Vintage Jubilance
Posted: June 7, 2016 Filed under: CAS, Jubilance | Tags: CAS, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Ranger Distress stains 17 Comments
More vintage flowers on display today with a slightly different technique to try. As with my previous vintage style watercolours (birdhouse, butterflies, tulips) I stamped the image in vintage photo distress ink. Other water based dye inks in brown would probably work but I like the ease with which I can dilute and spread the vintage photo ink or stain.
After stamping, instead of pulling ink from the outline into the flowers and leaves, I pulled ink out into the background leaving the flowers and leaves white. The contrast of brown with white makes the flowers pop and look whiter than they would if they were not surrounded by colour. It is a simple technique you could try with any colour ink.
I would love to hear if you try some ‘vintage style watercolour’. Thanks for dropping by.
Supplies:
Stamps: Jubilance (PB)
Inks: Vintage Photo distress ink,Vintage Photo distress stain (Ranger)
Cardstock: Hot pressed Fabriano watercolour paper, brown cardstock
Vintage tulips
Posted: June 6, 2016 Filed under: Flower Gala | Tags: Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps 14 Comments
I have some more vintage style watercolour cards to share this week. Last month I posted a video tutorial showing a method for creating a vintage look with brown dye ink and watercolour pencils. I have created a few more cards along the same lines dreamed up some variations as well. To see the original card and video tutorial click here.
For this tulip card I used almost the same method as shown in the video but left out the elegant writer pen (as I did in this butterfly card). I stamped the original tulip images in vintage photo distress ink then blended the ink in the outline stamping with colour from both pink and brown watercolour pencils. I painted some distress stain around the edges of the watercolour panel and splattered some as well.
Thanks for dropping in; I hope you’ll come back each day this week for more vintage style designs.
Supplies:
Stamps: Flower Gala , Soar (PB)
Inks: Vintage Photo distress ink,Vintage Photo distress stain (Ranger)
Cardstock: Hot pressed Fabriano watercolour paper, brown cardstock, coral cardstock
Also: Albrecht Durer watercolor medium flesh, VanDyke pencils (Faber-Castell)
Stamping with alcohol inks
Posted: June 4, 2016 Filed under: Alcohol Ink, Autumn Jewels, Pinwheel | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Alcohol Ink 11 Comments
A few months ago I tried all sorts of fun techniques with alcohol inks and I am keen to get them back off the shelf to try some more. Today’s cards are all examples of stamping with alcohol inks, using die-cut felt as the ‘stamp’.
I did all the stamping on glossy photo paper which allows the inks to move and blend a little but nowhere near as much as the on yupo paper. Yupo paper is a synthetic paper which is totally waterproof so the ink does not soak into it at all but spreads across it as it dries. The photo paper does absorb ink even as the glossy surface lets it spread and blend a little.
By varying the amount of ink you drop on the felt die-cut you can get a lacy effect or a full print. By adding a little blending solution to the felt you can dilute the colour and get a blurry effect within the shape. The possibilities are extensive with this technique.
Supplies:
Stamp: Words of Kindness, Sentiment Collection, Happy Snippets (PB)
Die: Autumn Jewels , Pinwheel (PB)
Ink: Alcohol inks (Ranger)
Cardstock: Glossy photo paper, coloured cardstock, Neenah solar white & natural white
Autumn Mist
Posted: June 2, 2016 Filed under: Shade Canopy, Stamped Landscapes | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Tombow dual brush pens, Tsukineko Memento inks 8 Comments
Don’t worry I am not switching over to fall cards. I just happen to have made a card in autumn colours with a misty look about it so the line from Puff the Magic Dragon sprang to mind. I created both of today’s cards with the ‘shade canopy’ stamp from Penny Black. The little scenes are framed with the white edge made when I tape the watercolour paper down with painter’s tape.
I used markers to ink the stamp and for the backgrounds on both cards. The autumn card is coloured with memento markers and the summer one with tombow dual brush pens.
It is possible to get quite a lot of definition in the foliage by inking the stamp and adding little or no water or, as I did, use more water on the stamp and achieve a looser more impressionistic look. On the summer card I coloured the sky and hill first then added the tree over the top. For the fall card I painted the sky last, adding it around the foliage.
Supplies:
Stamps: Shade Canopy, Words of Kindess(PB)
Inks: Tangelo, Potter’s Clay, Espresso Truffle, Northern Pine Memento markers Versafine Onyx black (Tsukineko), 173, 452, 126, 228 dual brush pens (Tombow)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Hummingbird treat
Posted: May 30, 2016 Filed under: Sweet Visit | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 9 Comments
I went searching for my bird feeders yesterday but couldn’t find them. I have been a bit discouraged in the past when my bird feeders have doubled as squirrel feeders. The hummingbird feeder is a different deal to the seed feeders of course as it needs syrup. I do know where that is so perhaps I can tempt some hummingbirds to hover in my garden.
These hibiscus and the hummingbird were inked with memento inks, spritzed with water then a little blending added after stamping. You can see I added a generous amount of splatter around the leaves too.
Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet visit(PB)
Inks: Nautical Blue, Espresso Truffle, Cottage Ivy, Bamboo Leaves, Cantaloupe, Tangelo, Potter’s Clay Memento markers (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 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
Umbrellas
Posted: May 27, 2016 Filed under: April Showers | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains 10 Comments
I love pretty umbrellas and umbrella motifs in general so when I created this card I wanted to give them all bright colours. I did some masking to get all my umbrellas in amongst each other then watercoloured each one a different colour. I painted the sky first wet into wet then splattered some blue stain over it when it was almost dry but not quite. The umbrella scene is framed in white from the initial taping with masking tape then matted in black and attached to a natural card base.
At present I only have a black umbrella but there are such lovely coloured ones as well as the cute ones with paintings and the like on them; I think it is time for a new one. Ideally I’d choose a red raincoat(with polka-dot lining), red boots and a red and white polka-dot umbrella. In actual fact I don’t have any of those things!
Supplies:
Stamps: April Showers, Sprinkles and Smiles ( PB)
Inks: Mowed Lawn, Festive Berries, Ripe Persimmon, Salty Ocean, Tumbled Glass, Scattered Straw, Seedless preserves, Spiced marmalade distress stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Neenah Classic Crest Natural White 110lb smooth, Neenah Epic Black
Sun and sea
Posted: May 24, 2016 Filed under: Brusho, Out to sea, Serenity | Tags: Brusho, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps 4 Comments
Over on the Penny Black blog this week ‘Father’s Day’ cards are the feature. My card could definitely be used for Father’s Day (if I remember to post it!) but it could be just as easily used for any friend or family member. The colour scheme and the lack of floral images does make it a good choice for a masculine card.
Four different painted panels were cut up then layered to create my sunny seascape. The background blue panel is one piece of cold pressed watercolour paper; I taped masking tape across the horizon about 2/3 of the way up then painted some masking fluid in lines to suggest waves and light on the sea. Once the masking fluid was dry I painted the sea with cobalt blue and turquoise brusho. Once that dried I repositioned the tape to mask the edge of the sea so I could paint the sky with turquoise brusho.
All the remaining pieces were painted on hot pressed watercolour paper. For the tree and grass I used three greens (listed below) and dark brown brusho. I used a large piece of watercolour paper adding brown just in the area where I would die cut the tree. After die cutting the tree I used a craft knife to cut a hill from the rest of the green area. To keep the tree sitting flat on the background I used the bottom of the tree die to cut into the green hill then inserted the tree in the space when assembling the scene.
I used the ‘Out to Sea’ die to cut a yacht from a yellow brusho panel then painted red over the hull of the boat. The only other piece to cut was the sun which came out of a piece I painted with yellow and a sprinkle of red.
To make assembly a bit easier I applied ‘stick it’ adhesive to the tree panel before cutting it out. I embossed the little sentiment in white before putting it all together. My husband just walked past and was surprised that this was one of my cards; it is a bit of a departure from my usual.
Supplies
Stamps: Happy Snippets
Dies: Out to sea, Serenity
Paints: leaf green, sea green, emerald green, cobalt blue, turquoise, yellow, ost. red, dark brown brusho
Ink: Versamark ink
Paper: hot & cold pressed Fabriano watercolour paper
Also: white embossing powder, masking fluid
Venetian Summer
Posted: May 23, 2016 Filed under: Venetian Summer | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks 10 Comments
The sun is shining and although it is not technically summer yet, it finally feels like it is. I made this card over a year ago, during my stint on the Dirty Dozen. It is not vintage style in the same sense as my recent ‘sepia toned’ cards but it does have a bit of an old b&w photo feel. Just as it is possible to highlight one part of a b&w photo, it is fun to do the same with watercolouring. I inked my stamp in London Fog but avoided the hat so I could ink that in red. I added shading to the buildings and the woman by picking up ink with a small watercolour brush. I chose for the sun to be coming from the left hand side of the scene and kept my darkest shading on the right of the buildings, hat and body. You can see where I taped the watercolour panel to begin which left a frame around the picture. Sometimes when I am teaching I am asked what to do about those little areas where the ink seeps under the masking tape. If it is only in a few places or a small area I do not worry about it; I think it makes it look like a watercolour sketch. If it really does detract from the design, I trim the whole border off and frame it with another colour or by popping it up on foam tape to create a ‘shadow border’.
We have had a long weekend in Ontario and the weather has been beautiful. I’ve been bike riding a couple of times and enjoyed the tulips planted by the canal for the tulip festival which is currently happening in Ottawa. I have also been outside planting flowers in my garden and pots. It is hard to believe just over a week ago we were bundled up in multiple layers watching my son play soccer while it was 3°C!
Supplies:
Stamps: Venetian Summer(PB)
Inks: London Fog, Love Letter memento ink (Imagine Craft/Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Lilac Roses – a tutorial
Posted: May 19, 2016 Filed under: Scented Beauty, Tutorial | Tags: Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress inks, Ranger Distress stains, Tombow dual brush pens, Tutorial, video 20 Comments
The new scented beauty rose stamp from PB is such a pretty stamp. I have tried a variety of mediums and styles with it so far and will share a few different cards at the end of this post. First let’s talk about this card. Can you believe this is my second video this month? I’m hoping to continue this pattern, but I know I’ve said that before.
I am fairly new to tombow dual brush pens; I bought a few for lettering but recently I added to my collection and started using them for stamping as well. They blend nicely with each other and with water on watercolour paper. For this card I only used two colours but managed to vary the intensity of colour by diluting with water. As is often my habit I didn’t think about the sentiment until the end and felt that a stamped sentiment messed up the balance of the design too much. Instead I settled on one of the thinnest die-cut sentiments I have which stretched across the base of the card keeping things balanced left to right but maybe a little bottom heavy!
I used tombow dual brush pens in the video but you could use stamp pads or distress markers for similar results.
Supplies:
Stamps: Scented Beauty (PB)
Dies: Many Thanks
Inks: Light Olive-126, Dark Plum-679 Dual Brush pens (Tombow)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, olive green cardstock
Below are a few more cards featuring ‘Scented Beauty’. The technique is similar to that shown in the video but with different mediums. I varied the amount of water added and did not always ink the whole stamp.
Supplies:
Stamps: Scented Beauty, Treasured Sentiments (PB)
Inks: Dried Marigold, Pine Needles distress stain (Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton cold pressed watercolour paper,green cardstock
Supplies:
Stamps: Scented Beauty, Treasured Sentiments (PB)
Inks: Picked raspberry distress marker (Ranger) Versafine onyx black (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton cold pressed watercolour paper, black cardstock
Supplies:
Stamps: Scented Beauty, Treasured Sentiments (PB)
Inks: Mowed Lawn, Ripe Persimmon, Spiced Marmalade, Forest Moss, Spun Sugar, Weathered wood distress stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton cold pressed watercolour paper, purple cardstock
Heather Telford 