Woodware: The Age-Old Technique of Masking

IF YOU ARE HERE FOR THE DREAMWEAVER "JULY TO DIE FOR" POST, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE NEXT POST.

 

The technique of masking in art can have a couple of purposes. It can aid you in creating a background by masking away the fore-ground. This can be accomplished by creating a second version on scrap paper, or even better, sticky notes. Cut this secondary piece out, place it over the original to mask that off from whatever you decide to add to the background. I'm sure that at least a few of our ladies on the Woodware team will be demonstrating this during our challenge week of "Masking". My version is a bit different.

Sometimes you create a focal panel that you love, but it's just missing something. That was my problem with the Dreamweaver Hanging Wisteria design above. I had used stencil brushes and a palette of ink to color and shade. I was happy enough with the design, but just wanted to showcase it a bit more. I wanted a bit of visual texture as well. I wanted a bit of spray and spatter. But that can be  tricky over the top of something else. Too easy to overspray and completely cover your original design. Here is where masking comes into play.

I tore a portion of a sticky note on all sides, slightly smaller than the original panel, and centered it over the design. Then I used my ink mist in aqua, just once over the surface. I removed the "mask", and tore more paper around the edge to make the mask smaller, and placed it over the design once again. And sprayed, just once. This time, I removed the mask entirely, and misted over the entire panel, design and all, just once. This final one added a fine texture and pale color without overwhelming the design. The previous two sprays and maskings, provided a bit of an ombré look, and at the same time, framed the wisteria design...truly making it the focal point.

The card was finished with a card base with the Dreamweaver Cathedral Window stencil letter-pressed into the surface...also a form of masking as the ink is only on the stencil, and then pressed into the surface of the cardstock, leaving the rest of the design "masked".

I hope that you have fun playing with all the ways that you can add masking to your art. Remember to check back on the Woodware blog each day for more inspiration!

Dreamweaver Stencils: July to DIE For Finale...Spelling It Out!

 

A-PEAR-ently, it is once again another Dreamweaver July to DIE For post! Obviously, dies are great for quick and CAS design, but they can also be fun to incorporate into a mixed media card or project.

This card features the Pear Dies and the soon-to-be released new Alphabet Die set, which comes with its own caddy to store the dies and extra die-cut letters in. The new alphabet provides two uses of each die cut...one the positive letter from the centers of the squares, and the other the negative portion left from the die cut. It can be really fun to mix both!

I had a panel of cardstock that I had left from a project using the Stampendous Creative Palette, where I had drizzled Aquamarine, Lemoncello, Citron, and a bit of Paprika Color Solutions alcohol inks, spritzed with the blending solution, and ran several panels through the colors. Then I paste-embossed a portion of the Petals Background stencil in Glossy Blue in the center.

I die-cut one pear and leaf from this panel, and then die cut the small leaf from that larger leaf to use on the pear at the bottom of the card. Are you wondering why I didn't just die-cut the small one and skip the large one? Because the larger one looks best on that negative panel! I die-cut the smaller pear from the beautiful blue Bazzill cardstock, and built the layers over the top of the green card base, leaving a space between the blue panel and the pasted portion at the bottom for dimension.

Finally, I die-cut the alphabet to "create" my sentiment, grunging it a bit with Versafine inks and a sponge dauber. To balance things a bit, and bring out the paprika color, I added a polka dot ribbon bow with a button and twine, as well as the smaller pear and leaf, and a button that mimicked the core and seed portion of the pear...sort of.

I think I was channeling my inner Kristi Parker Van Doren for this card. What do you think?

I wonder what the Dream Team has created for their final July to DIE for post? What have your created? Be sure to upload it to the Dream It Up blog inlinkz tool for a chance to win this month!

Dream It Up!

Leadonna Kimmel

Louise Healy

Laura Drahozal

Lynn Mercurio

Pam Hornschu

Jamie Martin
Gill Wilson

Lyn Bernatovich

Alison Heikkila

Kristine Reynolds

Kristi Parker Van Doren 

and
Terri Sproul (GD)
 

An InLinkz Link-up

Woodware UK: Mixing it Up for Summer

The Woodware team has been challenged to a Mixed Media challenge this week, with either a Summer or a Body Beautiful theme. Guess which one I decided to go with? 

I used a basic 6 X 6 square canvas for this, but you could easily use the Woodware Canvas Paper and either wrap a frame with it, or frame it when finished, or not...up to you.

The background was swiped with various bright color inks, sprinkled with rock salt, and spritzed with water. The colors move a bit, and the rock salt causes a bit of splotchiness and texture. When dry, I used thinned down Dreamweaver Glossy White Paste to give a washed look to the Dreamweaver Large Scales design on the side. I used the same Glossy White Paste to paste-emboss the new Dreamweaver Sailboat, adding a few extra choppy waves with paste on the edge of my palette knife. Once again, this was set aside to dry.

Next I ink-stenciled the Twin Palms on the side using my Tsukineko Splendor ink pad as my palette, and added the small Flourish as well. The finishing touch was ink-stenciling the Summer word at the top, and adhering a sprinkling of Stampendous Color Fragments in Lime and Teal. I fully intend to do the other three seasons, as this was really a fun project!

All of this week, the team will be posting their mixed media creations, so be sure to check the Woodware blog daily! Oh, and we'd love for you to share your own creations!

Hoot, Hoot, Hoot-ray for Dreamweaver Dies!

Playing with the Dreamweaver dies this month has been such a HOOT! Just to prove it, my card today features our new Owl Dies itsy bitsy babies, perching on the window created by the largest of the new Oval Dies. The card base for this was machine embossed and Strié-inked with the Pinwheel Checkerboard stencil pattern before stamping the cute sentiment from Woodware's Clear Magic Owl Christmas set.

 The inside panel adds depth by layering the Treeline Die, cut from patterned paper, over the top of another patterned paper...all coordinating with the patterned papers from my little owl babies. Here's a tip...trace the outside edge of the owl die on contrasting cardstock and cut out. It is a bit of fussy cutting, but a fairly simple shape to cut. Then you can just adhere the paper pieces from the die cuts. Oh, and another tip...as you die cut each baby owl, place each tiny piece on a strip of removable tape to keep them together, and doing this with each owl. This makes it soooo much easier to keep all the pieces together. It is also really helpful to place a panel of Double Sided Mounting Paper on the back of the panel of patterned paper that you are cutting your owls from BEFORE die cutting them. Just peel off the adhesive backing and adhere each piece without dealing with messy glues.

Before you move on to the team's blogs this week, just thought I'd share a silly riddle for you...

Where do you buy baby owls? At the OWLET store!! Hee hee.

Dream It Up!

Lyn Bernatovich

Louise Healy

Alison Heikkila

Kristine Reynolds

Pam Hornschu

Kristi Parker Van Doren 

TERRI SPROUL (Guest Designer)

Be sure to link your own die-cut creations to the link below for a chance to win the Dreamweaver Stencil or Die of your choice!

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a CUPPA Dreamweaver DIES!

We are now into our third week of featuring a "July to DIE for", showing off all of our Dreamweaver dies, many of which match our stencil designs as well. Do you have a favorite yet? My favorite is usually whichever I am playing with at the moment! Lol.

My post today features the Stacked Teacup Die and Stencil, along with the Nested Frames, the Happy Birthday sentiment, and the Crusade Background. After die-cutting the teacups, I placed them on my craft mat and taped the matching stencil over the top, and pasted the design with Translucent paste to create shiny cups. I punched small circles and cut them in pieces to add pattern to the teacups that matches the card. The sentiment was pasted with a mix of regular Embossing Paste with a bit of Purple Satin and Plum Royale Metallic F/X to match the teacups. I looped a bit of May Arts ribbon through the teacup handles for some extra interest, and added some punched circles for fun.

Here's the list of this week's team members, as well as our fabulous Guest Designer for July:

Dream It Up!

Leadonna Kimmel

Louise Healy

Laura Drahozal

Lynn Mercurio

Pam Hornschu

Jamie Martin
and
Terri Sproul (GD)

 

Be sure to link your own creations for a chance to win the stencil or die of your choice below:

An InLinkz Link-up

Woodware: Sketch 36 in Flying Colors

Back once again for the Woodware sketch challenge...this time number 36 as shown at left.

My version features a black panel, with the Dreamweaver Dragonflies stencil paste-embossed in Matte Black. While wet, Metallic F/X mica powders were sprinkled over the surface and heated with a heat tool. This changes the texture of the paste, making it thicker, with an almost hammered and enameled metal appearance.

The circle was simply letter-pressed using Aquamarine Chalk ink with the Small Cathedral Window stencil on lighter aqua cardstock. the square shows the Hope character, paste-embossed in Matte Black as well, and covered in Goldfinch Metallic F/X before heating for great texture and sparkle.

Dreamweaver Stencils: Skip the Fussy-Cutting, I'll Take Dreamweaver DIES Any Day!

There is nothing that says that you can't go "out on a limb" when playing with Dreamweaver's new dies, so that's exactly what I did for this week's post.

Using the newly released Nesting Ovals, I die cut the largest one, and sponged a blue sky with clouds over the white oval, using the Picasso tool to help create my fluffy clouds. Then I taped the Toucan stencil over the oval, and ink-stenciled the branch and leaves portion only, using small brushes with the Tsukineko Splendor ink pads as my palette, and the Picasso tool to mask off areas to ease in my inking.

Next, I masked off with tape on my clean Toucan stencil the areas that I did not want to paste before taping the stencil over my sky-decorated oval. The Toucan was paste-embossed in Matte Black and set aside to dry.

Meanwhile, I used a brayer to roll ink from my Tsunkineko Kaleidcolor Tahiti inkpad, being careful not to muddy the colors as I rolled the brayer over the ink, and over my white cardstock. I used a pencil to trace the sections of the Toucan that I wanted to paper-piece, and fussy cut these. There is a reason this is called "fussy" cutting...it takes more time, and is quite tedious, which is a huge reason why Dreamweaver has started to carry DIES that match many of the stencil designs. Since the Toucan is not yet one of these...fussy cutting was the program for this portion of the card.

Once the pasted Toucan was dry, I was able to adhere the various pieces, but my toucan was still looking a bit boring. So...I placed my Herringbone stencil over the top, and added inked color to chosen areas. Much better! I had deliberately created this so that his beak would come over the edge of the die cut oval, making it far more interesting, and drawing your eye outward on the card, encompaasing the added Monstera die cut leaves and a simple sentiment.

By now, I'm sure you are DIE-ing to see what the "B" team has created...so check them out and leave them so love!

Dream It Up!

Lyn Bernatovich

Louise Healy

Alison Heikkila

Kristine Reynolds

Pam Hornschu

Kristi Parker Van Doren 

TERRI SPROUL (Guest Designer)

An InLinkz Link-up

Poppies for Remembrance

 Our July Retailer is Linda who runs LLinda’s Craft Shop in Laneham, North Nottinghamshire. LLinda’s is a shop full of inspiration and with regular paper crafting workshops. Linda is one of the talented bunch that qualified as Certified Dreamweaver Teachers earlier in the year. Llinda’s Blog will give you a glimpse of the goings on in the shop. You can find workshop details, directions and much much more on LLinda’s Website. As this is an important year of remembrance the theme that Linda has chosen is

The Poppy….as we remember 

Here I am in Yorkshire, England, writing this week's post. What a wonderful batch of new memories from this trip! So much fun to see Dorothy again, and share the beautiful surroundings with my hubby, including the chance to view the starting leg of the Tour de France! Which reminds me...this week's post was suggested by Linda, one of the Woodware retailers. We are all posting with poppies this week in honor of the fallen soldiers of WWI, and the fields of poppies beneath which they lie.

My card features the Stampendous Jumbo Poppy, stamped in black and in red on two sizes of panels, to be overlapped over a panel of the Forever in Time 6 X 6 Stack Pad, and onto a craft cardstock base. A new sentiment from Woodware's Clear Magic stamps finishes the card along with a lovely polka dot bow.

Dreamweaver Stencils: A July to DIE for!

Welcome to July...the month to DIE for! Yep. All of this month, the Dream Team are featuring our newest toys...our DIES! You'd be surprised at how many we have, and what fun things you can do with them...especially when used in conjunction with many of their stencil counterparts. They are such a simple way to create an effective card. Here's mine for this week:

Just break out a couple of your larger sized stencil brushes, and your Tsukineko Splendor Magic inkpad, and punch up a CAS card in a hurry. Use the Monstera die to cut a window from the front of the card, designed to show off the ink-stenciled Leopard Spots on the inside. The Elephant stencil is ink-stenciled on the front, and the die cut leaf is ink-stenciled with the Herringbone pattern and popped up over the top. A fun stamped saying from the Stampendous Gears Kiddo set is the perfect sentiment.

I'm sure that our "A" team is just DIE-ing to show you their creations, as well as our Guest Designers for the month of July...

Dream It Up!

Leadonna Kimmel

Louise Healy

Laura Drahozal

Lynn Mercurio

Pam Hornschu

Jamie Martin
and
Terri Sproul (GD)