Iris Shimmer
Posted: March 23, 2016 Filed under: Color Burst, Pure Iris | Tags: color burst, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps 19 Comments
I am having all sorts of fun with brushstroke stamps at present while teaching my March class. Not only have I been experimenting with all my floral brushstroke stamps and a range of mediums, I have been inspired by the creativity of the class members also.
In my most recent class someone created a beautiful burgandy iris with the “pure iris” stamp and some merlot colorburst powder. Her petals could not have looked more life like! I tried the combo at home and added some pearl-ex spray and some yellow gold liquid metal. My camera did catch some shimmer in the photos so you can imagine how much there is in real life. I took a little video of it shimmering in the sunlight and posted it on instagram.
Supplies:
Stamps: Pure Iris, Special Wishes (PB)
Mediums: Colorburst powders, Liquid Metal (Ken Oliver) Versafine Onyx Black ink (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Hot pressed Fabriano watercolour paper, Burgandy cardstock
Also: gold metallic thread
CAS Mix up Challenge
Posted: March 18, 2016 Filed under: CAS, Color Burst, Dies, Love Art | Tags: CAS, color burst, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps 11 Comments
There is a new challenge on the block and it is definitely worth a look. It has been dreamed up by the very talented, Bonnie Klass and Loll Thompson and it’s called the CAS Mix up Challenge.
In their words:
Is CAS your style?? Do you love the look of clean and simple designs with lots of open space?? And have you seen all those fabulous mixed media techniques and products popping up all over and want to give them a try?? Then this is the challenge for you!
- stamping – no problem
- watercolour – absolutely
- my choice – a die cut
I splashed some water on my watercolour paper then added some Tangerine colourburst powder and some Copper liquid metal. I let the colour move and blend and tilted it to almost fill the paper then let it dry. I had to do a little fussy cutting to mask one daisy before I stamped the other but I seemed to have survived the ordeal. I used the notebook die from the ‘pocket full’ set to cut the top of the panel then popped it up on the card base before adding a sentiment. I tried to do the artistic-messy-thread-stuck-behind-the-panel trick but did not succeed. Maybe it was just as well because the challenge specified three elements not four!
Pop over to the challenge and check out the entries; it is a feast of inspiration.
Supplies:
Stamps: Love Art, Soar (PB)
Die: A Pocket full (PB)
Mediums: Colorburst powders, Liquid Metal (Ken Oliver) Versafine Onyx Black ink (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Cold pressed Fabriano watercolour paper
Happy
Posted: March 17, 2016 Filed under: Alcohol Ink, CAS | Tags: CAS, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Alcohol Ink 15 Comments
This new sentiment has appeared on a few of my cards already and will likely continue to do so. It is such a nice message and one I should send more often. This is one of my first alcohol ink experiments. I was just playing with the inks and ended up with an odd shape which did not immediately inspire me until I remembered this layout which is no doubt familiar to you; it is always popping up around the interwebs. I have been wanting to use if ever since I first saw it. I don’t know who first came up with the clever offset panel but I hope they feel proud whenever they see it on a card!
The inks I used were willow, pesto, poppyfield and honeycomb along with the blending fluid which lightened some of the colours. You can see both the pale and dark auras which appear around some of the inks. I am still using yupo paper for my creating, mainly because that is what I have and it works beautifully. I will get some glossy and photo paper to try out at some point. I have tried some doodling with my micron pens but nothing share-worthy yet.
Supplies:
Stamps: Sentiment Collection(PB)
Inks: Versafine Spanish Moss (Tsukineko)
Alcohol Ink: willow, pesto, poppyfield and honeycomb, alcohol blending solution (Ranger)
Paper: Yupo, Neenah Avon Brilliant White 110lb cardstock, green cardstock
Let Green March In!
Posted: March 14, 2016 Filed under: CAS, Nature's Paintbrushes, One-Layer Simplicity challenge | Tags: color burst, One-Layer cards, Penny Black stamps 11 Comments
The One Layer Simplicity challenge is hosted by our very artistic team member Karen Dunbrook this month and she has challenged us to use green and one neutral tone on our one layer cards. I have a few of the new liquid metals from Ken Oliver so I thought I would try out the Verdi Gris along with some green colour burst powder.
I taped a wide margin on my watercolour paper card base, sprinkled green powder over the exposed area and spritzed with water. Once the colour was moving I added some of the verdi gris liquid metal mixed with some water. You cannot see the shimmer in my photo but it is pretty in real life. Once the panel had dried a little I splattered some water droplets which lightened the colour in a few spots. To finish it off I added the large ‘Nature’s Paintbrushes’ stamp and a sentiment in black. Making a one layer watercolour card can result in a buckled card base but ironing it fixes the problem and dries it at the same time if you happen to be a little impatient.
If you haven’t checked out this month’s challenge take a look and get inspired. It is fun to see all the different greens already featured in the submissions received.
Supplies:
Stamps: Nature’s Paintbrushes, Sentiment Collection(PB)
Mediums: Colorburst powders, Liquid Metal (Ken Oliver) Versafine Onyx Black ink (Tsukineko)
Cardstock: Cold pressed Fabriano watercolour paper
Poppy Gems 3
Posted: March 9, 2016 Filed under: Poppy Gems | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Speedball elegant writer 10 Comments
This is the third of my Poppy Gems cards; each design has been a little ‘cleaner’ than the last. The main difference on today’s card is the clean white background behind the orange blooms. I have stuck with the same layout each time which incorporates almost the whole large stamp. I think there is scope to mix it up for my next Poppy Gems offering.
I stamped the whole image in Vintage photo distress ink which blends really easily with water or stains giving a slightly brown tone to all the added colour. I used the stains listed below to paint the flowers and leaves and added some elegant writer pen in the flower centres and on the veins of the leaves. Once again I added water to the elegant writer to get it to bleed and add some extra tones to the images.
Supplies:
Stamps: Poppy gems, Special Thoughts (PB)
Inks: Versafine Vintage Sepia (Tsukineko) Vintage photo distress ink, Ripe persimmon, Mowed Lawn, Mustard seed and Vintage photo distress stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, brown cardstock
Standing Ovation
Posted: March 7, 2016 Filed under: Alcohol Ink, Standing Ovation | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Alcohol Ink 13 Comments
More alcohol ink fun to share today. The technique is similar to the one I shared last week but I mixed up the order a little on this one. You can see I have some pale colours in the background and bolder green circles in the foreground. I created the muted background first but putting a few drops of yellow and rust coloured alcohol ink on a felt applicator then dotting it all over the yupo panel. I then dropped the green ink to make larger circles; the green has a brown aura which matched nicely with my background. Once the green had stopped expanding I put some blending solution on a felt applicator and applied it all over the panel. The blending solution muted the background and created the cool blobby patterns on the green circles (you know, the ones that look like cells under a microscope!)
At this point I thought it looked a bit like a mass of flowers in a garden so I used the new ‘Standing Ovation’ stamp to add black silhouette images to the foreground. I matted in black and added a little sentiment on the white card base.
Supplies:
Stamps: Standing Ovation, Snippets (PB)
Inks: Archival jet black ink (Ranger) Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Alcohol Ink: Rust, Willow, Honeycomb, alcohol blending solution (Ranger)
Paper: Yupo, Neenah Avon Brilliant White 110lb cardstock, Neenah epic black 100lb cardstock
Poppy Gems 2
Posted: March 4, 2016 Filed under: gift card pocket, Poppy Gems | Tags: Dr Ph Martin Hydrus watercolor paints, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps 20 Comments
The Poppy Gems return today but in a more traditional colour scheme than last week’s card. I stamped with liquid watercolour paint on this panel, a technique not unlike what I often do with the distress stains. I used a paintbrush to apply the paint to the stamp then, after stamping, used water to blend the colour into the petals and leaves. In the centres and shadows on the flowers I layered colour to increase the intensity. The paints are Dr Ph Martin Hydrus watercolours which dry permanent. This feature was helpful when I decided to add a background weeks after completing the flowers. There was no chance I would make the pinks and greens bleed into the sky when I added blue with a watercolour pencil and waterbrush.
The little tag is a cut with the new die from Penny Black, ‘gift card pocket’ which comes with so much more than just the pocket die.
Thank you for dropping by today; I will be back soon with more alcohol ink adventure as well as another couple of cards made with the ‘Poppy Gems’ stamp. I hope you have a great weekend.
Supplies:
Stamps: Poppy gems, Perfect Pairing (PB)
Dies: gift card pocket (PB)
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black (Ranger)
Pencil: Albrecht Durer watercolour pencil sky blue 147(Faber-Castell)
Paints: Dr Ph Martin Hydrus Liquid Watercolours – Set 1
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, pink cardstock
Also: linen thread
Under the microscope
Posted: March 3, 2016 Filed under: Alcohol Ink, Flower Festival, Sunny Wishes | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Alcohol Ink, Yupo Paper 12 Comments
I have a new medium to play with and it is so much fun! I have been impressed by alcohol ink projects in the past but Jane Clempson has recently posted a wealth of wonderful inspiration on her blog so last time I was at Crop A While I picked up a few colours to get me started. Oh dear, Jane, I may need all the colours!
I created this pattern with two blues and a yellow then had fun adding all the little blots with blending solution. Once it was finished it looked a little like a microscope slide of a rare tropical disease! Add the dragonflies and I am wondering whether flies and disease is really something I want to feature on a card?? What do you think; does it say pretty patterns or tropical disease to you?
Microscopes aside, I like the colour mix, the pattern of blurry blots and just watching the magic happen. I have half a dozen more ‘experiments’ waiting to be turned into cards so stay tuned for more dots, blots, squirts and squiggles.
Supplies:
Stamps: Sunny Wishes, Flower Festival, Special Wishes (PB)
Inks: Archival jet black ink(Ranger)
Alcohol Ink: Denim, Stonewashed, Honeycomb, alcohol blending solution (Ranger)
Paper: Yupo, Neenah Avon Brilliant White 110lb cardstock, yellow cardstock
Orange Iris
Posted: March 1, 2016 Filed under: Passionate | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps 10 Comments
This is the third colour scheme I have chosen to stamp the irises and there may yet be more! Don’t be mad but I didn’t write down my colours and my desk is covered in stuff so your guess is as good as mine. I have been doing a better job recording my supplies by snapping a photo of the panel beside the supplies at the time of creating. Apparently I did not do that this time. What I can tell you is that I splattered some water on the panel first then stamped in watersoluble die inks; this creates some soft blurry patches here and there. I blended a few areas with a paint brush and added some finer details and splatters with watercolour pencils. I embossed a sentiment on brown card and popped it up over the panel matted in the same colour.
I just did a search of ‘iris’ on the interwebs and it came up covered in the relatively common purply-blue variety but there were also a few other colour combinations I might just have to try and replicate. There was one deep apricot one with blue accents and a burgandy one and a peach one and … this is going to be a busy stamp!
(BTW This pretty stamp is called ‘passionate’ and it is a brushstroke stamp. I just updated my classes page with details of my upcoming ‘Working with Brushstroke stamps’ class. I will be teaching it twice at the Riverside Drive location and twice at Crop A While scrapbooking store in Orleans.)
Supplies:
Stamps: Passionate, Snippets (PB)
Inks: A pretty orange ink and an olivey green ink
Pencils: Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, brown cardstock
Elegance
Posted: February 29, 2016 Filed under: CAS, Elegance | Tags: CAS, Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Versafine inks 11 Comments
Elegance is the perfect name for this new stamp featuring a bunch of calla lilies. I think I had some in my garden once but apparently you need to dig them up each year and replant them?? That was just not going to happen I’m afraid, no matter how elegant they might be. I have quite a few day lilies that come up year after year and multiply with no attention from me so I have just stuck with them!
I stamped in weathered wood stain because I wanted to keep the lilies looking white; ink would have worked just as well but I only had stain. I used my watercolour pencils to colour the flowers and background (colours listed below). I found a scrap of exactly the right blue card to frame the panel and matched it with versafine ink for the sentiment.
I must admit I am taken by surprise that Easter is less than a month away; 2016 is flying by!
Supplies:
Stamps: Elegance, A very happy easter (PB)
Inks: Weathered Wood distress stain(Ranger) Blue Lagoon versafine ink (Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils sap green 167, apple green 170, lemon cadmium 105, light orange 113, light grey 195, medium grey 197, night green 155 for background (Faber-Castell)
Paper: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, blue cardstock
Heather Telford 