Media Journal Layout: Little Things

I've done a few garden-related pages in one section of my Dina Wakley Media Journal recently - I shared "Beautiful Garden" recently - so I wanted to do a kind of "title page" of sorts, that was a welcome to the garden-section of the journal. I chose to use the kraft process paper pages for their strength and colour and even though I covered them with tissue paper and then layers of Archival Ink, it's still possible to see the lovely tone of the kraft underneath it all, and it adds a "ground" to the whole piece, as well as muting down some of the background colours and making them more earthy, which allows the collage pieces to really shine. This layout was in part inspired by the names of the colours in Wendy Vecchi's line at Ranger. It is also a kind of tribute to the incomparable work of Vicky Papaioannou, who is one of THE best mixed-media art journalers out there.

I've wanted to do a leaf-and-flower based collage for ages and I had just the dies to do it, which I'd not yet used - so it was pretty good fun. I used a lot of stamping and inking steps you could skip I guess, but they added detail, and I like my journal to look beautiful close-up as well as at a distance. It is based on a flower garden surrounded by trees with leaves blowing in the wind and butterflies and moths visiting the flowers and reminding us that there is immense beauty in their simplicity. I also wanted the idea of an entrance and of looking through the leaves.

This is kind of a "big" project, in that it uses a lot of different things, but they were all from my stash, and it did not take terribly long - it did have some drying steps, of course, and I actually did this over a couple of days, but the total "active" time was maybe 2h at most. The result is vibrant and beautiful and I love it. You don't need to have all of the Dylusions Ink Sprays for example - you could use watercolour paint or markers or whatever you have, and you can use any suitable dies, or just cut things by hand - use what you have.


WHAT I USED:

Ranger Dina Wakley Media Journal [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
(I used a double-page spread of the kraft process paper pages, both for the colour and the thickness, which is pretty critical to support the collage - I think this would equally work in a Dylusions Creative Journal [BUY NOW: USA, UK], and you can obviously get kraft process paper Insert Pages [BUY NOW: USA, UK] if you want to fully match the look)

Ranger Dylusions Size 12 Mixed Media Journalling Tags [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

Ranger Archival Inks in:
   Sap Green [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Leaf Green (Wendy Vecchi's Line) [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Library Green [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Forget-Me-Not (Wendy Vecchi's Line) [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Garden Patina (Wendy Vecchi's Line) [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Cactus Flower (Wendy Vecchi's Line) [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Tea Rose (Wendy Vecchi's Line) [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Dandelion (Wendy Vecci's Line) [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Manganese Blue [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

Ranger Dylusions Ink Sprays in:
   Rose Quartz [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Bubblegum Pink [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Pomegranate Seed [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Vibrant Turquoise [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   After Midnight [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   London Blue [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Lemon Zest [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Fresh Lime [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Vanilla Custard [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz red rubber stamp sets:
   Autumn Blueprints [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Reflections [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress College Medium in:
   Matte [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Vintage [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
(you can buy a pack of three Mini Mediums comprising Matte, Vintage and Crazing, which could be more economical option [BUY NOW: USA, UK]) 

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tissue Wrap in:
   Melange [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Layers in:
   Botanical [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Clipping Stickers [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

OASIS Feather Butterflies in:
   Pink/Cerise (7cm, pack of 12) [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
NB: the USA link points to a similar product as the OASIS brand was not available.
(I actually used a feather butterfly from my stash, which came from the wedding supplies section of a craft store some years ago, but these ones from OASIS are a good match)

Sizzix "Tattered Leaves" Bigz Die (Tim Holtz Line) [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

Sizzix "Small Tattered Flowers" Thinlets Die Set (Tim Holtz Line) [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

Winsor and Newton ProMarkers in:
   Y418 Ivory [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Y919 Primrose [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   O739 Saffron [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   M428 Blossom [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
(you can use any alcohol markers, obviously - and it's easy to find equivalent colours in other brands)

3/4" golden taklon crafting paintbrush for applying the tissue wrap
3/4" natural hair or other very soft crafting paintbrush for the leaf/flower collage steps
(for the latter, you can use any soft brush but do not use a watercolour brush as you'll ruin it. Both of the brushes that I've been using are dirt-cheap Craft Smart set of 40 brushes, which cost me under £10 for the set [BUY NOW: USA, UK] - whatever you use, it has to be soft or you'll run into issues - these natural hair brushes are a mix of horse hair and synthetic)

Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool and Foams [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

2" foldback clips [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
(you will need 8-10 of these, as they are for weighting the edges of the pages to keep them flat whilst drying - this completely prevents curl)

WHAT I DID:

STEP 1: I applied tissue wrap to the journal pages using the stiffer taklon brush and matte Collage Medium and then put fold-back clips around the edges of every page to weight it down and help it not curl. I left it to fully cure for a day or so and then cut off all the excess paper with scissors, which I kept for use in collage projects. I applied more collage medium if there were any edges that were loose. You need to keep the fold-back clips in place through the whole project - they should be applied so the clip-y bit is just on the very edge of the paper - they're there for weight rather than to hold things together. Remember when inking to move them around a little so as to avoid gaps. I chose this particular tissue because the pattern has moths which match my theme but also has music and that fits the idea of listening to Gaia and working with the planet, which are very much in my ethos, and I love this paper as it's not coated, so it takes ink really well.

STEP 2: I prepped one tag to be cut into leaves ("the leaf tag"). I sprayed it all over with Lemon Zest and then added Vibrant Turquoise, which produces a dark green, followed by Fresh Lime to lighten it. I blotted it with scrunched paper towel that I'd used before so that the various types of Art Dirt™ on it would transfer over and add some dark flecks for texture. I then sprayed Vanilla Custard in two patches to create some lighter, warmer tones (the large warm yellow patch in the image above). I blotted that and left the tag to dry fully.

STEP 3: I prepped a tag to be cut into three types of flowers ("the flower tag"), so I made half blue, half pink and the overlap became purple, so I could have three colours of flowers. To do this, I sprayed one half with Rose Quartz and then Bubblegum Pink in one patch and then just a little Pomegranate Seed before blotting as per STEP 2. I then sprayed the other half with Vibrant Turquoise and London Blue followed by After Midnight and the lightest touch of Pomegranate Seed so that it would have just a little colour-continuity with the other half. I again blotted it in the same way, and left it to dry.

STEP 4: To add more texture, I stamped the mirrored script stamp from the Reflections stamp set over parts of both tags, very roughly so it would not really stamp well and not using a block. I used Archival Ink as it won't budge and has great colours. For the leaves tag, I used Leaf Green and Library Green, both applied to the stamp at once. For the flowers tag, I used Forget-Me-Not, Garden Patina and Cactus Flower, again, all applied to the stamp at the same time. I left the ink to dry for about 30 minutes before die-cutting.

STEP 5: I used my blending tool to softly apply Leaf Green Archival Ink to the bottom 1/3rd or so of the tissue-covered journal pages - like grass. I then applied a region of the much paler Sap Green above it to give a lighter patch - like distant trees far away. I then used Forget-Me-Not for the sky and added some Manganese Blue especially around the top to create some darker patches. I used Tea Rose around the edges and over any gaps as it adds warmth and brings things together somehow. In this and all other steps, I tried to leave the large moth on the tissue on the left page clear of ink, so that I could use it for something later. Don't forget to move your foldback clips to apply ink where they were so you don't get white spaces.

STEP 6: I die cut the Tattered Leaves Bigz die twice from the leaves tag and then used the leaves from the Small Tattered Flowers Thinlets die set to cut more leaves from the gaps - I had 6 big leaves from the Bigz die and probably 12+ small ones from the Thinlets. I then used the 3-4 largest flowers from each of the 3 flower types from the Thinlets set to cut flowers from the other tag. I tried to keep each one to either pink or blue or purple so that each flower shape was the same colour.

STEP 7: I used the Autumn Blueprints stamps to embellish my 6 leaves from the Bigz die. The Blueprints stamp set wasn't designed by Tim Holtz, it was actually his stepson MJ's work and it does bother me that the actual designers are never credited on the packaging. It has 3 leaves that don't quite match the dies but they match enough to add veins and texture. I separated my leaves into piles of "mostly yellow" and "mostly green". I stamped them all in Archival ink - the former with Dandelion and the latter with Leaf Green. I did this by inking the stamps face-up on my worksurface and then placing the leaves onto the middles of them so that the stems and veins would be in the right place. I then left them all to dry.

STEP 8: I went back to my background in my journal and used the same mirrored script stamp from the Reflections set to apply script in Manganese Blue, Library Green and Dandelion - all on the stamp at the same time - very, very lightly over various parts of the background. This was just to add a bit of visual continuity and is very pale and hardly shows in photos but you can see it in real life.

STEP 9: I used Tea Rose ink on my blending tool to go over every leaf and flower to cover up the white/cream cut edges of the cardstock and to go over any uninked areas - this adds a lovely orange-y undertone and edge to them and echos the background, it seems to being things together for me. I love Tea Rose - it's just magical how it will soften and mute any colour without making mud.

STEP 10: Collage time! Remember to always, always apply Collage Medium to both your leaf/flower and to the page and then stick wet-to-wet - if you don't, things will curl like crazy, and fall off. You also need to brush Collage Medium over the top of the item to seal it. This is why I used such a soft brush, as the Dylusions ink WILL mobilise with Collage Medium and the softer the brush the better as it will minimise this from happening. You need to work quite swiftly through this step - I applied larger leaves around the top and smaller ones around the sides and falling from the sky - again, avoiding that moth - and then I added the flowers around the bottom.

STEP 11: After brushing Collage Medium over all of the stuck-down leaves and flowers using the soft brush, I kept going to cover the whole of both pages - this leaves the tissue non-permeable and gives it very different properties! Whilst the Collage Medium was still wet, I did my College Medium Blend technique, which looks awesome! The trick here is that you need wet/starting to dry matte Collage Medium all over your project and wet matte Collage Medium on your brush. You then dip the bottom 1/3 of your brush into vintage College Medium (which is just Collage Medium with the Distress Vintage Photo dye added) and brush it into the medium on the page in various locations - some over the leaves, some just in the edges. Because you have so much wet medium on the page already, the vintage version is diluted down to give a much more subtle effect, which I prefer. Don't forget once this step is done, you need to wash that brush properly with soap and water! At this point the whole thing needs to be left overnight to dry out. The next day, I went round the edge with scissors to remove the overhanging parts of the leaves, which I've kept for other projects.

STEP 12: To the huge moth on the left-hand page, I applied Ivory ProMarker all over and then Primrose over most of it. I used Primrose and Blossom to colour the various parts of the moth, and I repeated this over any other large moths on the background that did not have Archival over them. The dried Collage Medium will make the paper non-porous so alcohol markers will sit on the surface, just as they do on marker paper, which makes getting a really soft, pale look very easy - though they have to be left to dry thoroughly or will smudge. The overall effect is very subtle and pale and that is exactly what I wanted.

STEP 13: I selected phrases from the Clipping Stickers that produced a kind of a poem and applied them to the righthand page, then covered them with Collage Medium to ensure they stayed stuck. Once it was dry, I applied Tea Rose Archival Ink over them with my blending tool again, just to give some continuity with the page.

STEP 14: I selected 5 butterflies from the Layers Botanical pack and applied Tea Rose Archival Ink to each one - which is not easy as they have a glossy coating. I placed them around the layout and then stuck them into place with Vintage Collage Medium to subdue the white borders somewhat. I left them to dry and once dry, I applied a layer of Tea Rose Archival again, to soften.

STEP 15: Finally, I took a red feather butterfly (cutting off the wire from the underside) and applied Tea Rose Archival Ink over the wings to mute them very slightly, and stuck it close to the poem/sentiment using Collage Medium all over the underside of the body and the edges of the wings. I then closed the journal and put a 1kg pot of gesso over the butterfly to weight it down to ensure it adhered properly.

Dylusions Journal: My Love And I In A Small Cafe (Part II) - working towards the foreground

I posted recently a gessoed paper that I then used Dina Wakley Media acrylics and mica sprays from Ranger on - and I was loving the colours. I've since attached it into my Dylusions main Large Creative Journal that I used for just random things. As I've just obtained the Dina Wakley Media Circle Patterns stamps I couldn't resist adding some foreground to that background!

WHAT I USED:

"My love and I in a small cafe" acrylic on gessoed paper background previously prepared.

Ranger Wendy Vecchi Archival Inks in:
   Buttercup [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Cactus Flower [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

Ranger Dina Wakley Media Circle Patterns Stamps [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

WHAT I DID:
STEP 1: I selected the stamp that looks like a pen outlining a circle, as I want to put a similar motif in acrylic paint as the focal point at a later date.

STEP 2: I applied some stamps without a block down the righthand edge of the page, using Buttercup - Archival Ink goes on so well over acrylic that it's a great ink for this kind of project!

STEP 3: I then did the same using the delicious Cactus Flower - it reminds me so much of the Schlumbergera truncata Lem. (Christmas cactus) that my late Grandmother had and the beautiful magenta-violet flowers that seemed magical to me when I was a little boy and we went to visit her - the colour has stayed with me and after all these years - that vibrant colour standing out from the north-Bristol council estate browns and greys that I could see out of the window where the cactus was kept. I love this colour! I added a bit more of this colour in other areas on the page just to help join the foreground and the background a little more. There will be a focal point coming up in Part III! I've shown some close-ups below where you can see the 'fire' from the blue and red mica sprays and how cool it all looks!

Doctor's Orders: Oooops? #arthaul

So erm...well...what can I say? The worst part? This isn't even all of it - there's at least 5 more instalments to come...! It's quite a big haul because there have been some fabulous discounts on at Amazon and at Art From The Heart! Everything herein is from Amazon UK.

The Ranger Wendy Vecchi Mica Sprays (BUY NOW USA, UK) - at long last! Ranger released Mica Spray sets of 3 colours for each of their 4 signature designers some time ago - Tim Holtz (Brushed Pewter, Antiqued Bronze, Tarnished Brass BUY NOW USA, UK), Dina Wakley (Ruby, Lapis and Evergreen BUY NOW USA, UK), Dyan Reaveley (Bubblegum Pink, Crushed Grape and Vibrant Turquoise BUY NOW USA, UK) and, of course, Wendy Vecchi (Buttercup, Pearl and Forget-Me-Not) - I've struggled to get hold this set from Wendy but I love her palette - I also love Dina and Dyan's ranges but Tim's have not appealed to me because they're more or less the same as the metallic Distress Spray Stains. Wendy's Pearl excites me - there is no Pearl in the rest of her line of Archival Inks or Embossing Powders or Enamel Accents - and the name doesn't "fit" with her tradition of garden-related-words - Snowdrop would have been better, I think. I am now living in hope they'll release some more Pearl items from Wendy as a nice off-white to sit nicely with her other colours would be awesome!

I've posted on Twitter recently a lot of mini-monoprints I've been making (post on those coming soon!) and I decided getting a little gelli plate would be really worth it for a lot of techniques - I researched online and found this Gel Press Reusable Gel Printing Plate, 6" by 6" (BUY NOW: USA, UK) - they make a lot of different sizes and it's actually a faux gelli plate. It's a vegan-friendly mineral-oil-based reusable gelli plate, and it has a wonderful service. My YouTube Friend Mrs Weirich (aka Lindsay The Frugal Crafter) used a very similar one of these some time ago, and she got lovely results, which has made me want to try one for some time now. I've used normal gelli plates made of gelatine before but I like the very perfect surface of this - it really appeals to me - plus it's quite stiff so you can pick it up and use it like a stamp.

These Derwent Techniques Brushes (BUY NOW: USA, UK) were a bit of a whim item really. I was looking for something else and they were heavily discounted to just over £8 from £17, and I do want a sword suited to acrylic painting (check) and a rake for use when monoprinting (check). I'm sure these will come in useful!

A little bit of restocking! You can never have too many Ranger Dylusions Size 10 Journaling Tags (BUY NOW: USA, UK) and I have used a lot lately. Likewise, I needed to restock my favourite embossing powder - Ranger Wendy Vecchi Watering Can Embossing Powder (BUY NOW: USA, UK) - this powder is a deep, warm grey and thus a lot less harsh/cartoon-y than using black. I really enjoy how it looks and like all of Wendy's line, it is an ultra fine detail powder and just beautiful - blending it with other powders makes a nice bit of texture, even with beautiful bright colours like the vibrant yellows and purples.

Mwahahaha I struck a bargain here ;) I've wanted this Tim Holtz Idea-ology Clippings Stickers (BUY NOW; USA, UK) pack for a while for use in mixed media, cards and art journalling...and when I ordered it and paid for one, two packs arrived yaaay! So for just £3.98, I got almost 600 stickers, 2 of each of them. Lovely!

Another item I've wanted for a long time - this Ranger Dina Wakley Media Circle Patterns stamp set (BUY NOW: USA, UK) looked so useful for mixed media and for framing elements like collaged images. I love circles and how even crappy patterns or bits of waste artwork look brilliant cropped into circles with a punch or die and then stamped with a pattern - try it - it really looks great!

So I have to say, these were SO economical and I wanted something to keep my stencils and pens etc tidy and to hand. I also wanted to have some of this artwork to hand, because these beautiful Ranger Wendy Vecchi Designer Bags (BUY NOW: USA, UK) of course feature Wendy Vecchi's beautiful artwork - I have shown below the larger two that you can't see properly in the above image as I think they're so pretty. I've got the Ranger Dina Wakley Designer Bags (BUY NOW: USA, UK) on order too. Each set gives you a large, medium and small bag as a set (just over £13 when I bought these) and they're pretty useful sizes. I'm also hoping that having Dina's beautiful, bold and expressive mixed media work around me will inspire me somewhat to loosen up a bit when doing mixed media - which I find hard! 

Media Journal: Lemon and Lime, Dancing Time background and Screw The Crowd tag/tip-in

Two for the price of one today - a background and a tip-in to sit in front of it! It will be taped into the journal spine so it sits in front of the green background but it not attached over it, more like an extra page.

A month ago now, I made this background in my Dina Wakley Media Journal using a couple of fluid acrylics and stamped all over it with one of Dyan Reavely's beautiful couture stamps, but I've not done anything with it since - as you can see in my photos, the very middle stamp on the page is much darker and I was going to colour that one in with India ink or something once the paint had cured but I never got round to doing it. This afternoon, I wanted to do a little, quick project, and I made a little tag and was going to stick it over that background, but I've opted to stick it into the spine of the journal instead, like an extra mini-page. I'm fairly sure a "tip-in" has to go on the outside edge of the page (help, anyone?!) so I don't know what to call it! I'll go through how I made the background first too, since both techniques are so simple and quick.

The tip-in dress stamp really reminded me so much of the Dior New Look and in particular the costumes that Claire wears in Season 2 of Outlander, which were also interpreted as 18th Century versions of the New Look too, in amazing colours. Season 3 has just started a few weeks ago and it's amazing - if you've not seen Outlander but love any of the following, I think you'll love it too - it is helping me to cope without Game of Thrones at the moment:

• Fantasy adventure but in the realms of the real world - so time travel in this case.
• Historical adventure and drama.
• Men wearing kilts.
• Men not wearing kilts.
• Men not wearing anything at all.
• Just Google "Sam Heughan Outlander"... go on...
• Realistic portrayal of battles, sex, life in general etc.
• Fantastic theme tune.

For UK users, if you want to watch Outlander, you'll need to be an Amazon Prime account holder and an Amazon TV user, which is easy as most recent TVs have an app, but if not, you can either buy a dongle, or, of course, you can watch it via the Amazon website. If you want to try an Amazon Prime account, you can get a FREE 30 day trial right now, which is enough to watch Seasons 1 and 2 at least! For the sake of completeness, you can also get the books too.

For US users, if you want to watch Outlander, you'll need to use a Starz account, for which you can get a free trial of the Amazon Channels programme. You can also get an Amazon TV dongle. If you want to read the books instead, click here.

Because of the green-based background, the dress I made obviously had to be a shade of red or pink, so that it would really stand out - and one of Claire's most notorious Season 2 dresses whilst in 18th century France was a vibrant shade of red, but I chose to use an almost violent shade of pink with red accessories. In a way, of course, Claire is never one of the crowd, but you'll have to watch the show to find out why!

Lemon and Lime Dancing Time Background (acrylic on paper)

WHAT I USED:

Dina Wakley Media Journal [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
(I used one of the righthand "watercolour" paper pages)

Daler and Rowney Simply Acrylic Gesso (White) [BUY NOW: UK - I can't find this in the USA but you can use this awesome alternative instead]

DecoArt Fluid Acrylics in:
   Yellow Green Light [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   (PG36 Phthalocyanine Green Yellow Shade, PY83 Diarlylide Yellow HR, PW6 Titanium White) 
   Hansa Yellow Light [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   (PY3 Hansa Yellow 10G) 

Ranger Dylusions Couture Collection silicone stamp set [DISCONTINUED]
(this set and the rest of the couture collection were discontinued a few years back but keep an eye out for them - you could alternatively use the larger stamps this set was based on, if you can find them, which were Walk In The Park [BUY NOW: USA, UK] and Night At The Opera [BUY NOW: USA, UK]. For this background, I used the dress from the latter in its mini version from the Collection set, which I will call the "Opera Frock" for clarity)

Ranger Archival Ink in:
   Leaf Green (Wendy Vecchi Collection) [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
   Vivid Chartreuse [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

3/4" Golden Talkon paint brush with soft bristles, suitable for acrylic paint
(any really cheap golden taklon set of brushes will have one of these in it - they're very inexpensive!)

DoCrafts PaperMania 5" by 7" acrylic stamping block [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

WHAT I DID:

STEP 1: I covered the page entirely in white gesso and left it to dry fully, overnight. I applied it with a damp brush as 2 thin coats, the second applied after about 20 minutes when the first coat had just gone a bit tacky.

STEP 2: I used the same brush (washed of course and a little damp!) to apply the paints. I applied the yellow first and then added the green on top - I only used up-down brushstrokes to get a nice vibrant blend and was careful not to let the colours mix too much!

STEP 3: Once the paints had cured for 24h, I stamped the Opera Frock onto the page first in Leaf Green and then in Vivid Chartreuse, making a kind of grid pattern of alternating colours - down at the bottom and along one edge, you have incomplete stamps but that's normal.


Screw The Crowd Tag/Tip-In (ink on paper)

WHAT I USED:

Ranger Dylusions Size 10 Journalling Tag [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

Ranger Archival Ink in:
   Shadow Grey [BUY NOW: USA, UK]

Tonic Studios Tim Holtz Stamping Platform [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
(NB: I didn't use this - I used another common tool on the market, but I cannot recommend it as I've heard awful stories of both shop owners trying to get damaged stock sorted out and customers too, and of pretty nasty, bullying tactics from the owner thereof - as such, I won't recommend it, and will recommend the superior product above, that has a nicer price point!)

Ranger Dylusions Couture Collection silicone stamp set [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
(this set and the rest of the couture collection were discontinued a few years back but keep an eye out for them - you could alternatively use the larger stamps this set was based on, if you can find them, which were Walk In The Park [BUY NOW: USA, UK] and Night At The Opera [BUY NOW: USA, UK]. For this tag, I used the dress from the former and one of the hats too, in their mini versions from the Collection set, which I will call the "Park Frock" for clarity)

Kuretake ZIG Clean Colour Real Brush Markers in:
   022 Carmine Red
   025 Pink
   071 Flesh Colour
(I got these from the ZIG Clean Colour Real Brush Markers 24 Pack BUY NOW: USA, UK])

Winsor and Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable Size 0 Round Ranger [BUY NOW: USA, UK]
(this is the brush I used, but it ain't cheap - as you probably know, I'm really a fine-art watercolourist so I don't have many inexpensive brushes - but do try the Prolene Plus Size 0 Round as an excellent high-quality-low-price alternative - you can get with a set of other beautiful Prolene Plus brushes too for very economical price - BUY NOW USA, UK)

Ranger Dylusions Paint Pens in:
   Postbox Red
   Cut Grass
(these don't come in open stock, so you'll need to get the 6-pack of Dylusions Paint Pens [BUY NOW: USA, UK] to get them - they're SO cool!)

Container of water

WHAT I DID:

STEP 1: I stamped both the Park Frock and one of the hats onto a Dylusions tag using my stamping tool to get a good impression - Shadow Grey is lovely and light and works well for this kind of technique.

STEP 2: I decided to colour the frock Pink and so worked in small sections, applying the watercolour ink from the pen along whichever edges would be darkest and then used my wet brush to blend it out and soften it. I worked across the skirt first and made the 'under' sections darkest. I then did the bodice and made the sleeves quite pale.

STEP 3: Whilst the frock dried, I did the same on the hat, this time using Carmine Red. I did the shoes in Carmine Red also, and once the frock was dry too, the belt.

STEP 4: The legs of this image are just single lines, so I added a narrow cone in Flesh Colour that you can hardly see to be honest on the cream tag - doing this added a 'leg' and made the original grey line into the seams on her stockings.

STEP 5: Using the Dylusions Paint Pens I then wrote in a very free and non-conformist way, in Postbox Red (to match the Opera Frock) and Cut Grass (to represent the crowd of Park Frock ladies) my sentiment - why be one of the crowd?