Copic Creations Challenge: Make Clouds

The Copic Goddesses at the Copic Creations Challenge Blog are challenging Copic lovers to use their Copic colors to make clouds.  Lili of the Valley is sponsoring this challenge and offering a generous gift certificate for use at their online store as a prize to a randomly selected entry.  Find out more about this challenge and sponsor here.

I've inked up my Times to Treasure stamps from the Lili of the Valley January 2011 release and stamped them on Bazzill Smooth White cardstock.  This Times to Treasure image comes with a sentiment.  I imagine that these little folks are lovingly looking through a scrapbook of their treasured moments on a beautiful and bright spring day.

This photo shows just the image filled with Copic colors:

I spent some time experimenting with making clouds on spare paper using a variety of colors:  Copic marker tips directly to paper; a QuicKutz weather die cloud used as a mask for airbrushing; various ink refills pounced and rubbed; using Copic markers directly on an Alextamping's mountain skies rubberstamp spritzed with colorless blender before stamping onto paper.  Here are the results of my experiments.  Somehow these clouds just didn't make me happy.

Finally I used a Great Impressions Stamping in the Clouds Stencil Kit and airbrushed.  Ahhh, this is what I'll try to show on my finished project.

I die cut my image with a Spellbinders Fleur De Lis Square.  I used temporary adhesive to place a cut out mask over my colored image.  Leaving the die in place, I began by covering the top of my image with a torn paper mask to create a horizon line.  Tearing the paper allows a soft line rather than the harsh line created by a straight edge mask.  Within seconds, my airbrushed ground was complete.

I replaced the torn paper mask covering the top of my die cut colored image with the matching bottom half of the mask.  Using the lightest color first, I began airbrushing around the sporadically placed acrylic cloud mask.  I started from the top of my image and moved the cloud mask closer to the ground as I moved along.

Here's how the clouds look with just the lightest color.  Soft and subtle.

I just couldn't leave well enough alone!  LOL!!!  This step would have likely filled my needs for a nice, soft cloudy background.  But nooo . . . I needed to brighten it up a bit more.  So I used a brighter blue and went through the same steps again.  Here's what happened . . .

I think I've overdone it!  Now I have some areas that need to be covered.  That's what flowers are for, right?  I may need a bouquet - LOL!!!  Here's how my die cut, color-filled and airbrushed background image looks now.

I formed an easel card out of Bazzill dark teal and pine green cardstock, Bo Bunny a gift of love Mama-Razzi stripe and aperture.  Punch Bunch elongated leaves, mini sun and stamen, combined with McGill branch and EK Success paper shaper punches in daisy, small daisy and snowflake made it easy for me to use coordinating Copic colors in my attempt to create some handmade paper lily flowers.

Paper Lilies as inspired by Susan Tierney Cockburn

This photo shows the completed easel card and my attempts at making clouds . . .

You have until May 14th to show us how you make your favorite Copic clouds.  We'd love to see 'em!

I'm entering this card into the Lili of the Valley "Love Is In The Air" Challenge.  Find out more about their challenge here.

"Top 3" Designer May 5, 2011 Lili of the Valley

 

 





Copics used:
skin - E000, E01, E11, E93, BV00
hair, bench - E31, E35, E47
shoes girl - T0, T6, T8
shoes boy - E30, E33, E37
hat - RV23, RV14, RV19
shirt boy - G82, G85, G99
book - E41, E43, BG70, BG75, BG78
airbrush ground - G82, G85
airbrush clouds - B91, B14
paper lilies - RV23, RV14, RV19, G82, G85