Sunday, February 9, 2014

Steampunk Birthday

A couple of weeks ago, I bought a whole bunch of Some Odd Girl stamps. I was so excited to use them, especially since one of the stamps was Steampunk Kaylee and I have been pretty much obsessed with anything Steampunk for a while now.

All the stamps got here in record time (and that includes the fact a bunch of mail was delayed due to the cold), and I was ready to sit down and create something awesome... Except, I just could not decide what I wanted to make.

After much agonizing, I went with something that's a mix of modern and vintage.

It took a very long time to color this image. Things like metal and texture are really hard to do with watercolor pencils! And there are a ton of small details on the image that needed close attention. I think next time I work with this stamp, I will use other ways to color it.

My favorite part of this card is something that's very barely visible in the picture (though it's more obvious on the card itself). I had used white watercolor paper for Kaylee, and it was just a bit too bright and new. But I'd already glued it to the card! I couldn't take it off to distress the edges. So, I did the next best thing and got a little creative.

I balled up a paper towel and pressed it into some Vintage distress ink. Then, I dabbed it onto the edges of the watercolor paper. It created a very cool spotty texture that gave a slightly worn and aged look - like maybe it had been handled by mechanics.

Supplies:
Stamps: Some Odd Girl - Steampunk Kaylee (girl, sentiment, gears), 7 Gypsies Beautiful Abundance (balloon)
Ink: Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black, Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink in Chestnut Roan
Paper: Ki Memories Vintage Charm
Base: Bazzill Peanut Fudge

3 comments:

  1. AWESOME! Elle, this is gorgeous and I love how you've coloured the image - especially the spanner. You've nailed it. Gotta say I love the two different colour eyes too...super fun! Hope you enter it somewhere because it really rocks!

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    1. Thank you! I'm thinking of getting some copic markers in a few months and trying out coloring with them. It's a bit intimidating because they're pretty expensive, but I keep hearing that they're worth the investment. I do really love working with watercolors and watercolor pencils. I think it just gives this subtle and dreamy look that's hard to recreate with other mediums.

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  2. They are super fun to work with. I love them. There are cheaper brands of alcohol based inks which are just as lovely. Distress markers are good if you like water colouring. I use them a lot too. Just scribble out the ink and paint with water - fun! You do have a knack for watercolours!

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