Simple Beauty
found in simple moments. Priceless.
8/3/20232 min read
Pigment crystals - in this case Brusho - are highly concentrated pigment, activated by water. The results are beautiful and unique.
Let’s Get Started:
Card Base :5.5 x 8.5, scored and folded at 4.25
Card Face: 5.5 x 4
Watercolour paper, 6 x 6
Butterfly:
I cut my watercolour paper down to 6x6, and taped it - on all four sides - to a piece of wood that is slighly larger. ( I do this anytime I'm going to be working with enough water to warp the paper. It will flatten again as it dries. )
I sprayed the back of the stencil with Pixie Spray,, and waited 20 -30 seconds to allow the adhesive to activate.
Using the watercolour paper , I positioned the stencil and ensured good contact by running is brayer over the entire surface. This step is critical to prevent water from seeping under the stencil.
I sprayed the watercolour paper lightly with water and then sprinkled on some Brusho crystals. As soon as they touch the water they start to dissolve, dispersing intense colour. You need a very little bit when working with Brusho ... a tiny, tiny bit goes a long way.
I waited until it was completely dry (I usually wait at least overnight for this, just to be certain) and then removed the tape.
I spattered the butterfly with white and gold metallic ink.
I cut the image in half vertically, and then tore around the wings to create the focal image.
Card Face:
I spattered the black card stock with gold metallic watercolour.
Assembly:
I glued the card face to the card base, aligning on left as shown.
I glued the butterfly to the card face, again aligning on the left.
I found a great sentiment in my *ready-to-go binder, and glued it on as shown.
* curious about this binder? you'll find more information under the Techniques tab in the header
Final thoughts:
I love the drama of this card: the intense colour coupled with the contrast really makes for an eye catching result. Also, it is a great example of serendipity at it's finest .... let me explain.
When I removed the tape that was holding down the watercolour paper, it tore the surface in a couple of spots. I loved the stencilled image, so I had to be creative if I wanted to save it. I decided to try tearing the edges just to see how it looked, and I loved it.
About a week before all this happened, I had been working with some gold metallic spatter.: there was a little bit left over, and rather than waste it I grabbed a piece of black cardstock and used it up by spattering that surface. I set that aside for "someday", but didn't actually put it away.
Once I knew I wanted to actually use the butterfly on a card I had to decide how to finish it off ... and my eyes happened to fall on the black piece. It was absolute coincidence that both pieces had gold spatter on them, but because of that they married up perfectly, and a card was finished off very shortly afterwards.
Supplies: (and links where possible)
I have listed which products I have used, and where they were purchased. It's a huge marketplace and in most instances there are multiple sources and many alternatives to choose from.
Stencil: Butterfly Ink, Visible Image, Scrapbook.com
Stamps: Sentiment, Home To Roost, Stampin' Up (retired)
Brusho, Amazon
Metallic Spatter, Aoutle, Amazon
Adhesive: Tombow Aqua, Michaels
Card Base: Accent 100 lb., Amazon
Card Face: Accent 80 lb., Amazon