Thursday, April 16, 2015

Bunny in the Flower Pot Tutorial

Bunny in the Flower Pot Tutorial


       I've returned to making cards recently and thought I'd share how I did this one.  As you can see, I'm not a professional artist, but I love to play with paper and Copic markers.    
       I started by stamping two images of "Pansy Bunny" by Penny Black rubber stamps. This is an older stamp that I've had for quite a while, but it's one of my favorites. It's still in great shape, and bunnies never go out of style.  
      The second image is a partial because I only need a few of the flowers, not the entire image.


     The paper is Cougar Opaque Cover 80# white.  In the picture it has a blue tint, but in reality it's totally white.  It has a smooth surface that works well with Copic markers.  I buy it in the 8 1/2" x 11" size and cut it into smaller pieces as needed.  I get my good paper at Marco's Papers when I go back to Ohio to visit family.  But they also sell online, and the paper is available other places as well.


This paper came from Hobby Lobby.  I'm using a sheet of it for the card.  

 Here are the Copic I used on this card:

    I have a mix of Copic Ciao (the round ones) and Sketch (the square ones).  I really like the way the smaller Ciao's fit my hand, but they're not available in all colors and in all stores.  I buy Copics whenever I have a few extra dollars and I find a good bargain.  Lately I've even picked up a couple on E-bay.   So far they seem to be a good deal.  We'll see.
      I started with the flower petals using V01 and V05.  Copics have a unique numbering system that you can learn about on many sites.  It's one of the things that makes Copics so great.  The numbers help you know what colors will blend well.
       I used Y08 for the flower centers.
       I used YG21 and YG23 for the leaves.  I'm happy with the way the light seems to bounce off of the leaves where I used YG21. 
       The flower pot is BG57.  I would have liked to have blended in another shade in the BG family, but I don't have any yet.   I added YG03 in the center to try to show where the light would hit it.  Since I don't have a lighter BG color, I thought a lighter green would work well with the leaves.   What do you think?  I'm open to suggestions regarding better options for this one.  
        Next I cut out three pieces of flowers and leaves to layer over the basic image for added interest and dimension.   I attached them with Pop Dots.   

    Last, I added the ribbon around the flower pot and to the top of the card to tie it closed.   I used additional Pop Dots to attach the entire bunny and pot to the card.  Finished!

     Here's the same stamp done in slightly different colors.  I used W-3 and W-5 for the bunny.  To make the "terra cotta" pot I used YR23 and dabbed in G17 with a piece of paper towel.   I used the same green to color the torn edge of the decorative paper.  The base of the card is plain burgundy card stock.  A piece of pink ribbon is taped to the top for added color and interest.

I can't wait to send these out.  I hope my friends like receiving them as much as I liked making them.


Saturday, April 11, 2015

White Tanks in Spring

  I went to the White Tanks with my friend Chris a few weeks ago to see the wild flowers.   White Tanks is a county park near here.   It's one of my favorite places.   Here are a few of the pictures from the day:


Hedgehog Cactus


Saguaro and friend

 The view from the Black Rock trail.

Yellow is a popular color in the desert.