Although this has a fun, whimsical look, it nearly gave me a stroke to make. I have been taking little journies out of my comfort zone lately. However, for this card I felt like I had wandered down a deserted, dark alley at midnight. I love Karen Barber's cards with their deep, rich, elegant colors...as opposed to my "explosion in the neon paint factory" approach. I used her challenge colirs of cherry cooler, blue sky, and old olive. It took most of the week to even find an image that I could do without the entire co,owing box of colors. I used black, white and tan for neutrals. Then I sat there totally frozen, almost in a panic. My image was very small, and I did not know what to do with it. I fought the urge to just throw it out and give up. It was the F4A challenge to use swirls that made me choose this rather too small image...those weird green plant -
Ike things made me think of swirls. When I saw the MIX challenge to do a faux stained glass, I decided to sponge the bg, splatter with water, and draw lines. As if the colors had not challenged me enough....this is what nearly caused the stroke. Don't be fooled, it is much easier to draw "lines with a purpose" than to make a pattern of random lines. It looked awful. I added some distress ink marker dots and some white gel pen highlights and decided it was done. I think I am going to go throw every color of ink and paint I own onto some card stock to restore my mental state. TFL, Francie
Date: Saturday, September 17, 2016 GMT Views: 1666
Favorited:6
Registered: March 31, 2008 Location: Eastlake, OH Posts: 22598
Sat, Sep 17, 2016 @ 9:43 PM
WOW! First, I laughed out loud at your description! When I saw this and realized you DREW that entire background, I was amazed! the colors- gorgeous! Francie, this is another work of art by YOU!
Oh, my goodness you make me laugh. I love this! So gorgeous!!! I love seeing that Hampton Art stamp inked up, because I have been wanting one or two of them. Fun to see it inked and colored! Your framing is amazing! I hope you have had time to just "throw every color of ink and paint I own onto some card stock to restore my mental state" but this is quite amazing!.
Registered: April 16, 2008 Location: Meridian, Idaho Posts: 8507
Tue, Sep 20, 2016 @ 7:42 PM
Francie, I always love your creations and you should be so proud of this card!! The background made my jaw drop when I realized it was hand drawn and the coloring of the stamped image is stunning. Congrats on being Karen's choice for this challenge-well deserved!!
------------------------------ Stef
Splitcoast Color Challenge Design Team Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Alumni
Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Alumni Proud Fan Club Member Splitcoast Challenge Hostess Teapot Tuesday TEAm
Registered: April 18, 2011 Location: Melbourne, Aus Posts: 51844
Tue, Sep 20, 2016 @ 11:10 PM
How did I miss this!!!! Oh my gosh Francie this is jaw dropping SPECTACULAR. Needless to say this is now safely tucked away in on my favourite Pinterest board "Weirdo Arty Stuff I Love". I LOVE your cards, I LOVE your funny write-ups and I LOVE reading all the comments. You're a star Francie.
------------------------------ Susie
Please don't take your organs to heaven - heaven knows we need them here.
Registered: March 8, 2005 Location: Halfway between Dallas and Houston Posts: 24004
Wed, Sep 21, 2016 @ 9:35 AM
I think I saw this earlier last week but was just clicking and not commenting right then. It reminds me of a Mary Englebright scene, which I always loved. I am super impressed with your background! Your fortitude to complete it Was definitely worth it! I just hope your have sufficiently recovered from it to handle the exhilaration of winning! This is a beautiful card!
------------------------------ Proud Fan Club Member
Dirty Dozen Alumni
"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."
Registered: October 11, 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 5
Thu, Jul 25, 2019 @ 10:49 AM
I must admit, your description made me laugh so hard I was snorting.
This card is stunning. Not only do I love the color palette you “bravely” chose to stick with, you really made the colors mesh together beautifully. The stained-glass background is gorgeous- I’m definitely going to have to try it, although I feel do feel pretty intimated!
And with your background, I think if your image had been any larger, it wouldn’t have “matched” up as well. The white border is a genius move, because it makes it look like a framed painting on a beautiful wall. While I must insist you avoid strokes, you should definitely step out of your comfort zone at least every once in a while. : )