Lil Monster’s InKtensity

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Ok, so when I stamped a sheet of watercolour paper the other day I stamped more than one of Lil Monster, so thought I’d better colour him and move him to the finished box of cards.  After using my new Peerless watercolours for the last few projects I went back to my favourites for colouring in – Inktense pencils by Derwent (they’re just so easy to use).

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Very plain, possibly a little boring, but I don’t know another way that I’m comfortable with, so went with it!  Lil Monster is coloured using – Golden Yellow, Mustard, Amber, Dk Aquamarine, Sea Blue, and the floor, background and balloon with Neutral Grey.  The background and balloon was a combination of yellow and grey to create a very muted colour.  I used the Neutral on the balloon and allowed it to dry before brushing the watered down yellow over.  This time I left the image as is without adding any additional shading 🙂

I used the colour combo from the Color Throwdown challenge blog

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Smiles,

Andrea

Peerless Watercolor – my thoughts

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How do you celebrate your birthday?  I tend to buy myself a treat and usually it’s along the lines of a crafty item, and this year I settled on the Peerless Watercolor cards by Jane Davenport.  I’ve wanted to try these for ages (as well as the DR PH Martins!)- maybe next year for those 😉  This collection of 60 colours is beautiful.  I spent an entire afternoon yesterday colouring the free download sheet from Jane’s website (below), as well as creating how I was going to store them.  Now these colours were not cheap (well I don’t think they were), at $64.00AUD (find them HERE), and only time will tell if I think they were great value or not.  I found that like most watercolours they lifted and blended beautifully, and for the most part the colours were vibrant, but my concern is how long they will actually last.  For me that may be a long time because I have so many other favourite supplies to use, and it may simply be that the colours I chose to use in my cards below were not what I expected….

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As I had a few days waiting for my present to arrive, I planned how I thought I’d store them.  Many ideas I saw from other bloggers was to cut the squares so that they fitted on one sheet (above), but I didn’t want to do that, so I set off to Officeworks and found a 10 page binder with sleeves and created a sheet to put samples on…(below).

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Once I’d coloured a sample of each square I placed the sheets in to the binder sleeves and then adhered the squares to the outside of the sleeves….does that make sense??  I do have a video of this, but I’m still having issues with iMovie, my new computer, and just me.  Why they change things when they worked in they’re wonderful simplicity before I will never know!  Before I could just drag and drop a photo in, but no, not anymore.  So this binder now complete with the first reference sheet above, the five sheets with the pigmented squares, my Koi watercolour reference pallet and my Inktense reference pallet inside is still only no more than 1cm thick, so I think it’s still very portable without having to trim them down!

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So here is a card I made using my birthday present to me.  The softer pink is Geranium and the darker Jackqueminot, and Olive.  I know the Geranium is a light colour, but this is one of the colours I think will not last long as there just doesn’t seem to be the same intensity as most of the other colours when you pick it up with your brush.

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I used the colour challenge on at Splitcoast CC617 for my inspiration 🙂 and the stamp set Remember When for my images, with Olive Sprinkles to decorate.

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I used the same colours in my second card and kept it also as a one layer card like the first.  For this one I used Rose coloured Sprinkles.

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Well either way I had fun playing around with my new watercolours!  Let me know if you’ve tried these before and what you thought of them.

Smiles,

Andrea

 

Supplies:

Peerless Watercolors by Jane Davenport

Remember When Stamp Set

Olive Sprinkles

Rose Sprinkles

Derwent Watercolour Paper

It’s Lil Monster’s Turn

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Well I have to say I’m liking taking some time to colour!  I should be doing a little more cleaning before I get started in to this or my New Years resolution to craft is going to go up in smoke!  I hate crafting in a mess and my office has been in disarray for months and months!

Today I’ve used Lil Monster’s Balloon and once again my Tombow Markers.  I don’t have many colours in these markers so I am finding the colour range a little restrictive, but I have to resist spending any money on more when I have so many other mediums that I can be using.  I also have already recently purchased more watercolours (I’ll share later this week – still setting them up :)), and can’t allow myself to spend anymore!

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Li Monster has always been one of my favourites, I have made many cards using this little guy.  He was designed by Helen Pickup from the UK, and is just adorable.  I once again coloured directly to the paper with the maker for his body and top, and then picked colour up from an acrylic block for the lighter shading.  The colour moves around easily and blends beautifully.  The shading was done with Pastel pencils.

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Have a wonderful day and I’ll be back with my new watercolours 🙂

Smiles,

Andrea

Lil Bee

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So yes, I have to say it’s been a while since I had time to craft.  Partly due to my office (would love to re-build!), but mostly due to time.  This year I hope to change that because colouring is my relaxation and de-stress (alongside my books!), and who doesn’t need that.  I hope you all had a wonderfully blessed Christmas with family and/or friends, they make the season so very special.

I have also added to my 2017 resolutions to create videos again, just simple ones…didn’t get off to a good start with my new camera taping in a format that I can’t use in iMovie, so after researching how to convert it, and what to do I simply decided to share the card and forget the video for today…it was only going to be a simple video anyway 🙂

I love watercolours.  I love my Derwent Inktense Pencils, Derwent watercolour pencils, Koi Watercolors, and my Tombow Markers.  My Tombows must be close to 15 years old, and I haven’t picked them up in ages, but they are still juicy, and still work brilliantly!  So seeing as I’m a little out of practise, using the markers was a good place to start.

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Today I’m using Lil Bee’s Big Flowers, a set from my AnnaBelle collection.  For those who don’t know me I ‘Once Upon a Time’ had a little shop that sold my collection of stamps.  Today these stamps are being sold through a store I opened to ‘sell-off’ those stamps and to gradually introduce a digital version of my designs only, as well as my Sprinkle embellishments.  This has been a long process, but I’m getting closer every day with all the Cling & Clear sets now in store ($3.00 – $10.00!), the Sprinkles added, and just a few digital sets at the moment with more to come.

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For the most part I added colour directly to the paper (Langton Watercolour – Daler Rowney) from the marker, then moved it around with a wet brush, and in other lighter sections I scribbled the marker on an acrylic block and lifted the colour with my paint brush.  A touch of shading with a black pastel pencil, and a couple of Rhubarb 4mm Sprinkles.

Back to tidying this office and finishing my next project 🙂

Smiles,

Andrea

Just an INKling

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It’s just an inkling, but I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve been in my craft room..  Do any of you find it hard sometimes to fit everything in??  And it’s not as though I haven’t had cause to make a card, I have (sons birthday), and I did, but actually making it to the computer to blog tipped the time factor over the edge lol!

So albeit a little late (mid July) here is Nathan’s card 🙂  I won’t even begin to confess that I’ve had these gorgeous birds since January, a set I’ve wanted for ages!

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I took the photos at night in my kitchen sitting on my bench, so the light isn’t fantastic, but the brightness of the Inktense pencils still shines!  I started by wanting to add some texture to the card stock so coated it with a transparent Gesso, allowed it to dry, then started the scene.  This cute bird is from the Tim Holtz ‘Bird Crazy’ set, a set I need to add the little extras to!  I stamped him then applied a watercolour masking fluid before doing the background.  I drew a freehand word bubble around an already printed out sentiment (too easy!), and added this with dimensional tape.

The day I took the photos I had baked this loaf – Braided Lemon Bread – Yum! – so I thought I would share 🙂

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Have a fabulous weekend!

Smiles,

Andrea

 

Party Animal

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Hi!  Today I’ve used an image from an old AnnaBelle Stamps set called Party Animal.  I’m in the process of converting these files over to digital and should have them up soon, so thought it was a great opportunity to take one for a test run.

I’ve seen so many cards recently with the splodgey watercolour background, you know the one using a piece of acetate wand watered down ink?…  Now I know that’s not the correct word for this technique but for the life of me I can’t remember it!  So that’s what I’ve done, splodged colour on after I’ve protected my image with Daler Rowneys masking fluid, then coloured the image with Inktense pencils.  You can see a touch of texture to the background and that’s where I’ve lifted some of the colour using a paper towel 🙂

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So there you have it.  A (nearly) one layer card with that ‘splodgey’ background.  Hmmm I know someone out there must know the correct technique name and if you do please let me know!!

Smiles,

Andrea

Another Watercolour

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How has your Sunday been?  It’s a beautiful day here and we had a beautiful service this morning at Mass with a visiting Congolese choir to sing for us.  Their voices were amazing!

I have another Mo’s Digital Pencil (Bronte wants it now!) image for today and can you see I’ve used that great painters tape once again and created the plain edge – I love it!  Thanks Kristina!  As well as the tape I pulled from the back of my shelf some art masking fluid by Daler Rowney.  It has to be said that I need to at least try and use some of my many supplies that are neglected…perhaps as a belated NY’s resolution..

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I used my Copic Multiliner pen once again to draw the background line and the masking fluid to paint over my image before applying the background colours.  I learnt a lesson here because the ink that I used for the background were water based so when I went back in to add some shading I ‘moved’ some of the colour which I filled back in with a matching Inktense colour – (you can see it between the girl and dog!).

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I have another card I’ve nearly finished as well and I have to say it’s been fun trying something a bit different 🙂

Happy Sunday!

Smiles,

Andrea

Ooops!

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card1-2-270216I found this really cute image ages ago on Mo’s Digital Pencil called Poop Happens and I had totally forgot about it until I went in search of something to watercolour!  Today I’m using my Inktense pencils and I reversed the image and added a simple sentiment of my own to the card.  I’ve left the inner card blank because I’m not sure what message this card will be sending, it could be for lots of things because I tend to forget things even though I hate being late for an appointment!

I love that my photocopier prints in a watercolour friendly ink!

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The base line behind her was drawn in using a Copic Multiliner 0.3mm pen and ruler.  I find it much easier to do this than draw a line freehand.  I also included a simple grey dashed line around the image (printed).  I taped the edges with blue painters tape to keep the paper flat and to help prevent warping – a great tip from the fabulous crafter Kristina Werner!  Seeing my DH is a painter and I have a known supply I’ve used it lots!…..card1-3-270216

Enjoy your day!

Smiles,

Andrea

New Beginnings

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card3-130216It’s been a while since I’ve needed a card for someone going in to a new home, but recently I did, so I used a beautiful image from TiddlyInks called Home Sweet Home to create my card.

I printed the image on to Fabriano Drawing card stock and coloured in using Prismacolor Pencils, and Zest-it for my blending.  Not being very sure as to what sentiment to insert I settled on “new beginnings” in a delicate font on textured card, then cut it out and swiped with Distress Ink Tattered Rose.

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The main image was trimmed down so I could also sponge the DI down the side, but this time the main card base was a smooth white so the two sections ended up looking completely different.

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I have to say I love to colour and could spend hours upon hours doing it, but then I also need to fit in my reading obsession!  Nothing too heavy – contemporary romance – just something to relax with 🙂  Although I did go through a Stephen King fad many years ago, but I tend to have bad dreams lol!

Enjoy the remainder of your Sunday!

Smiles,

Andrea

Penciled Daisy

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Hi all!  I’ve been enjoying a wonderful summer break by spending my days colouring, reading, designing, and in-between these good times I’ve thrown in some housework, but only because the need arose!  I’d spend all my time at the computer or my craft desk if I could (Oh, and reading!) 🙂

I created a couple of cards a few days ago and amongst it tried to produce a video, but because it’s been sooo long since I’ve done a video, and because now I have a different camera to the one I use to use, it’s taken way longer than I would’ve liked and I’m heading back to work tomorrow so wanted to at least post my cards!

Today I’ve used the set Squared Posies and printed my image on to Fabriano Accademia paper.  This set was designed by me and originally produced as a clear stamp set which is now discontinued, but I’ve transformed the set to digital.

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I used a background stamp on the textured white card stock and stamped in Antique Linen.  In both cards the sentiment is stamped in Walnut Stain and the two panels made from the same textured card stock using the stamp pads to colour them.

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To this second card I added some 3mm Cocoa Sprinkles (still to be added to the shop!), and some natural twine.

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Prismacolor Pencils are always wonderful to work with so I had a blast!  To blend I used paper stumps and Zest-It!

Have a great week everyone!

Smiles 🙂

Andrea