Nests and Eggs

 A Shadowbox for the Country View Craft Challenge - Easter - bunnies,chicks or eggs,

I have put together a curated collection of elements to create this curio shadowbox

Process Steps

Background - Scrape some gesso randomly on the paper, dry and stamp with text, I used ground espresso distress ink.

Making the nests - Pull out some natural cocosfibre, wind tightly round a pencil glue together with heat gun. Cut some of the fibre away and create a second one to glue on top keeping it to fit the dome. Keep pushing thumbs down in the centre to create the bowl nest shape. 

Spray with distress sprays to get the colour you want. I used gathered twigs. I then made two more and set them on two wooden spools bound with dark brown hemp.

Painting the eggs. Line them up on some double sided sticky tape to keep them secure and free from fingers for painting.

Here the nests were settled on the tops of two wooden reels.

The large bottles were filled with moss and three of the painted & speckled eggs. I added some brown paint to make them somewhat distressed. 

This is how I put the nest together for the dome.

The feathers actually ended up in a different bottle. 

And so did the twigs.

I used Tim's matchbox die to make these boxes for the larger die-dut eggs to sit in. I used leftover pieces of distressed card to cut them.

The smaller die-cut eggs were raised slightly by some small pieces of dowling wood my hubbie cut me.

It took several days to make decisions on how to put this together but I love that there are lots of eggs here to fit the theme of the challenge.

xx

Supplies

Tim Holtz latest paper pack for background and the title came from an old 8x8 TH pad  https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/th94473-tim-holtz-palette-collection-neutral-8x8-183470-p.asp

Tim Holtz dies - Vault Matchbox 666604

Tim Holtz Stamps - Ledger Script CMS241   https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-stamps-by-stampers-anonymous-193-c.asp

Tim Holtz - Idea-ology Bottles, tny eggs, ephemera, Curator snippets,   https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-idea-ology-102-c.asp

DecoArt - Decoupage    https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/decoart-americana-decou-page-sealerglue-gloss-4oz-167418-p.asp   Gesso not in stock

Tim Holtz - Ranger - distress paints - tumbled glass, weathered wood, fired brick, seedless preserves, ground espresso, vintage photo     https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-distress-paints-436-c.asp

Distress Inks - ground espresso, scorched timber  https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/distress-ink-pads-1907-c.asp

Distress Sprays - Pine Needles, Twisted Citron, walnut stain, antique linen,    https://www.countryviewcrafts.co.uk/tim-holtz-distress-spray-stains-696-c.asp

Sizzix dies - eggs a very old set.

49&Market Mindful Moments words  Out of stock

Bats over the city for Halloween

CVC - Heavenly bodies/Space    

For my inspirational challenge project for Country View Crafts I created a simple scene to fit in with the challenge title and Halloween. 

Firstly create a background using brown distress inks - dip, drip and dry. Splatter etc until happy with it. Then die cut some buildings from the cityscape die set. Also cut some of the extras from coloured card to add some roof details.

Create another background using the same technique as above and using black, blue and brown distress inks, keeping it very dark. Splatter with the spritzes. Diecut the bats.

Take a third piece of card to create the night sky background, using removable tape fix the largest moon mask to the card. First blend over the distress inks and distress oxides .....

..... then start the distress process of using a small stamp block spritzed with water dabbed on to create movement, also dry between each step and splatter water droplets, dry some and repeat and blot others. Also splatter watery ink droplets and dry in layers. Remove the mask and give a final spritz around the edges of the moon. It softens the edge, allows some of the colour to creep into the moon shape to add shadow and texture, plus the oxides start to do their magic and create an oxidised effect where the ink components split, resulting in a muted, opaque, and slightly chalky appearance It reminds me of the milky way. 

When those layers are perfectly dry add the mask again and splatter the brushed pewter spray stain to create star constellations. 

They look grey in one light direction but sparkle in another. Don't forget to clean the mask and your paint brush straight away before the stain dries.

Remove the mask and dabble distress inks within the moon shape,, spritz, splatter and dry.

Assemble the city buildings onto the card, add some bats and a halloween message.

xx

Supplies linked to Country View Crafts

Tim Holtz Sizzix dies - Cityscape, Metropolis 661804, Mixed Media Halloween 661588

Tim Holtz Moon Mask THMSK0,

Tim Holtz Distress inks Walnut Stain, Ground Espresso, Frayed Burlap, Black Soot, Salvaged Patina

Tim Holtz inks for the sky - DI Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire, Tumbled Glass, Hickory Smoke. Dox Faded Jeans, Iced Spruce

Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain - Brushed Pewter

Tim Holtz - Spritz - Peacock Feathers, Hickory Smoke

Tim Holtz stamps - Skull Blueprint 659375

Faber Castell Pitt artist pens - brushes - TERRA

Toadstools

 Stamping Toadstools

“The children of the forest live deep in the roots of an old pine tree. They collect wild mushrooms and blueberries and shelter under toadstools when it rains.”

Elsa Beskow Children of the Forest

I love mushrooms, yes to eat, but also as a shape. I focussed on the Tim Holtz mini toadstool stamps and I made a small concertina book to house them all.

I stamped, painted, distressed all 7 stamps and the whole process focussed me in to light backgrounds, composition, shapes, colour mixing and blending. I used them to add an activity for my second Creative Sketchbook workshop that had a focus on 'Autumn'

Process Steps for all of the toadstools

Stamp chosen colour distress ink.

Stamp first using oxide inks to create the outlines and structures.

Use permanent ink fine black pen to create some of the outline and texture.

Paint DIs and/or oxides in layers similar to watercolouring.

 When dry add details with black pen.

Stamp mask and cut out. When image is dry place mask over.

Create background of your liking.

Toadstool #1

Stamp with Hickory Smoke - dry. Use black pen to start some of the detailing and outlines. Blend and layer colours of both oxides and inks to create a watercolour style. Colours listed below.

When dry add further details and shading with the black pen.

Stamp mask and cut out. When image is dry place mask over.

Blend pumice stone and lost shadow around the image. Drip water droplets on and blot and/or dry. Splatter with any left over inks on your palette and blot before they dry. Stamp texture using walnut stain.

Remove mask

Repeat similar steps of your own with all the toadstools.

xx

Supplies

All
Pens - Uni Pin fine line 0.1 Black, Uni Posca White
TH stamps - Tiny Toadstools CMS377
My supplies - media paper, black card


Toadstools 1
Stamped outline with Hickory Smoke
Colours -
TH - DOxs Hickory Smoke, Lost Shadow, Forest Moss
TH -DIs Picket Fence, Pumice Stone, Gathered Twigs, Rustic Wilderness, Walnut Stain.


Toadstools 2
Stamped outline with Pumice Stone
Colours -
TH - DOxs Vintage Photo
TH -DIs Frayed Burlap,
Paints - Snowflake


Toadstools 3
Stamped outline with Fired Brick
Colours -
TH - DOxs Fired Brick
TH -DIs Rustic Wilderness, Walnut Stain, Picket Fence, Vintage Photo
Paints - Snowflake


Toadstools 4
Stamped outline with Iced Spruce (small ones) and Hickory Smoke (large one)
Colours -
TH - DOxs Iced Spruce, Hickory Smoke
TH -DIs Peacock Feathers, Frayed Burlap
Paints - 

Toadstools 5
Stamped outline with Wilted Violet layered over on the stamp with Iced Spruce
Colours -
TH - DOxs Iced Spruce, Wilted Violet
TH -DIs Villainous Potion
Paints - 

Toadstools 6
Stamped outline with Scorched Timber
Colours -
TH - DOxs Scorched Timber
TH -DIs Scorched Timber, Ground Espresso, Picket Fence, Gathered Twigs
Paints - 

Toadstools 7
Stamped outline with Gathered Twigs and Picket Fence
Colours -
TH - DOxs Scorched Timber, Gathered Twigs, Ground Espresso
TH -DIs Scorched Timber, Ground Espresso, Picket Fence
Paints - Snowflake

Butterfly panel - watercolouring with distress inks

 Butterfly Metamorphosis

The Great Outdoors CVC #1 July

I'm doing a workshop at CVC headquarters this month with a theme of butterflies, bees and moths and it's focussed on creating sketchbook pages. I had created so many pieces to add, that I am completely zoned in on butterflies again and I wanted to create a butterfly painting by watercolouring using distress inks, but rather than draw and paint I decided to use one of Tim's butterflies being used in the workshop but use it in a completely different way.

To begin I stamped it in antique linen so that I could use the shape but not the pattern.

I used salvaged patina, rusty hinge, ground espresso and uncharted mariner with a fine round brush.

I cut out the butterfly .....

.... and blended ground espresso round it.

The orange edges in the wings looked very sharp against the blues so I blended them using white charcoal pencil.

Then used a white posca pen and black drawing pen to add final details.

xx

Supplies

TH Distress inks - Antique Linen, Salvaged Patina, Rusty Hinge, Ground Espresso and Uncharted Mariner,

TH Butterfly stamp - Perspective CMS213, 

White charcoal pencil,   white posca pen,   black ink pen fine 

TH - Collage Strips, Snippets, Remnant Rubs, Mummy Cloth.

Gesso