One Little Tag Craft Challenge. #254

Using Julie Fei Fan Balzer technique, create background using dylusions paints and stencils.  Stamp image on shipping tag Archival Ink Jet Black.  Tear background and adhere around stamp images. Apply washi tape to the tag.  Highlight the tears and washi tape with watersolible graphite pencil.  

Video with the background technique https://youtu.be/xEWsO7qR0Bg

Squid Watercolor......Kinda

I love watercolor. I think anyone who is a watercolorist is amazing and very talented. 

I want to be a watercolorist. I probably should at least take a class or read a book, huh?  Well instead I did some looking on the web and found a way to cheat at watercoloring so I was all for it. The website was 30 minutes crafts.

http://30minutecrafts.com

 I used inktense pencils and blocks instead of watercolor. 

Ingredients 

Watercolor paper (I used my mixed media journal)

Stencil (see below)

Masking Tape

Inktense Pencils 

Inktense Blocks

Pencil Sharpner

Waterbrushes 

Paper Towel

1.  Tape stencil to paper. 

2.  With a the darkest jellyfish color pencil outline the stencil. It is much easier to do with a very SHARP pencil. I applied pressure to the stencil as I traced it to decrease its movements. 

3.  Color in with the two lighter colors for the jellyfish. Connect the bridges created by the stencils.   I added some blue and yellow highlights to the body of the jellyfish to give it some depth. 

4.  Using the smallest waterbrush blend the edges and small sections of the stencil. Then with the medium waterbrush for the next largest areas and finally use the large waterbrush to color in the top and other large areas. 

5.  Use a paper towel to clean the brushes between colors and to mop up any extra liquid.

6. Carefully remove the stencil and clean it. 

7.  Color in the underside of the body with yellow and blend with waterbrushes. 

8.  With darkest blue pencil outline the jellyfish. 

9.  With the medium blue pencil color in between the tentacles and around the dark blue line.  

10. With lightest blue pencil color around the outline. 

11.  With inktense block in same color as the lightest pencil color the rest of the paper. 

12.  Use waterbrushes to blend the blues. 

13.  Let dry. 

Now all your friends will be impressed with your water color skills.

This stencil is a squid/octopus/jellyfish included in the book "Stencil Me In" by Marthe Le Van. 

I confess I have not read the book yet but it comes with 24 of the most awesome stencils. 

Watercolor on!!!!

Sometime You Need a Camera's Perspective

I was struggling with this journal page. To me it seemed to need something, but what I could not figure out. So I snapped a picture thinking I would use it to illustrate the blog how-to. When I went to crop the picture. Low and behold I like the page. Go figure. 

It's actually a pretty simple page.  The background was me experimenting. I have done this technique with acrylic paint and plain rubbing alcohol but never thought to use alcohol inks until now. 

Ingredients

Acrylic paint 

     Golden Hansa Yellow Light

     Golden Naphthol Red Light 
Alcohol Ink (I used Adirondacks Sunset Orange)

Water

Brush

Stencil (I used The Crafters Warehouse Ribcage)

Painters Tape 

Gesso

Paper for Heart (I used a popcorn bag)

Glue stick

Black Pen (I used Pitt Artist Pen in black with brush nib)

Gelato - Black 

Scrap Paper for Heart mask 

Scissors

Deco Tape (I think this tape is recollections from Michaels)

Steps

1.  With paint brush and clean water, wet down page. 

2.  Thin yellow paint with water and wash over page. The acrylic paint needs to be very watery for the alcohol to displace the paint. 

3.  Drop orange alcohol ink in random spots. It like magic and cool to watch. Let dry. 

4. Using paper mask of heart and red paint create burst. Let dry. 

5.  Tape stencil down using painters tape. Dab gesso through stencil with foam brush. Let dry

6. Cut out striped heart. Glue in place. Outline with pitt pen and gelato. 

7.  Apply deco tape.