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

Just starting!

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I am in denial!  Christmas can’t seriously be so close!  Why is it that every year I tell myself to be prepared where Christmas cards are concerned and then never am?!?  Well all I can say is “whatever”, “what will be will be”.  At this point in time I have three cards completed…yay!  That means three VERY lucky people 🙂  So here they are..

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I had to go bright, and I had to use my Inktense pencils.  Why you ask?…simply because I love them.  The backgrounds have been made using the Inktense blocks (I snuck that purchase a little while ago) and they make it soooo quick!

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The pink and purple turned out great I think, but my favourite would have to be the blue and green, but then that might have something to do with blue being my favourite colour!  An orange one will be on the cards next!

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Have a great week everyone.

Smiles,

Andea

More Balloons

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I think male cards are hard, and I think male cards for your son turning 23 even harder!  What do you create, or what sort of card do you even buy for that matter?!?  So I went with something easy, and I went with something I’d already created..a balloon, and times it by three!

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I have already used this balloon on this post HERE, and another before, but this time I made it smaller and added a simple sentiment before printing.  I’ve once again used Inktense pencils, partly because they were still out from last week, but mostly because I love using them.  I did a quick cover over the background with the colour Chinese Ink, then coloured the balloons.

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So what do you think…masculine enough?…old enough??  Oh well it’s too late now, the box is wrapped and the card attached!  I’ll add this balloon as a freebie soon for you to use, I just have a birthday to celebrate this weekend first!

Thanks for visiting!

Smiles,

Andrea

Another Birthday

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Another day, another wintery arctic blast, or so we’ve been told to expect!  Whatever the weather outside it’s perfect for a Saturday afternoon of card making!!

Nathan has a party to go to this afternoon so I’ve used the same balloon from my last card and made this one…

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It’s very bright and bold, but I’m hoping perfect for an 11 year old boy 🙂  I’ve coloured it with Inktense pencils then matted on to black card then a textured white card stock.

I had another card that I printed out ages ago to colour so I finished this one off as well..

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I’ve printed this image on smooth white card stock then coloured with Copic markers, adding a few highlights with pencils.  These images are from a digi set I’ll be releasing as soon as the new store is open..which isn’t far away now.

Have a wonderful afternoon whatever you may be doing!

Smiles,

Andrea

Birthday Balloon

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Hi all, I hope it’s warmer where you are than it is here!  We’ve had a week of frosts and fog until lunchtime and then not much sunshine from there…not nice at all, but it is wintertime!  It’s also school holidays here in Victoria and a great time to catch up on all those jobs that seem to get pushed to the side, but not a lot of that is happening here!

Today I had my Inktense pencils out once again because I just love how easy they are to work with, and I’ve coloured an image I created a couple of weeks ago to make a birthday card for a friend.

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Using the pencils I coloured directly on to the watercolour paper then used my brush and water to spread the colour and shade.  I only used two colours and even those these pencils are beautifully bright and vibrant they can also be subtle if you draw the colour out and away from your image.

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It’s time now to do a tidy up in my office and to get back to work (housework)!  Have a great day wherever you are 🙂

Smiles,

Andrea

Inktense Digi

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My long weekend proved very fruitful with the opportunity to play with my Inktense pencils once again….oh how I’ve missed them…and to see how a new set of dig’s I’ve created would turn out!

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I chose two images from the set and resized them to fill a 10cm x 10cm square which then went on a final card size of 14.5cm x 14.5cm.

I matted my final image on a panel of black to make the gorgeous Inktense colours pop.

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The colours I’ve used to create the scene are: Amber, Leaf Green, Nuetral Grey, Mallard Green, Sea Blue, Thistle, Deep Violet, Fuchsia.

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Before printing out my image I was going to add a font script but decided on a simple freehand sentiment in it’s place 🙂

I hope your week is going well!

Smiles,

Andrea