Masterpieces with Mimi Photo Tutorial
Happy Saturday! Welcome to our second edition of “Masterpieces with Mimi.” Join us once a month as the talented Micheline “Mimi” Jourdain shares a beautiful card along with her creative process.
Today Mimi brings us one of her top-requested tutorials. Yay! And if you are looking to create a card with more of a springtime appeal, simply substitute green grassy hills for the snowbanks.
MATERIALS NEEDED: Penny Black stamps 30-260 On the Town, 40-246 Skyline, 30-258 Prancers; Tombow Dual Brush Pen #993, Distress Ink Pads Forest Moss, Walnut Stain, Rusty Hinge; Distress Ink Reinker Chipped Sapphire; Masking Fluid (Frisket); Black Felt Pen; Tsukineko VersaFine Onyx Black Ink; Fabriano Watercolor Cardstock (100% cotton, 145 lbs, hot press)
STEP 1: With a toothbrush, apply Frisket masking fluid to cardstock. This will make the snowflakes in the end. Let dry before stamping.
STEP 2: Ink the Skyline stamp with Rusty Hinge ink, leaving the lower part of the buildings free of ink.
STEP 5: Stamp, making sure you apply pressure all over as the dried masking fluid “bubbles” make slight unevenness on the cardstock which can making the stamping difficult.
STEP 6: Once again, ink the Skyline stamp with Walnut Stain ink, always trying not to ink the lower part of the stamp. Spray with water, and with a paper towel, remove a little color from the base to leave a haze. Stamp image, offsetting lower than the first time. This will leave the impression of two rows of buildings seen from afar.
STEP 7: Put a small amount of Chipped Sapphire reinker onto an acrylic block and mix with a small amount of water to obtain a lighter blue.
STEP 8: Wet the cardstock all around the orange buildings, one section at a time, and do not be afraid to touch the colors. The color will seep a little and leave a beautiful effect of cold and humidity (or pollution depending on the effect you want to leave on your card). Here Mimi has shown cold and humid, as seen in her downtown in the winter.
Add a little blue color. Do not rub too much with the paint brush (do not swipe paintbrush across the paper), leaving the blue to blend on its own with the water. Just help it here and there, adding as you desire.
STEP 9: With a lightly wet paint brush, slightly water down the orange to make a ‘far away’ impression of a cold haze.
STEP 10: With Walnut Stain ink, sharpen the roofs here and there. This will sharpen the buildings, creating the effect that they are closer as opposed to the ones in the background.
STEP 11: With a little water, remove/fade some coloring at the base, sponging with a paper towel. This will leave a space where the fir trees will go.
STEP 12: Using torn pieces of paper, mask off portions of snow banks before stamping trees. Stamp the fir tree from the Prancer transparent set. First inking the tree with Forest Moss Distress ink, spraying with water, and then stamping. Use larger fir trees for the foreground and smaller trees for the background near the buildings. Remove masks after stamping.
STEP 14: Wet the base of the trees and add Chipped Sapphire ink, without rubbing, just allowing the color to blend with the water. (Tip: Turn your work to make it easier to blend and soften with additional water painted on with the paint brush.) This will create the look of tree shadows on the snow.
STEP 16: With VersaFine Onyx Black ink, stamp the street lamp and bench. If needed, add additional length to street lamp, at the base, using a black felt pen. Add a little water near the bench legs and paint shadows using the same technique as shown above for the fir trees.
STEP 17: With VersaFine Onyx Black ink, stamp the people from the On the Town set. Leave the top left part free of ink so you can paint a yellow reflection from the street lamp. Stamp image.
STEP 18: Paint the street lamp using Tombow Dual Brush Pen #993, and with a little water, dilute the same color to add to the man’s shoulder (street lamp reflection).
STEP 19: Add a touch of Tombow #993 at the base of the street lamp and underneat the bench to show reflection on the snow.
STEP 20: Wetting the cardstock first, just to the right of the people’s feet, add a diluted Chipped Sapphire ink. Also add diluted Chipped Sapphire ink under the street lamp base. When the work is dry, remove the masking fluid/frisket (rubbing softly with your fingers) to reveal the snowflakes.
Card design inspired by Heather Telford’s work as seen HERE and HERE.
Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies:
- 30-260 On the Town
- 40-246 Skyline
- 30-258 Prancers
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