Backgrounds for Cards

 

I should have taken a picture of all the backgrounds I made before making these cards. Above you see the five cards I finished.  Below are the rest of my backgrounds that hopefully will become new cards.

Made my backgrounds using wrinkle free distress and acrylic block stamping techniques.

For this card I used an acrylic block, dabbed it with Gina K's Bubblegum pink and Sea glass ink pads. Then I spritzed with water and pressed it onto my paper. After it was dry, I stamped sewing images from a small 5 piece Stampabilities set called Sewing. The happy birthday sentiment and curvy layer is from Hero Arts Stamp & Cut.

Inks: 

distress salty ocean, weathered wood, spiced marmalade, wild honey and  brushed corduroy, which was added to just the edges of the sewing machine stamp and happy birthday sentiment after being inked with wild honey, Gina K bubblegum pink for the button

Another acrylic block stamped background using Jane Davenport's Mermaid Markers, which are like "ink filled aqua pens". Colors, starting with lower right corner: Starfish (hot pink), Jellyfish (purple), Pirate's Gold (yellow), Seaweed (green). Applied to acrylic block, "coloring it" as you would with markers, then spritzed with water then pressed onto paper.

Used Versafine onyx black ink for the stamping: 

Heart shaped script with flower in center-no stamp manufacturer listed

Happy birthday and curvy layer, from Hero Arts, DC184 Ribbon Messages Stamp & Cut.

Background inks:  distress mustard seed and twisted citron for the wrinkle free distress technique. 

Heart stamp, L1900 Poppy HeartPrint from Hero Arts

Flourishes, Love with a Flourish by Autumn Leaves/Rhonna Farrer

Sentiment, best wishes and curvy layer from Hero Arts, DC184 Ribbon Messages Stamp & Cut

Ink: Versafine onyx black

Background inks: distress raspberry, salty ocean and abandoned coral for the for wrinkle free distress technique

Circles stencil from a Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Mixed Media kit

Bricks stencil sponged in abandoned coral. The stencil is from an old Tim Holtz Stampers 

Anonymous Mixed media stamp and stencil set labeled THMM102. Here is a photo that I've used before here.

Flower stencil SA152 Flower Swirls Stencil Pairs from Hero Arts, sponged in distress salty ocean

Stamped the happy birthday stamp from Dimensions using Versafine onxy black ink.

 

Background ink:  distress abandoned coral, picked raspberry, twisted citron for wrinkle free distress technique

Flower stencil SA152 Flower Swirls Stencil Pairs from Hero Arts, sponged in distress abandoned coral.

Stamps: Thinking of you by Dimensions and Gina K, On My Mind and In My Heart

Inks: Versafine onxy black

Thanks so much for visiting. Peace and All Good!

Drawing and Painting

I took some time out yesterday to draw and paint these two pieces. This lady was inspired by Jane Davenport's Fabulous Figures book, page 65. When I draw, the expressions on the faces just seem to pop up. Maybe one day I will be able to create a specific expression and be able to duplicate it.  I am an "artist wanna-be" not a real artist. I find it so relaxing attempting to draw and paint.

I could not resist attempting this scene from page 29 of Jane's Fabulous Figures book. When I saw that Eiffel Tower in the background I just had to play with this scene.

For both pieces, I used watercolor paper cut to about 4.75 x 6 inches. I started by drawing with a black Faber-Castell PITT pen. Then I used Jane's Mermaid Markers which are brush pens with a reservoir filled with vivid dye-based ink. Since the ink is quite intense, a lot of the time I brush some ink on my craft sheet then use a paintbrush and water to apply to paper. After the work was dry, I went back with Jane's white paint over pen for highlighting.

I attached my work to cardstock and created two greeting cards. The first one is going to become a birthday card for an artist friend.

I hope you find something in your day that is soothing for your soul!

Halloween Cards 2017

Happy Halloween!

I made my own distress ink sponged backgrounds for cards this year.

Also fussy cut my own bats and ghosts drawn from home made templates.

Used Michael Strong's oval alphabet set to spell "BOO".

Added white eyes to my larger bats with a Jane Davenport White Paint Over Pen
Used a Gelly Roll White 08 gel pen for my small bats eyes.

Used Jane Davenport Mermaid Markers (water brush markers filled with dye based ink) and an aqua brush on scraps of "watercolor like" paper for these backgrounds.  Trees drawn by hand with brown mermaid marker. Used black PITT marker for ghost face.

Added a background script stamp here.

...and a background screen stamp here.

For a friend's Halloween Birthday

Quick cards made with printed papers with handwritten 

"Happy Halloween"

Distress Inks used: mermaid lagoon, stormy sky, black soot, pumice stone, carved pumpkin, fired brick, twisted citron, walnut ink, fossilized amber, scattered straw, seedless preserves.

Versafine Black Onyx ink

Stamps:

Michael Strong, Hero Arts, Posh Impressions and unknown 

Miscl:

Jane Davenport Mermaid Markers
Jane Davenport White Paint Over Pen

Gelly Roll White 08 gel pen

Faber Castell Black Pitt Pen

Flower Sketched on Watercolor Backgrounds

I find so much inspiration online.

Fell in love with Tracee Murphy's Poppies Watercolor and Ink.

Saw it first on Pinterest, but the pin was bad. 

So I searched for the correct image and pinned it here.

On the watercolor base I tested Portfolio Binny Smith watercolors that Lynette gave me.

She found them at a garage sale!

After the watercolors dried, I used sequin waste as a stencil and sponged with broken china ink.

Added white acrylic paint to the top portion using a paint brush.

Wasn't happy with the look, so I placed sequin waste over the wet paint, 

then rubbed with a cloth to remove some white paint. 

I drew the flowers with a Sakura fine tip marker. 

Used Jane Davenport Mermaid Markers to outline them.

Stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment with Versafine black onyx ink.

Here is another background layer. I like to make multiples when I have the watercolors out. Notice the warping of the paper.

In the card above, I tried Jennifer McGuire's method to attach the watercolor layer to the card base. I cut a piece of craft foam slightly smaller than the  watercolor layer. The craft foam is about 2 mm thick. I was happy with the way the craft foam layer helped to flatten the warped watercolor layer.

Click here to see Jennifer's YouTube tutorial showing how she uses craft foam instead of foam tape to attach large layers to cards. She demonstrates how the mail processing machines added wrinkles to the large layer that had been adhered with strips of foam tape.

I used Scrapbook Adhesives super high-tack tape on both sides of the foam to attach it between the watercolor layer and the card base. Jennifer advises that any strong double sided adhesive will work. She shows a couple of methods to attach the craft foam in her video.

Materials used:

Portfolio watercolors: 620 cadmium yellow, 136 phthalo blue, 375 sap green

Distress inks: broken china, Versafine black onyx

White acrylic paint

Sequin waste

Jane Davenport mermaid markers: pirate's gold and seaweed

Sakura microperm ultra fine 05 pen

Hero Arts stamp

Craft foam, 2 mm thick

Scrapbook Adhesives super high-tack adhesive tape

Thanks for visiting! 

Wishing you love and peace!