Saturday, February 28, 2009

Brushless Watercolour Technique & a Card

Last Thursday night was my niece's 18th birthday so as a non-cardmaker, I decided to make her a card. My being a non-cardmaker is not like me being a non-scrapbooker...I've made 1 scrapbook page and will not do another one - too large a format for me! But as a non-cardmaker, I've made quite a few but still don't like to call myself a cardmaker - it's just a mental thing.....if you deny something often enough you can actually start to believe it! lol Not that there's anything wrong with cardmaking!!! Heaven forbid, atc's make great card fronts and if you make them so they can come off the front and attach to the fridge as a magnet - double bonus! So once again I've used a couple of the girls from the Stampotique range, the one on the front is called Prom Queen and the one inside is Girl with a Lunchbox. Just ignore the handwriting inside, s'pose I should've scanned it BEFORE I wrote in it. Duh!

On the front I used the Textured Branches embossing plate from the Cuttlebug range on some silver foil tape adhered to a chipboard frame, then rubbed with black acrylic paint and wiped it off leaving only a small amount in the crevices. Down the bottom I stamped with the metal letter punch stamps "Hayley is 18". Being an 18 year old girl I knew she'd get the "so what" attitude it exudes! lol
Inside...

I forgot to include this atc that I made for the alcohol Ink & Transparency (acetate) class that I taught last week. I love this stamp so much, it's another of Lina Cavalieri immortalised by Fornasetti. If anyone has a spare one of this stamp they'd be willing to sell, please contact me on my email addy above right - I have a friend who would probably sell her first-born for it...if she HAD a first-born that is!


My next atc class is called Brushless Watercolour and I've made these atc's using either Lyra watercolour crayons and Ranger Distress Inks. The Lyra's are like the Golden paints of the watercolour crayon world. Beautiful rich pigments, wonderful array of colours and so soft and easy to use. I know I've shown these atc's before as this was to be the class I was to teach before my Joan died on December 1st last year - consequently the class was cancelled and put on the back-burner.

It's strange, it feels like years since Joan's death, not the short 2 months, 3-1/2 weeks it has been. The word "passing" is too soft a word for me yet, "death" is much more hard, blunt and factual and this is what it is. In time it will soften, mellow and fade to a gentle ochre colour, right now it's still hard, in-your-face RED! I wonder how many other people think of emotions/thoughts/words as colours? I do it a lot, it's a subconscious thing, before I know it I'm thinking "what you're saying is making me feel a cool blue"! Okay, I admit it, I'm feeling a little "wordy" today.....no apologies though, your eyes can skim and I can still type what I want. Back to the atc's....

A diptych..."Dragonfly 1 & 2"... ("Odonata" stamp from Stampers Anonymous")


"Reseda Odorata"... (stamps from the wonderful "Nature's Moment's" set by Tim Holtz!!!)

"Polite"... (stamp from A Stamp In The Hand called "Girl with a Purse" - discontinued though)

"Heal"... (Judikins stamp - not sure of the name, it's a stone angel statue)

and my personal favourite, "Beyond the City Gates"... (stamps from Michelle Ward's Green Pepper Press plate called "Rough Draft")


Only 2 short weeks to go until Creative Soul Retreat in Melbourne!!! Woo-bloody-hoo!!! Bring on the learning/fun/frivolity/bonding/shopping/gawking!

9 comments:

Jen Crossley said...

Oh Kelsey how I love your work,you really inspire me to try new things.Cant wait to see you in Melbourne my friend
Love
Crozza

Chris said...

Okay, I think it's probably greedy to like the diptych the best, but I do. But it's really difficult to like anything best, because it's so close to equal a person's brain could explode trying to figure it out. So the bird is almost the best. Actually the first one is infinitesemally best, but I think it's probably been given to someone.

Basically, I like the city gates one with just about the same ferver as any of the other ones.

The safest thing is to send them all.

p.s. you've already run out of the boo ones from the previous post, haven't you?

okay.

Sam Marshall said...

Hi Kelsey,
Just adore the Stampotique girls. I'm LOVING the alcohol ink transparency ATC!!!
The brushless watercolours are amazing.
Totally get the colours of emotions.

Linda M. Cain said...

Since I was a watercolor artist before I started stamping and crafting, I have TONS of watercolor crayons!! Got to dig them out. Beautiful work..as always. The girl stamps just make me smile...they are so my 18 yr old GD..yes 18!!!
I'm old...
Your Friend in ART,
Linda

Lady Di said...

I received a Christmas ATC with that stampotique image and it's one of my favourite cards. I never tire of seeing your work, repeat it as many times as you want. 12 days now until I get on the plane to the retreat ... can't wait to meet everyone and I'm soooo excited.

Anonymous said...

loving what you share here kelsey and yep, time is a funny sort a thing isn't it.... talk soon. viv

Dot said...

I always love visiting your blog and seeing what you have been up to.

Gorgeous work as per usual. Your ATC's are always so inspiring.

Am looking forward to seeing you very soon!

Dot xx

Lost Aussie said...

Lovely techniques in all the artwork you have posted! Truly amazing!
Hope you are not sweltering too much.
xoxo
Marie

Anonymous said...

Once again you inspire so many! My personal fave here is Beyond the City Gates, so if you are looking for someone to pass it on to, feel free to pick me ....

Ok, I know you won't
Guess I have to make one myself!!

xx Natalie