Sunday, July 6, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLISON! (& 2. Gesso Cardstock with Embossing & Reinker painting)



It's Allison's Birthday today!

Happy birthday Allison. I made card is for you, though I'm late mailing it (sorry Darlin'!) I just want to say I sure am glad you were born. You make the (blog) world a better place--with your wicked stamping talent, your kind & tireless support, & your brilliant wit that keeps it real in the stampin' hood! heehee. :0) Hugs to you and may this be the best birthday & the best year you've ever had!

Don't know Allison & Stampin' When I Can? Crawl out from under that rock & go visit her! ;0)

Check out these other gals who appreciate how Rockin' Allison is: Anna (who organized this Net birthday surprise party) :0) Theresa, Smriti, Deb, Jackie, Tina, Monica, Zarna, & Malieta!


About the card...
I loved making coloured papers with gesso cardstock, but embossing on it was even more fun!
I did find the gesso had to be dry when embossing it though, (it bubbled on me once when I was being impatient--a BIG bubble!) :0)

This image is kind of the reverse of the spotlight technique (so that the small section is white versus coloured in.) It's made with my favourite background stamp Riot of Petals embossed in Silver Encore ink with clear embossing powder. (I sanded the cardstock first to be sure the embossing would take.)

Here is the inside of the card:




and here is the back:



Card Details: The scallop is made by punching out 1 inch circles of gesso cardstock & running it through the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder. The cardstock for the main card is Mellow Moss. I rounded some of the corners with SU's corner rounder and added a white cardstock panel on the inside. All of the embossing is done with Silver Encore ink & clear embossing powder.

Embossing & reinker painting on Gesso cardstock:
(same as with any other embossing & painting, lol)
  1. Make gesso cardstock (how-to here)
  2. Sand it & emboss with waterproof ink (Encore ink, Dye ink or you can even emboss Stazon on this)
  3. Watercolour image with reinkers/paints & let set (if you find the ink still wet, you can emboss to seal it, or daub of excess)



Reinker on the gesso cardstock has some awesome effects. You can use the wet into wet technique easily because the gesso slows the drying time of reinkers & embossing holds the colour in the lines for you. I love my aqua painter, but this fine brush was way easier to paint with. The colour I used first was a weak wash of Tempting Turquoise ink with water.




After you have your wash of ink in a section, add full-strength reinker. You can add a little dot of it & watch it go! It bleeds into the first light wash & settles into the texture of the gesso to make a funky effect. So easy that it feels like cheating! The gesso does all the work of adding interest. I did find that the ink you use makes a difference. Some inks may need embossing with clear embossing powder to be fully set.





P.S. Does anyone know if there is an embossing powder that is clear but matte out there?

P.P.S. Next post is colouring on gesso c.s. with markers. (Close to my Heart markers leave a lovely matte finish & look watercoloury, but S.U. markers have some trixy-tricks up their sleeves too! Can't wait to share with you!)

P.P.P.S. Don't forget to sign up for the blog candy! :0) I'm gonna to do the random-number-thingy-draw for it this Friday July 11th.

22 comments:

Risa said...

Wow....your cards are very beautiful! You are very creative Mel!

Whimsical Wendy said...

Hiya Mel, I've not tried it, but maybe try buffing your clear embossing powder with a sanding block once cooled for the matt effect? It may go horribly wrong, but hey, you're always up for an experiment, right? ;-)
Happy stampin'
Wendy x

Kathy said...

A beautiful card!

Trish D said...

Wow, this is lovely - I really like what you've been doing with the gesso cardstock; I definitely need to give it a whirl! Ranger makes a clear, matte EP: Antiquities Frosted Crystal. The place I purchased mine from is no longer in business, but I'm sure you can find it via web search.

Theresa Momber said...

Really gorgeous and a fantastic tutorial. You are such a talent. Thanks for sharing your wonderful creations with us.

Jackie said...

Absolutely stunning - as your work always is! I have heard of a matte clear powder but I can't remember where. I will keep an eye out and let you know when I come across it.

Tina said...

So cool!

Annapurna said...

Look at you. Decorating the inside and the back too. Very beautiful. I especially love the different hues of the same color on the image.

Corie said...

Oh my this is just GORGEOUS!!!

Anonymous said...

Mel , that card is amazing!! Wow.

Erin said...

Mel, you are AMAZING me with this whole gesso series! Each creation is more stunning than the next.

Deb Neerman said...

WoWZa, Mel, this is absolutely fabulous!!!!

You rock, Kiddo!!

Maria said...

Happy Birthday to Allison! Your card for Allison is GORGEOUS and she will most definitely love it! It has such a very pretty elegant look to it. Awesome!

Maria

Tonniece said...

Lucky Allison, this card is fabulous Mel. I really like the stamping on the inside and back, gives it that special look.

Happy Monday

Janine said...

So beautiful Mell!! Hope you had a great weekend.!! We had a great time visiting my son in Ohio.. and the drive back to Ontario was wonderful. Clear sailing.

Patty Williams said...

Beautiful card...just love that you show us how to do things! Can't wait until I have enought time to sit down and learn these techniques!!

Happy Birthday to Allison! July is a great month! ;) (My bday is Wed. the 9th!)

Zarna said...

gorgeous card!

Allison Rankin said...

You, as always, are a supahstar (I'm not worthy!). Thanks so much for participating in this little e-party and for your continued support of my little efforts (compared to you who is breaking all boundaries on crafting and tutorial creation!). Thanks so much to a true Canadian kindred spirit!

Kim Etherington said...

Very very pretty!

Bonnie said...

Another rockin' creation Mel! you and gesso - great match!

Anonymous said...

I just found your blog today and I am mesmerized! I need to find time to get to my studio and try some of your techniques! I believe Judikins makes a Clear Matte EP-I know I have some -I'll double check and if I am wrong I will let you know. They have the best EP in my opinion-except for Gold- you can't beat Queen's Gold from Ranger!
mary

Smriti said...

This card is certainly a piece of art! The way you've attended to each and every detail is awesome!