TCW Labour of Love by Tam

 Hi there

Well this month is pretty exciting around here!

In celebration of ME being on the Design Team for TCW - The Crafter's Workshop we are having a month that is all about their gorgeous products.

I'm kicking it off with a page that was a real labour of love.

Luckily I find doodling relaxing...

Yep this one took a while!

So let's take a look at the process....

I began with a sheet of 12x12 Smooth Cardstock by PaperArtsy.

I also grabbed the gorgeous stencil TCW777 Tree Paradise by Art by Marlene - it's been one I've drooled over for a while.

I placed the stencil onto the cardstock and with a pencil, traced the entire image.

Lift up the stencil and you are left with....

Ok now comes the zentangling....

Go around all of this with a fine black pen - make sure it is waterproof!!

Add in lots of extra details to the basic shapes.

For this part you may want to part yourself in front of Netflix!

I added in a few borders as well.

Ok time for the colour!!

For this I used the NEW ColorSparx Pigment Watercolour Powders

I'm loving playing around with these.

For this I added some of each powder to a paint palette, and then added a few drops of water to create my own watercolours.

The more powder, the stronger the colour.

For the sky I used:

Scarlet, Fuschia, Marigold, Orange and Gamboge.

I also added a touch of Dylusions Ink Spray in Lemon Zest as I wanted a really vibrant yellow.

As they are watercolours, they blend together beautifully making ombre sunsets really simple!

For the hills I used Turquoise, Lime Green and Chartreuse.

For the front hill area I used Turquoise, Orchid and Wisteria.

Now this is the part where I should have stopped, but I didn't.

I added Cerulean Blue to the trees as I think this is my favourite shade in the Color Sparx.

I think I preferred them white but never mind

I did leave a few pops of white - this helps to brighten everything!

I'm going to pop it in a frame.

I love all the details.

I can't wait to see what you create this month using the yummy TCW products.

Don't forget to tag #tcwstencillove in your projects as I know they'd just love to see them too.

I'll be back again a bit later in the month!

Luv Tam

xx

Tam and TCW go together

 Hi lovelies!

Tam back to share another creation in celebration of TCW month!!

I thought I'd share one of the gorgeous Art Journal pages that I've been creating, playing with an image by the amazing Michelle Grant.

I'm still learning to create faces, and am really not confident with them, and I find capturing emotions and expressions so difficult, and sometimes I get bogged down in that part of the creating and my play time kinda loses it's shine.

So.... using these images frees me up to really focus on the freedom of creating.

It means I get to have fun with the background, focusing on TCW stencils!

Let's dive straight in and see how this came together.

Begin by adding a layer of gesso to your page.

Then cut out the image you wish to use.

I used one from the 'Silent' Pack.

Adhere with TCW Gel Medium, adding a layer to the top of the image too. 

This protects the paper when adding paints etc.

I tend to place the face on one side of the background, giving more space to play.

Now it's time to add some colour.

I grabbed a few PaperArtsy Paints that appealed to me.

I went with:

Cherry Red

Peach Nectar

Slimed

Twilight

Cerulean 

Jade

I began with the darker colour, Twilight.

I added that around the image, and a touch on the right hand side to balance the page.

I then placed down NEW stencil TCW Floral Spectacle in 12x12 size and working quickly while still wet, I removed some of the paint with a wet baby wipe.

I then added a touch of 'Jade' and repeated the above step.

I then added some of the 'Slimed' over the space inbetween the two colours.

This time I used TCW Deco Leaves Stencil in 12x12.

Once the background is done, I began to focus on the image.

Firstly I added some flowers using TCW Floral Spectacle in 6x6.

This time I used a sponge and paint through the stencil.

I used 'Cherry Red' and 'Peach Nectar'

It's important to have some variegation with this part for it to be more natural.

I also added some to the right hand edge, again some lighter, and some deeper in colour.

I then added some vine work using TCW Jungle Vines Stencil 6x6.

I used a variety of paint colours for this part,mainly in blues, greens and white.

Now I needed to ensure the image looked part of the page, and not just plonked on top.

I added shadows and depth around some of the edges and then added colour to her face and hair.

I find this step really important.

I actually enjoy it, as it's the moment the magic happens...

her face comes forward and it all ties together.

I also grabbed the Tracy Scott stamp ETS43- and stamped a few feathers onto PaperArtsy Smooth Cardstock using black archival ink.

I then added colour and cut them out.

I adhered these with TCW Gel Medium to look like they were hanging down from the flowers in her hair.

I also chose this Paper Artsy Stamp EEG23 to add the title and a quote.

Add a few scribbles and flicks of paint.....

That's it from me today....

I love seeing what you're creating with your TCW goodies.

Don't forget when sharing them on Instagram, add the hashtag #tcwstencillove and then TCW can see them too.

Much love and creative play...

Tam

xx

The Final DT inspiration.....

Hello lovely people and Happy New Year!!

We truly hope that this is a Year of Joy and happiness for you all.

We hope it's an easier one than last year.

Kinder. Gentler. 

Whilst we are on a difficult subject.....We’re finding this a difficult post to type.

You see Scrap Matrix is closing it's doors and this will be the final 'formal' inspiration from us, the Design Team.  

We have loved sharing our arty inspirations with you and we have loved getting to know you all. It is definitely a real family here - a very safe and encouraging community that has put a smile on our faces whenever we have felt a little flat.

And guess what!!!! You guys have inspired us right back.

We have been in awe of your creations and love seeing what you come up with.

Plus we got to have Vicki as our boss lady - and let me tell you Miss Vicki is divine. Always so generous and grateful for all that we do.

So we have one last request....

PLAY along this month.

Let's flood the page with colour.....

So without further ado, here is our last challenge......

Yep.....The Crafter's Workshop.

They are a lovely company and Tammy is a member of the Design Team.

(In fact it was due to her getting on this team that this idea was born)

They are well known for their Stencils but they also do fantastic mediums including gesso, gel medium, modelling paste, watercolor powders and much much more!!

So use as much TCW goodness on your page as possible.

So let's take a look at the DT's inspirations.....

Come on creatives, let's create the hell out of this last challenge.....

See you over in the Facebook Shares Group.

(WARNING - we won't be going away that easily, we will still be around to connect with)

Yep you just can't get rid of us that easily!

Much love and hugs and tears and snuffles and more hugs and colour

Tam, Tanya and Jen

Scrap Matrix Design Team

Either/Or with Tam

 Hello creatives

Tam here today to share my Either/Or page for our current challenge.....

A cutesy page with a touch of naughtiness.....

I selected the following:

Page

Circles

Brights

(I tried to do pastel but I couldn't help myself - me and brights just go together)!

Naughty

First I gathered a few supplies that were circly and appealing to me.

I had no plan - I just opened my art journal and added some pieces of Art by Marlene paper torn into strips from the Collage Paper #3. I also added in some torn words from a magazine.

I adhered with TCW Gel Medium - this is my new fave for sticking down images in my journal - I find using my finger works best and there's no left over residue! YESSS!!!

I then added some 'Ocean' and 'Yellow' in Dina Paints - randomly swiping across the page - they mixed together to form a lovely limey green colour.

Whilst still wet I used the stencil TCW Circle Jumble  and a wet baby wipe to remove some paint.

Immediately I saw hills - so I marked in some hills and then I added some 'lemon', 'turquoise' and 'magenta' into the sky section - couldn't have a green sky and these colours were a bit sunsetty.

I also added some circle background stamps from the Art by Marlene Little Ladies stamp set. There's quite a few circle ones in the pack.

Ok so the background is done, time to start working on what to add to the rest of it...

I love that girl in the stamp set who's leaning to the side - she definitely looks like she's doing a cartwheel - this reminds me of twirling and again has a circly vibe.

I stamped her out onto PaperArtsy Smooth Cardstock 3 times and then added colour.

I then cut them out and adhered them onto the page to look like she was twirling down the hill.

Once I had glued them down with TCW Gel Medium, I felt the background was too muted. I needed some POP so I grabbed my Dylusions neons - these are quite translucent so they're perfect for adding over paint to brighten it up....

Much much better...

The final step was to add in some flowers and grass to the hills, some doodles to the sky and a bit of a naughty quote - the Dylusions Back Chat are perfect for this - you could choose any - most of them fit the naughty brief!

When I saw the one that said

"Does running away from your problems count as exercise?"

I knew it was perfect.

I also added "I'm calling in fat tomorrow"

There you have it - a fun and little bit naughty page.

That's it from me today.

I've already been working on another one for this theme so keep your eyes peeled to that Facebook Shares Page.