City Salon Anya

Click the pic for a much better look:

I had WAY too much fun with this card! Oooooodles! And I'm just bursting at the seams to share the technique with you. I'm crazy for digital lately, so it's extra exciting.

Don't like digital stamping? Is okay, my friend: it works for stamping too (embossing-that is) :O) Don't emboss? You must trust me, pretty please, and try it-You will never go back! LOL



1...how to give your Miss Anya a new do (cut & colour)
2...Digital Stuff: Digi City Freebie
3...new(?) technique-(embossing digital images in white & tinting)
4...how to make a gesso resist sky
5...create a water embossed grassy knoll
6...how to make the curvy tab (& free-hand embossing)

-1-

...give your Miss Anya a haircut

These are the original Miss Anyas:

Click to check 'em out at

Paper Garden Projects

"Notice anything different?"

Don't ask the hubby; he'll never guess that...

...Miss Anya got a whole new look at the hair salon:



If you compare the stamp (or the pic of the set up there) to the stamped Miss Anyas you'll see that each of her new DOs has less curls. IT was too much fun! You can cut as much as you like, since you're the hairdresser. ;O)

a cut & colour:

cut:

-->To give Miss Anya a haircut just trim off the excess that you don't want. If you trim too closely, just use a black marker to touch it up. :O)

-->To give Anya's body a clean cut silhouette to match her new coiffure, I cut very closely around her outline. (Wish that would work on me!) ;O)

-->To make it easy to cut between her & the two shopping bags, I just sliced right along side them & taped them up after:

colour:

-->To colour her, I used a mix of water-based markers (with a niji brush) and Copic markers (to deepen the colour in the shadows.)

-->Watercolour paper made her very strong & nicer to colour with the water (no curling)

-->If your background is dark, you can go around Anya with a black marker to hide any white edges--saves having to cut too closely. (or just use whatever colour marker you like--light or dark--to match your background)

-->The patterns on her shirt & shorts were made by drawing circles & cross-hatch lines with the fine tip of Stampin' Up! markers

-2-

(Digi City Freebie)

A girl needs somewhere to traipse about, so I doodled this very doodley cityscape. :o) Please feel free to use it if you like it
(no commercial use s'il vous plaît)

Click to go download this digital image
Edited to add:
Click above for a new black & white PDF version
Click below for the JPG versions
(the 1st one is blueish, the 2nd one is black)
BLUE:

BLACK:




(Technique)

The cityscape on this card is done with a new technique: embossing digital images in white on dark cardstock & then tinting with Copic markers (works with stamps too)

At least I think it's new. Anywho, I know it's nifty fun! I'm freakin' out about what a blast it is to see the white image appear outta no where when you print & sprinkle on the embossing powder... and the style options it opens up for printing on dark cardstock and using any digital image, text, etc...

TOO kewl for school: Not only can you emboss digital images in white, but you can also tint them whatever colour you like with Copic markers!!! weeeeeeeeeeeee!

Other Variations: Of course, the tinting would also work on stamped embossing & you could use silver embossing powder or other light colours too.

-3-

...emboss digital images in white (!!!)

(with Copics tinted embossing)

Technique Summary:
A) Prep embossing stuff & Print an image from your computer onto dark cardstock
B) Sprinkle white embossing powder onto the wet ink & heat set it
C) Tint the white embossing with Copic Markers

• Black/other dark cardstock
  
• Clear gel medium (available at art supply stores)
• Brayer & or paint brush (to apply gel medium)
• Printer & digital image
• White embossing powder (or other light e.p.)
• Heat gun
• Copic Markers I've used Aqua B15, Pure pink RV23, Frost Blue B00, Cadmium Red R27, Apple Green G14 and a colourless blender,
• White opaque marker (Close to my Heart)
  

for making the city skyline:

A word on cardstock: I've used black Noir Sparkle cardstock from Paper Temptress painted with clear gel medium, but other cardstocks that emboss without the gel medium would be: Nero Incandescent & Onyx

To emboss in white:

Step 1}Use a dark cardstock that embosses well out of the printer or
Paint cardstock with gel medium & Let gel medium dry well
Step 2}Have white embossing powder & heat gun at the ready
Step 3}Print digital image of city onto the gelled cardstock (standard or fast printer settings seem to let the ink stay wet)
Step 4}Emboss right away with white embossing powder
Step 5}Remove stray powder with a brush
Step 6}Heat embossing powder to melt & then cool it

To tint it:

Step 1} colour the white embossing with Copic markers
Step 2} Remove any excess Copic with a colourless blender
Step 3}Shade with a white opaque marker (CTMH)
Step 4}Remove excess white marker with a colourless blender (the marker will settle in the brush mark grooves of the gel medium for a nifty texture

Cut it out around the buildings & stitch the street lines, if you like :oD

-4-

...make the gesso resist sky:

• Pink cardstock
  
• Text file (or stamp)
  
• Gesso & a scrap of card to apply
• Pink & turquoise markers
• Niji watercolour brush.
• Pencil
• Paper piercer
• Black thread & a needle
• Double-sided tape

To make the city sunset:



Step 1} Print sewing text (above) onto pink cardstock
Step 2} Apply white gesso with a scrap of card to make clouds
Step 3} Add in deep pink marker shading near horizon
Step 4} Blend in turquoise in towards the top of the sky
Step 5} Blend using water if you like the blurry text effect (if not use Copics)
Step 6} Draw a cloud line around the outside (on the back)
Step 7} Pierce & stitch it with black thread

-5-

...create a water embossed grassy knoll:

• Grey cardstock
• Black sparkle cardstock
• Vine image or stamp (or patterned paper)
• Water mister
• Clear embossing powder
• Heat gun
• Paper piercer & Tim Holtz ruler/pierce free-hand
• Grey embroidery thread & a needle
• Black ink/marker (to distress)

To make the grassy hill:

Step 1} Print or stamp a vine (or use patterned paper) This is Dark Grey cardstock
Step 2} Spritz with water to emboss
Step 3} Sprinkle clear embossing powder on the spritzed water
Step 4} Melt the clear e.p. with a heat gun
Step 5} Trim to shape of a hill
Step 6} Shade with a black marker near bottom
Step 7} Adhere hill to a piece of black cardstock
Step 8} Trim that cardstock to be parallel with the hill
Step 9} Cut tiny slits to create grass fringe
Step 10} Pierce & stitch along sides, if desired

Hopefully, this pic of the grass/hill gives you a better idea of the stipple effect that embossing with spritzed water gives you. Kinda like asphalt or pebbles:

(click it if you wanna see the embossing shine) ;o)

-6-

...make the curvy tab

A) Use a piece of the same cardstock you used to make the hill.
B) Make the curvy bit by punching with a round tab punch (SU)
C) Cut the rest of the shape free-hand
D) Write the sentiment with a souffle pen & emboss with white embossing powder
E) Tint embossing with Copic markers




Thanks for checkin' this out!

(various mediums in your printer)

As usual (as with gesso) I can't guarantee the gel medium won't affect your printer. Mine was under $50.00 so I play with wild abandon. Maybe experiment with another old printer if you have a really pricey one?

P.S.
Find Miss Anya & other supplies used here @ Paper Garden Projects
(Copics are on sale & there's a great free shipping deal too
P.P.S.
Other Miss Anya cards here