An "Itsy Bitsy" Card using Inchies

Imagine Crafts challenged their AIRs design team with the theme "Itsy Bitsy".  I immediately thought of "inchies" which are precision cut tiny canvases measuring any where from 1" square all the way up to 4" squares.  I have some tiny mat squares that measure 1.5" by 1.5" that I knew would be great for this project.  These were given to me by Inchie Arts and are very high quality.  This card was designed with those in mind.

Here is a short tut on how to use inchies in creating a unique card like this one.

Step one:
Stamp and color in the images.

Step two:
First stamp the phrase, sprinkle embossing powder on the phrase and melt with a heat tool.
Cut and tear paper to go across the top and the middle of the blank card.

Step three:

Add the tiny dog portraits by using a strong adhesive.

Here's the supply list:

Supply list

Imagine Supplies

VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad

Imagine Black Embossing Powder

Memento Markers- Peanut Brittle, Espresso Truffle, Dandelion, Teal Zeal and London Fog

Tear It! Tape

Craft mat

Other Supplies

Art Squares from inchie arts lic., three 1 ½” precision cut matboard squares

G45 paper from “It’s raining cats and dogs” collection

Paper cutter

Blank white card

Heat tool

Thanks for stopping by!  Hugs ~ Renee

National Dog Day

I love animals but my husband is so allergic the only pets in this house are the ones I've drawn.  Since August 26th was National Dog Day I felt it was appropriate to share my friend Ella Wilson's dog Maggie with everyone.  Ella commissioned me to do a ZIA version of her sweet Cairn Terrier and here is the finished picture.

I took photos of the process if you'd like to see it.  I started with a piece of watercolor paper to which I had applied a thin coating of gesso.  The reason I apply the gesso is so I can apply color to the drawing or Ella can apply color later.  I feel like the gesso gives me more control over how much of the color I leave on the page.  Ella is a mixed media artist in her own right and may want to add different elements to the drawing later, I will leave that up to her.

After the gesso was dry I traced a copy of her dog from a photo that she had emailed me.  Just the outline of her dog, I can try to get the look in her eyes from that photo also.  Once the outline is there I section off areas of the dog with light pencil marks and each area receives a different tangle until it looks complete.

Thanks for stopping by and allowing me to share my process with you!  Have a great week ~ hugs~ Renee

Zentangle A Pug Dog

I've been on a Zentangle kick for the past two weeks.  I recently purchased a coloring book by Ben Kwok,
called TangleEasy Lovable Pets, he has produced pages that can be used as templates for Zentangle designs, coloring, etc.  I chose to transfer a sketch of one of his pug dog images onto some gessoed watercolor paper and then tangle it.

I sectioned off different areas to incorporate different tangles.  Then I just mindlessly tangled on.

It doesn't take as long as it looks like it would.  I just did small portions every day.

Next thing you know...he's completed!

I think he's adorable.  I hope you get a chance to try Zentangle, there are tons of tutorials online.  I found Ben Kwok's book at Michael's, it is called Lovable Pets, Tangle Easy.

I hope you're staying cool.  I think this is going to be a long, hot summer.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  ~Hugs ~ Renee

Use your excess paints on an Art Journal page

I usually keep a large art journal book like Dyan Reaveley's close at hand when I'm using paints on a canvas.  I wipe off my brushes before really cleaning them that way I don't waste my paint and I get some interesting random pages to boot.  It's also a nice way to audition stamps and stencils.  On these pages I added some Stampotique stamps with those cute little dogs!

I hope you're staying busy and I hope you're stealing a little time here and there for art adventures.  Hugs ~  Renee

Creating Art Card Backgrounds with Kaleidoscope Stencils

Hello there, happy Tuesday!  I am still pretty excited about finding uses for my new Kaleidoscope Stencils by Artistcellar.  Today I am using just one of the set to create backgrounds for my Art Cards.  I chose the stencil called Trillium to make these cute little Art Cards which can be used on cards, canvases or left just as it is as an Art Card.  This is what I made.

This project began as an Art Card.  Art Cards are small canvases, in this case a piece of 140# water color paper, cut to measure 4" by 4".  You can think of it as a slightly larger version of an ATC.  I began by using the Trillium stencil and some water color pens filled with Dylusions Spray Inks.

I placed the stencil on top of the pre-cut paper and painted the different colors of ink through the stencil randomly.  When I had a lot of color on the paper I lifted the stencil off and set it aside.  These are not permanent inks so the stencil can be washed off at any time.

Next I sprayed water onto the inked paper and let it run together.  When I was satisfied with the look I blotted off the excess water with a paper towel.

I sprayed it with water again and blotted the paper with a towel again to get a lighter look.

At this point you can stamp lines or any other pattern on top of the Art Card.  I decided to layer on a stamped image.  This stamp is an old one by Lockhart Stamp Co. with Mr. Kitty on it.

I stamped the image with StazOn Jet Black ink on a separate piece of card stock, trimmed it out and colored it in with Dylusions and Memento ink pens.  When this was dry, I matted it on card board paper, then glued the entire panel to the back ground colored Art Card.

I didn't want Mr. Kitty to be lonely so I made another one called Puppy Face to keep him company.

These can be kept in an Art Card book, glued to a small canvas, glued to the front of a card....pretty much anything you can think of to display them.  They're sweet and guaranteed to put a smile on your face!  Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I'll be back next Tuesday with more stenciling ideas.  Hugs~Renee