Brighter Days Are Coming by Gennette Houghton

 

Happy New Year and welcome to Watercolor Weekend! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! 

I love red barns in a winter scene, there is just something about red surrounded by white.  I started out using a ruler to create guidelines for a strip on my watercolor paper and then masked the edges with post-it tape. Using 5262 WC Mini Cabins Set, I stamped one of my favorite barns in, close to the middle and slightly offset, using 565/969 and stamping off once. I then used a pencil to create guides for the hillside behind the barn.  I put a wash of color in 177, and above in N52, for some texture I used the tree foliage from 5373 WC Large Tree Set. Over the 177 I added some 249, and over the N52 I used N49 with the foliage blending it out with some water. 5372 WC Mini Foliage pine tree was used throughout the background. Over the N52 background I used 228, and the rest I used 249 and softened them with water. Around the barn I used the pine tree from 5010 WC Tree Set 1 in 249. I used both of the small trees from 5372 Mini Foliage, and one from 5058 WC Church Set, using 228 on the first two and N49 on the third one.  

After pulling the color out on the barn, I used a mix of 856 and 969 for the walls, 969 in the doorways, windows and under the eaves.  Adding 565 for the shadows. I then stamped in the single tree from 4808 Covered Bridge Mini Set in the front, to the left in 879, and a small branch from 4964 WC Branches Set to the right for a sapling also in 879.  I used a light wash of 177, 947, and 526 on the ground around the trees in the foreground. I then stamped the grass from 5826 WC Large Tree Set 2 in N57, softening it slightly with water, also adding in some 565 over the ground area to create a snow effect. I then used Dr. Martin PH Bleed Proof White on the barn, trees and ground areas adding a touch more 565 to give the “snow” more definition.  I also added 526 in for the sky. After erasing all my pencil lines, I decided to use my ruler and the gray Twintone marker along the edges of the strip and blended it out slightly with water to make it stand out more.   Finishing it off by adding a sentiment from 5949 Encouragement Sentiment Set in black ink.

For my next card I used 5916 Woodland Castle Set in 565/969, leaving off part of the door frame and door knob, and stamped it off once. Using the stamp positioner, and masking the side of the door, to place in the mouse from 5599 Mini Mice and Squirrel Set with 565/969 in the doorway after stamping off once.  I then added the second mouse to the left, also in 565/969, after stamping it off once.  I used a pencil to sketch in some shingles on the roof and window panes on the windows without any.  For the house trim and window frames I used 969. 565,526,969 was used on the roof. 565 was used for the shadows under the roof line and window sills. 947 was used to create the look of bricks. 055,025,026 for the glow in the windows. N49 and a black micron on the mice with a touch of 025 on the back of the one in the doorway.  I used N52 and 947 on the chimney. I then added in the sky using a mix of 565 and 249. Masking off the house, I stamped in the branch from 4964 WC Branches Set in 879 on both sides, adding some leaves in 027, 947, and 969 from KH5951 Foxes Set.  

I then stamped in the dried flower from 4701 Clay Pot Set with 027.  I added in the grass from 5826 WC Large Tree Set in 027.  I pulled a little bit of the color out of the flowers and grass, leaving the leaves alone, and added some 969 for a path to the doorway.  A little 565 was used around the base of the house and then added some Dr. Martin’s Bleed Proof White throughout the scene for snow, defining it with additional 565.  The largest die from 5064 Circle Double Stitched Dies was used to cut the image out. Heat embossing the sentiment in white from 5949 Encouragement Sentiment Set, and then used a die from 5543 Journal Template Die Set to cut it out, mounting it with foam tape to complete the card. All other dies used were from my stash.  Thank you for joining me today, and I hope you enjoyed my cards! Until next time.  Create….Share….Inspire!