I is for

This month's alphabet for our A-Z techniques on the ArtVentures group is I. I could not think of anything so just got some supplies out and played around. I am calling this technique, Irridescent interference.

I started with watercolour paper and and stamped a Hero Arts stamp with Versamark. I coloured the image with Perfect Pearls. I then painted the piece with Dr. PH Martin’s Radiant watercolor inks, and heat set it.

When it was dry I stamped the image again with Tsukineko Opalite ink and applied interference Pearl-ex over the image.

To complete the ATC I added a flower and a leaf which I die cut, embossed with pigment inks and embossing powders, then stamped onto it while still hot to make a pattern.

Because I was experimenting, I made several different cards. For each one I started with the same colour family of Perfect Pearls and watercolor ink, then the same palette of Opalite ink and tried to used the same interference Pearl-ex, however with that I only had red, green, blue an violet.

The interference background is hard to see in the pictures, but it is really nice when held up to the light and the original Perfect Pearls also shows up through the inked background.

G is for .....

Continuing on with the ATC ( artist trading cards) A-Z techniques in ArtVentures, the next one is G, and I chose Gesso Newspaper Transfer for my technique.

I started with laying down a coat of gesso on some watercolour paper. The technique tutorial uses hot press, but I only had cold press so that is what I used. I tore up some scraps of newspaper and applied it over the gesso, waited a bit then pulled it off; continued doing this placing the newsprint in different ways, until the piece was covered. Note:This is really a "trial and error" to determine how much gesso to apply and how long to leave the newsprint on the surface.

I then applied various colours of Dr. PH Martin watercolours over the paper after the gesso dried, (the tutorial uses fluid acrylics, but again I had none so I substituted the watercolours).

After the pieces were dry I cut out an black and white image which is a freebie on Elizabeths blog, then coloured it with damp paintbrush and distress inks and attached it to the ATC.

To complete the card I edged it with a gold marker, applied some gems and German Scraps trim. I did not have any gold, so I coloured some black pieces with a Krylon gold paint pen. I also did not have enough of one pattern, so used two different styles, therefore a couple are a bit different.

Witches Hour Torso Tags

I just joined a new group Art for the Creative Mind and have already signed up for a couple of swaps. One of the swaps is where we make two torso shaped tags with the theme Witches Hour i.e. Halloween.

The first one I coloured with Clearsnap fluid chalk inks but it was not intense enough, so I spritzed the top and bottom with Glimmer Mists and went over the centre with some Mica Magic Burnt Orange ink. I stamped the Stampscapes Crooked Limb stamp with the Smokey Gray Versafine ink pad, then I added the images and saying from Vintage Paint Works which were one of the free downloads on their site.

To complete the tag, I added some little confetti stars at the top and some maple leaf punchies at the centre and bottom.

For the second tag, I started by punching out a circle and placing the negative part on the tag, and colored it with some yellow pigment ink then some silver over a portion of it, then added some iridescent violet mica watercolour paint over the same area.

I masked the circle with the punched out piece and using the tonal applicator stamp (Stampscapes), I added colour, starting with Clearsnap's Vivid yellow along the centre up to the top, then Marvy Matchables inks in Salvia Blue, Blue, Pale Violet and Green.

I stamped a Stampscapes fir tree, crooked limb stamp and a cloud stamp with Clearsnap's Coal Black Ancient Page. The Owl image is from Vintage Paint Works. The remaining images are from Dover Publications; (You can sign up and receive free samples each week from them by following the link).

Although I don't normally make any Halloween art, I did enjoy making these two tags.