In the highlands, in the country places,
Where the old plain men have rosy faces,
And the young fair maidens quiet eyes...
~ R L Stevenson
Once upon a time in a village far away sat a little cottage waiting for spring. With the gales of winter past, tiny blossoms blanket the hillside and new lambs spring to-and fro playing silly lamb games. Raindrops splash against the window pane and she is reminded March in the highlands can still be cold and damp. She pulls her cape tighter, preparing for the long journey...
Hello Bluebird Friends!
I'm sharing another sweet storybook card with you today that encompasses some of my favorite friends. Our scene opens up through a make believe portal to a little cottage in the glen. I used the sweet Storybook Friends stamp to build a landscape around my sketched cottage on a round panel cut from Fabriano Artistico Hot Press watercolor paper.
Once I sketched and stamped the foundation I laid down a light glaze of watercolor and set it aside. I will go back to it later. To begin building the scene I like to stamp the elements on masking paper and fussy cut them. The slightly tacky paper allows me to arrange and rearrange until I am satisfied with placement. And in this case I did change it up in the end (she smiles). I didn't use some of the pieces you see here, but wanted you to see the process and how it can aid in building your design.
All the little characters were stamped with Distress Antique Linen ink on the Fabriano Artistico Hot Press watercolor paper. I prefer hot press for the smooth white appearance. The difference between hot press and cold press in a nutshell is the surface and texture of the paper. For this piece I've used several different watercolor mediums. The cottage scene and landscape is watercolored using Schmincke Horadam pan watercolors, and all the little storybook characters are watercolored with Kuretake Zig Watercolor Brush Pens. I like to use my pens a little differently by putting some of the watercolor ink on a small clear block and picking up the watercolor from there. This helps me avoid harsh lines and get closer to that no-line watercolor look.
To ground the scene I cut a little opened book from patterned paper as a visual for the story. Last, I arrange all the characters around the die-cut circle for the final layer. And, like my other storybook cards I've sprinkled some happy moments in stardust form along the path and around the cottage using Stickles Stardust glitter glue. All of the characters are adhered along the circle with glue or raised when appropriate with 3M double sided tape for additional dimension.
Those who know me know that I like to add in patterned paper when I can. I looked through my stash for a small pattern and found this wheat colored lattice pattern - perfect! I cut a circle one size smaller in the lattice pattern and adhered it over the cottage scene. Then I placed the circle with our characters over the scene. The path to our storybook card is complete.
Stamp sets used on this card:
Susie Lessard ~
Where the old plain men have rosy faces,
And the young fair maidens quiet eyes...
~ R L Stevenson
Once upon a time in a village far away sat a little cottage waiting for spring. With the gales of winter past, tiny blossoms blanket the hillside and new lambs spring to-and fro playing silly lamb games. Raindrops splash against the window pane and she is reminded March in the highlands can still be cold and damp. She pulls her cape tighter, preparing for the long journey...
Hello Bluebird Friends!
I'm sharing another sweet storybook card with you today that encompasses some of my favorite friends. Our scene opens up through a make believe portal to a little cottage in the glen. I used the sweet Storybook Friends stamp to build a landscape around my sketched cottage on a round panel cut from Fabriano Artistico Hot Press watercolor paper.
Once I sketched and stamped the foundation I laid down a light glaze of watercolor and set it aside. I will go back to it later. To begin building the scene I like to stamp the elements on masking paper and fussy cut them. The slightly tacky paper allows me to arrange and rearrange until I am satisfied with placement. And in this case I did change it up in the end (she smiles). I didn't use some of the pieces you see here, but wanted you to see the process and how it can aid in building your design.
All the little characters were stamped with Distress Antique Linen ink on the Fabriano Artistico Hot Press watercolor paper. I prefer hot press for the smooth white appearance. The difference between hot press and cold press in a nutshell is the surface and texture of the paper. For this piece I've used several different watercolor mediums. The cottage scene and landscape is watercolored using Schmincke Horadam pan watercolors, and all the little storybook characters are watercolored with Kuretake Zig Watercolor Brush Pens. I like to use my pens a little differently by putting some of the watercolor ink on a small clear block and picking up the watercolor from there. This helps me avoid harsh lines and get closer to that no-line watercolor look.
To ground the scene I cut a little opened book from patterned paper as a visual for the story. Last, I arrange all the characters around the die-cut circle for the final layer. And, like my other storybook cards I've sprinkled some happy moments in stardust form along the path and around the cottage using Stickles Stardust glitter glue. All of the characters are adhered along the circle with glue or raised when appropriate with 3M double sided tape for additional dimension.
- Storybook Friends
- Away in a Manager
- Banner Buddies
- Fairy Garden
- Field Mice
- Moose and Friends
- Rainy Day
- Fishin' Hole
- Springtime
- Spring Gatherings
- Pumpkin Time, and
- Companion dies for all sets.
A dainty tea awaits our friends as springtime blossoms in the highlands. I hope you've enjoyed your visit today and will create your own storybook card to share with us.
Very sincerely,Susie Lessard ~
This is such a magical scene! I'm enthralled with your creation. Thank you for sharing a bit how you achieve the look. Any recipient would be delighted to receive this lovely work of heart. Thank you SO much for sharing, Susie. I adore this! Hugs!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jeanne. I loved creating this card. This type of design allows me to do what I love best -- to tell a story using the imagery of a card. Thank you Jeanne for all your lovely comments and support during my time designing for Hello Bluebird Stamps.
DeleteHugs, Susie ~
Oh, Susie, I'm enchanted and struck speechless. I think you know how I feel. Suffice to say how I love this and admire your coloring and card making skill, sigh.
ReplyDeleteJaw-dropping, Susie! Wow! These animals are so sweet, so sweet, and your coloring is off the charts!
ReplyDelete