Brave Canvas

Been watching mixed media artists on YouTube and was inspired to try using some stamps from Unity’s April 2020 SMAK kit, Head Up, Me Friend on an 8x10 canvas.

I began, by tearing up papers and collaging them onto the canvas using gel medium. Once it was covered and dry, I then went over the paper edges with white gesso to smooth out the texture a bit. I then began adding yellow, gold and emerald paints, using a combination of my fingers and stiff brushes. I then stamped the flower stamp several times on yellow tissue paper using Versafine ink. . I cut down the images and again used gel medium to collage them onto to the canvas. I actually used opposite sides of the tissue to get mirror images and extend the stamp length.

Once that was all dried, I added more color using my finders again and stencils. I also used a brayer painting a side of it to add a little more white (white gesso) to lighten up the center area. I used a couple more background stamps as well with red and green Stazon inks. I actually tried to build up the background layers and added another stencil with an antique gold Nuvo crackle paste. I then pulled out some spray inks, and spattered red and green drops all over. I also tried to add green drips from the top and bottom.

I embossed the flower and leaves again on watercolor paper and added Spectrum Noir glitter inks. I fussy cut those out. I glued those on to the canvas. I then stamped three sentiments from the kit in different ink colors onto the remaining tissue paper, fussy cut them out, and again, adhered those with gel medium. I add

Once everything was dried, I used white gel pen on the bottom sentiment and outlined everything with a charcoal pencil, smudging the lines with my fingers. I also went around the canvas edges with my pastel chalks in black, red and green.

I didn’t really distress this too much, as I really wanted bright colors to add some positivity and lightness to the message. Let me know what you think. I don’t really do these often enough to be proficient, but the process, besides being very messy, certainly seems to focus my attention away from current events.

Change is Coming and Unicorn Cards

Forced myself to make a couple cards today.... getting rusty.

My first was using Unity’s Beautiful Unicorn. For this card, I just stamped the unicorn using InkOn3’s No Line Fadeout Ink. I then used my Prismacolor pencils to color the image. I used patterned and glitter paper and a glittered card base to back the unicorn. I also die cut a circle and embossed a pattern from the Choose a Happy Heart SMAK kit using Gunmetal powder. I used the same powder to emboss a sentiment from the kit. I added gray crystals and white ribbon to complete the card.

For the second card, I used a butterfly and a lace image from Unity’s Magic Of Beginnings 1/15 KOM Kit. The sentiment came from a brand new Unity Kit called Forest Butterfly. My crafty friends were recently chatting about Gelli plates and it reminded me I had some leftover acrylic prints from my GIU week. I described the process in my Growing in Unity Day One post. Here’s the products I used and the prints created.

I picked a relatively uniform print as the backing for the butterfly. I stamped the butterfly in multiple inks to match the colors in the print. I then used my Schmincke's watercolors to add tones to the wings. I also ended up using gray, green and silver pens and a silver pencil to add dimension to the butterfly. I stamped the lace using a Momenta ink and fussy cut it out. I added green ribbon, strips of dark gray paper, gray crystals and called this one done.

Felt good to get back to crafting with these unconventional cards. Hope you are all doing well! Take care and get your crafting on!

A Card and a Tag April 2020

Decided to do a little something different for a change. I decided to take a vintage stamp and try to replicate the design found in vintage paper. So, while pondering this challenge, I started searching through my pads and came across Prima’s Nature Garden paper pad. I ended up using this paper pad for a vintage card and the scraps for a tag. For the card, I used Unity’s Strength in Wisdom Kit. I used the March 2020 Growth is a Process SMAK Kit for the tag.

I began by stamping the vase on the patterned paper using a combo of inks, Thistle Archival, A Gina K brown and a black ink to try to achieve a comparable ink color. I then used pencils, pens and white chalk to whiten the rose petals. I added pencils and chalk to the side for a shadow and stamped a sentiment from the kit using the same inks. I added corrugated paper and another patterned sheet as backing, die cutting them all. I also added little half circles cut out from the same pad, twine, tear drop crystals (was having a sad day) and purple crystals to complete the card.

For the tag, I used the scrap paper to add pattern to the background. I also tore up some words from a mixed media magazine and added those. I adhered the torn up pieces using gel medium, added white gesso with a knife to fill in cracks, and used my fingers to add mixed color combinations of mint, brown, pink and cream acrylic paint. I dried the tag between each of these steps. I added white gesso over the area I was going to stamp the flowers and the vase. I then stamped the vase, a little off center (and actually a little crooked, which I think I fixed) using the same inks as on the card. I then added another background stamp from the kit in black around the bottom, side and top of the tag.

Next I pulled out mint and pink inks and started randomly stamping the tulips from the kit. I used pens and watercolor pencils to very slightly add dimension to the flowers and stem. I then used a charcoal pencil to outline everything. Next I pulled out a shiny mint colored texture paste, a Stencil Girl stencil and started adding petals around the bottom and in the bouquet. After that was dried I also used the charcoal on those. Finally, I stamped the postage stamp lightly around using the Thistle ink. To complete the tag, I stamped, cut, adhered and outlined the sentiment, added butterfly crystals, ribbon and darkened the edges and called it done.

Must admit, while not being works of art, these totally distracted me from current events. And, besides needing that, perhaps, I also needed the messages they conveyed. Well, enough for today! Hope you also get your crafting on!

Well Hello There Card

Wanted to try my new I Shall Not Want Kit from Unity Stamp Co. today! I stamped the image on Spectrum Noir Watercolor paper for a change using my InkOn 3 No Line Fade Out ink. I watercolored the image using my Schmincke watercolors and then added Prismacolor pencils and pens to delineate lines and deepen color. I then fussy cut the image out and checked out some patterned papers to coordinate with the image.

You may wonder why I don’t just stamp the image in black and be done with it. Well, I like the option of using shades of color to differentiate the image and, if needed, I add my own colored lines back in. I’ve always liked pen and ink drawings with color, and this technique reminds me of that style.

From this point on, I simply pulled the card together using some of the papers, a sentiment from the Well Hello There Kit, enamel dots and black Peel Off Stickers from Love From Lizi. I videoed my efforts again, for those of you who like watching watercoloring.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are all taking care of yourselves, in whatever manner you need to survive these trying times. My heart goes out to those significantly impacted.

I’ve attached my video below. As always, if you click on the YouTube word, you’ll be redirected to YouTube for better viewing. Take care and stay safe!

Like a Lotus Card

Hello, time to get back to crafting! Unfortunately, I couldn’t participate in the Friends of Unity Blog Hop this month for a variety of reasons, the most recent being flu like symptoms this week (fever, headache, ...) from a shingles shot which knocked me down! But I’m all better now and eager to craft again! So, I started by pulling out a beautiful new kit from Unity, called Like a Lotus, and a Moda Scrap paper pack, called Spring Flowers. I began by stamping the image onto Arches Cold Pressed Watercolor paper. I mixed colors to match the paper and started painting. I included the link to the painting video below. As an aside, I have to admit, the quality of paper, brushes and paints used do matter to learners like me!

So, after I completed painting the image, I selected some Prismacolor pencils that match the colors of the paper and die cut all the papers. I used the pencils to deepen the shadows and add a little more vibrancy to the image. Once done, I used white gel pen to lighten the tips of the flowers and a dark green to deepen the lines in the leaves. I then spattered the red and green paint paint all over the image. I mixed white gouache and white Perfect Pearls powder with water and spattered that.

To complete the card, I stamped the sentiment with a combination of blue and black inks and added enamel dots and a sticky shiny trim.

Hope you like this card and enjoy the video - remember to click on the YouTube word, which will take you to YouTube to see a larger image of the video. Remember to subscribe if you are interested in following my journey.

Take care, stay at home, try to take time to relax and destress, and, if you can, craft your time away. A better day is coming!