the technique. There are a few little petals but most of the image is made up of open leaves and petals which are easy to see while painting. I used soft stone ink for the initial image on cold press watercolour paper and Sennelier watercolour paints for all the painting.

If you don’t always have a plan for the background you will see how I added one after all the painting was done. Take a look at the video below to see my process.

This is such a pretty stamp and might get inked up again soon to keep my stock of Christmas cards growing. I think it would look good embossed in white on a coloured background. Stay tuned!

Supplies

Festive Fragrance

Posted: November 10, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: festive fragrance | Tags: , , | 8 Comments

Isn’t this ‘festive fragrance‘ a pretty stamp? I know it is part of the PB Christmas release but it looks like an all-year-rounder to me. Just switching the colours around could make it quite springy or even autumnal. That’s the kind of stamp I like.

I chose to work with muted greens and blues plus a couple of berry colours. I inked with distress inks and markers plus a couple of Staedtler brush markers. I heard recently the sad news that distress markers are being discontinued so I am looking at my other markers to see which ones I might switch to when my distress markers can give no more. I think more than anything it is the colours of the distress markers that make me happy. Often when you buy a set of markers such as a 12 or 18 set many of the colours are bold rather than muted. There is a basic orange, red, yellow, light blue, dark blue, etc. You don’t find any stormy skies or picked raspberries!

Anyway enough about that; I will keep you posted on my discoveries and choices. I used the mix of colours listed in the supplies below to ink all the foliage and used both faded jeans and weathered wood for the vases. The stamp was brand new when I inked it and I didn’t do any conditioning (such as wiping it or sanding it) so the ink beaded in a few places giving me a patchy look. I inked and stamped again for all but that tall bit of foliage. That one on the left I kept patchy as I liked the lacey look.

Once I had stamped and blended all the leaves and vases, I wanted to ground the collection somehow so I used a blending brush to add weathered wood ink to the base and side of the panel. I then painted shadows next to the vases with faded jeans ink. I finished the design off with a sentiment from the PB ‘happy & bright’ set knowing I would have to choose a bolder, darker ink so it would show up over the stamped vases. It is not as distinct as I would like but when the recipient looks at it up close it will be fine.

I hope you have had a chance to view the short video about my new class, ‘Wreaths – Stamped & Painted‘. Registration is open, a couple of lessons are already published and all the content will be accessible tomorrow. It is full of simple but pretty wreath designs, some very festive, others more rustic. I have included some technique lessons to show how I paint leaves and filler elements too so you can design with stamps plus your own unique touches. The giveaway is still open on my previous post where you have a chance to win a spot in the class. Make sure you pop back there and tell me how your Christmas card making is going. I see some of you have finished, some are barely started and some don’t go down that path. I think I am over half way with mine, largely because I created many wreath cards in preparation for the class!

One more bit of exciting news before I go. I am back on CRAFT ROULETTE this Friday as the guest crafter. Join me if you can on YouTube and drop a hello in the chat.

Supplies

Wreaths – Stamped & Painted Online Class

Posted: November 8, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Classes, online class | Tags: , , , , | 37 Comments

After hinting and promising for weeks I am thrilled to launch my new online class ‘Wreaths – Stamped & Painted‘. In this class I use a range of techniques, styles and materials to create original card sized wreath designs. The lessons are focused on stamping, painting and drawing elements for wreaths and combining them in many different ways. The class includes instruction for ten different projects but there are way more examples of wreath cards I made with the same techniques. There are quite a few Christmas or holiday style wreaths included in the class along with some autumn toned ones. The techniques will work for any season or occasion so you can customize to your heart’s content!

Once again the filming was done by my talented son, Ben, and we have included a wonderful mix of close ups and overhead footage. There are written notes, project photos, extra inspiration photos and downloadable instructions to support the video content. All the lessons are self paced so you can take your time to go through the class and re-watch as many times as you like. You can leave comments and ask questions as you go through the lessons and add photos of your projects along the way.

A GIVEAWAY

As in previous classes I am going to do some giveaways. I will give away a class registration to a blog reader, please leave a comment below to tell me if you have started making Christmas cards yet. I will also host a craft store gift card giveaway for those who sign up for the class.

Registration is open and all content is available. For more information or to register click here: WREATHS – STAMPED & PAINTED

To see my other online classes click here: ONLINE CLASSES with HEATHER TELFORD

Merriest

Posted: November 4, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Catherine Pooler inks, Karin brushmarkers, merriest, Penny Black, Tutorial, winter branches | Tags: , , , , | 7 Comments

The new ‘Making Spirits Bright’ release from Penny Black is full of beautiful festive foliage. As you know I love working with florals and foliage especially on rubber cling stamps so these new stamps are definitely my thing!

I used Catherine Pooler inks for this design and the colours worked beautifully. I sometimes forget my CP inks, then when I put them to use I remember now juicy and vibrant they are. Take a look at my process below; I have used some of my favourite techniques on this one. (by the way I think I call the release ‘keeping spirits bright’ and the branch stamp fragile beauty instead of ‘winter branches’. Oops)

I know I have been hinting and promising the new class release for the last week. So thanks for your patience; it’s coming, it’s really coming!

I know it’s subtle but one of my favourite things about this card is the muted background, just some pale greens and brown tones with tiny white dots from the masking fluid.

Thanks for dropping by today. I’ll see you again tomorrow.

Supplies

2021 BuJo – November theme

Posted: November 2, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: all natural, beautified, Bullet Journal, Coloured pencil, Dingbat notebooks, Hand lettered, Penny Black | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

And just like that it’s November! I’ve been stamping and painting wreaths for the last few months while creating my new online course so it seemed natural to add one to my bullet journal.

I used stamps from the Penny Black ‘all natural’ and ‘beautified’ sets to create a wreath with dye inks and coloured pencils.

For the calendar page I stamped the same grass stamp in a different colour for each week day and added coordinating labels at the top of each column.

The same stamps from the wreath popped up again on the to do list page springing out of a masked corner and once again coloured with polychromos pencils.

No snow yet in Ottawa I’m happy to say. Still quite a few leaves to fall and collect. I have planted some bulbs and done a bit of garden clean up but I am hoping the weather stays nice long enough for me to finish the job!

Supplies

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Floral Birthday

Posted: October 29, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: all the birthdays, companions, Concord & 9th, Penny Black | Tags: , , | 10 Comments

In my last post I shared a Christmas card featuring loose watercolour; the style of this card is even looser and was done with a few of the distress stain daubers I still have in my stash. Although I used techniques I’d devised years ago, this card was inspired by a card I saw on Pinterest recently. I followed the link and read through the whole post on the Tattered Nest Designs blog and combined some of her techniques with mine to create this very vintage floral birthday card.

I worked on hot pressed watercolour paper with gathered twigs and seedless preserves distress stains. I still have those two colours in the daubers but you could use ink pads or spray stains on a glass mat or craft mat to get similar results. Check out the Tattered Nest post to read how she did it with spray stains. I inked the PB ‘companions’ stamp with both distress stains and stamped on the corners of my watercolour paper panel. I dried the stain with a heat tool then started blending loosely with water and a paintbrush. If the ink was too intense I would use more water or dab it with a paper towel, if too pale I would add more stain with the paintbrush.

Once the flowers were loosely blended I inked the PB script background stamp with the same inks, spritzed it and stamped off on scrap paper. I spritzed it again with water before stamping a diluted print on the panel. You can see I also added splatter and created a sentiment on a small piece coloured with the same inks.

To finish the card I added splatter and some extra painting with rose gold pearlescent paint. You can see the gold border around the little tag in the close up above. Inspired by the Tattered Nest projects I sewed around the edge of the panel and then tore a strip of fabric to make a frayed ribbon sash.

Progress continues on my new online class; I’ve been gazing at the computer screen for days. I’m excited to share it with you very soon!

Supplies

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Christmas Blush

Posted: October 27, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Christmas blush, Penny Black | Tags: , , | 7 Comments

This pretty rose surrounded by leaves and needles is called ‘Christmas Blush’ and is another beauty from the Penny Black ‘Keeping Spirits Bright’ release. Even though it is part of a Christmas release I think I will use it year round. It’s quite a large stamp so I have made a 6¼” x 4½” card.

I used a technique similar to a favourite from a few years ago when I would ink my rubber stamps with distress stains. The distress stains first came in daubers which made it possible to ink a stamp with a very juicy amount of ink. To replicate that I inked with a stamp pad then spritzed generously before stamping.

I inked the rose first in wild honey and kitsch flamingo, cleaned off the surrounding area then inked the foliage with rustic wilderness and iced spruce. Next I spritzed the stamp with water and stamped in the stamp positioner. There was enough ink still on the stamp to spritz it again and stamp it on the other end of the watercolour paper panel. While the ink was still wet on the paper I blended with a wet paintbrush, adding extra ink where necessary. I often watercolour outline stamps this way, the difference this time being how wet the ink was hitting the paper. I was looking for excess ink so the painting would be loose rather than precise.

After blending ink inside all the leaves and petals I dried the image and used blending brushes to add both green inks around the edges of the card and a little wild honey in the centre. I splattered water over the panel several times before dabbing it off with a paper towel to leave watermarks in both the blended and stamped areas. I added some green splatter and a sentiment from the PB ‘Christmas feeling’ set stamped in morning mist versafine clair ink.

I like this loose watercolour look and also the fact that it didn’t take anywhere near the time a more precise no-line watercolouring approach would take. I’m sure I will take more time over this stamp another day with another colour scheme; it’s too pretty not to.

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Beautify – Video

Posted: October 25, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: beautify, Penny Black, Tutorial | Tags: , , | 4 Comments

Today I have a second Christmas card featuring new rubber cling stamps from the Penny Black ‘Keeping Spirits Bright’ release. This one, ‘Beautify‘ is a garland shape but instead of stamping it across the card from side to side I have used it to create festive foliage hanging down. I love being able to use my stamps in multiple ways, sometimes the changes are through colour but other times I use part of a stamp or repeat impressions with a stamp.

I filmed my process while creating this card so you can see the step-by-step in the video below. As the foliage is all quite small I used distress markers for the inking then blended some leaves after stamping. I upgraded the berries from distress ink to pearlescent paint to give them more prominence and a little shine.

I’m sure you will see this stamp again perhaps positioned in a more traditional garland orientation. Looking at this stamp makes me want to make my own fresh garlands but I’m not sure that’s going to happen. Have you made a fresh garland or wreath? Did it have a high fiddliness factor? I even borrowed a book from the library with the how-to.

Although I have not made any fresh wreaths yet I have been designing, stamping and painting wreaths for my new online card class. It is nearly ready to share so stay tuned for all the details.

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Alight

Posted: October 22, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: alight | Tags: , | 8 Comments

I’d like to introduce ‘Alight’ a lovely stamp from the new Penny Black release. I have teamed up with the Foiled Fox to share this pretty little bird so you can find me over there today too. Make sure you click over to see more of the new release in their shop and plenty of inspiration on their blog.

The new ‘Making Spirits Bright’ release includes some lovely wintry images, several easily large enough to fill a card front. This card is just under 6½” x 4¾”, larger than my usual size. I worked on hot pressed watercolour paper with masking fluid splattered on it and painted the background first. By ‘painted’ I mean smooshed the ink on my glass mat, diluted it with a few spritzes of water and swiped the panel through the liquid. I was after some pale swooshy colours in the background and used inks that were going to feature in the stamped design.

I worked in the stamp positioner the whole time so I could add ink bit by bit. I completed the bird first inking the edges in fossilized amber, pumice stone and speckled egg. I inked and stamped a couple of times then added some water to blend and cover each section. I didn’t want each colour to blend too much with the one beside it so I didn’t drown either the stamp or the page with water.

I made sure the bird was dry before adding the beak, eye and legs so they would stay distinct and not blend into the rest of the bird. For the leaves and berries I just picked one green and one purple, unusual for me; I often blend two greens for leaves. To add light and shadow I blended over the forest moss and seedless preserves stamping with a bit of water keeping some areas dark and other diluted.

The sentiment is from the new PB ‘happy & bright’ set stamped in shady lane versafine clair ink. How are you going with your Christmas card making. At the beginning of this year I resolved to make at least one Christmas card each month. We are in the tenth month and I have managed to make six (including this one!) I do have a new online class coming soon though which is full of Christmas card designs so I will have more than six on hand! I also have an in-person class at the beginning of November, so samples from that one will also boost my supply.

Thanks for dropping by today.

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Woodsy Autumn

Posted: October 20, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Brusho, woodsy | Tags: , | 8 Comments

This new set, ‘Woodsy’ from Penny Black will be fabulous for winter scenes but before I put it to work in the snow I decided to create an autumn vista with the three trees.

Hoping to create the colour mass I see when the trees are at their best I pulled out a few brusho powders. I didn’t come close to the beauty outside right now but the brusho powders did not disappoint. If you have used brusho you will know they are unpredictable. I had a scene in mind and hoped the brusho would play its part.

First I stamped the three trees in ‘fallen leaves’ versafine clair ink and embossed in clear powder on hot pressed watercolour paper. To preserve the white tree trunks I used a clear embossing marker to cover the length of each trunk and embossed in clear powder again. With distress inks and blending brushes I blended speckled egg ink in the sky area and fossilized amber and brushed corduroy on the ground. I used simple post-it note masks to suggest hills and horizon.

Before sprinkling brusho over the panel I lay a paper mask over the sky at the top of the panel and ground at the bottom of the panel. I sprinkled sandstone brusho over the middle area then spritzed from 10″ inches above. I watched and waited as the colours began to appear and spread then added a little more brusho and water. I dried it with a heat tool before repeating the process. You have to be patient with brusho; if you add too much water too soon you will not have spots and dots of colour. Sandstone brusho is made up of several colours so I saw yellow, red, orange and brown appear, even a few blue dots too.

Once I had some nice patterns appearing I added a bit of yellow brusho and a tiny sprinkle of terracotta then left the panel alone while I ate lunch. After drying the panel thoroughly I blended more ink with the same post-it masks I had used at the beginning.

When I stopped I couldn’t decide if the scene was artsy or just messy. I set it aside and tried a few other approaches for a brusho autumn scene but kept coming back to this one, the messy, artsy, woodsy one!

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