Strawberry journal spread with ESC {by Riikka Kovasin}

Hello everyone, Riikka here with you today for an art journal spread process. I was inspired by warm days, memories of summers gone by and the sweet taste of strawberries. In this post I'm showing you, how I created a weathered collage background for the page to echo fleeting moments and then layered a mix of vintage and herbal focal points on top.

 

My main inspiration for this project was the beautiful strawberry set by Scrapcosy (ESC53). I wanted to use that as my focal point. I then thought about a fun technique using rubbing for the background, so I chose a stencil (PS491) to be used in that.

To be honest, I started with three Fresco Finish acrylic paints and then added a Mattint and another Fresco Finish color along the way. First, I chose a color palette that would highlight the red strawberries, but also show off the green leaves. I picked Spring (FF180), Aquamarine (FF153), and China (FF101). When creating, I wanted the background to be more vintage looking, so I added Mattint Glow (MT01) to the mix, and lastly used Gold Rush (FF204) as the last stage of my worn wallpaper technique.

Along with these PaperArtsy mediums, I used a black stamping ink, beeswax crayons, and colored pencils.

I started my art journal spread by coloring tissue paper. For that I used a gel plate and added two acrylic paint colors, Aquamarine (FF153) and Spring (FF180) on top of the plate in small dots. I then used a brayer to spread the colors and pulled a print to a piece of tissue paper.

While making the prints, I cleaned my brayer to my art journal. This added a touch of color to the spread, with the same color scheme I was then adding on top a bit later. Also, no paint was wasted this way!

After the tissue had dried, I added a pattern on top using frottage. I slipped the stencil (PS491) underneath my tissue paper print and then gently rubbed with a beeswax crayon from the top. This added the pattern of the stencil to the print.

 

I named this technique worn wallpaper, but in fact it's a couple of techniques bundled together. The end result looks like a weathered, stained, and torn wallpaper.

I started with collage. I tore the tissue paper into smaller pieces and adhered them on top of the colored spread. I used a matte medium to adhere the pieces in place. If you want to combine a couple of steps, read further for another medium option. I didn't want to cover the whole area but instead give the impression of torn wallpaper.

Next, I added the same pattern but in another way. I used the same stencil (PS491) but this time with paint and a sponge. I used Fresco Finish China (FF101) mixed with Aquamarine (FF153). I concentrated the pattern to the gaps between the tissue paper pieces.

I thought the background needed a touch of contrast. I created that with a text stamp from the set (ESC53) and black ink. As you can see from the picture below, I didn't mean the text to be readable, but instead to add visual texture.

These steps were all about building layers, like layers of different wallpapers added to the wall along the years.

While I liked how fresh the background looked, I felt that a touch of vintage was needed to convey the idea of worn wallpaper and to match the background better to the vintage photos I was planning adding on top. 

First, I added a layer of Mattint onto the page, transforming the color scheme to a warmer one. You can tweak the colors easily with a layer of this medium! If I'd realized earlier, that a vintage touch would be needed, I could have used Mattint to adhere the tissue paper pieces in the first place.

As the last step of the worn wallpaper, I used water resist to create a splodgy paint layer on top of everything already on the background. First, I took a water mister and kept it at hand. I then painted the spread speedily with Fresco Finish Gold Rush (FF204). Next, I sprayed some water on my hand and flicked droplets to the wet paint. I tried to add a generous amount of the droplets, covering the whole area. 

I then used a heat tool to dry the paint. The idea with the water droplets is that the paint underneath the water won't dry while the other parts of the layer do. I then picked up a rag and dried the droplets and removed the paint underneath them. I was left with a splodgy, weathered looking paint layer with all the previous patterns peeking through.  

I had now my mission accomplished - a weathered, torn looking wallpaper background!

Now that the background was done, I concentrated my attention to the focal points. That is the strawberries. I stamped a multitude of them to two surfaces - the more geometrical design from the set (ESC53) on top of white cardstock, to be colored, and the more loose design on top of old book pages. I used the same black ink for both.

I cut the strawberries stamped on top of the book paper loose, and collaged those onto my background. I let the design partly overlap and created a cluster of plants on both pages.

Then it was coloring time! I used colored pencils to add color to the geometrical strawberry designs. I wanted the berries vibrant red and the leaves luscious green. I also stamped a couple of additional strawberries and colored them, too.

After coloring the images, I cut the strawberry plants loose. I also cut some of the berries loose, to be used individually here and there.

I chose a couple of old photos of girls to be standing among the strawberries. I layered the strawberries and girls and adhered them to the page using double sided tape. As I was working on a bound journal, I didn't dare to use foam tape, which I usually prefer to create an illusion of perspective.

As a finishing touch, I added a little journaling to my spread. First, I stamped the "beautiful memories" from the stamp set (ESC53) onto a piece of old book paper. I then searched text stickers that would make up a story, when combined. The stickers were actually from a Halloween themed pad, but I bet you couldn't tell that from the finished story. At least I hope so! You can read the story a bit further along the post.

An air of days gone by topped with sweet strawberries! Above you can see the finished art journal spread. I really like using the long journal format, but it's a bit tricky, when taking pictures.

The main points in this spread are the layered, worn wallpaper looking background and the clusters on top. Notice, how I used the strawberry design repeatedly, like there's a shadow underneath the colored plants? You can just see sneaks of the bookpaper stamped flora, but it still creates a nice backdrop to the colored clusters.

Here's a closer detail on the cluster and the background. There's repetition in the pattern - first in the background using the same stencil and then in the cluster using the strawberry stamp. I hope here you can see the bookpaper version better, peeking underneath the colored plants.

In case you are wondering, what kind of a story I whipped up with the Halloween stickers, you can read it here. "Beautiful memories held her spellbound. Then, suddenly, a strange thing happened. A beautiful garden." Naturally, instead of stickers, you could use actual clippings from old books.

Thank you for stopping by today! Wishing you a lovely summer day!

Xoxo Riikka

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Rosy bookmark cards with LPC {by Riikka Kovasin}

Moikka everyone! It's Riikka here with you today. Summertime means parties, graduations and get-togethers, at least here in Finland. Sometimes you might not be able to attend, but still like to send a little something with your congratulations. So, to tackle the problem, I created a bookmark card - a little gift and a note wrapped in one. I also used a fun and handy resist technique in the process, if you want to color outside the lines.

 

I chose the stunning art deco styled Lynne Perrella set (LPC079) from the January release to be used as my focal point. I combined two of the three stamps in my make. As I was inspired by the roses in the set, I picked a rosy, warm color palette. I chose three Fresco Finish acrylic paint colors that went nicely together - Persimmon (FF209), Scottish Salmon (FF158) and Lily the Pink (FF218). For the resist technique I also picked an acrylic color, a warm neutral Fresco Finish Heavy Cream (FF203). 

To make the cards and bookmarks extra rosy, I also used Lynne Perrella stencil (PS494). In addition, I used a black and a pink stamping ink, an embossing ink as well as a black embossing powder.

I started the project by making an A4 sized masterboard. As the first layer, I added the three acrylic colors to the cardstock in haphazard segments. I let the colors mix in places and kept them pure in others. I used a big flat brush to apply the colors.

I then used the same colors but this time applied them through the rosy stencil (PS494) with a sponge. I tried to add darker (FF158) roses on top of light surfaces and light roses (FF218) on top of darker areas. In places I also added some of the Persimmon (FF209) into the mix.

By keeping the color palette coordinated, I was able to keep the overall appearance quite harmonious despite the vibrant colors. Please note, though, that this is my way of working, if you prefer the roses to pop, use a more contrasting color scheme.

I might have mentioned it before, but I hardly ever finish a project without splashes. They make nice visual texture and also blur the transitions between colors. So, I added some splashes to the masterboard using all three colors - Persimmon (FF209), Scottish Salmon (FF158), and Lily the Pink (FF218). A fan brush is a handy tool for splashes!

After letting the sheet dry, I then cut it into three pieces. I cut two 9 cm pieces out of the A4 breadth and was then left with a about 12 cm piece. Height of all the pieces was 21 cm, the breath of an A4.

I lifted the two 9 cm pieces aside and concentrated on the larger piece for a while.

 

I used the bigger masterboard piece to make my focal point bookmarks. I stamped the lady twice to my piece of background using an embossing ink and then covered the design using black embossing powder. I wanted to make two cards as I couldn't make up my mind, if I should do a playing card styled mirrored bookmark or just one with additional length.

For the "extra length" version I stamped the head of the lady to the top of the cardstock and then aligned the same stamp to stamp the top design underneath the letter block. While I got the alignment right, there was a little gap between the two design blocks as you can see from the photo underneath. I fixed that with a black marker.

For the "playing card" version I again stamped the head of the lady to the top of the sheet, flipped the stamp and stamped her again, so that the other head started from the letter block. In order to make that work, I heat-embossed the first stamped lady before stamping the other. That way I could remove the extra powder that got stuck on top of the letter design, even though I tried to be careful. If the explanations don't make any sense to you, please read on and see the next step or even the pictures of the ready bookmarks and cards. 

My crafty friends call me "Speedy Gonzales" as when I get to the zone, I'm quite a quick maker. I seldom treat the paper with an anti static tool when embossing, but jump straight to stamping. That's why I then often need to slow down before melting the embossing powder as there's powder stuck to places where it doesn't belong. One could then think, if a little extra time prepping might actually be faster than cleaning up afterwards! 

But anyhow, if you are like me, eager to get going, my tip for cleaning extra powder is a soft detail brush. You can gently swipe off the extra powder before heating to avoid grains in wrong places.

After melting the powder and letting it cool, I then colored outside the lines! While acrylic paint will stick even to glass and plastic, on top of these sleek, non-porous surfaces it's not very durable. You can use that to your advantage and use a broader brush when coloring. 

As you can see, I applied Heavy Cream (FF203) on top of the faces of the ladies in order to create a blank canvas to add hair color and make up. While I could have used white cardstock to start with, I wanted the background of the card and the bookmark echo the same design and colors. The easiest way in my book was to use a masterboard and cut the bookmarks from the same sheet.

After the paint had dried, I then grabbed a baby wipe, and revealed the embossed design underneath the paint. As you can spot from the photo below, the rubbing removed some of the paint from the face, too, letting the background ghost through. 

If you want a more solid color layer, rub more carefully. It's also handy to use a clean baby wipe to finish rubbing the paint off. At least with this opaque white, the black easily looked misty as a tiny veil of the paint was left on top using a paint saturated wipe.

Now that I had a nice neutral surface to work on, I could color the character using colored pencils and markers. 

A couple of tips, when choosing the coloring tools. If you want the characters to pop, use a contrasting color. For a calmer effect, stick to the color scheme you already have going in the background. I went with the latter option and colored my ladies to red heads. 

Another tip is to use mediums that are meant for non-porous surfaces. You're working on top of acrylics, so take that into consideration when picking you coloring mediums. While the chalk-like surface of the Fresco Finish paints might even allow you to use watercolors, that perhaps is not be the best option for a bookmark done on top of acrylic paints. I mean you don't want the mark to stain the book, if the weather is humid.

Now that my ladies were stamped and colored, I turned them into bookmarks. I adhered the stamped piece on top of red cardstock using double sided adhesive sheet and then cut the ladies loose from the background.

I then set these bookmarks aside as I begun working with the 9 cm background pieces.

 

The first thing I did to the 9 cm pieces was to trim 1,5 cm of their length. The pieces now were 9 x 19,5 cm. I then added a rosy border to them. I used a black ink and the lady with stunning art deco -styled roses on her hair. I inked the stamp and pushed just the top to my card pieces.

More roses! When thinking about the project, I saw the bookmark on top of the background, hold in place with a rose wreath. I had hoped to get the roses from the same masterboard, but as I couldn't decide about the bookmark design, I needed an extra piece for the roses. In the end I think this might have been even a better solution than to use the same masterboard. Using the same colors kept the project cohesive, but there's still some variation highlighting the rose wreath. 

I first painted a piece of cardstock pink using Lily the Pink (FF218) and then added red roses on top using the stencil (PS494) and Scotting Salmon (FF158).

After letting the piece dry, I used the same rose-crowned lady to stamp several roses on top. I used black stamping ink as a means to tie everything together. 

I then cut the roses loose. I left two of the wreaths whole, but cut the third into smaller bits. These I used to add some dimensionality to the design - like a 3D picture.

Next up was 'inking the edges' -time! I went through all the elements with the same pink ink using an ink blending tool. By elements I mean the bookmarks, card bases as well as the wreaths of roses.

Lastly only the finishing touches and assembly were left to do. I first backed the card bases with black cardstock. I cut that black piece 0,5 cm bigger than the self-made background piece, so it added a nice, crisp edge around the focal area. 

I then measured the right place for the rose wreath. I called it 'measured', but I just used my eye, not a ruler. In order to add some extra texture and a little detail to the card, instead of just adhering the wreath from the ends, I used a couple of stitches. I made sure there was enough room to slide the bookmark underneath, though. I then added the smaller rose segments on top using foam tape. Just make sure the tape sticks only to roses, not to the card base! Otherwise you might have trouble threading the bookmark underneath the wreath.

To match the white linen thread I used, I also added some white splashes in the mix. These were done using Heavy Cream (FF209) and a fan brush.

As the last step I then mounted the focal area on top of a white card base and then slipped the bookmark in place.

Here they are - bookmark cards ready to be sent out to congratulate or cheer! 

The wreath of roses keeps the bookmark snuggly in place, but it's still easy to pull loose to use. The colors are vibrant and echo that of the roses. On top you can see the playing card version of the bookmark, which actually became my favorite. To see the other one, please scroll down a bit more.

I really like the grungy detail the stitches add to the card! It's such a small thing, but adds quite a lot of impact, partly because of the stark contrast by the white thread. If you wish a more subtle solution, either use a thread that matches your color palette better or use glue instead. Just make sure, the bookmark has enough room to be slipped in place and out again!

Another thing I really like about these cards, is the matching color palette throughout. The bookmark blends in to the card base nicely as it's done on top of the same masterboard. If you'd wish the card to be more presentable after the bookmark is taken into use, you could always stamp the lady also to the background.

Here are the two cards once more - the red head mirrored one and the pink-haired with a long dress. Which one of the two is your favorite?

Thank you for stopping by today! I wish you found this project inspiring!

Xoxo, Riikka

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