Hello everyone and Happy Friday! Today I'm sharing a card I've created for the Altenew Academy Level 2 Course: Beautiful Details. This course was one of my favorites thus far but also the most challenging for me. It's not a difficult course however it pushed me to experiment with technqiues and "let go" of my need to stay within my comfort zone.
My card today features florals from the Altenew "Majestic Bouqet" Stamp and Coordinating Dies Bundle. This is a huge, gorgeous set that I find myself coming back to often.
For my card, I wanted to create a sketchy design, so using a technique taught in the course, I "inked" 1 layer of the floral and leaf images with a Sakura Pigma Brush Marker and stamped. By inking the stamp with the marker, I got the sketchy, textured look I was going for.
TIP: The Sakura Brush Markers are filled with archival ink and the ink dries quickly. In order to get the image stamped before the ink dried, I used the "huffing" technique. If you're not familair with this technique, you breathe warm, moist air on the stamp making that familiar huffing sound when blowing the air from your mouth...thus huffing on the stamp. This proccess keeps the ink moist for a bit..long enough to stamp.
I stamped the image outline over the color in order to distinguish a flower and leaves. Now, this is where I had to "let go" of my need to continue adding color. I had a difficult time just leaving it alone to let those streaky, sketchy lines just be......and this is so not my style. I die cut the images and set them aside to prepare the background.
I wanted the background to match the sketchiness of the images but didn't know what to do. I thought about stenciling, hot foiling and watercoloring a background but those didn't appeal to my idea. Then it came to me, if I drag an ink pad down the card with just 1 pass, it would provide a sketchy look so that's what I did.
Using "Silver Lake" Crisp Dye Ink from the Gentlemen's Gray Mini Ink Cube Set by Altenew, I made a few passes down the card to get some background interest. To complete the background, I splattered with pink ink and doodled lines with dots using a Uni-ball Deluxe Micro Pen.
To complete the card, I arranged the florals and adhered to the card panel, popping up the front floral on craft foam. My sentiment was made using a Dymo Label Maker and the last beautiful detail I've added were Gray Pearl embellishments from Kat Scrappiness.
I didn't think this design was going to make it's way to completion. I had my doubts but after it was completed, I can honestly say I'm happy with it. I like the background and how it looks like old, weathered wood. I love the sketchy, artsy look of the florals and leaves. The Altenew courses have been so much fun and I have finished each course with a fresh outlook on techniques. The courses I've enjoyed the most have been those that have pushed me out of my comfort zone. It's a lesson in letting go and letting your creativity take over.
Until next time, Happy Crafting!
Donna
**Challenges Entered:
