Inky Antics - Hanging Around

This little buggy scene from Inky Antics' Hanging Out Buggies set is so cute - I love that his little hammock is hanging on pencils! I have a lit-tle pencil addiction, in case you don't know. Thought I'd share a little more about this card, which is also being featured on the Inky Antics blog today!

I used Derwent watercolor pencils and a wet brush to color the image and fill in a little outdoor scene behind him....

The rest of the scene is made with die cuts from Impression Obsession - I used a grass border, and the tiny flowers from the hydrangea set. Each flower is dotted in the center with a tiny bit of Viva pearl paint.

The bow is also a die (I.O.) with a small pearl center (I colored it to match using a Touch marker), and the tag die is from a Sizzix set.

Hope you'll also pop over to leave some love on the Inky Antics blog - Jackie shared another card, too, using the same image. Happy Tuesday!

Daily Window news!

Daily Window Products contacted me earlier this month to ask me if I could send over some projects done with their preprinted background cards to be used in an upcoming infomercial about their product line! So excited that these pieces will have a few minutes of fame soon! I've shared a few of the panels here already, but here are a few more that haven't been shown on my blog yet, and some notes on how each was made:

Stamped images: Market Street Stamps

Coloring medium: Inktense pencils/waterbrush

Other supplies: stencil from the Crafter’s Workshop, Versamark ink, octagon dies by Quickutz, button die from Impression Obsession, Fishtail banner die from My Favorite Things, copper foiling tape

Technique: I stamped the teacup image on watercolor paper, masked the image, inked through the stencil with Versamark ink to create the sunburst pattern, and embossed with clear powder. The image is colored with Inktense pencils and a waterbrush.

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Stamped images: Carrie - Rubber Romance image by I Brake for Stamps; sentiment by Unity Stamps

Coloring medium: Memento and LePlumeII Markers, Prismacolor pencils

Other supplies: diecuts from Spellbinders (rectangle) and Quickutz (circle, star), Spellbinders embossing folder (star), Fiskars texture plate (textile), twine, ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon, red/white trim (unknown source), lace border die from Impression Obsession (tissue paper), hemp twine

Technique: I colored the image loosely with markers, then shaded with colored pencils.

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Stamped image: Seaside Scene by Impression Obsession

Coloring medium: ShinHan Premium Watercolors

Other supplies: corrugated cardboard, twine, Scor-Pal

Technique: I watercolored the image using tube watercolors. For the ‘drippy’ areas, I first painted the areas with water, then added color to those areas and tipped the panel to allow the paint to drip where I wanted it to.  In the water, I allowed the first set of drips to dry, then added another  layer over the top. The white reflection lines on the water were added afterwards.

Thanks so much for visiting!!

 

Inky Antics Peek - Seams Like Forever

Sewww...... here's a peek at the card being featured over at the Inky Antics blog this week!

Hope you'll take a look!

Mix-Ability - Dressform

Trudy's Mix-Ability challenge for us this week is to create the look of glitter suspended in glass.

 

I used Inktense pencils and a glaze pen to color this Impression Obsession image (Dress Form) - I masked the panel with some drywall mesh tape, scribbled with an Inktense pencil onto an acrylic block, moistened the pigment, then stippled it through the mesh to create some interest in the background.

When the bodice was dry, I painted it with some clear glittery acrylic paint, then covered the same area with Diamond Glaze.

For my background panel, I layered inks - first laying down a light green ink 'direct-to-paper', then stamping Cover-a-Card Crumpled Lace and Cover-a-Card Pattern. I used the mesh tape again as a mask for sponging, and sponged the edges as well. The final step was a little stamping with some bubble wrap, just to add more depth of color.

Hope you'll join us for the new challenge!
 

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: In the Air

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a project showing something in the air. I had some time recently to just create for fun, and sat down with my stamps from last summer's CHA release - I design a lot of my stamps with mixed media and journaling in mind, and I really love how these bird stamps work together in that way. I used acrylic paints, Colorbox Fluid Chalk inks, and Versafine Onyx Black ink, plus a little black hemp, drywall tape, and newspaper for dimension.

The base of this card is polka-dotted cardstock that I have had forever and never used - I think I may try starting off more of my mixed media cards with unloved cardstock and see where they go.

The white texturing was done with acrylic paint and a diecut (Floral Lace Heart) as a stencil mask.I cut my own bird head stencil from a piece of clear cardstock.

Details......

Stamps I used:  French Text, Bird 1 Outline, She Has Wings, Soar, Feather 1, Peacock Single   

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Daniela @ For the First Time
Dina @ Mama Dini's Stamperia ------- you are here
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat
Julie @ Out to Impress
Kittie @ Kittie Kraft
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio


Remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

Across the Miles - new dkdesigns release

The Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps team is featuring my newest set, Across the Miles today! Because I am literally "across the miles," my stamps haven't arrived yet, but I'd love for you to hop around and view the samples made by the design team! This set is very close to my heart, and I hope that it will be a great encouragement to many others who are embarking on new adventures, or serving in faraway places. I especially love the Elisabeth Elliot quote, and can definitely affirm that God has been and is at every step along this journey, and will never leave us, no matter where the next step leads.

Another fun note - the sentiment in the bottom left is something Korin said to me at a time when I was feeling lonely and far away, and it really encouraged my heart, so we decided to share it here. I am so grateful for a precious handful of friends who squeal about stamps and paints and pencils and markers, AND laugh and cry over life stuff together, AND lift me up in prayer and point me to Jesus - they are snugged inside my laptop and so very dear to my heart.

Click below for more samples using my new set. Thanks for visiting me!!

Inky Antics Peek - Snapdragon Pendant

It's time for another guest post over at the Inky Antics blog - pop over and see how I made this pendant with the Poppies and Snapdragons clear set!

Watercolor ATCs

Just wanted to share a few ATCs that I have watercolored over the last month! I shared not long ago that I've been challenging myself to trust myself and my instincts as an artist when I paint. Not sure where that will end up, but I'm enjoying the exploration of techniques and layers of color, and the excitement of trying something new.

I'm working with these ATC-sized Art Squares from Inchie Arts - I love the surface for all kinds of art mediums, and really enjoyed working on these pieces. I love the transparent nature of watercolors too, and the depth of layered textures and colors. So much fun!

Here's one of my orchids recently in full bloom....

...and this is a close-up that I used as a reference photo when I painted.

Here's the first ATC I painted - this is one of the new sizes of diecut matboard pieces from Inchie Arts. It's painted with Shinhan Premium Watercolors.

I painted two versions of this photo, one more detailed and dramatic, and one with a softer look. Again, I used a white matboard ATC and the Shinhan paints. For the details on the petals, I used a medium ball stylus to pull the paint where I wanted it.

 Here's my first piece...

... and then the softer, less detailed version. I did a little research and found out that this is the bloom of an Orchid Tree, sometimes called a Camel's Foot tree because of the shape of the leaves. They're common in Asia, and so beautiful in bloom.

I hope to do more of these soon! It's fun to capture the beauty around me. Thanks for looking....

Click here for more Inchie Arts products!

Mixed Media - getting started

(This is the tutorial that appeared on the Flourishes blog last month - just wanted to make sure to post it here too!)

Mixed Media is a growing art trend that has reached even into the papercrafting world. As a basic concept, "mixed media art" is a visual piece in which the creator combines more than one type of art medium. Mixed media art often includes an element of dimension, texture, or collage.

If you're curious about starting, but the very term Mixed Media frightens you, It may be because you have a mental image of bright and splashy or dark and grungy projects that aren't your style.  I want to encourage you that there are simple principles of mixed media that anyone can apply, regardless of your signature style. One article that I ran across asks the question, "What defines mixed media?" The answer? "You do."

Here's a list of art supplies you may use or have around your crafting area - if you have used any 2 or more of these together, guess what?! You have done mixed media.

• Pencils - wax, oil, watercolor, graphite/charcoal, chalk/pastel
• Pastels - chalk, oil
• Markers - watercolor, pigment, water-based, acrylic
• Pens - ink, glitter
• Pigments - Gelatos, watercolor crayons, metallic rubons
• Paints - watercolor, acrylic, oil, poster, tempera
• Inks - dye, chalk, distress, reinkers, pigment, hybrid
• Powders - mica, pigment, chalk
• Sprays & airbrushing
• Dimensionals - embossing paste, gesso, fabric, found items, papers (collage, piecing) , ephemera
• Heated elements - encaustic, embossing

It's really difficult to create a mixed media tutorial, simply because mixed media art really has no rules - and if there were rules, I'm almost sure that mixed media artists would try to break them...! But in beginning anything new, guidelines make us more comfortable, so I've pulled together a few steps that might help you get started. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to adjust these to your own supplies and personal style. Don't be afraid to experiment, get messy, and play. I'll share the steps of my sample as we go.

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1. Add color to your base. 

• Obviously there are lots of ways to do this - here are just a few:
• Begin with patterned cardstock
• Collage or piece patterned papers on a cardstock panel
• Paint, spray and/or ink solid cardstock or other durable paper 
• Be aware that water-soluble mediums may run or bleed through if you use a watery medium on top of them. You may need to heat set or allow time for complete drying between layers of color.

 2. Add patterns and texture to your piece.

• Again, there are lots of options here, and no limit to the number of layers or elements you add in this step:
• Paint or dab ink through stencils
• Rubber stamps, especially text or patterns (Versafine and Colorbox Fluid Chalk inks work very well in this step).
• Add texture with found objects such as textiles, punchinella, plastic canvas, bubble wrap, etc. Stamp with them using ink or paint, glue them on, etc.

3. Create a focal area.

• If you're stamping or painting directly to your panel, this can be done by adding a layer of lighter-colored paint or paper. 
• If your panel is already light in color, you can mask off one area for your focal image or text, then darken other areas. 

4. Add your focal text and/or images. Color as desired - or not. :)

5. Doodle, soften cut edges, add finishing touches.

Here's a picture of my finished card - I just layered the panel above on a piece of designer paper and then another cardstock panel, and added the twill accent. The stamps I used are from the newly released Spring Blossoms set, with accents from the Sweet Peas, Siberian Iris, and On the Porch sets.

I hope these simple guidelines will give you some courage to try mixed media your way! If you need more inspiration, the Mix-Ability Challenge at Splitcoaststampers offers weekly mixed media challenges to get your creative wheels turning. Thank you for letting me share!