Skinny Dipping in December?!

Skinny Dipping in December?!

Hello and Happy Monday! Monday’s Blog is Trees & Flowers, right? Well, here’s an old Split Tree step-by-step project from ages ago which you might enjoy…lots of pics! On a difficulty scale of 1 to 10, I’d say this is a 6.

You will need:
Make up Sponge
Black Micron Pen

Ready? Here goes…
Stamp the Dippy Toe and the Perspective trees in Black Adirondack on the Coated A5 Card

Now let’s plant a whole avenue of trees. Notice I have blotted more and more on the copy paper to the left, to get the more and more faded trees. I have even written how many times to blot! But that will depend entirely on how new your Black ink pad is and how heavy-handed you are!

Cut out a large moon around a glass. 

And cut out a mask of the Dippy Toe Image, too.

Ink up the brayer in Denim. Wow! I did this artwork before the days of blending mats! 

It’s back to the wheelie on copy paper! Ahhh, now those were the days, eh…

Brayer in the Sky. Since I am left-handed, I have turned the artwork to suit me. If you are right-handed, you will of course turn it the other way. Unless you like a challenge…

Remove the moon mask and it’s starting to take shape…

Now add the water with the brayer. Speedball Brayer only please! Nothing else works to be frank. Who’s Frank anyway? He has a lot of opinions!

Place a sheet of copy paper for the waterline.

Place the waterline so that it makes sense in the miniature picture. That also has a waterline, you see…
 Start rolling the brayer back and forth. I find a good way to avoid getting stripes and lines is to come in at an angle, rather than straight on. Try it.

Build up the colour, so that it is darker at the base of the card.

Tear a hill mask out of copy paper using a ruler as a guide.

Cover up the Dippy Toe image with the mask you cut earlier.

Brayer some Lake Mist through the middle of the artwork. 

Let’s turn it and check where we are. Yep, happy with that.

Cover up the naked lady again. Has she no shame?!
Start adding hills. Now you may like using the blending tool, or you may want to stick to a make-up sponge and a blending mat.
The trick is to catch the bases of the trees like a plait. So the first tree on the left with the second on the right, and then the second tree on the right with the third on the left. Like a zig-zag.

Up you go. Keep going, and keep checking as you go. 
Just remember: 
you can always add colour – 
BUT YOU CAN’T TAKE IT AWAY!

Dynamite! You can maybe see why I gave this one 6 out of 10. Requires a little focus.

Add some waves in the water doing the same thing, but with Denim instead of Black and Lake Mist.,, and tear the paper without a ruler, for a rougher tear.
Add a few rushes along the waterline with the top of the tree.

 Let’s airbrush the edges with Black Adirondack and the Brayer. This was in the days before our wonderful Stencil Brushes, too! My oh my, how things have improved…

Do each side with black once, then go back over the same area once dry,
to darken the edges.

Looking pretty good now. 
Let’s add some birds with a black Micron pen. Practice on scrap first!

 Let’s take a closer look…nice…

But it’s December for Pete’s sake!!! And who’s Pete anyway?
So let’s add a little snow…
Bit nippy for skinny dipping! But it’s supposed to be good for you!
Have a great week.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, we’ll talk about P for Preparation. Or a lack of it…
with love,

68 thoughts on “Skinny Dipping in December?!

  1. oh wow! love the snowing on your blog. would be good if you could work out how you did that and teach the rest of us. seems like ages since you were doing wheelies and darkening edges with brayer. but it looks amazing despite all the 'old' techniques. hope the snow stays away though! xx

  2. Wonderful end to a wonderful tutorial. How did you manage to do that? Hope some of the clever ladies commenting will know how as it's a great feature for blog cards .see you tomorrow x

  3. Wow Barbara, that was definitely worth the wait. I was not disappointed and how clever are you to add the snow? Would not know where to begin. You just keep on amazing me! …right, I can go to sleep now, night 💤💤😴

  4. Worth waiting up for!!! Another great achievement Barbara. Knew I wouldn't sleep till I had satisfied my BG fix. You are learning it all leaps and bounds you brainy gal! Love Marian x

  5. Brilliant step by step as always….Love revisiting the old stamps it's so easy to forget them and the techniques we used to use….and then you go and add animation into the mix….you're full of surprises…. although it sounds as if you surprised yourself with this one. xxx Annie

  6. Beautiful creation, you got me wondering if I can make this work with a different tree stamp as I don't have this one. My brayering has improved a big amount since getting my Splodge mat and I couldn't bear the thought of brayering without it now! xx

  7. Well worth waiting up for. I have to admit to speed reading to get to the surprise quickly so now I shall start again and do things properly. Strangely, I find I do not speed read as much when I use the Kindle. I was looking at a design I did with these stamps when you did it on C&C but was never happy with my results. I reckon I might be able to rescue it by following today's blog, fingers crossed. I shall not join you in a skinny dip – not a pretty sight (me, not you) and I like my water warm unless it is a hard training session. xx Maggie

  8. Wonderful Barbara, I Have always liked the Dippy Toes stamps. Love this tutorial xx Love the animation…see what you have started, we will all want to have a go at both the card and the animation…..I'm off to have a look at how it's done xxx

  9. Hi Barb, fab card, great step by step instructions, and loving the snow animation. You certainly know how to liven up your blog with quirky comments, look forward to it every day. Bx

  10. Thanks for a great 'in depth' tutorial. Brilliant to see it broken down into so many stages (and from a fellow leftie's perpective too). Love the 'plait' effect under the trees especially.
    Beryl xx

  11. Hi Barb,
    Well your holiday has done wonders for you. You said you had lots of ideas and I'm assuming that the animation is one if them! Love it! Haven't a clue how you did it , but it looks brilliant. The step by step instructions are really useful and the finished card is beautiful.

  12. Hi Barbara
    Your art work is out of the world I think it awesome , after Christmas I am going to start mind I have bought a lot of items from you and can not wait to used then, I hope you can help me I am disable and I buy a template for the clouds & mountain but it a mask which is just stick it is landscape mask set which I find to hard to used with my hands can you tell me if I could get one like you are using in your demonstration and where I could buy it from, Keep up the good work can't wait for the next one, Merry Christmas rose email address is rosemary.davis777@hotmail.co.uk

    1. Rosemary, I am not sure if this is a help to you, but I had another lady who thought she could not use the Gelli plate and stencils as she had had a severe stroke which had left her unable to use her one hand. Having just done a workshop with Barbara, I was all fired up and decided to have a go with one hand firmly stuck behind my back and it seemed to work. If you would like to read how I did it, follow this link and it should lead you straight to that card – http://silvercrafter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/you-can-do-it.html
      If it is helpful to you, and you would like to know more, please just mail me. I am sure Barbara will have loads of ideas for you too. xx Maggie

  13. Beautiful card. Love the extras added.

    Thanks for your inspiration. Really raring to go however my craft space (small table in bedroom) is full of kitchen stuff as have just had a new kitchen installed so can't do any crafting, so annoying!!!

    But will have to try this.

    Hugs
    CraftyJacq
    xx

  14. This is fabulous really clever and as for the snow WOW! That was a brilliant end to a wonderful tutorial. Now all my Xmas cards are done and in the post I am going to go back through some of your lessons to get my landscapes right. I need to sit and practise. So hopefully in the new year my stamping will improve. Thanks Barbara very clever xx

  15. WOW! Barbara, this is brilliant. I also have these stamps so will be giving it a go, minus the snow. Thank you for all the wonderful blogs you have given us to follow. XX

  16. Wow wow and wow again, what a great affect to the end of what only can be described as a fantastic tutorial! I have the trees plus the toe dipper so will have to try this one myself.
    May I say that you are getting very good at this blogging stuff, I must try and get myself a blog going in the New Year.

  17. Great snow technique, you really are getting to grips with the techie stuff Barbara! Love the design and the shaping of the the split trees which gives the avenue effect-gorgeous! x

  18. Another fab blog. You were asking who goes skinny dipping in December – my silly husband is doing a charity swim in the sea at Brighton on Xmas day (he will be wearing shorts). I'll be the one laughing my socks off on the beach. Thanks for the great step by step. Lx

  19. Well I can't believe I have been on here 3 times and not left a comment? I would sponsor Lauran's Husband too – is there a Just Giving account? Great tutorial Barbara, goes without saying really. Its still snowing I see. I might know how??

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