Flowers Whisper What Words Cannot Say............

Good morning!

I've created this card using watercolour pencils - had a whole lot of fun so lets see how I got there....

Spring is in the air don't you think?!!!

Instead of taking photo's along the way I've taken one of how I get there with watercolour pencils - and I'll explain!

I first marked out my square which in this case is 7 x 7 inches in pencil. I am working on a watercolour block pad (the pages are sealed to help with minimal movement of the paper).

Now, to get that wonderful light background I have actually used three colours of Inktense watercolour pencils and have shaved off some of the pencil tips using a craft knife.  You don't need that much of the pencil tip shavings to create your lovely "loose" background.  So, once you've got your shavings on there just spritz gently with water and see it move!

I stamped my image (Sheena Douglass Magnolia stamp) first of course and have then gone in with the pencils with the three colours from the challenge swatch.  The joy of having such a lovely watercolour pad and the large page size is that you can always use the rest of the page as your testing palette.  Here you can see how I experimented with the pencils and tried them out first before putting them on the actual design.

The sentiment (which I think was a Justrite one) has been stamped using Spectrum Aqua Markers direct to the stamp, spritzed gently and then stamped - it gives you this lovely watercolour effect to the sentiment.

I have added some flowers that also came in the same Sheena Douglass Magnolia stamp set - again, you can see how I've tested those on the page before going direct to the artwork.

When I was happy with the water colouring, I added Glossy Accents to the petals of the flowers.

You can see the Glossy Accents a bit closer here.

Matted and layered on to two mats which have been coloured with Spectrum Aqua Markers in matching colours. Oh, and I doodled some of my own designs on there too!!!!

I thought this shouted Spring or even Easter?

Hope you like this one and particularly how I work with watercolours and test before adding to the final result.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Leanne xx

I would like to enter this in to the following challenges:-

Rubber Dance March Colour Challenge:-

http://rubberdance.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/rubber-dance-stamps-colour-challenge.html

Artistic Stamper - Springtime:-

http://theartisticstampercreativeteam.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/marchs-creative-challenge-springtime.html

The Flower Challenge - Anything Goes:-

http://theflowerchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/the-flower-challenge-6-anything-goes.html

Stamplorations - Sketch and Stamp - Stamps and Spring:-

http://stamplorations.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/march-challenge.html

Memories are our own Time Machine............

Good morning!

I have made this card for a friends birthday next month - had a good play with another of Sheena Douglass' Time Traveller stamp collection.  Forgot to take photo's for this one so I'll explain how I got there.

Started off with a piece of watercolour paper and used Aqua Tints to lay down the background colour.  Stamped the Time Machine but wasn't happy with how much ink I got down on to the paper (it's harder to lay down the ink from the stamp on to watercolour paper, often because of texture and fibres in the paper).  So I knew I had to enhance the stamped image myself (which is great fun).  I have used a combination of Inktense watercolour pencils and Spectrum illustrator markers on the Time Machine.  I couldn't make my mind up if I wanted it travelling over water or clouds so I went for a water look but to me it could still be clouds!!!!?

Finished with a nice big stencil - a big whirl as it travels in time!

Mat and layered.

I think he'll like that!

Thanks for stopping by,

Leanne xx

Take time for all things.........

Good morning!

Thanks for popping in.  I have been having a play with a new Sheena Douglass stamp from her Time Traveller collection.  A whopper of a stamp but stamps beautifully.  I've done a step by step on this one so shall we take a crafty journey today? - Come with me.....

I started with a watercolour block pad (love a professional pad where the edges of the paper are sealed - the paper can't move no matter how much water to throw at it!).  I pencilled in a 7 x 7 square - this just gives me a loose idea of where I am with my design.

OK, I got out my Aqua Tints this time, three colours and using plenty of water, blended them as I went down the page and allowed this to dry naturally so that I didn't lose any of the colour tones.

I then stamped my man using a rocker block (it's such a big stamp, I find a rocker block helps).  I then lifted some colour back off of his face with water.

So, using the same Aqua Tint colours as the background, I enhanced his features slightly, and his hair and brought in a little chalk paint to highlight his face.

I have now added some background detail with an Andy Skinner stencil and used the chalk paints to enhance a  leaf Clarity Stamp stencil. (If you are wondering what on earth is going on in the bottom right hand corner - this is simply where I've used the wet chalk paints on the watercolour paper as a palette but to avoid putting my arm in the wet paint, I simply cut it away! What you can see is a scrap piece of paper to stop me marking the rest of the watercolour pad beneath this one!).

There we go - finished with a Sheena Douglass die cut of a pocket watch and chain.

Mat and layered.

I wanted to bring his face right out of the page and I think I achieved this - pleased with this one!

I would like to enter this in to the Stamping Sensations challenge "Coffee and cream":-

http://sirstampalotchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/january-coffee-and-cream.html

Thanks for stopping by.

Leanne xx

Quoth the raven, NEVERMORE........

Good morning!

Ok, without wanting to frighten anyone too much we are going to take a spooky journey together today!

I was inspired to produce this card by the Artistic Stamper Creative Challenge - Monochromatic. When I thought of a card of one colour I went straight for black! Remember black is our friend and we must not shy away from it! With Halloween getting closer I thought I'd have a go with this theme and also understand what I had used to make this card.

OK, I'll briefly explain my card first (a small lesson in poetry) and then I'll take you on the journey of how I made it.

Sentiment "Quoth the raven, Nevermore"(Chocolate Baroque) - The poem "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe.  This sentiment is mentioned about half way through the poem and repeated thereafter to the end.  The poem is about a talking raven who visits a distraught lover and traces the mans slow fall in to madness.  Read it, it's quite chilling but extremely good!

Ok, back to reality!! Started with a white piece of watercolour card (good quality) and stamped the main skull from Mr Bone Jangles (Visible Image), the two facing skulls and I blended on a moon with black distress ink then covered all of the images with drawing gum to mask them off.

Then I blended a tiny spot of black india ink in to a puddle of water where I wanted the sentiment to sit, dried it with a heat gun and then stamped my sentiment in this area then masked that off as well with drawing gum.

You can see here that I've masked off everything that I've 

done so far.

I stamped the haunted house and also masked that so that I guaranteed nothing bled.

Now the fun starts!!!! I wet quite heavily the whole top two thirds of the water colour card with a large paintbrush and then swiped Pebeo black india ink across the card to make it bleed and give it that creepy feeling. I let it dry naturally and then came back to it.

 This is after rubbing off the drawing gum from the area of the sentiment.

So, having moved on, where the sky has finished two thirds down and dried off, I added the sea with an ink duster loaded with black soot distress ink and sprayed lightly with water.  To this I stamped a man in a boat (Inkylicious), made the moon more dramatic with a stamp also from Inkylicious and added the bats.  I restamped the main skull on to the same card stock and mounted that on black foam tape and stamped two ravens on to top of his head also adding two white dots in the eye sockets. Lastly I gave it a slight blending of distress ink around the very edges.

I mounted it on to another piece of water colour card that I had "played" with the ink on.

There, I was extremely happy with this one, it tells a story don't you think, - a distraught lover and his downfall in to madness over watched by the raven - "quoth the raven, NEVERMORE".

Well, if that hasn't got you in the mood for Halloween, nothing will!!!!!!! Read Edgar Allan Poe's poem this Halloween!

I would like to enter this in the following:-

The Artistic Stamper Creative Challenge - Monochromatic.

http://theartisticstampercreativeteam.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/september-creative-challenge.html

Stamping Sensations - One for the boys.
http://sirstampalotchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/september-one-for-boys.html

Dream in darkness - September challenge.

http://dreamindarkness.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/shes-baaack-september-with-lunagirls.html

Thanks for stopping by - hope I haven't frightened you off!!!! - hopefully you like what you've seen and will want to come back??!!!

Leanne xx