AECP Level 3 - Creative Coloring with Erum: Advanced Techniques

Hi there, my crafty friends!

Welcome back to Paper Play.  Today’s post is focused on coloring and the AECP Level 3 course that I just finished, Creative Coloring with Erum: Advanced Techniques.  It focused on ways to expand how we color elements for cards and went over several different techniques focusing on everything from flower petals to backgrounds.  I made three cards for the class - one that utilized a splatter watercolor technique to color my floral elements, one that used watercoloring to create a wood-like background to add texture to the card, and one that focused on using alcohol markers to add additional details to the petals and leaves of a layered stamped floral.  Let’s take a look at each of them!

Card 1 - Love Deeply; Live Fully

This card is my favorite of the three made for the class.  Notice the watercolor splatters on the flower petals and leaves that add detail and a much lighter look to the images.  I decided to continue the splattered effect and add both silver and white splatters of ink to the background.  I love the whimsical feel of the splatters; it makes the card feel more light and artsy.  Plus, it’s really not that hard to achieve such a beautiful effect.

Here’s what I used to make it:

• Altenew Garden Delights Stamp Set
  
• Altenew One Go: Loving Sentiments Stamp Set
  
• Altenew Fresh Dye Inks: Indigo Skies, Crystal Violet, Alpine Aster
• Altenew Crisp Dye Inks: Fresh Leaf, Shadow Creek
• Altenew Inks Sprays: Antique Silver and White
• Silver Metallic Pigment Ink
• Taylored Expressions Drip Drops
• A2 Navy Card Base
• 4”x5.25” Gray Linen Card Panel
• White card stock for stamping
• Scrap of Navy card stock for sentiment
• White embossing powder

Here’s how I made it:

• Stamped three flowers onto one piece of white card stock and several leaves onto another using clear embossing ink; added white embossing powder and set with a heat tool.
• Lightly misted my card stock with water, pressed ink cubes onto glass craft mat, sprayed each color with some water, and used a watercolor brush to add splatters of each color to the flowers.
• Used the brush to gently move some of the color and distribute it onto each petal; dried with my heat tool.
• Used the brush to add additional drops of splatter and darken the centers of the flowers; dried with my heat tool.
• Repeated this process until I was happy with how they looked.
• Repeated the above process for the piece of card stock stamped with the leaves.
• Fussy cut all of the flowers and leaves.
• Used the Antique Silver and White Ink Sprays (unscrewed the caps and used the spray pump) to add background splatter to gray card panel.
• Stamped sentiment onto scrap of Navy card stock using Silver metallic pigment ink.
• Once card panel was dry, decided on placement of leaves and flowers; adhered them down using craft glue, double sided foam tape, or a combination of the two to adhere down card elements; adhered card panel to base with double sided tape.

I am really proud of how this card turned out and think it may be one of the nicest ones that I have made to date.  Looking at it just makes me smile!

Card 2 - This is Your Time to Sparkle

There’s something about a faux wood background on a card that really draws my eye to it.  I enjoy working with real wood to make decorations and collages, which likely has a lot to do with it.  However, with cards I usually use an embossing folder to create the detail and then just need to ink blend it.  That’s what intrigued me about trying the technique to make such a background with watercolors.  I was a little intimidated to try it - but am super happy with the result.  I found that adding layers of color and drying in between each layer really helped bring the background to life.  Also, think if your wood is going to have knots in it or be super smooth; if adding knots, don’t pre-plan where they will be.  Rather, let the brush and watercolor let you know where to place the knot.  I know that may sound a little crazy - but it’s not!  The brush and ink and will natrually start to show the darkened areas where a knot might live, and your intuition will confirm it.

Here’s what I used to make it:

• Altenew Stencil Art: Charming Delight
  
• Altenew Inline Leaves Die Set
  
• Altenew Sparkle Bright Stamp Set (for the sentiment)
  
• Altenew Delectable Delights Crisp Dye Inks
• Altenew Enchanted Garden Crisp Dye Inks
• Altenew Golden Sunset Crisp Dye Inks
• Altenew Shadow Creek and Breen Opal Crisp Dye Inks
• A2 white card base
• Scrap of white card stock for stenciling flowers
• 4”x5.25” watercolor card panel
• Vellum
• Brutus Monroe Gilded Embossing Powder
• Taylored Expressions Drip Drops
• Nuvo Shimmer Glitter Pen

Here’s how I made it:

• Watercolored the wood background on the watercolor panel using the Delectable Delights (light to dark shades of brown) ink smooshed onto glass craft surface and sprayed with water; spritzed card panel with water to use the wet-on-wet method od watercoloring; started with the lightest and gradually worked my way up to the darker; used long up and down strokes with the watercolor brush, adding light and dark where I felt it was needed; dried with heat tool between layers of color.

• Set the panel aside to let it finish drying.
• Followed directions on stencils and created each flower using the Enchanted Garden and Golden Sunset ink sets; fussy cut each flower and set aside.
• Ink blended Shadow Creek and Green Opal inks onto piece of vellum; dried with heat tool; rn through die cut machine with Inline Leaf die; used vellum to give it a lighter effect against the wood background.
• Decided on placement of sentiment by playing around with leaves and flower layout; once decided, stamped first part of sentiment onto wood card panel with black ink and then the word sparkle with clear embossing ink; added Gilded embossing powder and heat set it.
• Adhered leaves with craft glue and flowers with double sided foam tape; glued down drip drops; adhered panel to card base with double sided tape.
• Used Nuvo Shimmer Glitter Pen to add glitter to the flowers for some extra sparkle.

What do you think of the wood panel?  I think it looks really good and provides a beautiful backdrop for the vine and flowers draping down it.  I can see this being a part of a fence and the vine of flowers growing up the back side and draping down the front side.

Card 3 - I Miss You

I think of this card as being my Gatsby Hibiscus.  Can’t you see it sitting on a table in the Hamptons at a party hosted by Jay as Nick and Daisy look on?  Of course, I think of it as such because of the very art deco feel of the design with the black and gold colors and partial frame around the card panel.  That was my inspiration for this card - showcase the grand hibiscus in an oppulent way - and what better time of opulence was there than the art deco period?  That is why I also decided to adorn the panel with shiny rhinestone gems of varying sizes.  The hibiscus was a perfect layering stamp to use to add additional details with alcohol markers given the large petals

Here’s what I used to make it:

• Altenew Hibiscus Motif Layering Stamp Bundle
  
• Altenew Crisp Dye Inks: Cotton Candy, Coral Berry, Fresh Leaf, Shadow Creek, Citrus Burst
• Altenew Artisty Alcohol Markers: Coral Berry, Ruby Red, Pink Cloud, Frayed Leaf, Forrest Glades, Icy Lemonade
• Altenew Gem Sparkles Crystal Clear
• Delicata Golden Glitz Pigment Ink
• Black A2 card base
• 4”x5.25” vellum panel
• 3.75”x5” black card panel
• White card stock to stamp flower
• Black card stock to stamp frame
• Nuvo Shimmer Glitter Pen

Here’s how I made it:

• Stamped hibiscus outline first following the layering guide; let the flower dry.
• Stamped the frame pieces onto black card stock with gold pigment ink and set aside to dry.
• Adhered vellum panel to black card base with double sided tape, and then adhered the black card panel to the vellum; used a gold metallic marker to run around the visible vellum, thereby coloring it gold while also getting a gold outline on the black card panel.
• Added detail to the hibiscus petals with the Coral Berry and Ruby Red markers by making upward flicking motions on the petals; glazed over the petals with the Pink cCoud marker, which helps to further blend the color together and soften the darker areas a bit; added some additional shading to the leaves and stem with Frayed Leaf and Forrest Glade inks and then glazed them with the Icy Lemonade marker.
• Die cut the flower and set aside.
• Die cut the frame pieces and set aside.
• Decided on placement of card elements; once decided, chose where to stamp the sentiment and stamped it with Golden Glitz ink.
• Adhered flower to card with craft glue; adhered frame pieces with double sided foam tape to add dimension; glued down rhinestones.
• Added some glitter to the flower with a Nuvo Shimmer Glitter pen.

I’m really happy with how pretty this card turned out!  It’s very grand, lavish, and beautiful . . . and very Hampton-ish.  Perhaps Ina Garten needs a dinner party invitation?!

That wraps up my post on my third AECP Level 3 class.  I hope that you enjoyed reading more about my creative process and inspirations.  Until next time . . . be well!