First, I'm super excited to announce that I passed my level 1 AECP (Altenew Educator Certified Program). Woohoo!!! You can find out more here if you don't know what it's all about.
Now, it's time to start Level 2, so here goes.
I decided to start this level with the In the Mood for Color class with Stephanie Klauck.
I LOVE colour, so I was intrigued about what would be covered. In the class, Stephanie teaches you how to use colours to reflect the mood and tone of your design for your card recipient, i.e. blue for calm, red for passion and love etc. I also like to think of the kind of colours my friends like, so when I design a card I have that in mind too.
Something I really love to do lately is making cards with different colour schemes. It's a great way to get a few cards made while you have all of your supplies out, but you don't get bored where the colour themes are different.
Card One - Teal Happy Birthday
For this assignment, I knew I wanted to do three different colour combinations, starting with shades of aqua. I thought the Altenew Sea Shore inks would be lovely. Aqua is one of my favourite colours, so it was the perfect starting point. I also wanted to use the Altenew Tea Party range of inks, another of my favourites. If you visit my business website, you'll see a theme with my teals and reds. I couldn't decide on the third colour, so I decided to use purples, opting for Altenew Shades of Purple inks, as they aren't my usual go-to colours.
Teal is a lovely supportive, and calming colour, and I knew the person I had in mind to send it to would love it, especially for what's happening in her world.
One of my favourite Altenew stamp and die sets is Wonderland. The flower is so beautiful and it allows you to get creative with your colouring. I've been learning how to use my fairly new to me Prismacolors, so I chose pencils to match my Altenew inks.
Tip: This method for choosing colour is a great place to start, as the Altenew inks range from extra light to light to mid to dark tones.
For example, I was using the Altenew Sea Shore set - see the image on the right, so I pulled those colours out and then chose complimentary pencil colours.
I had recently watched a masterclass series with Nicole Watt, called Stencils Unleashed: Advanced Stencil Techniques where she shared how to take your stencils up a notch by adding shading to create a dimensional background using a graphite pencil and tortillon (or paper blending stump as it's otherwise called).
You can purchase tortillons in a range of sizes. I used a size 2 for my shading as it worked better for me, and a 2b graphite pencil as that was what I had on hand.
Warning: This technique is a tad addictive! I couldn't stop doing them. It's a great thing to do while relaxing in the evening as you can watch a bit of TV and spend some time smudging lovely dimension onto your backgrounds, ready to turn into cards at a later date.
I created my backgrounds using the Flowing Drops stencil, which I inked onto white cardstock in three different colour combinations. I started with the Sea Shore colour range, using Mountain Mist, Volcano Lake and Lagoon. Once the background was inked, I set about doing the shading using my graphite pencil and tortillon.
(Note, don't do this technique when you're having an ice cool drink. The water drips off your glass and ruins your hard work!!)
Once the background was complete, I set about colouring the first flower. For the pencils, I brought in some of the aquas and some darker blue greens to add some interest to the petals.
I used the following colours: Peacock Blue, Cobalt Turquoise Hue, Aquamarine, Light Aqua and Muted Turquoise. I also used Olive Green, Apple Green and Chartreuse for the stems on all of the cards.
To complete the card, I die cut the stencilled background with a rectangular stitched die. I then die cut a blue-green panel and a smaller white panel using some slimline rectangle dies, which I adhered to the base card in layers. I then pop dotted the flower onto the left of the card. I wanted to use a bold greeting so chose the Altenew 'Not Just a Number' Happy Birthday die, which I cut in black and white.
I adhered the sentiment directly onto the card, and finished everything off with a few antique gold Altenew sequins. Aren't those little glass jars adorable? They remind me of my childhood when I used to collect little beads in jars with cork stoppers. I wish Altenew made more colours in them to match their inks, I'd buy them in a heartbeat.
Tip: When you have a busy background, a bold black and white sentiment can really make a statement. If I'd have made this card with a teal sentiment, it wouldn't have looked as dynamic.
Card Two - Coral Hugs
For my second card, I followed exactly the same process, only this time using the Altenew Tea Party inks with the following Prismacolor pencils: Tuscan Red, Crimson Lake, Permanent Red, Pale Vermillion, Blush Pink and Deco Peach, plus the same greens as before.
I experimented with making the graphite shading a tad darker than the teal card, and was pleased with how it turned out. I wasn't sure if it would be too dark, but it makes the colour pop really well.
Some of the qualities that the colour coral symbolises are warmth, positivity and kindness. I thought the word 'hugs' would be perfect with this colour combo, so using the Altenew Hello and Hugs Dies, I cut out the word 'hugs' in black and white and of course added those gorgeous sequins to finish.
Tip: I got this tip from a good friend that does art. When doing your last layer of Prismacolor, or any colouring medium, add in some violet for your shading. It makes the whole thing look so much better. I was amazed at the difference it makes.
Card Three - Purple Hello
The colour lilac is relaxing, uplifting and soothing. Think of fresh lavender. I thought this colour combo would be lovely and was so pleased with it, especially where I wouldn't normally use it that much. Purple is often associated with royalty too so it's a classy choice haha.
The card was made in the same way as the other two. This time I wanted to create an ombre effect on the background though, going from dark at the bottom of the card to light at the top.
I used the Hello and Hugs die set again, this time with the word 'hello' in black and white, and finished the card off with the same Antique Gold sequins.
I used the following shades of purple to colour the flower: Black Grape, Parma Violet, Lilac, Lavender, Greyed Lavender and Black Cherry.
Tip: Play around with different intensities of ink; it can create a completely different look.
That wraps up today's cards. I hope you like them as much as I enjoyed making them. I think they'd look pretty in yellows, blues and pinks, but I really do need to stop graphite shading for a bit and start the next assignment!
Thanks for popping by :) Happy crafting!
Supplies Used:
Please note: I've linked to various companies above and in the thumbnails below. Some of these are compensated affiliate links, and I may receive a small commission should you choose to buy something after clicking through. This is at no additional cost to you. I really appreciate your support.