A Watercolor Attempt at a Birch Tree

Birthdays are coming fast and furious in our family and among our friends.  I tried a fall birch tree scene again that I had enjoyed watching The Frugal Crafter teach us.  Rather pitiful result but fun to try. I may try again soon.

Rather than tell you all the things I don't like about this, I will say what I learned.

1.  Cheap watercolor paper does not always give the results you might hope for.  I love making clouds but the clouds did not make it on this paper.  Sadly, I am not sure which paper this was as the cover is missing.  I believe I had better luck with Strathmore watercolor paper.

2.  It is possible to paint in many different locations and pretty much with whatever you have around you.  I wanted the have this picture have a white border.  To do this on the actual painting you need to tape the paper to something first.  Since I did this work at the office I discovered that my desk calendar was just the right size to tape down a 4.5 by 6 piece of watercolor paper.

3.  Wasting supplies annoys me.  However, when starting with 9 by 12 watercolor paper, which you can cut into perfect quarters, means that the card to which you affix the painting wastes some of the underlying card.  I found that cutting the card stock 10 by 6.5 gives a pretty nice foundation.  If I want to not waste the card stock, I cut that 4.25 by 11 which gives me two nice card bases, but then the painting has to be cut down, so, either cut down the watercolor paper first to fit the card base, or go with the wasted card stock with the larger painting.  This did leave a nice 2 by 11 piece of card stock plus a little 1 by 6.5 inch piece to play with.

4.  To have a better painting, more time is needed.

5.  To make a card I really like includes a foundation card stock I really like.  I have recently cut up a whole package of 8.5 by 11 Park Lane card stock in floral designs.  I cut two cards from each sheet so those cards either need the watercolor paper to be cut smaller (or wasted) OR I need to do something else for the front of the card.  I might go back to splatter painting with pen and ink drawings of some nature.

Either way (either I like what I produce, or I don't) it is so enjoyable to make cards for loved ones.  Since I cannot be there in person for everyone,  it makes me happy to reach with cards I have made with my hands.

February Birthday Card

We have birthdays in February so I needed to get some cards made.

To tell you where the idea came from, I was watching a Frugal Crafter YouTube video.  She has been using Rubber Stamp Tapestry Peg Stamps for a long time, which successfully sucked me into buying a few!  I do love the few that I have bought from Rubber Stamp Tapestry.  The Frugal Crafter had designed some unmounted rubber stamps for them and made a couple of cards with them.  I liked them so I ordered her stamps and a couple of others.  They arrived on Thursday!

This is the first one I made with those stamps.  Some missionaries,  elders, were in the office after I had made the card (at home but brought to the office to mount).  I asked what they thought of it.  One of them said it was a little strange.  The other one said he liked it. He asked if I had made it so I said yes.  The other one then said if it was homemade, he loved it!  He just would not buy it in the store. He said he loves homemade cards. The other elder then told me that one of the missionaries in our mission has parents who own Stampin' Up!  Oh. My. Goodness!!!  Stampin' Up is the devil!  Can I tell you I have spent way too much money with them?!!! But loved everything!

 

For this card, I made a light green card base, having to change the size multiple times by cutting.  You can see in the upper left corner of this card a tiny bit of green which is actually on a page of Spanish language business I was doing.  I did not notice it until too late to crop.  I think I will put learning to crop on my radar soon....

For myself, I am okay with this card.  I do think I will use actual watercolors and brushes when I do it again.  I do really like the grass, though.  Also,  the tree is rather blurry because I did not have an acrylic block to mount the stamp on after cutting it out. I used a Chinet plate.  Don't do it!  Still, I thought it did give a little depth to the tree.