I'm back today with another watercolored card. Several weeks ago I dedicated a Saturday to some watercolor practice; leaves, and little cottage roses. I didn't have any intent or thought of actually creating a card, it was just going to be practice. When I was done for the day, I surveyed my practice pieces and thought, I think I'm going to cut some out and use them on a card after all.
I love that all I had to do to complete this card was add a sentiment. My newest Penny Black sentiment set, Forever and Always was a perfect fit. I embossed it with Rangers Liquid Platinum and added a few flat sequins (don't you love the mirrored look to those sequins?) I trimmed out and popped up my watercolored pieces and added them to the corners and laid it all on two pieces of scalloped pink blush paper from PaperTrey Ink. I think this is one of my favorite Valentine's Day cards this year. I love a happy accident!
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| Sentiment Stamp from Penny Black (Forever and Always) |
I love little pieces like this. Have you ever seen the wonderful art of Susan Branch? I have several of her books. I remember reading one all the way through on a flight from San Francisco to Washington, DC -- I was hooked by the time I got home. Her dainty drawings and watercolor fill her books and appeal to me in a big way.
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| Watercolor Practice Pieces |
Sincerely,
Susie ~
I've had a somewhat painful visit today, Susie. The beauty of it. Your artistry. I'm not sure I would use stamps if I could watercolor like you. It's one thing to fill in an illustration, but quite another to create the illustration yourself. Add to that your eye for composition, your card crafting skill... amazingly beautiful results. I had not heard of Susan Branch, but I looked her up. Enchanting!
ReplyDeleteLeslie you make me blush. I remember my very first blog post - it was a photograph! I was so scared to write anything back then. I thought to myself, now why would I write about how to create the card I just posted. All of the designers I followed were seasoned designers (include yourself in that statement). I felt like I needed to find my voice in the card crafting community. So I started choosing illustrations I could relate a story to. I've always wanted to bring out my watercolors and begin practicing again, and now I'm more confident and less concerned with what others think. I'd love to write and illustrate a children's book - the main character? Nana Banana, with her faithful sidekick by her side in all the fun and misadventures of childhood. Wouldn't that be fun?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your email, Susie. Oops, I forgot to click the "notify me" button. I meant to do that and will try, try, try to remember in the future. I've thought so many times about buying a watercolor "how to" book. Afraid to disappoint myself, I guess. I understand about your blogging thoughts. When I first started I always had a story to tell with the card, then some life/job (mostly job) stresses took the storyteller out of me and I never quite got back to it. Also, I still wonder sometimes why I blog, but I realize it's just the fun of being a part of the stamping community. I have nothing to sell, but I love to stamp and blog!
ReplyDeleteI have just the books for you, all available through Amazon. 1. 365 Days of Art: A Creative Exercise for Everyday of the Year, 2. Modern Watercolor: A playful and contemporary exploration of watercolor painting, 3. Everyday Watercolor, and 4. Print and Pattern: Nature I have found they are an excellent way to break up card crafting while taking your art another step. I had to step away from crafting while Teddy was a little guy because I just didn't have the time. Even now, if I have to really concentrate I have to go upstairs alone otherwise my little shadow will be right there. Now that he is in kindergarten I have a little more free time. I'm delighted to back sharing my work. I think some of my recent ideas have helped with the frequency of my posts.
DeleteOh my gorgeous watercoloring!! Please post more of your watercoloring practice, I really enjoyed this so much!! Beautiful work!!
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