I love it when you come across an idea that is really simple and yet really clever, don’t you? This is what happened when I took one of the Altenew masterclasses as part of my Altenew Certified Educator Program assignments.
I’ll share more on that in a moment, but first, let me share the three cards I’ve created in today’s post.
The cards were made for my assignment based on Elements of Floral Composition by Jaycee Gaspar. This advanced masterclass had six lessons, each with a different perspective on using the formal art process in your card-making designs, e.g. line, form, shape, texture etc.
In the lesson, Elements of Art: Line, Jaycee taught a simple technique of using line weighting, which is basically having areas where your lines are thicker or less pronounced.
I learned so much in this masterclass, as I haven’t learnt any formal art, so while I knew some of the concepts, it was nice to learn in more depth. I think I will need to go back over the videos a few times to integrate the learning, as I definitely have more things to learn.
I actually felt more confident in my card-making, having watched the videos, as I realised I am already doing many things that make your card look more aesthetically pleasing. There’s always so much more to learn, which is one of the reasons I’ve loved doing this programme.
Card One - Striking Flower
Onto the card - I started this card by stamping one of the flowers from the Altenew Pristine Peonies stamp set in Memento black ink.
In my video, you'll see a side-by-side freeze frame before and after doing the line work. I love how by using this technique, you can create quite a different result, making your flower much more striking.
I’ve outlined the process below, but if you prefer to watch a video, click here.
Using a 0.5 Unipin black liner pen, I added ‘weight’ to some of the lines, making them thicker at the bottom and narrower at the top to create depth. Where petals overlapped, I added some black.
You’ll notice I didn’t enhance the leaves. This is because I wanted to maintain the flower as the focal image. If I’d have done the leaves as well, everything would have blended in, and the flower wouldn’t stand out.
Using Altenew artist markers Morning Frost, I gently coloured the flower centre using a flicking motion. I then blended out the colour with a firm hand to lighten the petals up. I deliberately didn’t focus on shadows as I wanted the dark lines to do the work for me.
Next, I used Prismacolor pencils to add more depth. I used 50% French Gray and 20% Warm Grey. For the centre of the flower, I went in with the French Gray and some Espresso. To finish the flower, I coloured the little dots with the same Unipen black liner. What are those dots called? I couldn’t for the life of me remember as I was typing this post! (Share in the comments below if you know, as it’s bugging me!) I just put 'seeds' in the video!
I die-cut the completed flower using the coordinating die, along with two more die cuts in scrap cardstock to create a stacked die, making the finished flower more solid on the card front.
I then die cut a small panel using a stitched rectangular die, which I coloured with the Evening Gray ink to complement the colours of the flower and to create a bit of colour for the backdrop. Once dry, I attached this to a white card base, and it still looked a bit bland.
Using my two Altenew palettes (Rock Collection from the 24-pan watercolour set and Sterling Silver from the 14-pan metallic watercolour set), I added some ‘black‘ and silver splatters. I adhered the floral piece on top of the panel. The splatters really made a difference.
For the sentiment, I coloured some white cardstock with the Evening Gray ink and cut this out with a die from the Altenew Featured Sentiments Die set. I stamped the sentiment from the Pristine Peonies stamp set and die-cut this using the same die set. I attached this to the card to finish.
I love my colour, so this card was a bit of a stretch for me to make, but I liked the clean lines Jaycee had and wanted to give a more neutral card a go.
PS. I still want to get my markers out and colour it in more, but I will leave it be! (Sitting on my hands!)
Card Two - 60/30/10
For my second card, I used the Elements of Line: Colour class for inspiration. In this class, Jaycee teaches how to use the 60/30/10 rule of colour in your cards. All this means is that 60% of your card is your main colour, 30% a second colour and 10% is your third colour. The class also talks about using unexpected colours for flowers, so I went with turquoise for the main flowers for something a bit different.
I started by stamping the gorgeous Altenew Captivating Blooms stamp set. Another of my favourite sets, but that’s my problem. They’re all becoming favourites, haha.
I used Prismacolors to colour all of the flowers. For my card, I used turquoise as my 60% colour, 30% was my pink, and 10% is yellow in the centre of the flowers.
The colours I used were:
Dahlia Purple, Process Red and Hot Pink, Cobalt Turquoise, Aquamarine and Light Aqua.
Olive Green and Dahlia Purple for the stems
You'll notice a bit of grey around the edges. I outlined the image with the 20% Warm Grey Prismacolour pencil.
As I’d done so much colouring, I kept the card really simple. I die-cut the floral panel using a stitched rectangle die and attached it to the card base. Using the same die set, I used two dies, one larger than the other, to create a frame that I attached over the floral panel.
For the sentiment, I used Altenew’s Sentiment Strips Set 3 to stamp the sentiment in Altenew’s Black Obsidian ink. I then die-cut this and a larger piece of coloured cardstock, mounting one on top of the other and attaching it to the card to finish.
Card Three (My favourite one) - Texture
For my third card, I followed a sketch from Freshly Made Sketches. However, because I was editing my video, I sadly missed their challenge deadline. I still want to give them a mention, though, because their sketch was the inspiration. Here's the card:
And here's the sketch. I followed it to the letter, which makes a change for me!
I thought a simple cluster of flowers in one corner with a sentiment would make a quick and easy card. I will be keeping this sketch in my toolkit as it was great fun to work with and could be used in so many different ways.
This class was all about texture. I learned that there are many ways to show texture on your card, both implied and actual texture, including your colouring method, layered stencils, shine etc. For this card, I had the watercolour, glitter, paint splats, thread and sequins, all adding some texture.
I started this card by creating the base. I wanted to create a mini slimline card, so using my dies, I die-cut the scalloped background in coral cardstock and the rectangular panel in white cardstock.
I cut some strips of cardstock in silver glitter and coral, which I ran through the die-cutting machine using the rectangular die to create the stitched border. This gives a nicer overall finish. I attached these to the card as indicated by the sketch.
Next, I added the sentiment from the Altenew Inky Bouquet stamp set. Then, using the Rock Collection pan from the Altenew 24 colour pan set, I added some ‘black’ splatters, covering the sentiment with a scrap of paper.
I stamped the flower from the Altenew Adore You Add-On stamp set onto watercolour cardstock using Versafine Black Ink. I coloured the flowers using my Zig Clean Brush Markers in the following colours:
Red, Peach Pink, Light Carmine and Pink Flamingo (Flowers)
May Green, Persian Green, Cobalt Blue and Yellow (Leaves)
I die-cut the flowers and leaves using the coordinating die set and created a floral arrangement which I attached to the bottom left corner. Before I attached the cluster, I used a little bit of metallic thread behind the image to add a bit more texture.
To finish, I coloured some Altenew White Satin sequins with a marker to turn them into coral sequins to match the card. I attached these around the floral cluster. I also added some glossy accents to the centre of the flowers for a bit more texture.
I’m really excited about this set because my best friend has ordered it for me for my birthday. I’ve wanted it for a very long time, but it’s been quite tricky to get over here in the UK. The sad thing is that she is holding it hostage until my birthday in September! She doesn’t like giving pressies early, so I have to wait until then. At least I know it’s on its way!
That’s it for today. I hope you like all three cards. I’d love you to subscribe to my blog and YouTube channel and share a comment. It truly makes my day!
Supplies Used:
Please note: I've linked to various companies in the thumbnails below. Some of these are compensated affiliate links, and I may receive a small commission if you choose to buy something after clicking through. This is at no additional cost to you. I really appreciate your support.