May 16th Card Sketch

Here you go

Here is what the designers did with the sketch

Debbie Lacy

Marion A. Wybranietz

Lisa Moen

Karen Zabuska

{Tutorial} Tinted Textured Background

Ann Jobes here to welcome you to another tutorial from the My Sketch World design team. I created this layout for the May 1st layout sketch:

In this tutorial, I am going to show you how I created that tinted textured background with the hexagons. 

You will need:

- A background stencil (lots of things work as stencils besides store bought templates, such as the bags produce is sold in, a leftover sheet where you've used all the chipboard or diecut pieces, something you created on a diecut machine, or the piece left when you use your punches, etc.)

- Modelling paste (this one is light paste - the difference between this paste and the heavy paste is like the difference between whipped butter and a block of butter; this goes on very smoothly and dries quite quickly without being heavy)

- something to spread with (this can be a hotel key, old credit or gift card, a spatula or putty knife, even a plastic knife from a take-out meal)

- gelatos or watercolour crayons

- sheet of cardstock, at least 80 lb (I like the white on white effect, but you could use a coloured piece)

1. Adhere your template to the cardstock using painter's tape or washi tape to prevent the template from moving. 

2. Using your tool of choice, spread or scrape the modelling paste over the template, ensuring it is spread evenly. (You can see that I used this template on a previous project. If you are working with mists or watercolour paints with your templates, it's a good idea to clean them in between, because these are water activated and can taint your next project - if you're adventurous, ignore all that! In this case, I had used acrylic paint, and it's fixed there, so I don't worry about red paint contamination on the white modelling paste.) 

3. Once you've filled in as much of the template as you'd like (remember you can do the whole template, or just part(s) - depending on your project), gently peel off the tape and carefully lift away the template. When I'm working with pastes, I wash the stencil right away, especially stencils with small cutouts, so they can't be ruined with dried up product. 

4. Allow your page to dry. Work on another part of the layout for awhile. If you are in a rush, you can put the heat tool on it, but be warned! If you get too close you can cause the paste to bubble, an effect you might not want (I like it on clouds), and if you aren't moving the heat tool around at a distance, you can scorch the paste and turn it brown. I tend to apply the heat from the bottom side of the paper, and then just give it a last bit of heat from the top to finish it off. Wasn't that fun? You've created a unique raised effect on your background!

5. Now it's time to jazz it up a little! You could just mist over it, or splatter some paint, but I'm going to show you how I tinted the hexagons using gelatos. Gelatos are a watercolour product, packaged in a tube that rolls up like lipstick. They are soft and creamy when applied dry and they can be layered. They are also water activated, and you can create dreamy watercoloury effects using them. For this piece, I got right in there with my fingers. I simply dipped a finger in a nearby dish of water and dabbed my finger on the end of the gelato to pick up some colour and then dabbed the colour onto the raised image created with the paste.

6. Feel free to layer on more colour using the same method. I layered a teal first, followed by brown. 

7. I'm picturing this being the base for either a masculine page or a page with a vintage photo. Can you see some gray in the spaces between the paste? I applied the gray using the same technique, but not on the raise spaces but on the plain spaces instead. I didn't prep the page with gesso first, so the gelato doesn't move on the paper well. I'm fine with that for this page. I just wanted you to know that it will behave differently on plain cardstock versus pre-gesso'd cardstock. 

This is the finished technique, and the page is ready for more treatments, layers and photos!

For the hexagon background on the layout created with the May 1st sketch, I fussy cut that cluster of hexagons so that the page is no longer a square, but a funky shape ready for more layering.

May 1st Layout Sketch

Here is your sketch for May 1st.

Here what the designers did with the sketch

Jeanette Nystrom

Ann Jobes

Vicki Robertson

Joan Borgelt

Kristin Perez

Nicole Wise

Spring Fling Crop May 3rd to May 5th

Come on over to the MSW FORUM and check out the fun on May 3rd to May 5th.

A Different Take on April's Card Sketch - Inspiration & Tutorial

Greetings My Sketch World Fans! As April winds down and you await May's sketches I thought I'd share a way for you to take one last go with April's card sketch before you tuck it away.

Card Design Inspiration

When I start looking at a sketch my mind wanders with all the possibilities - will I rotate it, create a scene, keep it as is, only select aspects of it, etc.  And of course there will be mixed media play involved.

Here I've embossed the top half of the card with a stencil, outlined some of the clouds roughly with a gel pen, and added some glitter glue sparsely with my finger for additional texture and sparkle.

For this card I started with the sketch as it was.  You can see I have the base layer pretty much the same as it in the sketch.  I created layers to my liking and added my mixed media additions (tutorial following for top layer).  From here I changed it up a bit though.

I rotated the card sketch to look like the above photo because I had a vision in my head of a plane pulling banners behind going across the cloud top layer I created.  So I headed to my stash of stamps in search of a plane stamp.

Wire replaced the banners here and a few sequins, along with a stamped sentiment and doodling around the edges finished off my design

I had no luck in finding a plane stamp, but it actually worked out well.  The bottom paper says "love you to the stars and back" so a spaceship works out better anyways, right? I think so.  Now the placement and design doesn't hold true to the sketch, but its okay.  This is the wonderful thing about  sketches - they are meant to be springboards.  You can use them wholly or just take parts for your design as I did.  This card would never have come to exist if wasn't for Lucy's fabulous sketch.  I took portions of it and then made it my own as well.  I encourage you to be inspired and try the same!

Now for some more inspiration: a tutorial on how to emboss with your stencils!

Embossing with Stencils

In order to save this post from getting so lengthy, I created a collage of photos,  we'll move from top left and work clockwise with the tutorial. Its fairly simple and please feel free to leave me questions in the comments or contact me on the forum.

Step One:  Grab your chosen 6x6 or smaller stencil (yes this will only work for small size stencils) and set it up for embossing.  You will need to place your paper with the pattern you want to have embossed down.  Does that make sense?  Whatever side you want puffed up has to be touching the stencil in other words. If your using a Cuttlebug you will use an A, B, C plate set up for this.

Step Two: Place the C plate over the top and run your sandwich through your embossing machine.

Step Three:  When you remove the sandwich from the machine, peel your stencil gently away from your paper - yes they may be slightly stuck together.  

Step Four: Sit back and marvel at the beauty of an embossed stenciled piece of paper! :D

Here is what the cloud piece of paper looked like before I placed it on the card:

Same technique as above - different stencil.  

I do hope you have enjoyed today's inspiration and tutorial.  If you try out this technique be sure to pop on by this blog or my personal blog and let me know - I'd love to see your work and be sure to upload it in the My Sketch World gallery.

Take good care!

Scarlett

{Tutorial} Home Decor Project

Home Decor Project by Marion A. Wybranietz

This is what I need for my creation:


Cardstock (Not to light!), Vellum, punch, dies, cord, pan pastel, distress ink, 
water spritzer

I cut four templates with a Sizzix die; you can cut any shape, such as a rectangle, 
an arch, just anything!



I applied distress ink .....



.... and “spritzed and flicked” it with water …..



….. all dried up now!



I cut some “holes” into the top, you can use any die or punch, such as flowers, 
snowflakes, circles etc. 



I applied Pan Pastel to the vellum …..



….. punched circles …..



….. and glued them to the back of the template.



Now it’s time for the decoration. I cut a fence and as and afterthought also 
some grass,



which I glued together …..



….. and adhered to the template, creating a little “belly”!



I fixed all four templates with a tool (clamp) and punched the holes. 
This way they will all be on the right position!



Done 



I added the birds and the butterflies (also an afterthought) …. 



….. and tied all templates together with a cord. I always use a pen or something 
similar in between, this way my “hinges” can still move and I don’t ruin the sides 
of my templates!



A little present for a loved one, a little take along for a friend, or just put it on 
the mantel or on the terrace in Summer, that`s where I keep mine 



Can’t wait for night to come ……



Thanks so much for following me through the journey of 18 pictures. I am still 
a beginner with tutorials!