FREEBIES JOURNAL SERIES FINAL PAGES & RECAP!!! by Mercy Sauer

Welcome back Ai Fans, I am excited to announce this is the last installment of my Freebies Journal Series pages 12 through 15!  It was a hoot to create, and I can’t wait to share.   Be sure to scroll down all the way to the end to see a video of the completed Journal!

Let’s review pages 12 and 13.   It’s mostly Copic techniques and some masking.   I wanted a home for the critters and was excited that the house set from the Dog House Cubbies was perfect!   A great addition to the scene.  I incorporated a new Copic technique (for me) which includes lots of texture on the ground using only markers and not stamps.  In addition, I wanted to create a picture like scene that could be found in a kid’s book.    Overall, I was very pleased with it, it did take a hot minute since it’s all about layering and layering again. 

Basically, I started by stamping and masking the entire scene.

As I started coloring, I wanted the balloon to appear “clear”.  As shown below, I added light lines from the background onto the balloon surface creating a see-through effect.

The effect is faint, simply a suggestion of shadows.   Will only be noticed by those who pay extra attention, but totally worth the effort!

Pages 14 and 15 include a group picture!   These two pages are my favorite!

This layout was a bit more challenging for a couple of reasons…I wanted to include a heavily masked area without making the scene look cluttered or confusing.   Secondly, the hedgehog flying within the scene needed to make sense visually, and finally, I wanted to create a slope or hill like setting for the ground.

I addressed the first challenge by creating a clean mask when stamping, followed by choosing the right colors and tonality.   I added spots to the dog so it would be more prominent than the frog.   I used one color (green) in different shades for the frog and painted the goose in a bright yellow.   It’s also important to “ground” each critter in their own space or plane.   For the second challenge, I simply added a hedge (no pun intended, lol) in the background so the hedgehog looks to be up in the air.   Finally to create a slope, simply angle your color strokes.  Also color in details at an angle to suggest an incline.

I can’t say it enough; how fun this project is, I highly recommended.  It’s so relaxing and fun.    There are so many different themes and topics, the sky's the limit!

Hope you check out the video!

And here’s a photo journal of all the pages.

THANK YOU!

 

Room with a View--Freebies Journal Series Pages 7-9 by Mercy Sauer

 Today we have a new challenge, Windows to the World, I’m calling mine, “Room with a View”.  Welcome Ai crafty friends let’s get started!

I created pages 7, 8 and 9 of my Freebies Journal Series.   It was the perfect opportunity to create a “room” with three windows since the center of the journal includes three pages.   

Similarly to the other entries, it’s important to plan out the design, the theme, the critters, etc.   I envisioned a camping site where one of the critters was outside and the other two were inside the room looking out.

I temporarily joined the three panels prior to creating the scene.

I created the background scene using multiple stamp sets from my stash.  I stamped the main element, in this case the tent, and then added other elements.  

 I created the scene without worrying about the windows or its positions, to make it more “realistic” and natural.

I added any missing lines and proceeded to color.

At this point I added the windows,

and the critters.

creating the final scene!

This was so much fun to create, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Next post will include pages 10 and 11.

I will see you soon, thanks for stopping by!

FREEBIES JOURNAL SERIES PAGES 10 & 11 by Mercy Sauer

Welcome back crafters, Mercy here, with pages 10 and 11 of my Freebies Journal Series.

I decided to showcase two simple pages; two fussy cut critters adhered to a simple and clean background.  It is important to remember that creating the journal is fun and not a chore.    You do you!  Whether it's Copic coloring, watercolors, fussy cutting, paper piecing or any other technique, it's your journal and as such there are no rules.   So here they are, I hope you enjoy them.

I will see you next week with the final installment of the series.   Have a great week!

FREEBIES JOURNAL SERIES PAGES 5 & 6 by Mercy Sauer

 Hello crafters, Mercy here, today with pages 5 and 6 of my Freebies Journal Series.  

Let’s check it out!

I just celebrated my wedding anniversary, and even though I created a cute card for my hubby, I was still inspired by the lovely weekend.    

Pages 5 and 6 are about two best friends who fall in love. 

I chose the elements I wanted to use; the critters, stamps, dies, color scheme and cardstock.   At this point, I decided the goose (one of my favorite critters!) would take center stage in the scene, and the raccoon (my husband's favorite) would be the supporting character.

These two pages are very different, however, I think they work together.   To create a cohesive design I used the same colors and style of coloring on both pages.   For example, I included a  tied bow on page 5 to incorporate the green color from page 6.   The cardstock is the same on both pages, and finally, the yellow from the goose is the same yellow I used on the raccoon's outfit.  When it comes to scale, as seen on the scene, the goose is about have the size of the tree.    This makes no sense.   To overcome this problem, I stamped the goose way in the foreground, making it visually "acceptable".   If I placed the goose next to the tree or the background hedges, he would look gigantic.   It's a small scene, but the same rules apply!

I'm having a super fun time creating this journal, I will have pages 7 through 11 next week, I hope to see you then!