Watercoloring Sketchbook Backgrounds

 It's my turn to host the Watercoloring tutorial challenge at Splitcoaststampers this week and I happened across a new to me artist (My Nature Diaries) on YouTube not too long ago where she shared background ideas in watercolor in a garden sketchbook. With this video seen here. I also had received this watercolor book for Mother's Day this year from my son so, I thought win win. Along with some handmade textured papers. 

 This does say it is 100% cotton paper and I thought why not. One thing that I really liked about her page she shared was the fact that there was also stamps and journaling mixed in with the sketched painted parts. I mainly started water coloring because, I wanted to be able to color my stamped images better or easier. and Of all the coloring mediums I have tried over the years, pencils are still high the list but, Water coloring is edging it out for the easiest one to do in a quick thing I guess. It takes a long time to build layers of color with pencils and I did not find markers to be an easy thing for me so, the water coloring even with the drying times seems faster I guess than pencils.  

So I opened it up to page two (back side of page 1) and decided to add some of this palette from Prima called Terrain ( which was also probably a gift a year or two ago ish?) and Then I clipped the other side and started a layer on it as well.

 I did add some blues to the greens thinking it would be "Sky" space, Although even in the back of my mind I was thinking I was not going to sketch anything I was either going to stamp some images that would be sketch style or wing it with a paint brush. (my book & no rules) 

 What it looked like the next morning dry.

This book pages are on the A7 size so, I dug out my scrapbooking size Misti to add this SU sketched Monarch Butterflies stamp to it, thinking I could restamp the image as needed but, this was I did not press to hard since it was not opened say in the middle of the book, I did not want to break the lid of my Misti so, it did not stamp perfectly in the center of the stamp but, I felt like it was "fix-able" with paint.

 

So I added some lunar black to the butterflies and other paints, along with some white gouache straight out of the tube ( which is another layer of texture) and then I decided to stamp this Penny Black (heart shaped leaves sprig) with some DOX iced spruce ink in the corner.

I did add some paints over the top of those leaves as they did not stamp perfectly either on the textured paper and then added in some stray grass lines and some splatters to the spaces where there were grass here. and so far, this is what it looks like. I do not get monarch butterflies in my yard and I did consider thinking about sketching some kind of a big leaf somewhere here and then adding more butterflies but, I am not really making a garden journal out of this, its more like a play book that may turn out a little better than the other books I have going on with not cotton paper that you know is something to flip back through later to see the ideas of how things worked or turned out I guess. I am debating if I want to paint in something with some Masking fluid as that was another of the ideas shown and so far I am still thinking about it. That's about it from me, if you'd like to play along with us you can find this challenge here at SCS. Thanks for stopping by. 
 

 On Wednesday AM I added some pencil lines for journaling with a water soluble pencil and then scratched on a thought I had about Milkweed Plants and Butterflies with a nib and some India Ink. what I don't know at this point is if I were to paint over those words if they will smear. I probably should have done some painting over there before the words but, such is life. 

More Christmas Tags

 So, after I had done the little 3X3 cards yesterday afternoon I remembered there were these packages of pre-made tags in one of the boxes I had shipped home from Mom's craft room. I have never bought these and I like to make tags so, I thought what the heck, I opened up this pack and there are quite a few tags in it and they had eyelets in the holes already. And then I seen some of them were kind of "rusty" looking probably from those eyelets. I am looking at this blog post from a small screen laptop and the photos look tiny this way, to see the details better if you are doing the same click on them, they should open up as a larger photo and you can use your browsers back button to continue reading. (old eyes, its about that time for a new RX I am guessing haha) 

So I tend to have vintage photo ink on the table all the time but, I also have some antique linen out at the moment as well so, they all got color dusted along the edges. 

And I picked up a pad of DCWV Season of Joy ( its from 2022 so, may still be available at small stores?) not sure but, its one of those happy things when you find a pad that you like just about every single sheet in it. and one of the hard things for me are those pages that have the little I think you are supposed to cut them up so, I did cut up one of those I guess they are sentiment block sections and cut strips from the printed paper and just trimmed it I did not dig out any dies for this. 

 

the lace on this was a scrap on the table, the Merry & Bright is foiled into that printed paper. I have not inked or added a to / from sentiment to the backs of them as of yet but, that is coming later today I am thinking.

I had finished 3 of these tags last night before we went to dinner but, I knew the other 7 were sitting on the table so I waited until they were all done ish to post this. They are not really inspired by any particular wrapping paper but, they follow along with that same basic idea I guess. 

The green sheer ribbon is probably something generic from Joann's that I have had for years, the stamped sentiments were done a month or so ago one day when I was cutting up scraps (that you can see in that little milk glass tray) and I have already forgotten what sets they came out of or what dies I used ones that fit them. 

A mug shot that includes today's tags and the front of that pad of paper, I am almost thinking if I find it for sale again I'd buy another one but... (smack my hand already I own a metric ton of printed papers and so, I felt kind of victorious that I cut up so many sheets from the pad to do this stack of tags I am thinking, no it did not make a visible difference in my stash but, I am impressed with my self that I used so much. 

Those itty bitty brads in the tags and charms are from Recollections. (Micheal's) The red Hemp string I think is Lawn Fawn? I know that framed from our hearts sentiment that was cut with scissors is a Penny Black and the circle above it is from Red Lead. 

 I am kind of leaning towards the green Pine cone one laying on its side could have a name or monogram on it so, It's just like this for now. It's hard to see but, there is also a little pine cone charm tied onto its ribbon with some slippery (plastic feeling) raffia string. Those just for you tags are Northwoods. The Framed from our family is one of the first Dollar bin stamps I ever bought and it has some red stickles glitter glue in the heart. 

The back sides received this IO stamp done in Acorn ink, the bitty hearts were colored with a fineliner pen and the edges have some DOX vintage photo ink. That's about it from me. I hope you are doing well & thanks for stopping by. 

Inspired by {Aspen & Arlo}

 This week Denise is sharing the Aspen & Arlo site that has some seriously ( I want) Wrapping papers. I sent my self emails with links to a half a dozen of them and then started looking at my printed papers. ( I have so many I need to start using these things) So, I settled on this white chapel paper thinking I had something similar and found these lanterns on an Carta Bella Christmas pad from a few years back.

I started chopping up prints that had the lanterns on them and then set the ones with trees to the side as I knew I had seen wrap with just trees printed on them as well.  

These "Lanterns" had the same feel to them to my eye as that Chapel print these are 3" X 3" square in real life on random scraps that had been cut and scored to that for little folding gift cards.

Same pad of paper and these are also 3"X3" in real life. I am really liking the simplicity of these and am eyeballing the clock to see if I have time to knock out a few more in this same size and or theme of Christmas gift cards this evening. If I do I will add them here and edit this post. That's about it from me, if you'd like to play along with us you can find this challenge here at Splitcoaststampers. Thanks for stopping by. 

Watercoloring with a Dry brush an Abstract bloom

 This week Linda is sharing a dry brush style abstract bloom seen here on YouTube by Cailey. And so, I did watch it and then changed the colors to corals for the one I tried.

 first layers of paint.

 Second layer of paints.

 added a little more to the center and a few dots of paints.

 a few more dots of paints in the center and splatters of paint. and so, this is where I stopped with it, I am thinking that It is one of those things you need to practice a while to get something you may use doing this. So, I did do this in the Strathmore Travel pad I have on the backside of one of the pages. I did use Daniel Smith watercolor paints and I think I will try this again some time. That's about it from me, you can find this challenge here to play along with us. Thanks for stopping by. 

 

Father's Day

 A few weeks ago I hosted the watercoloring challenge ( seen here ) and I had started a second block that finished like this.

first layers of paints

 second with some splatters

I stamped on the leaf ( thinking Unity stamps here) with the sentiment might be (Ellen Hutson) and then diecut that with a triple stitched frame. This is A2 in real life and I was able to clear off the table enough to have a flat space to put a happy Father's day inside of it this morning for Hub's dad. 

 

My Desktop Saturday AM. I did move all those tool containers around the corner to the place where I laminate stamp sheets. ( last flat space standing) 

So Last January when mom died I did mail a few boxes of stamps to myself trying to make some space for Tim in her studio that had turned into a storage closet room and those had been stacked up around the corner not in these photos. This last trip down and back I did open and pack up every single box in that room and hauled the bulk of it with Tim to his garage so he can he has a realtor friend whose other friend has garage sales and ebay sales to help people. and we cleared out the room to become a guest bedroom. And I mailed stacks of boxes to myself for a week straight in that process. This last week I opened the boxes and started trying to sort things into like category piles. 

 

some of these things on the table ( were mine and I had them out before I left and I probably should have put away my letterpress stuff before I started unpacking but, such is life.) 

 Today will be the first day I get to stay home all day ( and mostly alone after Hub's leaves to go fishing) 

what a mess eh? It's a lot overwhelming. and just plain A Lot. I have people I can gift duplicates to but, there is still the sorting and re-packing to do. plus the trying to find space for the things I would like to keep.

Where things stand at the moment gives me a tiny flat space to create in and I really need that. I hope you all are doing well, Thanks for stopping by. 

Watercoloring aShades of Blue Landscape

 This week Brenda is sharing this video seen here on YouTube by Nasim Art called easy painting of trees Lovely watercolor painting for beginners. Which is an landscape with a forest done in shades of blues and greys, in 8 minutes or so not counting drying times.

So I started with a square of Arches cold press cut to 4 1/4" square and I let this mostly dry before I started the trees. well, actually I did one tree trunk and found it was not really that dry so, after that I let it sit.

and I did add it more tree trunks, a few branches. Some foreground shadows and popped a couple of birds flying into the scene from the distance. 

 

I decided I liked this how it looks with the shadows on the ground under the trees and I did not add the dog walker figures to the scene.

 I used an Spellbinders mat basics 6" square die to trim the painted panel, ran the Tim Holtz blue texture through an Penny Black embossing folder and took a piece of sand paper to that to bring out the script a little more. The grey corrugate is from an DCWV pad and that ribbon is from May Arts. The base here and the liner are some Neenah ( navy linen & solar white) This one is 5 1/2" square in real life and I have not added a sentiment to it as of yet, but I am thinking it may become one of the Father's day cards this year. Not sure yet. That's about it from me, If you'd like to play along with us you can find this challenge here at SCS. Thanks for stopping by.