Watercoloring with Distress Inks: Robots1 by Katzelkraft

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GOOD MORNING FRIENDS! In these long days of sheltering in place, I’ve been looking for something different to do craftwise. Not so different that I’d have to invest in a bunch of new supplies, but something different from my usual Copic coloring and the usual stamp companies. In a world where one day looks pretty much like the next, I needed something different.

I’ve been inspired by my friend Lisa Hetrick of IndigoJadeArt who shares her mad watercoloring skills on YouTube and in her weekly Facebook live videos. As I’ve said many times, I’m a frustrated watercolorist, but she has shared many tips and has inspired me to pick up my brush and give it another try.

Rowhouse Greetings | Robots 1 by Katzelkraft

So in my quest for something different, I came across some really fun and different stamps from Katzenkraft. This guy is from the Robots1 set which is available as an unmounted full plate rubber stamp set. There are four images in this set which I cut apart to make it easier to stamp the individual images.

Normally, you would use something like EZ Mount to create the foam cushion to mount the stamp to an acrylic block or to use in a stamping platform. I didn’t have any on hand so I used my Coccoina Glue Stick to apply a small amount of glue to the back of the stamp and adhere it to the door of my Misti. This glue is water soluble so when I was done stamping, I removed the stamp and wash it and the door of my Misti with a damp paper towel to remove the adhesive.

I stamped the image on Canson XL watercolor paper using Versafine Clare to get a crisp image. Although I have watercolor paints, I find that I get my best results using Distress Ink. I already know the colors and how they interact with water so some of the guess work is eliminated. I have the mini pads for all of my Distress Inks so I smooshed some ink onto a Caran d’Ache Palette. You could smoosh the ink onto a craft sheet or glass mat but I liked using the separate palette so that I could move the ink out of the way as necessary while I painted. I picked up the ink with a ZIG medium point waterbrush and I applied the color in layers, working light to dark. I made sure that each layer was dry, often using my heat gun, before moving onto the next color.

Rowhouse Greetings | Robots 1 by Katzelkraft

When I finished the coloring, I stamped the sentiment using Versafine Clare and embossed it with clear embossing powder. In the sentiment, the Os in the word food were actually images of donuts so I added a couple of gear embellishments to play on the mechanical theme. I cut the watercolor paper with the largest die in the Penny Black Simple Stackers set and adheres craft foam to the back. I backed it with a piece of navy cardstock. Then I adhered everything to a card base. Once the card itself was assembled, I added Nuvo Crystal Glaze to all the glass parts (clock face, goggles, etc.).

So there you have it! Something fun and different. I have a long ways to go with my technique, but it’s been fun to try something different and go outside of my Copic comfort zone.

That’s all for today! Take care and stay safe!

Thanks for stopping by!

Disclosure: Below are the supplies I’ve used for today’s project. All items were personally purchased except those marked with an asterisk (*) which were provided by a store or design team. I never share a product I do not like. All opinions are my own. Read more.

Where available I use compensated affiliate links, meaning that at no cost to you I receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I use this money to support my blog. If you like my projects, please consider supporting me by clicking through these links when you shop. In addition to the affiliates listed in my disclosure, Thanks so much! Read more.

PAPER: Neenah Solar White 110#; Canson XL Watercolor Paper; Soft Navy card stock by Simon Says Stamp
STAMPS: Robots 1 by Katelkraft; Download Food by Crafter’s Companion
INKS: Versafine Clare in Nocturn; Distress Inks in Chipped Sapphire, Salty Ocean, Tumbled Glass, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn
DIES: Simple Stackers by Penny Black
EMBELLISHMENTS: Nuvo Crystal Glaze by Tonic Studios; Steam Punk Gear Mix (available from Amazon – see below); Nuvo Fine Detail Embossing Powder in Crystal Clear by Tonic Studios

Go Wild by Power Poppy for Inspire Me Monday!

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Rowhouse Greetings | Go Wild by Power Poppy

GOOD MORNING FRIENDS! I’m over on the Power Poppy blog today for Inspire Me Monday with a new card featuring the Go Wild clear stamp set by Power Poppy. So hop on over to the Power Poppy blog to see the full tutorial.

Full supply list for today’s project is shown below. See you back here soon!

Disclosure: Below are the supplies I’ve used for today’s project. All items were personally purchased except those marked with an asterisk (*) which were provided by a store or design team. I never share a product I do not like. All opinions are my own. Read more.

Where available I use compensated affiliate links, meaning that at no cost to you I receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I use this money to support my blog. If you like my projects, please consider supporting me by clicking through these links when you shop. In addition to the affiliates listed in my disclosure, Thanks so much! Read more.

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110#; Hammermill Color Copy Cover 100#; One Fine Day 6×6 paper pad by My Mind’s Eye
Stamp: Go Wild Stamp Set by Power Poppy
Inks: Amalgam Ink in Obsidian by Gina K. Designs; Versafine Clare in Nocturne by Tsukineko
Die: A2 Matting Basics A by Spellbinders
Stencil: Flourish Layering Stenci by Stampers Anonymous – Tim Holtz
Embellishments: Dreamweaver Embossing Paste by Stampendous; Sequin Mix in Silver Bells [RETIRED] by Honey Bee Stamps
Copics:

Online Copic Class – Tulla & Norbert

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In this online class, you will complete three cards featuring the Tulla & Norbert clear stamp set by PhotoPlay. This class is pared down to just Copics — no stenciling, heat embossing, foiling, etc. — so that we can concentrate on the basics. The marker colors were chosen to blend with the coordinating Tulla & Norbert design paper by PhotoPlay.

Since we are still social distancing, this Copic class is offered completely online so you can work on it from home at your leisure. It includes five videos as follows:

  • The first video goes over different blending techniques, including blending light to dark, dark to light, tip to tip, and what I often call speed coloring. Start here if you are new to Copic coloring or need to review blending techniques.
  • The next three videos show you how to color the each of the gnome images.
  • The final video shows you how to assemble the cards.
  • Rowhouse Greetings | Tulla & Norbert by PhotoPlay
  • Rowhouse Greetings | Tulla & Norbert by PhotoPlay

To participate, you’ll need to purchase the class kit from Photo Scraps and provide Tracy with your email address. Once the class videos are available, you will receive an email containing a link and password for the instructional materials. For additional information, please call Photo Scraps at (410) 549-5187.

Class fee $28 and includes the card kits and access to the instructional videos.

Class Supply List

COPIC MARKERS: Below are the markers and supplies that I will be using in this class. Please feel free to substitute where necessary to participate in class. If your markers are different colors than the ones I’ve selected or a completely different brand, you will obviously get different results. But this class is about technique and creativity. So don’t be afraid to try something different!

  • R20: Blush
  • R27: Cadmium Red
  • Y02: Canary Yellow
  • YG03: Yellow Green
  • YG17: Grass Green
  • BG11: Moon White
  • BG13: Mint Green
  • E000: Pale Fruit Pink
  • E11: Barley Beige
  • C1: Cool Gray No. 1
  • C3: Cool Gray No. 3
  • C5: Cool Gray No. 5
  • 0: Colorless Blender

ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES: You will also need the following –

  • Card kit purchased from Photo Scraps
  • Uni-Posca Extra Fine Marker (PC-1m.1) in White. You could try substituting a white gel pen, but I think you’ll have better results with the Uni-Posca marker.
  • Distress Inks in Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, and Peacock Feathers (you can substitute with Distress Oxides)
  • Nuvo Crystal Glaze or Glossy Accents
  • Scissors
  • Foam tape or foam squares (such as Gina K. Designs Foam Squares or Scrapbook Adhesives 3-D Squares). If desired, you can substitute Craft Foam (AKA Fun Foam) in place of the foam tape/squares).
  • Tape runner or other adhesive for assembling card
Rowhouse Greetings | Tulla & Norbert by PhotoPlay
Rowhouse Greetings | Tulla & Norbert by PhotoPlay
Rowhouse Greetings | In Praise of Sunflowers by Power Poppy

More Sunflower Power!

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings4 Comments

GOOD MORNING FRIENDS! Hope you are doing well in whatever level of quarantine you find yourself in today. It’s a rainy week here so tomorrow’s roof repair has been postponed to next week. We’ve been keeping ourselves busy otherwise with projects around the house and garden. We sent rugs out to be cleaned, installed shelving in the basement, and redesigned the raised flower beds in the back yard. I’ve been cooking more, although I really miss the social aspect of eating out. Some days are busy and focused and other days nothing gets done. I supposed that’s just the rhythm of the days in these crazy times.

In the meantime, I’m looking for things that spark joy and keep me going through our new normal. For some reason right now, that seems to be sunflowers so I once again pulled out my trusty In Praise of Sunflowers stamp set by Power Poppy and got to work.

Rowhouse Greetings | In Praise of Sunflowers by Power Poppy

To start, I stamped the sunflower and sentiment on white card stock using Versafine Clare in Nocturne, covered it with clear embossing powder and heat set the image. For the background, I blended Distress Ink in Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Fossilized Amber, and Scattered Straw, working from left to right and letting it fade to white. That alone was a pretty background but I felt like it needed something more. So I overlaid the image with the Flourish stencil and blended Barn Door over Spiced Marmalade, Spiced Marmalade over the Fossilized Amber, and Fossilized Amber over the remaining white. I trimmed the panel down to 3.75 in. x 5.5 in. and added a piece of craft foam to the back to provide dimension when I put the card together.

Rowhouse Greetings | In Praise of Sunflowers by Power Poppy

For the card edges, I used the Square Weave Pattern Stencil and ink blended the pattern along the top and bottom edge using Versafine Clare. I covered it with clear embossing powder and heat set it.

Rowhouse Greetings | Square Weave Pattern Stencil by Altenew

After putting the card together, I added a few sequins to add some sparkle.

Rowhouse Greetings | In Praise of Sunflowers by Power Poppy

Well that’s it for today. Oh – did it mention that it’s Fun Friday over at Power Poppy? So take a look at the beautiful cards from the design team.

Allison Cope
Christine Okken
Lisa Johansen
Stacy Morgan
Power Poppy Blog

Thanks for stopping by!

Disclosure: Below are the supplies I’ve used for today’s project. All items were personally purchased except those marked with an asterisk (*) which were provided by a store or design team. I never share a product I do not like. All opinions are my own. Read more.

Where available I use compensated affiliate links, meaning that at no cost to you I receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I use this money to support my blog. If you like my projects, please consider supporting me by clicking through these links when you shop. In addition to the affiliates listed in my disclosure, Thanks so much! Read more.

Paper: Neenah Solar White 80# & 110#
Stamps: In Praise of Sunflowers by Power Poppy; M-Powering Words by Power Poppy
Inks: Versafine Clare in Nocturne by Tsukineko; Distress Ink in Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Fossilized Amber, and Scattered Straw by Ranger – Tim Holtz
Stencils: Flourish by Stampers Anonymous – Tim Holtz; Square Weave Pattern Stencil by Altenew
Embellishments: Nuvo Embossing Powder in Glacier White and Crystal Clear by Tonic Studios; Honey Bee Sequin Mix by Honey Bee Stamps
Adhesives: Beacons 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue; Nuvo Deluxe Adhesive by Tonic Studios

Rowhouse Greetings | Bunny Friends by Penny Black Stamps

Bunny Friends by Penny Black

Published on by Rowhouse Greetings3 Comments

GOOD MORNING FRIENDS! I actually had to look at the clock to be sure that it’s still morning. After so many weeks sheltering in place, not only do the days blur together, but the hours as well. It’s gray and rainy outside so I decided that a little spring cuteness was just the cure for a dreary day.

I have a soft spot for the critter images from Penny Black stamps and this one is one of my favorites. I’ve only been able to find it as a wood mounted stamp but I was able to easily remove the block so that I could use it in my Misti platform.

Rowhouse Greetings | Bunny Friends by Penny Black Stamps

The image is colored with Copic markers (see list below). For the pots, I underpainted the shadowed areas with a series of cool gray tones before applying the YR colors to give the pots more depth. For the bunnies, I blended from light to dark so that I could control the overall darkness and applied touches of R20 on the cheeks, ears, and paws to brighten the overall look. I used V20 to add shadows on the bunnies and around the pots.

For the grass, I flicked varying shades of YG markers and made of point of flicking over the base the pots even though it wasn’t on the image since grass would grow all around the pots, not just between or behind them. For the sky, I flicked varying shades of B and BG, darker around the pots and lighter as I worked my way up. I used colorless blender around the edges to fade the color into white.

Rowhouse Greetings | Bunny Friends by Penny Black Stamps

For the die cut sentiment, I blended Distress Ink in Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn on a scrap of white card stock and then ran it through my Big Shot using the Bloom die from Honey Bee Stamps. I cut two more and then stacked the layers together using my Xyron for added dimension. On the top, I applied two layers of Nuvo Crystal Glaze for shine and dimension. The additional sentiment is from the Bloom stamp set also by Honey Bee which I stamped with Versafine Clare ink.

Hope you found some inspiration. Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you again soon!

Disclosure: Below are the supplies I’ve used for today’s project. All items were personally purchased except those marked with an asterisk (*) which were provided by a store or design team. I never share a product I do not like. All opinions are my own. Read more.

Where available I use compensated affiliate links, meaning that at no cost to you I receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I use this money to support my blog. If you like my projects, please consider supporting me by clicking through these links when you shop. In addition to the affiliates listed in my disclosure, Thanks so much! Read more.

Paper: Neenah Solar White 80# & 110#; Hammermill Color Copy Cover 100#
Stamps: Bunny Friends by Penny Black; Bloom by Honey Bee Stamps
Inks: Amalgam Ink in Obsidian by Gina K. Designs; Versafine in Nocturne by Tsukineko; Distress Inks in Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn by Ranger – Tim Holtz
Dies: Crimped Frames by The Greetery; Bloom by Honey Bee Stamps
Embellishments: Nuvo Crystal Glaze by Tonic Studios
Adhesives: Beacons 3-in-1 Advanced Glue; Xyron Create a Sticker Maker
Copics: E30, E31, E35, R20 (bunnies); C1 C3, C5, YR20, YR21, YR24, YR27, R20 (pots); C3, C5, W1, W3 (snails); YG03, YG63, YG67 (grass); B0000, B000, BG10, 0 (sky)