Cherish
Posted: March 29, 2017 Filed under: Delicate silhouettes, first blush | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Ranger Distress stains 23 Comments
I have featured this stamp on cards a couple of times already but it is going to be one of those stamps that I reach for again and again. The flowers are perfect for a range of colouring techniques but pretty as an outline as well and the way the branch reaches across the panel is just so lovely.
I pulled out some distress products for this design and the stamp positioner so I could build it up colour by colour. I started by stamping the flowers in Victorian velvet distress stain, then the leaves with peeled paint distress stains and finally the stems with gathered twigs distress marker. Once the design was all stamped I blended colour into the petals, some I was able to pull in from the outline stamping, but if it was too pale I picked up some stain on my brush and added it. I did the same with the leaves and used a very fine brush to paint over the stamped stems and twigs. I let everything dry thoroughly before painting the background in faded jeans distress stain ( I think ). I also splattered a little blue stain around the flowers.
I wanted a little more foliage around the branch so I inked the leafy spray from ‘delicate silhouettes’ set in mowed lawn and pressed it around the spray then softened the stamping with a wet brush. I was in two minds whether to add a sentiment or not; I’m still not sure if I should have. But to keep it subtle I added it in the same watercolour paper with just a shadow of dark blue peeping out the side. If you have blossoms where you are I’m sure you are enjoying them; mine will appear eventually, I know!
Supplies
Stamps: delicate silhouettes, first blush
Inks: Victorian velvet, mowed lawn, peeled paint, mustard seed, faded jeans distress stains, gathered twigs distress marker
Die: forever friends
Paper: hot pressed watercolour paper (Fabriano), blue cardstock
Bible journalling
Posted: March 24, 2017 Filed under: Bible journaling, Fragrant Flowers | Tags: Bible journaling, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Versafine inks 9 Comments
I have recently started some bible journalling. When I first saw the trend I decided I wouldn’t venture down that path but a couple of things changed my mind. The pastor of our church challenged us to read through the New Testament this year, a challenge I am enjoying and even managing to keep up with! I started jotting things down in a notebook as I read. Also I began taking notes during the sermons more carefully; there is usually an outline on the back of the weekly bulletin provided for notes. The problem was, even after I took the notes I brought them home and they piled up and eventually I tossed them out. Rather than continue that practice I decided to buy an interleaved bible which has a blank page after every printed page, and transfer my notes into that. I have been doing it for a month or so and it makes a difference for me to read the bible passage, hear the sermon, take notes, then come home and read through it all again as I add notes to my journalling bible. Most of the pages I’ve written on do not include colour illustration but I enjoy having the option of lettering, writing, drawing or stamping on the blank pages. The page I am sharing today has plenty of blank space left for notes on the passage highlighted in the stamped verse.
Now onto my process. I printed out a lined page to both guide my stamping and protect the page underneath.
I stamped the 1 Corinthians verse from the set, ‘Faith’, in versafine smokey gray on the blank bible page and and on a post-it note to use as a mask.
With the mask in place I stamped the floral bouquet from the ‘Fragrant Flowers’ set, also in smokey grey but a second generation impression. I did this three times to surround the verse.
I decided to use my Albrecht Dürer watercolour pencils to colour my page but kept them dry. (you can click on the photo to view larger version) There are two types of leaves on the floral stamp so I chose two pairs of green pencils, yellow greens (apple green 170, moss green 168) and blue greens (Hookers Green 159, Juniper Green 165) I coloured with the lighter hue first then added shadow and definition with the darker.
For the yellow flowers I chose two oranges and coloured all the petals with canary yellow (108) then added shading with cadmium orange (111). In the centre of the flowers I switched to browns (Venetian red 190, sepia 175)
Purple and yellow are complementary colours so I chose blues and purples for the remaining flowers knowing it would give some visual impact to the page. (blue violet 137,Delft blue 141, sky blue 146)
Once all my colouring was done I shaded around the edges of all the leaves and flowers with cold grey IV 233 and added some colour around a few of the letters in the verse.
I balanced out the page with a section of the stamp coloured in the lower corner and will add journalling to the page some time in the future.
Supplies
Stamps: Faith, Fragrant Flowers (PB)
Inks: versafine smokey gray (tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Dürer watercolour pencils (Faber-Castell)
Bible: ESV journaling bible interleaved (Crossways)
Silhouette blossoms & Foiled Fox Giveaway
Posted: March 21, 2017 Filed under: Alcohol Ink, Spring blossoms | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Alcohol Ink 59 Comments
I am a guest of the wonderful Foiled Fox crew again today. To find out more about this silhouette blossom card you will need to pop over there. Once you are there you will want to browse through the lovely projects on their blog and wander the listings in their store.
Shauna from the Foiled Fox is offering one of my readers a $35 gift certificate from the Foiled Fox store this week. To enter the draw you need to check out their store then come back here to my blog and leave a comment letting me know what item you would put on your wishlist. You have until the end of Sunday March 26th EDT to let me know what you have your eye on. We will announce a winner next Monday.
I have linked to the products I used below, you will find them all in the Foiled Fox store.
Supplies
Stamps: Spring blossoms, Happy snippets (PB)
Dies: gift card pocket set (PB)
Inks: stonewashed, cranberry & eggplant alcohol inks, Jet black archival ink(Ranger), versamark (Tsukineko)
Paper: neenah solar white cardstock, neenah epic black cardstock, white yupo paper
Also: Wow white pearl embossing powder, silver thread
Hey You
Posted: March 13, 2017 Filed under: Brusho, burst of blooms | Tags: Brusho, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps 8 Comments
Does this remind you of batik fabric? Having created and purchased batik fabrics over the years that’s what I immediately thought of when I finished this panel. There were a few techinques in play to get this effect. Maybe you find it a little messy, or maybe bright and happy. The main technique is emboss resist so I will just mention for any Toronto readers I will be teaching my Watercolour Resist class in Toronto on April 8th, the details are on my Upcoming Classes page.
I started by embossing the ‘burst of blooms’ stamp in clear powder on hot pressed watercolour paper. Next I sprinkled red, yellow and blue brusho (colours listed below) and spritzed water from above. Once the paint had activated and the colours spread a little I dabbed them with a paper towel to remove excess liquid and dried with a heat tool .
To mimic batik more closely I ironed the panel face down into a few pieces of printer paper to melt and remove the embossing powder but leave the white outlines. I mounted the panel on a navy card base but sliced a section off at the bottom to split the panel and make a line for the die cut sentiment to sit on. I haven’t used this card yet but I can make it a birthday, graduation or just hello card by adding the right words inside.
Supplies
Stamps: burst of blooms (PB)
Dies: you enjoy(PB)
Ink: versamark (Tsukineko)
Paint: lemon, prussian blue, scarlet brusho (Colourcraft)
Paper: hotpressed 100% cotton watercolour paper, Neenah patriot blue cardstock
Also: WOW clear gloss superfine embossing powder
Floral on black
Posted: March 10, 2017 Filed under: Gladsome, Hand lettered | Tags: Finetec artist mica watercolour paint, Hand lettering, Penny Black stamps, WOW embossing powders 11 Comments
I’m sharing some shimmer today. Finetec artist mica pearl watercolours are very shimmery particularly on a black base. I worked on Neenah epic black cardstock and started by embossing the new outline image ‘gladsome’ in clear powder. The finetec pearl watercolour set has twelve colours so I chose a few and a small round watercolour brush to paint inside the lines.
It is hard to capture all the shimmer and shine in a photo but the mica pearl paint looks lovely as it catches the light. This is the type of card you need to tilt back and forth to see all its prettiness. I wanted to keep my sentiment co-ordinated so I used a nib pen and the same violet paint used on the petals. This is my second card with the ‘gladsome’ stamp; I like to get a range of different looks from one stamp. I think this one will be appearing again.
Supplies
Stamps: Gladsome (PB)
Pen: exclusive nib holder (Foiled Fox)
Ink: versamark (Tsukineko)
Paint: Finetec pearl colours
Paper: black cardstock
Also: WOW clear embossing powder
Simple Pleasures
Posted: March 9, 2017 Filed under: first blush | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 4 Comments
I’m back with a simpler take on the ‘first blush’ stamp. Sunday’s card incorporated masking and several colours, this one is the single stamped image inked and painted in two inks. I started with different inks at opposite ends of the stamp but once I started blending colour I decided to blend the blue and green over the whole image. I inked the stamp with peacock feather and salty ocean distress inks then painted inside the outline with water and a little additional distress stain. I have received a few questions recently asking why I use stain instead of ink. Painting with stain is like painting with liquid watercolour paints, the stains blend well with each other and with water. The ink refills are more concentrated and would need diluting before being used as paint. I often stamp with stain and blend the stamped image on the watercolour paper. I have a video showing the technique here
I found some co-ordinating cardstock to frame the panel and added a black sentiment.
Supplies:
Stamps: first blush, happy wishes (PB)
Cardstock: cold pressed watercolour paper, teal cardstock
Ink: versafine onyx black ink (Tsukineko) salty ocean, peacock feather distress inks (Ranger)
Love never gives up
Posted: March 8, 2017 Filed under: Garden Charmers | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Ranger Distress stains 4 Comments
I`m happy to have some more colouring to share and another new PB stamp. I haven`t managed daily colouring for Kathy Racoosin’s 30day colouring challenge but I am enjoying it whenever I get the chance.
To begin this panel I splattered spun sugar and old paper distress stains over a piece of hot pressed watercolour paper, spritzed it, then dried it. Next I flicked droplets of spun sugar distress stain over the panel and dried them. I was after a vintage, slightly stained look. I used vintage photo distress ink to stamp the branch from the ‘garden charmers set’ then painted the flowers and leaves with the distress stains listed below. The vintage photo ink mixed with the pink and green stains to make it look aged. I then stamped the branch again but with second generation stamping to get paler images around the painted one. Finally I stamped and embossed the 1 Corinthians verse from the ‘All Great Things’ set.
I finished the card with a dark brown mat and a piece of French hemp twine from the 1800’s!
Supplies:
Stamps: Garden Charmers, All Great Things(PB)
Inks: vintage photo distress ink, spun sugar, old paper & worn lipstick distress stains (Ranger) vintage sepia versafine ink (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Hot pressed Fabriano watercolour paper, Olive Green cardstock
Also: clear embossing powder, vintage hemp twine
Purple Poppies
Posted: March 7, 2017 Filed under: A moment in time | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 4 Comments
I am a guest of the lovely Foiled Fox team today so please head over to their blog to read about this card. If you haven’t visited The Foiled Fox before I encourage you to do so today. Not only will you find an inspirational blog, there is also a delightful online store full of all things art and craft.
A Sweet Friendship
Posted: March 5, 2017 Filed under: CAS, first blush | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Versafine inks 12 Comments
I hesitate to call this a ‘no line watercolour card because I can see the outline stamping quite clearly in most places. The technique is one I regularly use where I stamp with either distress stains or distress inks then blend colour out of the stamped image with a damp paint brush to fill the interior shapes, in this case petals and leaves.
I stamped the ‘first blush’ outline stamp from Penny Black in wild honey ink on cold pressed watercolour paper then stamped it on masking paper also. Believe it or not I cut a fiddly mask adequately enough to mask my first stamped image so I could stamp another overlapping the first. That is how I managed blossoms behind blossoms. With all the stamping done I picked up a small round watercolour brush (probably a size 2 or 3) and started painting worn lipstick stain into the petals. The pink stain blended with the wild honey stamped ink to make a coral colour. While the petals were still damp I dropped some spiced marmalade distress stain into the petals to give me light and dark areas. I filled the stems and leaves with forest moss stain then, when all was dry, drew some centres in the blossoms with a spiced marmalade distress marker.
To finish the card I stamped the scripture sentiment about friendship in versafine ink and coloured in the word ‘sweet’ to make it solid like the rest. I have a simpler design with this same sweet blossom stamp to share another day. I’m joining in with Kathy Racoosin’s 30 day colouring challenge again as I imagine many of you are too.
Supplies:
Stamps: first blush, faith (PB)
Cardstock: cold pressed watercolour paper, olive green cardstock
Ink: versafine olympia green & vintage sepia (Tsukineko) forest moss, worn lipstick, spiced marmalade distress stains, wild honey distress ink (Ranger)
CAS watercolour challenge: Spring
Posted: March 2, 2017 Filed under: CAS, First waltz | Tags: CAS, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks 13 Comments
Back in January I was honoured to be ‘top pick’ of the CAS watercolour challenge. Today I am excited to be back as a guest designer for their March challenge.
Apparently spring has sprung in some places! I don’t expect to see tulips for a couple more months but that didn’t stop me from using the new ‘first waltz’ stamp from Penny Black to create my CAS project for the challenge.
This tulip panel was created at the end of a morning of experiments. I wasn’t particularly happy with any of them but before I moved on to a different stamp I tried again with some second and third generation stamping and came up with these soft pink impressions. I inked my stamp with distress markers then stamped it on a piece of paper. Without reinking I spritzed the stamp and pressed it onto a hot pressed watercolour panel, again without reinking I spritzed and stamped again. The spritz of water was enough to dampen the ink remaining on the stamp and create a soft watery image. I did keep the original ‘first generation’ stamped image so that might turn up on the blog another day.
Make sure you check out the CAS Watercolour design team ‘Spring’ cards and you have 24 days to add one yourself
Supplies:
Stamps: First Waltz, Spiritual Snippets(PB)
Inks: worn lipstick, spiced marmalade, peeled paint, ground espresso distress markers (Ranger) versafine Spanish Moss (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: neenah natural white cardstock, fabriano hot pressed watercolour paper
Heather Telford 