Village Street Scene Tutorial created with Chocolate Baroque stamps

Good morning. Today I am sharing a village street scene created with various scene building stamps from Chocolate Baroque. I have included a step by step of how I stamped and masked to build up the scene from the various stamped elements.

Materials:

• Landscape Edges (silhouette background trees), Country Views (sun & hill), Village Life (houses & tree), Townhouses (house & tree), English Cottages (tree, bushes, sign post) stamp sets
• DL card blank (9.5 X 21cm), white stamping card, waste copy paper (or masking tissue)
• Versafine Inkpad (Onyx Black)
• Fine tipped pen (black)
• Temporary glue adhesive (Zig 2 way glue)
• Watercolour pens and brush
• Wax crayons (just cheapy crayons)

How to build the scene:

The first thing that I do with scene building stamps is to stamp them all out onto copy paper, trim around and lay them out to decide on placement of the elements.

Once I have chosen which elements I want to use I then carefully trim around the images to create masks. I add just a couple of dots of temporary adhesive onto the back and leave to dry to give a tacky surface to hold down the elements while masking and stamping. If you have masking tissue this is already self-cling/tacky so you don’t need glue.

Next the foreground images are stamped.

Next the foreground images are covered up with the masks and the images that you want to sit behind are stamped.

Further masks are added to cover the stamped images while working backwards through the scene.

Here I left the foreground tree and bush masks in place while stamping the houses. Then I covered the houses while stamping the background. It is not necessary to mask the background silhouette trees as they are solid stamps.

The masks were then removed and a fine tipped marker used to draw in extra elements such as texture on the street and to fill in and extend the solid background trees (i.e. coloured in between the houses).

Extra trees were stamped onto spare card to decoupage onto the foreground.

Wax crayons were used to add a little texture to the roof tops and brickwork. The wax will resist subsequent watercolour.

The scene was then coloured with watercolour pens and a damp brush used to drag out colour and add shading. Extra colour was also painted on by picking up pen colour scribbled onto a craft mat or palette.

The additional trees stamped onto spare card were trimmed and lightly shaped with a ball tool to create foreground bushes and more depth to the scene.

Quick and Easy New Horizons Scene Card

Good morning. This is a quick and easy make using the Landscape Edges and Steampunkery (sentiment) stamps from Chocolate Baroque.

1. The background paper was already in my stash and had been created using ink spritzers (purple, yellow and blue with mica), painting and splashing onto wet cartridge paper. Similar could be created with watercolours or Brushos – whatever you have in your stash.
2. The images were stamped with Versafine. The stamping was touched up with black pen where needed to intensify (note: stamping on textured paper will come out a little grainy).
3. Brown pencil was used to quickly add shadows and white charcoal (Koh-I-Noor) to add highlights.

Materials:

• Landscape Edges and Steampunkery stamp sets (Chocolate Baroque)
• 6 X 6 inch card blank, cartridge paper
• Ink spritzers (yellow, purple and blue with mica)
• Versafine (Onyx Black)
• Fine tipped marker (black)
• Coloured pencil (brown)
• Koh-I-Noor Charcoal (White)

Quick and Easy Friend Card

Good morning. Today I am sharing some quick and easy makes. This one was created with Landscape Edges and Mackintosh Sentiments stamp sets from Chocolate Baroque.

 
The background was painted and spritzed onto cartridge paper with ink spritzers (orange, yellow, red, blue and gold with mica).

 
The images were stamped with Versafine. Distance was created in the foreground by repeat stamping the tree line without re-inking.

The reflection was created by stamping the scene again onto scrap acetate and transferring the wet ink.

White pencil was used to add highlights to the cloud and water. Clear sparkle pen and Stickles were used to add sparkling highlights.

Black marker was used to darken the base tree line and to edge the scene panel (note: stamping onto textured card gives a slightly grainy image).

I used StazOn Ink to stamp my sentiment as my card blank had a slightly shiny coated finish (Versafine would not dry on this). If you have an uncoated card blank then Versafine would work ok.

Materials:

• Landscape Edges and Mackintosh Sentiments stamp sets (Chocolate Baroque)
• 10 X 15cm white card blank, cartridge paper (9.5 X 11.5cm)
• Inkpads: Versafine (Onyx Black), StazOn (Jet Black)
• Ink Spritzers (orange, red, yellow, blue, gold with mica)
• Marker pen (black)
• Coloured pencil (white)
• Spectrum Noir Sparkle Pen (Clear) and Stickles Glitter Glue (Diamond)

Quick and Easy Love and Happiness Card

Good morning. Today I am sharing some quick and easy makes.

This one was created with Landscape Edges, Sunburst Scenes, Country Views and Birthday Words stamp sets from Chocolate Baroque. It may look complicated but the scene stamps do all the work.

1. The background was created really quickly by stamping with Versafine onto patterned paper.
2. The mount board tag was coloured with water based inks and scene images stamped with Versafine. Marker pen was used to draw in the hills and to edge the tag and background panel.
3. Brown and white pencils were used to quickly add highlights and shadows.
4. The tag was added to the card with foam mount for added depth. Finished with ribbon flower and PVA pearls.

Materials:

• Landscape Edges, Sunburst Scenes, Country Views and Birthday Words stamp sets (Chocolate Baroque)
• 6 X 6 inch white card blank, patterned background paper (Crafty Individuals – Travels in Italy), mount board tag
• Versafine Inkpad (Onyx Black)
• Water based inks or watercolours (green, yellow, blue)
• Coloured pencil (white, brown)
• Marker pen and fine tipped pen (black)
• Ribbon plus ribbon flower (black)
• PVA pearls (black)

Country Cottage Scene created for Chocolate Baroque

Good morning. This is one of my recent show samples with the scene building stamps. I have created a step by step for you, ‘warts & all’ as I made a bit of a mistake with masking! I think that I disguised it reasonably well – tee hee.

Materials:

• Stamps: Landscape edges (wall and background skyline), Village Life (trees), Townhouses (trees & bushes), English Cottages (cottage, trees & bushes, post box)
• 8 X 8 inch card blank and stamping card (smooth white)
• Scrap copy paper (needs to be thin) and temporary glue adhesive (such as zig 2 way glue) or masking tissue
• Watercolour pens and inks (yellow, orange, brown, turquoise, bright green, olive green, red, pink, grey and black)
• Fine tipped water resistant pen (black and opaque white)
• Alcohol marker (black)
• Versafine (Onyx Black)
• Pebeo Drawing Gum (masking fluid)

Step by Step:

Planning a rough layout.

The first thing that I do with a set of scene building stamps is to stamp all the elements onto scrap copy paper and roughly cut them out. I then use these to plan a scene, laying them out onto my project to decide on placement. Individual elements that may be needed to create masks (e.g. buildings, trees, bushes etc.) I cut around carefully. Any elements that are silhouette stamps (e.g. solid black trees, branches and foliage) don’t need to be masked so I just cut around roughly. I keep all these cut out elements to use again for future projects.

Stamp the post box and cover with the mask before stamping the wall. Using masking you work progressively from foreground to background. Masking ensures that element sits in front of the one behind. Don’t worry too much if you get a few gaps in the image around the masked elements, these are easily corrected with a fine tipped pen.

I put a couple of dots of zig glue onto the back of my masking pieces. It goes on blue and dries clear, and is then a tacky temporary adhesive for holding elements in place while stamping. If you are using masking tissue this already has a tacky backing.

Next stamp foreground trees and bushes. The foreground bush on the left was masked before stamping the ones behind. Cover the trees with masks.

Continue stamping and masking trees and bushes as you work backwards through the scene.

Continue stamping and masking as you work backwards through the scene.

Continue building the scene using masks as needed. Now can you see where I went wrong? I forgot to mask the bushes on the right hand side of the cottage! You can see the base of the house through the bushes. Eeek! I decided to leave it and try and cover up the mistake with the colouring.

Stamp the clouds along the top and the birds into the sky.  Mask the foreground tree and stamp the silhouette tree on the right.

Use the fine tipped pen to draw in elements and extend the background. Try to ‘go with the flow’ and just quickly draw. Rather than solid lines try and be a bit sketchy with light touches, dots & dashes. To give the illusion of perspective draw the path wider as it gets nearer the front of the scene. Draw a letterbox and scribble text onto the post box.

Next cover the cottage and trees using the Drawing Gum. This masking fluid is brilliant. I had always been used to the older stinky rubbery style masking fluid that ruins your brushes. This fluid is fabulous, it paints on easily and washes out instantly with water (treat it as you would an acrylic paint and wash brushes immediately – it will ruin your brush if you let it dry on).

It is not essential to mask before colouring but this makes it much easier to slap colour across the background and leave the elements protected.

Apply ink colours (or watercolour washes) across the background. Work freely working ‘wet in wet’. I used intense coloured inks to create a vibrant scene.

When the background is fully dry rub away the masking fluid.

Now colour the rest of the scene. I used watercolour pens and a damp brush, picking up colour scribbled onto my palette.

Use the fine tipped pen to draw in a few extra details, adding grasses and texture to the path. To keep perspective draw them slightly larger towards the front and reducing in size as you go back. Use the opaque white pen to add a few highlights.

Finally edge the scene with black marker to frame and mount onto the card front.

Sail Away quick and easy card created for Chocolate Baroque

Good morning – I love stamping directly onto pretty background papers to produce quick and easy cards – great if you need to put something together in a hurry.

I stamped elements from the Seashell Collage and flying gulls from the Landscape Edges stamp sets using Archival Ink (Coffee) onto one of the pretty background papers from Crafty Individuals (Book 5 – Travels in Italy). The sentiment is from the Steampunk Travel set, and was heat embossed with white powder. I added a few details with a fine liner pen and quickly coloured some areas with brown pencil. I also blended a little pink dye ink around the edges and over the sentiment to make it stand out – the white embossing resists the ink colour.

Materials:

• Seashell Collage, Steampunk Travel and Landscape Edges stamp sets
• 6 X 6 inch white card blank (approx. 15cm)
• 6 X 6 inch backing paper from Crafty Individuals (Book 5 – Travels in Italy)
• Inkpads: Versamark, dye based (bright pink) and Archival (Coffee)
• Alcohol marker and fine tipped pen (dark brown)
• WOW embossing powder (Opaque Bright White Superfine)
• Pencil (brown)

How to make it:

1. Trim the paper down slightly (approx. 14.5cm square) and stamp the scene using Archival Coffee Ink. Add some quick colouring to the gulls and wooden posts using brown pencil.
2. Stamp the sentiment with Versamark Ink and heat emboss with the white powder.
3. Draw in some faux stitching around the sentiment to extend the scene (just add a few wavy lines) using the fine tipped pen.
4. Blend pink ink in from the corners and over the sentiment to make it stand out more (the white embossing will resist the ink).
5. Use the marker to outline and frame the edges and glue to the card front.

Still Moon created for Chocolate Baroque Colour Challenge 23 and recent TV show

I am loving the Colour Challenge this month – just my colours. I created this one as one of my TV samples for the recent Brusho’s show on the Craft Channel with the Design-A-Tree sets. Wasn’t Lesley brilliant!

Materials:

• Design-A-Tree Arboretum  - Glade and Orchard sets, Landscape Edges and Words of Inspiration stamp sets
• 6X6 inch card blank, white stamping card and holographic mirror card for mounting
• Inkpads: Versafine (Vintage Sepia, Onyx Black), Distress Ink (Dusty Concord)
• Pebeo Drawing Gum masking fluid
• Brushos (Leaf Green, Turquoise, Ultramarine and Purple)
• Clear mica spray
• Alcohol marker (black) and fine tipped pen (black)
• Stickles glitter glue (Diamond)

Step By Step:

1. Trim the stamping card to approx.14cm square (slightly smaller than the card blank).
2. Stamp the trees in Vintage Sepia and the sentiment and birds in Onyx Black ink.
3. Draw a circle in the sky and apply masking fluid.
4. Prepare Brushos for painting by adding crystals to a little water in a palette. Paint the picture with the inks. Remove the masking fluid and drag some of the colour across the moon.
5. Spray the moon and central area of the painting sparingly with a little mica spray.
6. Add a little shading to the trees with the fine tipped marker, extending at the roots to anchor the trees.
7. Edge the card with black marker and blend Distress Ink in from the edges.
8. Mount onto the mirror card and glue to the card blank. Finish with a little glitter glue for moonlight sparkle on the branches.

Scene cards created using the Landscape Edges stamp sets from Chocolate Baroque

Here are two more of my scenes created for the recent TV shows on The Craft Channel where Lesley demonstrated Brusho’s. You can still see the show on catch up online if you missed it.

Materials:

• Landscape Edges and Words of Inspiration stamp sets
• 6X6 inch card blanks, black card, smooth stamping card and watercolour card
• Brusho’s (red, yellow, black)
• Mr Huey’s Colormist Spray with mica (gold and clear)
• Inkpads: Versafine (Onyx Black), Memento (London Fog and Tuxedo Black)
• WOW embossing powder (Clear)
• Alcohol marker (black)
• Watercolour pen (black)

How it was done:

The Backgrounds

1. I first created the backgrounds using Brusho’s on A5 sheets of card. The first piece was painted onto smooth card, blending the red into yellow, then black at the base. I tipped the card whilst wet to get interesting streaks and bleeding of the colours together. I then sprayed it sparingly with a little gold mica.
2. The second piece was created in a similar way but on watercolour card. I coated the card with clear mica spray before applying the Brusho’s.
3. I trimmed the backgrounds to approx. 13cm square.

Inspiring Sky

1. Images and sentiment were stamped with Versafine and heat embossed with clear powder to intensify.
2. I used water to lift a little of the stain from the cloud to lighten it against the background. To get a more intense effect try dilute bleach.

Red Sky

1. The clouds were stamped with Memento (London Fog).
2. The remainder of the scene was stamped with Memento (Tuxedo Black) using second generation stamping along the tree line.
3. A bit of shading was painted using wet brush the black watercolour pen ink.

Finishing

1. The images and card blanks were edged with black marker to frame.
2. Images were mounted onto black card to create a border and then glued onto the card blank.

Dream Tree Scene created for Chocolate Baroque

I created this one for Chocolate Baroque as a TV show sample for the recent Brusho’s show on the Craft Channel. Lesley was brilliant! You can still watch the show on catch up if you missed it.

Materials:

• Design-A-Tree set (Orchard, Glade, Woodland), Landscape Edges and Words of Inspiration stamp sets
• 15cm square yellow card blank, watercolour card and stamping card
• Brusho’s (black, blue, red, yellow, green, brown)
• Mica spray (Mr Huey’s Colourmist Shine)
• Inkpads: Versamark, Versafine (Vintage Sepia), Distress Inks (Mowed Lawn, Crushed Olive, Barn Door)
• WOW glitter embossing powder (Halloween)
• Sunburst stencil (Sheena Douglass)
• Alcohol marker (black) and fine tipped marker (brown)
• Glitter glue (red)
• Ready made flowers, green and sparkly red organza ribbons to embellish

Step By Step:

Brusho Backgrounds. I used the one on the right for this project.

1. Paint the watercolour card with Brusho blending blues and reds for the sky into yellows and greens at the base. Drop on crystals and spritz with water to provide foliage texture in the foreground. Dry.
2. Lay down the sunburst stencil and spray though with mica to create the sparkling sun rays. Dry and trim to approx. 14cm square to fit the card front.
3. Stamp the tree (Orchard), birds (Landscape Edges), and foreground pebble texture (Glade) with Versafine.
4. Stamp the foreground leaves (Woodland) in Mowed Lawn Distress Ink and the tree foliage (Woodland) in Barn Door Distress Ink. Touch up the tree image, and draw a base to anchor the tree, using a fine tipped brown pen. Add touches of glitter glue to the tree foliage.
5. Apply Versamark around the card edges and heat emboss with glitter powder to give a distressed effect.
6. Stamp the sentiment with Versafine onto a small panel. Edge with Crushed Olive Distress Ink.
7. Outline the topper and card front with black alcohol marker to frame. Attach ribbon to topper and glue to card front. Glue on flowers and sentiment panel with 3D glue gel.

Scene card created with the new digital paper download from Chocolate Baroque

The new digital paper this month is a stunner. I decided to make a fold back scene card so that the full beauty of the paper can be seen as the card is pulled open.

Open Card

Closed Card

Materials:

• Design-A-Tree Orchard, Spinney and Woodland, Landscape Edges and Words of Inspiration stamp sets
• 8 X 8 inch white card blank
• Digital paper (Imperial Birds Background) printed X 3
• Small blossoms die cut (or punched) from scrap card in pink and cream
• Die cut shapes in green card (for mat) and white stamping card to create topper
• Inkpads: Distress Ink (Old Paper, Peeled Paint, Vintage Photo), Versafine (Vintage Sepia), Archival Dye Ink (multicolour light to dark browns)
• Acrylic Paint – light pink
• Glitter glues: Stickles (Star Dust) and green
• Pink PVA pearls
• 3D glue gel

How to make it:

1. Score the front panel of the card blank vertically down the centre and fold back the panel. Trim the digital paper and glue to the inside back panel.
2. Trim another print out panel and cut in half vertically to stick on the inside front and left hand fold back front panel. Check that the front panel pattern aligns with the inside back panel. Glue the inside panel but do not glue down the outer front left panel yet.
3. Lay the green mat onto the front printed panel and mark the position of the bottom left hand section with a pencil. Trim a slot around the leaves with a craft knife so that the mat can be tucked into the paper (i.e. under and behind the leaves). Glue the printed panel to the card front taking care to omit glue from the cut slot area. Stamp the sentiment with Versafine.
4. From the third sheet of digital paper cut out the vine leaves and shape slightly for decoupage. Shape the tiny blossoms. Add green glitter glue to the leaf veins and Star Dust to the flower centres.
5. Stamp the stone wall onto the bottom of the topper panel with Versafine. Stamp the tree (Orchard set) with the multicolour stamp pad so that the trunk is dark brown, blending to lighter brown for the upper branches.
6. Stamp the leaves in the light and darker green Distress Inks (Woodland set).
7. Stamp the blossoms with pale pink acrylic paint (Spinney set). Dot with Star Dust glitter glue.
8. Colour the wall and landscape using the Distress Inks and a damp watercolour brush. Ink the edges of the scene with Peeled Paint Distress Ink. Glue to the green mat.
9. Glue the topper onto the card front tucking the bottom left corner into the cut slot of the patterned paper. Glue on the leaves and blossoms with 3D glue gel. Take care not to add glue to the topper overhang section. Finish with a few PVA pearls.