In the Still of the Night
Nature shares the magic
TUTORIALSTENCILSTRETCH YOUR PENNIES
9/10/20233 min read
I was recently asked to create 3 cards for men retiring from a volunteer organization which works to protecting our local biosphere. This one turned out to be the toughest in the end - entirely because I was pigheaded!
Let’s Get Started:
Card Base: 5.5 x 8.5, scored and folded at 4.25
Card Face: 4.4 x 4.58
Small Scrap of Silver Cardstock for Sentiment
Card Face:
I started this card by creating a mask from copy paper for both the sky and the land. **see below
I taped down the mask for the sky first, covering the top part of the paper. I sponged dark grey ink onto the bottom of the paper, building up colour gradually.
I removed the first mask, replacing it with the mask for the land, covering the bottom portion of the paper.
Before adding any ink I brought in the mask portion of the moon stencil, positioning it so that it extended just a bit onto the land (on top of the mask already in place there), and off of the left hand edge.
I sponged a dark blue ink onto the sky, building up colour around the edges but keeping it lighter around the moon.
I removed the moon mask - because that was in place, there was a perfectly round, uninked circle. Since the bottom overlapped the mask for the land that portion wasn't inked, and it looks like the moon is rising.
I added the moon stencil over this area , and created the detail on the moon with a soft blue-grey ink.
I wanted very dark, crisp silhouettes on this card, so I got out my stamp positioner.
I put the card face into the stamp positioner and stamped the large tree in black ink, directly over the moon; stamping a couple of times to get the image dark enough.
I positioned the small trees towards the right hand side on the horizon, and stamped them with black ink several times, building up depth and making sure that they had enough presence against the sky.
Using the same black ink I went around the edges of the entire card, creating a vignette around the scene.
I put the masks back for both the moon and the land (I also used a piece of torn paper to roughly cover the trees): I used white metallic watercolour to add spatter to the sky and create stars.
Other:
I checked my Ready To Go binder to see what I might have for a sentiment.... I had previously die cut Thank You from white card stock several times, tucking them away for future use.
I took out two of these and glued them together to give them a bit of dimension.
I pressed the words into Versamark, and then heat set the silver embossing powder that I sprinkled over the Versamark.
Assembly:
I glued the card face to the card base.
I glued the sentiment to the upper right, as shown.
** Stretch Your Pennies:
Sometimes you can create your own masks - saving the $$ you would have spent to purchase them. Creating a landscape mask is very simple: you simply take a piece of paper the same size as your card face, and draw a line in where the horizon will be. It can be flat or curvy - just decide on the look that you want. Then cut the paper along the line. You now have two masks, one for the land and one for the sky, and since they fit together perfectly your piece will be protected from stray ink once you tape the desired piece in place.
Final thoughts:
I was really happy with this card in the end, but it took a few attempts to get it right. I initially used one stamp for the trees on the horizon, which had three small trees and a bit of landscape on the bottom. I loved the shape and size of this stamp , but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get the ink around it to blend seamlessly with the stamp... either the stamp was too dark, or I overshot it with the blending. Either way the landscape on the stamp was very distracting in the image. I finally got sensible, and used small trees without anything attached on the bottom, and the problem was solved!
Far too much time spent, for what was a very simple solution in the end.
Supplies: (and links where possible)
I have listed which products I have used, and where they may be purchased. It's a huge marketplace and in most instances there are multiple sources and many alternatives to choose from.
Stencil: Tim Holtz Layering Mask, Moon: Scrapbook.com
Stamps: several different stamps from Stampin' Up! (all retired)
Ink: Stampin’ Up!
Memento Ink: Stampin’ Up!
Metallic Watercolor Ink: Aoutle, Amazon
Versa Mark: embossing ink, Simon Says Stamp
Silver Embossing Powder: Stampin' Up!
Mint Tape:Scrapbook.com
Blending Brushes: Stampin’ Up!
Stamping Platform::Misti, Spellbinders
The platform I use has retired, but the Misti is very similar.
Adhesive: Tombow Aqua, Michaels
Card Base: Accent 100 lb., Amazon
Card Face: Accent 80 lb., Amazon