Voting has begun for Round 3 of the PaperCrafts Gallery Idol competition. It will close this Thursday, June 13th. You can cast a vote over at the PaperCrafts Contest Page or just click on the 'Vote For me' link in my blog sidebar, if you've already registered and it will take you right to my card. You can use your Facebook account to sign-in or create a user login if you prefer. The 10 designers with the highest votes for their cards will move on to Round #4 next week. The challenge for this round was to make a stamped background and while I do a fair amount of stamping in my card making, stamping backgrounds is something I seldom do. It's interesting and can yield some great results but it's time consuming and with all the marvelous papers out there to choose from it's not something I fine myself doing often. Here is my card for Round 3.
After deciding I would use this stamp set to create my card I opted for a 5x7 size to be sure plenty of the background could be visible in the final piece.
I achieved the mottled, sueded texture by creating my base paper with watercolors. Though it might take some practice in terms of the brush work for someone who has never painted it's not very hard to do and here is a glimpse into what it looked like on my table.
Typically when you paint watercolors you prepare your paper by 'stretching it'. The process involves taping the paper down, wetting it and then letting it dry completely with the result being a paper that will stay taut through the painting process and wind up flat when your painting is done and dry. I did not use watercolor paper for this (I used a basic piece of heavy card stock) but I did tape all the edges down to help keep it flat. I used Windsor Newtown paint (Hooker's Green) and varying amounts of water to make very loose strokes all over the sheet. You want variation in this, leaving the paper showing through in spots and a mixture of light and heavier coverage. Once the paper is completely dry you can stamp on it as you would any paper.
If you enjoy creating your own background papers I encourage you to give this technique a try. It's both forgiving and fun. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to cast your vote too.
Happy Crafting!
PRODUCTS USED:
STAMPS: In Bloom (Papertrey Ink)
INK: Onyx Black (Versafine), Factory Green (My Favorite Things)
PAPER: Gingham (Fancy Pants), Purple Flag (Stampin Up). Leaves & Button (DCWV)
DIES/DIE CUTS: Fishtail Flag Layers Stax, Button -Blueprints 1 (My Favorite Things), In Bloom Coordinates & Turning a New Leaf (Papertrey Ink),
COLORING MEDIUMS: Alcohol Art Markers (Prismacolor). Chalk (Stampin Up)
OTHER: White Paper String (Tim Holtz), Swiss Dot Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug)
6 comments:
Very nice...i love the subtle variations!
Love the stamping of the background! You have used the colors and stamps superbly, Paula! Good luck on this round!
This card is lovely and I love the background - both the technique and the final result. I am intrigued to try a variation of this myself. Thanks for the details and the push. AND congrats on your Gallery Idol success thus far. Woot! You go girl!!
Gorgeous card Paula, I love your background! Congrats on round 3!
Tammy x
I love the watercolor paper you made! What a great idea for making custom papers. Your stamping and coloring is perfection! Good luck!
Hi paula, was admiring your work and just thought i would memtion that i have seen your work posted on pininterest. I noticed that you asked people not to repin and just use but this seems to be being ignored. Just wanted to let you know. Love what you do.
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