Graph it! Butterflies and Flowers

Hi, Blogging Friends!
Today I'm sharing something a bit different - creating a "graph" as a background for cards or scrapbook pages. It's fun and produces an interesting depth, and can be used with most images AND gets even BETTER with a little doodling.

Below are simple samples, and some more time-consuming illustrations as well, so this technique is suitable for any style of crafting.



For the Simiple Cards (one 5x7 and one business size), I stamped the images in Staz-On Jet Black Ink and colored with a water brush from my dye base ink pads and reinkers. The second butterfly was "colored" with a VersaMarker and coated with Clear Detail EP:

Steps for creating the graph:

for opaque mediums, use a stamp positioner or platform:
Stamp, color, and stamp again for a clear, crisp outline.


Masking is not absolutely necessary with this technique, but it helps for dimension:

Once the images are all stamped, line up the grids on opposite edges, and draw neat lines. Doodle if desired.

A few products used on some of these cards:

The 5x7 card was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Copic Markers. The overlapping areas were masked:

The butterfly is embellished with Galaxy Night Ultrafine Glitter:



The sentiment was heat set with Black Detail EP:



Making a Scallop Border:

To make the glittery scallop border, I die cut the scallop and then placed the die on top of the scallops, and cut again through my die cut machine again. Painting on Brushable Glue, glitters were applied. Even in humid Florida, the glue dries within 15-20 minutes:




The Watercolor Card was created using Zig Real Brush markers and Nuvo Shimmer Powder in Solar Flare. The Shimmer Powders are intensely pigmented, pearlescent colors that create a marvelous shimmer without muting the ink from the stamped image. I found applying a watered-down amount of color on top of other colors (such as brown, orange, red), that the original color remained strong, with a pearlescent covering. It's really pretty, and I want all the colors.

My Watercolor Graph-it sample with Shimmer Powder:

Lastly, the card using Embellishment Mousse in Peony Pink and Pink Flambé. Water was spritzed directly into the Mousse containers, and a water brush was used to apply the color to the images:



The leaves and butterfly were colored with Zig Brush Markers.
Lemonade Ultrafine  and Galaxy Night Ultrafine Glitters were added to the butterfly and flower for extra drama.

Sentiment is heat embossed:

Products Used:

• SNS stamp sets for sentiments: Swallowtail Butterflies 856 (also available in bonus digital set), SNS Aster Garden 893 (also available digitally), SNS Ornate Greetings 880 (also available digitally), 
• Stampendous Laurel Burch Cling LB Flora Stamp
• Stampendous Fresh Bloom Flower Stamp
• Adhesives: Zig 2-way Glue Pen, Nuvo Deluxe Glue, Brushable Glue, Dimensionals
• Crystal Drops: Raspberry Pink
• Dies: Spellbinders Edgeabilities Classic Scallop Edge Die Set E8-001, Sue Wilson Double Edged Pierced Rectangles, 2 unknown names for sentiments
• Embellishment Mousse in Peony Pink and Pink Flambé
• Embossing Powders: Clear Detail EP 280 (covering purple butterfly), Black Detail EP171
• Glitters: (#1 Mixture of Carnation Ultrafine G1028 and Mystical Mauve Ultrafine G1072) for the border, Ocean G1126 Ultrafine Glitter for border, Lemonade Ultrafine G1091, Galaxy Night Ultrafine Glitter G1131
• Inks: VersaMark Watermark, VersaMarker Pen, Distress Oxide Worn Lipstick, Distress Black Soot, Distress Mowed Lawn, Stream-Turquoise dye base ink, Staz-On Jet Black Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black
• Shimmer Powder in Solar Flare
• Tim Holtz Tonic Stamp Platform - this not only helped with all the stamps, but enabled me to use the Mousse and other opaque mediums as paints. I stamped, painted, let it dry, and then stamped again, using masks for overlapping after each flower was completed.
• For the watercolor cards: Watercolor Paper with Staz-On Jet Black Ink and/or Black EP171
• For the alcohol marker cards: Express-it Paper (for Alcohol Markers) with Memento Tuxedo Black

Challenges:

1. Color Crazy Challenge #32 AG with coloring (all my images are hand colored with assorted mediums) 8/26
2. Creative Fingers Challenge Blog #151 (hand stamped and colored images with graphs drawn) 9/5 (check #153 for win)
3. Craft Rocket Challenges #51 AG 8/27 (sep post 9/1)
4. Crafting With An Attitude #42 AG 9/1(sep post)
5. A Perfect Time to Craft #8  SNS DT 9/1 (sep post)
6. Morgan's Artworld Open Challenge #8 AG (all images are hand colored) 9/1 (sep post)
7. Love to Craft Challenges #25 AG 9/1 (sep post 9/5)
8. Crafty Gals Corner Challenges #171 Tropical Colors 8/16
9. Creative Moments Challenge #150 AG 8/20
10. Not Just Cards (Aug) AG 9/11
11. Pile It On! #145 - New Technique (graph it style) 9/1 sep post

Thanks for visiting today. Hope you enjoyed the Graph-It technique!
hugs,