June Color of the Month is Sea Breeze. We feel this is the perfect color to welcome the summer with dreams of ocean waves and beach loving fun! This is also a month we will be doing a trade with Joy Clair stamps. Joy Clair makes acrylic stamp sets that have empowering and spiritual themes that are great images for bible journaling, scrapbooking or cardmaking.
Welcome to another set for our Artist Project Swap with Iris and Jowilna. For the Month of May, we challenged our artists to exchange tutorials and create each other’s designs in order to see how each of our artists interprets style and choices. The receiving artist did not know who designed the project, nor did they receive any images! In today’s post, Jowilna gives the directions and recommended supplies list and Iris created the project.
I had the pleasure of creating Jowilna Nolte’s project. It’s a lime and black colored star card, which I found unique and fun to make. I learned new ways of using StazOn Studio Glaze on paper. Jowilna’s project calls for real or faux stitching. I always found stitching on mixed media and cards to look awesome but I can’t sew. I found that hand-drawn stitching created a fun whimsical look in its place. I can’t believe I never tried it before, but will from now on!
I like the “You’re a Superstar” sentiment for this card. I think it can be suitable for a graduate. It also makes for a great mother’s or father’s day card as well. Many of us think one or both parents are superstars; for raising us, being supportive and cheerleaders in our lives. I hope you consider making this card for the superstars in your life.
Use smooth white cardstock and attach an alphabet stencil to the cardstock piece using washi tape or masking tape.
Ink with Memento Dye Ink in Pear Tart and Inkblushers.
Carefully remove the stencil and leave the ink to dry thoroughly.
Add a few drops of StazOn Studio Glaze in Cactus Green onto the stenciled sheet. Let Dry.
Use StazOn black ink and stamp a star image onto the background as a focal point. Did not have the star stencil, so I cut out my stencil with using a precision knife and card stock paper.
Add sewing machine stitched detail around the star or add fake stitches using a permanent marker. Here I used a gel pen in white.
Use Memento in Cottage Ivy and Pear Tart and an ink blusher and add ink around the outside edge of the star to highlight it.
Once the ink is dry add graphite pencil scribbles over those highlights.
Use a gold glitter star (or die cut one from glitter paper) and add a layer of StazOn Studio Glaze to add a green tint to the glitter. Add a glitter star to the center of your stamped star. Stamp a happy sentiment onto a scrap of cardstock and place below concentric stars. I hand cut a cardstock star, used gold glitter and glue. The glaze seals the glitter nicely.
Trim the background to fit onto a folded card and adhere to the front of the card.
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Galaxy backgrounds are very popular nowadays and it’s no wonder because it is very beautiful and also fun to create. Today, I will be sharing a super quick and easy way to create it using Goosebumps spray and Fireworks Sprays in Rosebud, Danube Blue & Sweet Plum. See how I created this card with the sentiment that reads, “I love you more than the stars” which is a wonderful message to share with someone you love.
Welcome back for another Artist Project Swap with Martha and Steph. For the Month of May, we challenged our artists to exchange tutorials and create each other’s designs in order to see how each of our artists interprets style and choices. The receiving artist did not know who designed the project, nor did they receive any images! In today’s post, Steph writes the directions and recommended supplies list and Martha created the project.
This month the Artist in Residence team made a wonderful exercise or swap project challenge. Each designer created a project and send the instructions and photo to our coordinator. Then we received another project to follow the instructions, without a photo or who exactly created it. This is the swap project I received and can you believe that after made the card I discovered who was the author of the instructions…I recognize the style!
Skill: Intermediate
Time: 30 minutes + dry time
Create the base of the card using olive card stock. The size of my card is a regular size 4-1/4″ x 11″ with a score at 5-1/2″ for the centerfold. Cut a white cardstock of 4″x 5-1/4″. Place a background pattern stencil on the white panel and ink with Brilliance in Pearlescent Lime.
Ink sheer ribbon with lime ink. When dry, wrap around the matted panel. Knot with twine on the right side of the panel. Added the panel to the card with foam adhesives.
Using a stamp positioning tool and a flower stamp, ink the steam and leaves with the Brilliance in Pearlescent Lime. Ink the flower with the Memento Marker in Angel Pink. Stamp image onto white cardstock. Re-stamp the flower using the Memento Marker in Rose Bud around the edges. Fussy cut the flower.
Die cut brown and white cardstock shapes with graduating sized dies. Adhere together with Tear It Tape. Place on left side of the card with foam adhesives, overlapping the ribbon. Trim shapes as needed to align with a patterned piece on the left edge. Adhere the stamped flower on top. I used square cross stitched die cuts from Gina Marie Designs. Stamp “Just For You” sentiment. Ink edges and mat with brown cardstock. Add near the top of the card with foam adhesives. Reading through Steph’s instructions I realized I didn’t have a “Just For You” sentiment so I replaced with “Dear Friend” which is just as nice.
Definitely, it was a very good experience to swap projects and the best part that was I could replace materials and give to the project my personal touch.
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Welcome back for another Artist Project Swap with Martha and Steph. For the Month of May, we challenged our artists to exchange tutorials and create each other’s designs in order to see how each of our artists interprets style and choices. The receiving artist did not know who designed the project, nor did they receive any images! In today’s post, Martha writes the directions and recommended supplies list and Steph created the project.
This month we were given another team member’s project to re-create. What a great way to see how someone else approaches cardmaking! I love creating backgrounds using stamps and inks, but don’t generally have a lot of “white space” on my cards. I’ve always felt the need to cover white spaces. This project challenge taught me that you can use white spaces to create amazing projects. See how I did it!
Skill: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes
Ink background stamps with VersaMagic in Cloud White on white paper and let dry.
Using daubers, ink panel with Memento in Morocco, Rhubarb Stalk and Peanut Brittle which should create a warm hue.
Cut the panel to fit the card. Save the scraps. Die cut a circle from the center of the panel and set it aside to use for a second card design later.
Ink a paisley stamp with VersaMagic in Cloud White. Stamp it several times in the circle. Re-ink paisley stamp with Memento ink in Rhubarb Stalk and Morocco. Stamp each color several times around the circle, stamping off the circle. Stamp phrase in center of the circle with VersaMark and emboss with White Embossing Powder.
Add the circle to a card placing it slightly off the card. Cut off the excess. Using the scraps, cut two different sized strips. Ink the edges of the scrap pieces with Memento Rhubarb Ink and add to the card. Add drops of IrRESISTible in Wedding Dress around the card.
Using the punched panel create a second card. Ink the die cut panel with Memento in Rhubarb. Add the panel to a white card base. Stamp the Mary Elizabeth Frye paragraph from Whimsy Stamps with Memento in Rhubarb on a smaller die cut circle. Mat with medium sized kraft die cut. Add to center of the card. The two additional dies can be size from the Spellbinders stackable sets. Stamp “With Sympathy” in Rhubarb Ink on a leftover scrap and mount with foam adhesives, slightly overlapping the circles.
These two card designs come together quickly if you plan to coordinate the original circle punch.
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There are simple principals papercrafters and mixed media artists can follow to create gorgeous designs. If you think about the cards, scrapbook layouts, and canvases that you love, what are the defining elements? In the crafting industry, you hear words and phrases like “clean and simple, monochromatic and layered” which refers to a style or technique. But, the simple fact is that the creations you feel the most attracted to have one thing in common–good design.
Whether it’s a bright and bold piece or a soft and subtle piece, color can either draw you in or send you flying. Let’s start with the color wheel. A color wheel itself is quite appealing and often in papercrafting, you see the use of rainbows as a part of the concept. But let’s talk about colors that can be put together to really entice your audience to want more.
Some of my favorite crafters use these complimentary colors so beautifully that it’s hard to look away. Complimentary colors are those opposite of each other on the color wheel. Card designs with blue and orange, red and green or purple and yellow paper colors or matching inks tend to stand out. When applying color theory to your project, remember not to think of these colors in a rigid way. Blue can have many hues and saturation such as turquoise, sky blue, and teal so the compliment is not a static orange but a coral, light orange, or yellow-orange. There are many tools and color charts to help you explore color theory. See the links below for Imagine’s article on the subject.
The human eye is amazing. We can naturally pick up details that are difficult to explain. Often in mixed media, the main goal is to create texture and detail to allow the eye to get lost in the magic of wandering around the design. You begin with a plain flat canvas and you add various elements to create patterns of smooth and rough or raised and flat. Another point of interest with texture is the desire to reach out and touch an element on a piece of artwork. In the image above the “you” die cut has a layer of Creative Medium in Shimmer to give a shiny texture from the rest of the card. There are a number of products that help achieve texture in card making or scrapbooking. A few of my favorite are Creative Medium, irRESISTible and even the use of fabrics on a card or scrapbook page. If you are curious about the photo above then see the full tutorial.
Shape and form can go hand in hand when it comes to making a craft or a piece of art. Whether it is a square, star, heart, circle, or diamond, the shape is clear to identify and the list of possibilities is endless. Form has to do with dimension which can be another rabbit hole to explore. In paper crafting, shading an image, adding foam tape to a layer, or making a pop-up gives a project a 2D or 3D effect. Together, shape and form can change the whole appearance of a card and make it more visually appealing. In the photo above, the card has three layers–the hearts and sequins on the top, the pink linen layer has the large circles cut out in the middle, and “too sweet” sentiment and heart-shapes stamped on the base working in harmony to maximize visual interest.
When you hear people who design for a living speak about “line” they typically mean the addition of lines to add framing, cohesion or emotion. In card making, you often see people adding layers of paper. Layering can add little boxes to a design or layout that is an effective way to make a sentiment more noticeable. Or you might see hand-drawn doodles or stitching that has the same effect. Even a simple ribbon on a card can add a subtle line that says I’m finished, clean and organized. This line creates …. space! Space can be an important aspect as it really sets up the whole design. If too many elements are spaced oddly on a card the eye will not know where to focus. A quick and easy rule to remember is odd numbers tend to look better. If you’d like to add bling, try doing so in sets of three. This can often bring balance to your space.
Understanding these basic principals and using them to create a beautiful card, layout or canvas can help you love your artwork even more. These rules aren’t meant to constrain an artist but are intended to give you a place to start and to give you confidence. Try to keep the few principals in mind when creating and watch your creations be transformed.
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