Thursday, July 21, 2011
Nanetta: Cherry Blossoms
Nanetta: Cherry Blossoms: "Ah, to dream days of cherry blossoms. As a heat wave sears the country, set your thoughts on light breezes and delicate flowers. Above, yo..."
Cherry Blossoms
Ah, to dream days of cherry blossoms. As a heat wave sears the country, set your thoughts on light breezes and delicate flowers.
Above, you can see the shimmer of pearl ink, tinted with pink. Red Iridescent Jo Sonya's velvet matte paint adds detail and additional sheen.
The cherry blossom is a double flower, assembled without glue. It takes a bit of patience to push the centers through all the holes and requires tweezers or a needle tool. The end result is worth it.
These are the pieces that make the blossom. This flower has holes for use in a mobile. The blanks here look mod in white against all the color of the background. The spidery center goes on top of the flower. The double center gets curled up and threaded through all the holes - up to four. Two centers hold everything in place.
This view shows a blank assembled prototype. It is made of synthetic paper called Yupo. I am offering the finished design in blanks and digital files in my Etsy store. You can color them with alcohol inks, watercolor, markers and Sharpies. Blanks come with or without holes in sets of three.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Nanetta: Did Someone Say Pink?
Nanetta: Did Someone Say Pink?: "My first installation at Tanya's Soup Kitchen included mobiles and floral hair clips. One of the first comments was, 'Save me a pink one'. ..."
Did Someone Say Pink?
My first installation at Tanya's Soup Kitchen included mobiles and floral hair clips. One of the first comments was, "Save me a pink one". I was not about to announce that there were the brightest reds, the juiciest oranges and the sweetest greens, but alas - no pink.
Just in time, I received new ink colors. The first to be opened were these vibrant shades. I designed a new flower, which utilizes dashed lines to establish detail. The ink settles along these lines. It is especially evident in the center, where the ink has pooled and dried darker.
The photo above illustrates the edge treatment. I saturate a brush with ink and run it over all the edges so the white is covered. Details always make a difference.
The ink in this photo has just been applied. Ranger's alcohol inks and Yupo were made for each other. Yupo is synthetic paper. The inks come in a dropper bottle. It is amazing how far .5 fl. oz. will go! I drop ink onto the cut flower and allow it to set for a variegated, watercolor effect. Other colors will be added to fill in the white. The predominate colors are: Wild Plum and Raspberry.
A unique feature of this combination of media is that once the ink is dry, it is permanent, but if I add more color, alcohol or the blending solution, I can continue to manipulate the surface. The blue shimmer in the background is red/blue mica powder added to a previous flower. I use Yupo beneath my projects, because I don't want to waste a drop of these beautiful inks. I use the sheets for paintings, bookmarks and cards.
Oh, and the pink flowers will be showing up soon at Tanya's Soup Kitchen. In the meantime, there is a burst of twirling colors already there.
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