Wanderlust 2022: Watercolours – weeks 29-35

Posted on 28th September 2022 by perfectly4med

I’ve procrastinated a bit on my homework for this section as I and watercolours often do not get on well together. The lessons have been great on Wanderlust 2022, with each of the tutors carefully and patiently explaining the techniques they use so that they are, in the main, replicable. Here are my results from weeks 29-35…

Various mixed media techniques on papers other than watercolour paper have generally worked ok. I still haven’t fallen in love with watercolours as a medium, but am glad I have tried them. Oh, and buying decent tube watercolours made such a difference to the vibrancy of the colours over the student quality hard pan collections I normally use.

LIM DT: Friendship (for World Cardmaking Day)

Posted on 24th September 2022 by perfectly4med

Apparently, World Cardmaking Day is held every first Saturday of October and is dedicated to those that prefer to make cards rather than buy them. In honour of this, the latest challenge at Less is More is to make a CAS card on the theme of friendship. I made the following card, and I’m not sure I like it! I think that the blue shading around the top and bottom of the rose detracts from the clean and simple aesthetic.

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Bible Journaling: Prayer

Posted on 19th September 2022 by perfectly4med

I’ve been asked by my Bible journaling session guests to teach them some coloured pencil techniques at our next class (10th October). Let me know if you’d like to attend and I’ll give you all the details. We’ll explore gradients, texture and shading to illustrate verses in our wide-margin Bibles on the theme of prayer:

A free downloadable PDF template for each of the verses is available from my shop, here.

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AAA Cards DT: Colour theme ± dots #224

Posted on 18th September 2022 by perfectly4med

A new challenge has just been published over at the AAA Cards challenge blog. This time, it is to create a clean and simple card using a colour theme set by a photo with the optional extra of using dots. I picked out the primary four colours from the inspiration photo and spent a bit of time matching them to archival ink colours before stamping them onto white card using the same dotty stamp. Now, I usually avoid layers on my CAS cards, but most guidelines specify no or few layers so I feel I can get away with two. I like the individual pieces’ drop shadows and the depth they provide.

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LIM DT: Black and white colour scheme

Posted on 10th September 2022 by perfectly4med

This ended up being a fast and simple card once I had chosen the stamps! The challenge over at Less is More for the next fortnight is to create a clean and simple card using just black and white. I was tempted to add shades of grey as shadows and to add some depth but decided it wouldn’t meet the challenge.

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AAA Cards DT: No layers sympathy card #223

Posted on 4th September 2022 by perfectly4med

Here’s a clean and simple card design for a no layer sympathy card. It’s the latest theme over at AAA Cards. No layers means exactly that – all the elements need to be on the card blank, no matting and no embellishments (which count as a layer). They are one of the trickiest challenges to do. My card is just about the simplest I have made!

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LIM DT: Use Vellum

Posted on 27th August 2022 by perfectly4med

The recipe challenge this week over at Less is More is to use vellum in your clean and simple card design/make. One of the trickiest things is to find a means of attaching it to the card without the glue showing as a darker area given its translucency. I’ve got around this by taping a fold-over flap to the inside of the card. I found the flower in a long-neglected box of Pergamano parchment craft. I mounted it on black to get the right contrast for the white of the stretched vellum. The sentiment is stamped in white pigment ink several times to get it opaque.

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AAA Cards DT: Moodboard #222

Posted on 21st August 2022 by perfectly4med

Yet another challenge at AAA Cards this week! The theme this time is a moodboard (shown below) with the optional twist of it being a get well card. For those unfamiliar with making a clean and simple card from a moodboard, you can choose any element to base your design on, e.g. colours. I’ve taken inspiration from the bottle in the bottom middle image and found a never been used stamp in my stash to match:

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Bible Journaling: Joy

Posted on 16th August 2022 by perfectly4med

My latest series of Bible journaling illustrations are based on the theme of joy. I’ve used gilding on some of them and will be teaching the process at my next session on 12th September 2022 at The Studio.

The template file is downloadable for free from my shop.

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LIM DT: Favourite Flower – a OLC

Posted on 13th August 2022 by perfectly4med

Just in case you need reminding, OLC stands for ‘one layer card’ where you aren’t allowed to use any layers other than the cardstock that forms the card itself. It’s the latest challenge over at Less is More, along with the theme of your favourite flower. Die cuts are out, as are most embellishments so it’s a difficult challenge. I don’t particularly have a favourite flower, but I do have a favourite daisy stamp so I went with that!