Make art nearly every other day - Panel 1 - Traces of Ancient Life

Ok, make art every day? I don't think I can commit to that - but nearly every other day? Well maybe but even then it's pushing it when larger projects need designing, making and written up for DT deadlines etc. So all I can say is I will try my best for three times a week.!!! 

I'm pleased to say I am no longer playing catch up and I am now at the point where I have been making samples as part of the Andy Skinner Creative Team for his new releases and ready for the CHSI Stitches show in Birmingham in a month's time. Using Andy's new stamps I have started a little project making just small pieces of art and these are something that has got me totally focussed and enjoying exploring background making and designing with a quick and satisfying finish to them. 

So this is panel one - they are all going to be the same size 7 cms wide by 10.8 cms in height and they are going into a journal - eventually! I am going to show you the panels in sequence but they will end up in a different order once I have enough to complete all the pages.

I sealed each of the panels using tinting base - half I brushed over the other half I used a palette knife to drag it over.

I then used a variety of ways to create backgrounds using a palette from titan buff, titanium white, cobalt blue, sap green, diarylide yellow, green gold, raw umber and quinacridone gold.

Process steps

1. Seal the panel with tinting base.

2. Dip into watery cobalt blue hue and dry.

3. Repeat step 2 with titan buff.

4. Stamp text with cornflower blue archival ink.

5. Stencil a layer using media acrylics.

6. Stencil dots with white crackle paste and leave to dry naturally.

7. Finish with a wash of paynes grey and quinacridone gold.

8. Stamp with two colors of archival inks on each print.

9. Add computer generated phrase.

Using the stamps and some of my own words to help bring them all together has been so rewarding I'm hoping that I can keep it up over a more prolonged length of time. More of all of that in a later post.

For now, have fun whenever you find some time to create.

hugs Brenda xxx

Drips and Drops at CVC and step x step

It's the 1st February (Really? Already?) and it's time for a new challenge at Country View Crafts. The theme today has been chosen by the lovely Sue at Scrumplescrunch and she's called it 'Drips and Drops'. Mulling this over in my head I knew I just had to go with my most loved techniques using distress inks and started off on a background but as the ideas were developing I ended up with a Spring or Easter card with the egg image coming from that gorgeous wallflower stack from Tim Holtz.

The acrylic block DI technique using glimmer mists is a technique I love to turn to when I'm in one of those 'don't know what to do' frame of minds.

Dabbing distress inks on the block, misting them until you get those gorgeous 'drops' of colour and then pressing it into the card to get great blended distress effects.

When I'd done that I splattered 'drops' of ink over in stormy sky distress stain and water using a small paint brush and heat dried it.

Blend antique linen and stormy sky DIs over the top half where there is less colour and flick water 'drops' on. Absorb the water droplets with kitchen towel and heat dry

Blend same colours over again and ink the edges with walnut stain.

Splatter 'drops' of gathered twigs distress inks and absorb with the paper towel immediately to ensure the 'droplets' are not too deep in colour.

Finally flick some more water 'droplets' on and heat dry.

We have created a speckled look with depth at the lower part of the card and more subtle effects at the top of the card..

Moving on to the next stage I made a frame using the Tim Holtz Thinlits dies – Labels. Ink the edges of the frame inside and out with walnut stain and adhere one of Tim’s eggs from the Wallflower paper pack.

Take a mini tag and repeat the process steps, stamp a special word and staple a small piece of hessian over the tag hole.

QUICK TIP

With hessian, to prevent it fraying too much, apply a thin layer of wet glue (I use my favourite evo stik wood glue) over the back and let it dry. This keeps the fibres together when you cut into it).

 The final stage is layering up all the elements and I love using tissue wrap instead of stamping on backgrounds, you can still see some of the colour through it.

Strips of Tim's papers still from the Wallflower pack and a couple of chit chat words from the seasonal set. But embellishments were difficult - I wanted to add more eggs so I attached one to a small piece of film strip and cut an even smaller one out and glued it on nearby. Fiddly but for me the detail is so important.

So how will use drips and drops on a card or project? I've got to get my thinking cap on now as I have one more sample to make for later in the month.

We are looking forward to seeing what you do for the CVC challenge.

Thanks for stopping by.

hugs Brenda xxx