Watercolour background

Posted: March 24, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Delicate Florals, Watercolour | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains | 15 Comments

The background was the starting point for this card. I squeezed three colours of distress stain directly onto an acrylic block then pressed the block onto watercolour paper creating a pink, blue and green abstract background. Next I chose the stamp from Delicate Florals and stamped it in a couple of stages. First I inked only the blooms with Victorian Velvet distress stain and stamped them a couple of times. When the paper was dry I inked the whole stamp with versafine onyx black and stamped over the pink blooms. I inked in black again but selectively to stamp parts of a second spray of flowers on the left.

On the card base I stamped the same image a few more times in VersamagicWheat chalk ink.

Drop in on the Penny Black blog this week to enjoy the “How-to Hop” featuring the new large scale stamps and co-ordinating stencils. I will be sharing a card and tutorial mid-week.
Thanks for dropping by.

Supplies:

Stamps: Delicate Florals, Special Wishes (PB)
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black & Versamagic Wheat (Tsukineko) Victorian Velvet, Tumbled Glass, Bundled Sage Distress Stains (Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper

Gathering Together

Posted: March 20, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Gathering Together, Twirls | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks | 17 Comments

I used the emboss resist technique to add my warm tones to this collage image from Penny Black. After embossing the image in clear e.p. I stamped the same image over the top with Wild Honey distress ink to give a slight shadow. I sponged Wild Honey over the top two-thirds of the image and walnut stain distress ink over the lower third. I then used watercolour pencils to add some details to the butterflies’ wings. To create the background on the card base I inked the Letter Background stamp with the same two distress inks then stamped it several times to one side of the card base. On the other side I stamped the flourish from “Twirls” also in two colours. Before sponging over the background I positioned a mask which was slightly larger than the matted panel to be added later. This way I ended up with a pale border around the popped up matted panel.

Enjoy your day.

Supplies:

Stamps: Gathering Together, Letter Background, Twirls (PB)
Inks: Memento Espresso Truffle & Versamark (Tsukineko) Distress Wild Honey & Walnut Stain (Ranger)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer Sepia & Venetian Red(Faber-Castell)
Also: Clear Embossing Powder

Just Add Water

Posted: March 17, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Noble, Watercolour | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 16 Comments

I can’t believe how long it has taken me to play along with Karen’s ‘Just Add Water challenge’ at One Layer Simplicity. Considering how often I use watercolour these days I should have several cards linked by now! Seems they have all been more than one layer lately.

Using watercolour paper as my card base I taped off a panel in the centre of the card front. I pulled out a stamp I hadn’t tried before, ‘Noble’ from the PB Happy Everything release, inked it with Memento markers and spritzed it with water. I added a few highlights to the leaves, a three sided border with a watercolour pencil and flicked a little extra colour around also. I decided the sentiment could be all watery too so inked it with two greens, spritzed it and stamped.

If you haven’t already played along head over to One Layer Simplicity now; you still have a week to get involved.

Supplies:

Stamps: Noble, Thinking of You (PB)
Inks: Memento Bamboo Leaves, Olive Grove, Angel Pink, Lilac Posies (Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer Olive green (Faber-Castell)
Paper: Fabriano 25% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper

Stenciled Leaves

Posted: March 16, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Promenade, Verdant | Tags: May Arts ribbon, Penny Black stamps, Penny Black stencils, Tsukineko Memento inks | 6 Comments

Today’s ‘hint of a rainforest’ card was made primarily with a couple of stencils from the new Happy Everything release. I used watercolour paper in case I wanted to blend some colours but I could have stuck with smooth cardstock just as easily. I started by sponging Pear Tart ink through the Verdant stencil with a sponge, moved the stencil and sponged with Bamboo Leaves ink. I then switched to the Promenade stencil and sponged Sweet Plum ink on the hanging blooms and Olive Grove on their stems and leaves. I picked up Pear Tart, Olive Grove and Sweet Plum ink on a paint brush and flicked it happily across the panel before adding the sentiment in Olive Green ink. For a dark edge I ran the Bamboo leaves ink pad along the edges of the panel then matted with Olive Grove paper.

Supplies:

Stamps:  Cupcake Day (PB)
Stencils:  Promenade, Verdant (PB)
Inks:  Memento Pear Tart, Bamboo Leaves, Olive Grove, Sweet Plum (Tsukineko)
Paper: Olive Grove Mix & Match paper (PB), Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper
Also: Faux Burlap Wired Ribbon

May Arts Creative Collaboration

Posted: March 14, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Chat Bubbles, Hollyhocks, Love Expressions, Poppy Pattern, Promise Me, Tagged | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, May Arts ribbon, Penny Black creative dies, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks | 15 Comments

Penny Black and May Arts have been collaborating all week and today is my turn to show how easy it is to pair ribbons with stamping. I decided to make a few tags but if you are looking for more ideas check out both the Penny Black blog and the May Arts blog for all sorts of creative projects. (Instead of listing the supplies at the end of the post I have linked to them in the descriptions)

On both the tulip tag above and the poppy tag below I stamped Memento inks onto wet watercolour paper causing the colours to bleed and blend. When the paper dried a little I added foreground tulips or in the case of the poppies centre details and a blue distress stain background. As watercolour paper is rarely pure white I dyed the white cotton lace ribbon from May Arts in tea to give it a natural off white colour. The tulip tag features luxurious velvet ribbon from May Arts tied with a bow of crochet trim ribbon . The stamps are Promise Me and Special Wishes.

I used a different crochet trim ribbon to tie the versatile Faux Burlap Wired Ribbon on the poppy tag. I left the wire in the edges of the ribbon at the top of the tag so I could shape wavy edges then cut a little mat for my sentiment out of the burlap. The stamps used are Poppy Pattern and Special Wishes.

To create the Hollyhocks tag below I stamped, coloured the tiny tag and dyed the crochet trim with Victorian Velvet distress stain. I used the Hollyhocks stamp as my main image, a little bit of a sentiment from the Eloquence set on the tiny tag and the Hugs diecut from the Love Expressions set. I cut both the tiny tag and the lower rectangle using dies from the Chat Bubbles set. All large tags were cut using the large tag die from the Tagged set

CAS(E) this sketch #67

Posted: March 7, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Blooming tags, Watercolour | Tags: Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour pencils, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 16 Comments

I rarely participate in sketch challenges but here I am playing along with CAS(E) this sketch for the second week in a row. I had several watercoloured tags lying around that had been completed a while ago so I chose the rose and map one for this card. I stamped the same tag on the card base in Memento Desert Sand then masked the edge. I had my camera handy so photographed the next step. (It was only after I had taken two photos that I realized I had no photos of the tag painting process which is probably what you are more interested in!)

I sponged around the edges of the masked area then crumpled up a piece and used it to stamp more Desert Sand ink around the edges.

Before removing the masks I drew around the edge with a Faber-Castell watercolour pencil and blended it with a waterbrush.

Now for the hard part. I don’t exactly remember how I did the tag way back when. I think I must have stamped the tag with Versafine Onyx Black because the image hasn’t bled at all. Then I probably wet the watercolour paper and started adding colour. Not sure what the inks were… Sorry about the lack of information; I am now trying to remember to take notes as I create in case it is a while before I finish a project or write a post.

Supplies:

Stamps: Blooming Tags, Wishes (PB)
Inks: Memento Desert Sand & Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer Van Dyke brown 176 (Faber-Castell)
Also: Gold ribbon, black twine

Neon Blooms

Posted: March 2, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: CAS, Flower Dance, Promenade, Stencils | Tags: CAS, Penny Black stamps, Penny Black stencils, Tsukineko Radiant Neon inks | 20 Comments

I played with a couple of new products when creating this card for the current challenge from CAS(E) this Sketch. Imagine Crafts Tsukineko recently brought out a new line of inks called Radiant Neons. I used the Electric Yellow, Orange, Pink and Green for the flowers and stems. The ink pads are incredibly juicy so I barely needed to touch the pad with the ink blusher to pick up enough ink to sponge through the stencil.

The other new products featured on this card are stencils from Penny Black. I used the promenade and the flower dance stencils from the new Happy Everything release. I can see so many possible ways to use these stencils so expect to see more of them in the next little while. I could have added the black outlines with the co-ordinating large stamps but I have been wanting to do the ‘scribbly black line technique‘ on a card so I kept the stencils in place to draw in some black outlines with a Pitt artist pen. After I removed the stencil I added a few more scribbly lines here and there. I used a post-it to mask between the words of the sentiment so I could scribble in my own ampersand and then added a couple of scribbles either side.

Can I just add that it takes a little longer to post a card while watching the Oscars!

Supplies:

Stamps: From the Heart (PB)
Creative Dies: Flower Dance, Promenade (PB)
Inks: Radiant Neon Electric Yellow, Electric Orange, Electric Pink, Electric Green & Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Pen: Black Pitt Artist Pen (Faber-Castell)

Forget me not tag

Posted: February 27, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Blooming tags, CAS | Tags: Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 19 Comments

This sweet tag is one of three large tags in the new Blooming Tags set; there are three teeny tags as well. I kept it simple for this card using one colour along with black and white. The tag is stamped in Versafine Onyx black then sponged around the edges in Summer sky. The flowers are coloured with Summer sky also. The background panel was sponged first before I added texture by inking the stamp with Summer sky ink then spritzing it so that the image was blurred and incomplete each time I stamped it.

Supplies:

Stamps: Blooming Tags, Special Wishes (PB)
Inks: Memento Summer Sky & Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko)
Also: Blue ribbon

Pansy Bouquet

Posted: February 24, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Pansy Bouquet, Twirls, Watercolour | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Tsukineko Memento inks | 15 Comments

Today I am featuring yet another beautiful botanical stamp from the new Happy Everything collection. To create this panel I stamped the leafy border stamp from the Twirls set as background. I inked the pansy bouquet with markers, stamped it, then spritzed with water. Using a waterbrush and memento inks stamped on an acrylic block as a palette I filled in the pansies and leaves. When the panel was almost dry I added yellow centres with a marker. I splattered some light blue and green colour from watercolour pencils to complete the panel.

Readers in the Ottawa area might be interested to know I am offering some classes in March. You can view the projects and register on my new Classes page.

Supplies:

Stamps: Pansy Bouquet, Special Wishes, Twirls (PB)
Inks: Memento Bamboo Leaves, Cottage Ivy, Elderberry, Summer Sky (Tsukineko)
Pencils: Albrecht Durer watercolour pencils Moss green 168, Light Blue 147 (Faber-Castell)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Penny Black mix & match Spring Meadows paper

Watercolouring the Lily

Posted: February 20, 2014 | Author: Heather | Filed under: Every Happiness, First Dance, Twirls, Watercolour | Tags: Fabriano Watercolour Paper, Penny Black stamps, Ranger Distress stains, Tsukineko Memento inks | 10 Comments

All this week on the Penny Black blog you can check out the designers’ favourites from the new Happy Everything collection. It will come as no surprise that I chose a brushstroke stamp that lends itself to the watercolour technique.

To create the pink card below I inked the ‘First Dance’ lily with a combination of distress ink and memento markers then stamped onto dry watercolour paper. I created a mask to cover the centre lily then stamped another lily on either side. With three lilies in a row I spritzed the panel with water and let the dark and light pinks blend a little. I used memento markers to draw over the stamen and stems and to redo the dots on the petals. To finish I picked up with a paintbrush a little diluted pink ink to paint around the top edges of the panel and some green around the bottom.

Supplies:

Stamps: First Dance, Every Happiness (PB)
Inks: Memento Bamboo Leaves, Lilac Posies, Angel Pink, Potter’s Clay, Pear Tart (Tsukineko) Worn Lipstcik Distress Ink (Ranger)
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Penny Black mix & match Fuschia Fantasies paper

The yellow and green lily below was created using the wet into wet technique. It is most apparent where the ink has bled from the stem and leaves. It also bled from the petals (Memento Dandelion) making them quite pale so I used Mustard Seed distress stain to paint over them and intensify their colour. The background panel is stamped with one of the new ‘Twirls’ border stamps.

Supplies:

Stamps: First Dance, Special Wishes (PB)
Inks: Memento Dandelion, Potter’s Clay, Espresso Truffle, Pear Tart, Bamboo leaves (Tsukineko)
Distress Stains: Mustard Seed(Ranger)
Creative Dies: Feather & Frames
Cardstock: Fabriano 100% cotton hot pressed watercolour paper, Penny Black mix & match Olive Grove