Happy Friday, everyone! As we leave May behind and get ready for summer, I was feeling bright and festive and wanted to share a fun background that will enhance your summer party invites, thank-you notes, or birthday cards!
Here's how to create this quick and simple background, using a stencil and the Copic Airbrush System (click on photos for a larger view):
1. Choose a stencil which contains a simple pattern that can easily be repeated, such as these Large Polka Dots or any other shapes with spaces between them, such as stripes, chevrons, waves, etc. Using washi or any other repositionable tape, tape the stencil into place over Copic X-Press It Blending Card and airbrush your first color (I used YR21).
2. After the first color is done, gently lift up the stencil and reposition it so the stencil openings are now in between the first airbrushed color; tape the stencil back down to your work surface and airbrush second color (I used BG000):
3. The finished airbrushed background with two colors. If you don't have the airbrush sytem, alternately you could color through each opening of the stencil with Copic markers, or use an ink pad and sponge ink color through the stencil.
TIP: To clean your stencil, use rubbing alcohol, alcohol prep wipe, or hand sanitizer.
4. Next, I stamped Pink Ink's Graceful Orchids #2212 with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Copic X-Press It Blending Card and added the "celebrate" sentiment from the Essentials by Ellen Wish Big stamp set, inking only the word and leaving off the long trailing lines. Then I die cut the stamped images with Taylored Expressions Label Stacklets 3 and while the cardstock was still in the die, I airbrushed more of the YR21 Copic marker around the edges.
To color the beautiful orchids, I was inspired by this photo I found in an Internet search and tried to mimic the coloring:
5. I started by base coating each petal with RV52, leaving a white edge on the inside of each petal.
6. Next, I used my darker RV55 to color the centers of each flower.
While researching orchid colors, I also discovered the anatomy of an orchid (which I previously knew nothing about, so I thought I would also share!):
7. To differentiate the three sepals from the two petals, I used lighter RV52 to pick up color from the darker RV55 and colored the sepals on each flower a little darker than the petals:
8. Next, to make the faint lines on the petals and sepals, I used each of the corresponding colors (i.e. lighter RV52 on the lighter petals and darker RV55 on the darker sepals) and made the lines with tiny rows of dots. This way, they are not just stark straight lines drawn on the flower. Darkest RV69 was used to deepen the color of the flower centers.
9. I used the green combo of YG61-YG63-YG67 to color the leaves and stems:
10. I used the combo of BG000-(same color used on the polka dot background)-BG01-BG02 to color and shade the vase.
Lastly, W1-W3-W5 were used to color the air roots and shadow under the vase.
To finish the card, I die cut a larger Label Stacklets 3 mat from Neenah 110 lb. Solar White cardstock and colored it with the BG000 marker, so it would match the background dots and vase perfectly! The colored image is popped up on Copic Foam Tape over the background.
I hope you'll have fun with this background technique! ~ Sharon
