"Fruit of the Spirit" Blog Hop Day 3

Good Morning and welcome to Day 3 of the Layers of Color / 2 Sketches 4 You "Fruit of the Spirit" Blog Hop

I am off to work early this am and wanted to make sure my post was up, so please be patient while the other ladies get theirs up this morning.

Also playing along today:

LOC blog, Diana, Janice, Linda, Nina, and ME!

If you missed my post monday where I explained what this hop is all about, then please scroll down. And remember that Layers of Color is sponsoring the 2 Sketches 4 You challenge blog this week. So hop on over and see what you have to do to qualify to win a free stamp set!

For this project I used Fruitful Harvest and one of the new release cling art stamps - Victorian Frame.  I also used one of Layers of Color's art stencils - Belle Brocade.  Did you know that Layers of Color is a Spellbinders Preferred Partner??  LOC has some awesome images that coordinate with Labels 14 and 16.  You can check the all out HERE.

You may have noticed that the coloring on the fruit is not my style.  I cased a card made by Layers of Color owner and artist, Laura Kirste Campbell.  I just love how she blends colors together in a way I would never come up with, so I decided to give it a try.  Isn't Laura's card below gorgeous!  She combined Fruitful Harvest with Acanthus Leaves and Her Majesty's Urns.  I just love how all of Layers of Color's stamps fit so well together!

Project Details

For my card today, I went with watercoloring for my colorization.   I used Strathmore Watercolor cold press paper.  I think the main thing I look for with watercolor paper is getting one as smooth as possible.  If there is too much texture, then your image want stamp properly.  The next decision when working with watercolor is ink.  Palette and Staz-on are water-proof.  Momento is not, but might work if you heat set it.  I'm not sure.   It took several attempts for me to get a good stamped image, because of the texture.  I have started using a linolium block that I picked up at a Michaels and I'm finding it is improving my stamping because the table I work on is not level in spots.  (see photo at bottom of post). 

There are alot of different choices for watercolor techniques, from very inexpensive sets to higher end water colors in tubes.  There are watercolor crayons and pencils.  I have tried all of these and the watercolor pencils are my least favorite now that I have tried them all.  In addition, some of the inks you use for stamping can be watered down and used.  Just smear some on a piece of acetate and add a few drops of water.  Mix it together with a paint brush and you are ready to go.  Not all stamp inks blend well with the water though.  Stampin' Up does not.  But my VersaMagic and Brilliant inks by Tsukinek work well for this.  There are also shimmery options.  You can use your Glimmer Mist, Shimmerz, or H2O Watercolors.  I own and have tried all of these.  For me it just depends on what color I'm looking for and the opacity.  Today I wanted a shimmery look, so I went with my Shimmerz.  I used Pumpkin, Lilac, Golden Wheat, and Green Olive.  I needed a lighter shade green as well so I used my Sage VersaMagic ink pad. 

I begin by lightly wetting the area I'm going to be working with.  Then I start adding color.  Have a paper towel on stand by.  If the color is to dark, blot it off.  I used my finger a few times to help blend the colors.

I'm not a watercolor expert and most of what I have learned was through trying the different products and just playing.  I love the softness you can get with the watercolors and it's so much fun to try different colorization techniques.  I would love to take a class some day.

I hope you will be inspired to give it a try!  If you choose to give it a try, I would love to see your work!

For the rest of the project:

I used cuticle scissors to cut around the image.  I stamped Victorian Frame on a lilac dp by K&Company.  I used Copics, G82 and G85 to color some portions of the image.  I used Labels 14, slightly smaller to fit inside the image and slightly larger to border the image, from beige paper, and a larger one from purple paper as well.  Adhere Victorian Frame to purple border, and adhere beige smaller cut to inside on top of image.  Adhere Fruitful Harvest image on top.  I put a couple of pop dots in the center of mine.  I stenciled Belle Brocade on lilac dp. 

I created my own little ruffle border using crepe paper.  That gorgeous lace is by Webster Pages.  It came in my October Pixie Dust Shabby Chic Kit.  You can check out all the wonderful projects on the Pixie Dust Paperie Blog.  You can check out these fun kits in The Pixie Shop HERE.  Not sure who make the green velvet. 

After inking edges assemble as shown.

I'm using mine for an upcoming birthday card I needed.

Thanks for stopping by and have a blessed day!



Some of the products used

My new stamp surface - Speedball Linolium, availabel at Michaels



used to apply ink with stencil 

 Shimmerz Paints

Spellbinders Labels 14



H20 Watercolor Tutorial

Hello!  I'm back today with lots of news from FireCracker Designs by Pamela.

First of all, Pamela (owner), sent me the coolest stamp set to show off this month,

Christian Innies and Outties !  It's a sentiment set designed with coordinating phrases for the outside and inside of the card.  This is not the only set she has designed that works like this.  For my first showcase of this set, I chose this sentiment because I thought it would be so adorable with Pamela's Fruitcup set.  Ok, so I know, the last part of the sentiment was suppossed to be on the inside, but I thought it would be easier if I put it all on the outside for photographing purposes.  I promise I'll do it correctly next week, teehee.  So, at the bottom of the post I'm going to list some lengthy info on how I colored the pears.  Just in case your interested.  The short explanation is that I used Twinkling H20's.  But I am sharing some tips, so you might want to read on.  What I really want you to know is that FCD now sales Twinkling H20's.  So check them out HERE.  And Pamela has a tutorial - video HERE.    And tons of other tutorials HERE.

Twinkling H20 Technique / Tutorial

Is it even possible to make "pear jam".  I have no idea, but this all about being artistic, not realistic, teehee.  I couldn't pass up a chance to use this cute pear DP by Basic Grey.  It's part of the Nook and Pantry line.  I had so much fun coloring the pears with my twinkling H20's.  Trust me, they look WAY better in real life.  If you have never used Twinkling H20's you need to give them a try.  I'm not the best water color artist, but it was worth the practice to get this look.  I stamped a full sheet of pears on water color paper with water proof ink (I used Palette Noir).  I found the best way to get the blending that I wanted was to pre-wet the image a little.  The manufacturer recommends that you "spritz" the pot of color with water.  Here's a tip :  use and old bottle of eye drops, empty out the eye drops, fill it with water, and drop 1-2 drops in your pot.  Way easier than spritzing.  The amount of water you add depends on how thick you want your paint.  You can mix it pretty thick but then it can obliterate your stamp lines.  Mine was pretty watered down to begin with because I wanted to blend the colors.  I started out with a damp paint brush and loaded Heavnly Bamboo.  It's like a cedar green but has a slight yellow tint.  I lightly covered the entire image.  Because the image is already wet, the paint kinda spreads out.  Work fast, because I got the best shading when I was able to get all the colors on before it dried.  Then along the sides, I added watered down Cedar Wood (a dark brown with an orange tint).  This one is so dark it did take much.  My brush was damp, but now wet.   I kinda pounced it on with the brush around the sides to create some dimension.  Then I did the same with a darker green, Wild Vine, bringing it in toward the center of the pear.  Let me just say that this is not an exact process.  I had a paper towel wadded up and handy to tap over the image and used this to begin blending.  Then I layered on another coat of the Heavenly Bamboo.  If an area was to dry it would pull some of the previous color up and create lines I didn't want.  That's when I would grab that paper towel and dab it again.  Eash one seemed to be a little different, so on some I had to go back and add a little more darker green then dab again, until I got the shading I wanted.  They were fun to play with and I can't wait to do it again, now that I have a better feel for how to blend with them.  I the past I had pretty muched used them to highlight or added only one color, which is easier and beautiful as well.  But, blending these colors was very cool.  My stamp lines were no longer vivid at this point, so I used a 005 Micron to doodle over the stamp lines to restore them where needed.  I would take the time to do a step by step photo tutorial, but I didn't know if anyone was even interested.  And I'm not a real artist, just an amateur playing around with some great products, teehee.  Ok, so here is my last tip.  It has to do with orgainzing you H20's.  I store mine in a drawer.  I used those little white stickers (they are about 1/2" x 3/4")  you buy when your pricing stuff for a garage sale.  I stick them on the top of the black lid, and then paint the color over it, so I can see the colors easily when I'm picking them out of the drawer or trying to match them to my project.  You can't always tell by looking at the color in the jar what it will look like.

I hope you read something that inspires you to be creative!

If you have any questions about using H20's just shoot me an email.