I had it down in my studio last year up on my easel because I needed to repair the frame it was in and several people spied it in the background and wanted a tutorial. I generally bristle at the thought of painting something more than once, especially something this large but I did enjoy it the first time around so I filed the idea away. Then I came across this reference photo on Unsplash and I thought the similarity was so striking to the vantage point of my painting and the idea would be fun to revisit!
Feel free to paint this whatever size you like, the techniques are the same whatever you choose. If you want to ask me questions during the live stream be sure to tune in at 12:30pm Eastern Time on YouTube otherwise you can catch the replay later.
Supplies available at sponsor Jerry’s Artarama! Use coupon code: frugal20FS49 for 20% off $49 + Free Shipping (Excludes: Sale, Super Sale, Egift Cards, Buy It Try It’s and Vendor restricted items. Look for the green coupon eligible icon on the product listing. Their Cyber week sale is going on now!
Supplies:
Turner Watercolors *their 18 color intro set is on super sale for $19.99 today!
Hi friends! Do you have stamp sets that have several related characters? Today I’ll show you how to combine them using the masking technique so you can turn a solo stamp into a party!
I have seen many cute stamps recently that will have a gaggle of characters grouped together like this but with those stamps you only get one option but if you have a set of single characters you can group them however you want giving you more bang for your stamping buck! Watch the video to see how and remember to save any masks you cut for future cards.
This tutorial is sponsored by Top Flight Stamps! SAVE 10% off your next order with coupon code: thefrugalcrafter10 *USA orders of $50+ ship free!
The round sentiment is a moldy-oldie from my stash from Stampin Up
Variations on a theme…
Draw or die-cut a Polaroid frame and use this technique to make a “selfie” themed card.
Use this technique when you are making a card from a group of people, such as “Happy retirement from the gang!” or anytime you are going to have a group of people sign a card. People will have fun matching the stamped critter to the person in the office LOL!
You can get a more elegant look by using butterfly stamps and coloring the with jewel tones.
Whether you like cute or quirky, elegant or sassy you can get more bang from your stamping buck with this masking technique. Give it a try on your next card and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! I hope you had a nice weekend, I think this is the longest I have gone without posting on my blog! I planned to share this photo of a recent painting I did on Sketchbook Sunday but I got sidetracked getting ready for a belated Thanksgiving dinner with hubby’s side of the family. It was such a nice time! Saturday while the weather was nice (perfect time to drag the large 20″x30″ painting outside to photograph it but I forgot LOL!) we decided to decorate our porch because is you wait until everything is covered with snow and ice it isn’t any fun and it’s 10 times harder! I will share photos of that after we have a pretty later of snow out, so far we have had a lot of icy slush.
This painting was another assignment for the class I am taking. For the painting above we were assigned to draw out subject and then collage elements of the design with rice and mulberry paper and then paint over it with watercolor. I worked from a photo I took of my son on vacation since all of my other paintings have been of my girls. I like the carefree modern vibe it has. My son is a “go with the flow” kind of kid so it fits his personality perfectly! This week is the final class and I have to get my assignment done so I will probably work on it today as my sore throat is back and I want to rest my voice so it doesn’t get worse. Luckily I already recorded my video for tonight so I can take a couple of days off if I need to. I am be so ready to be rid of this nasty cold! I think I might take this time without a proper voice to play with these surprise supplies that arrived last night! When Jane Davenport asked me if I’d like to try some new products that she had developed I had no idea what she intended to send. Have a look at the video to see her crazy generosity!
All of these products are manufactured by Spellbinders and are available exclusively at Michaels stores or Jane Davenport’s website. I had no idea Spellbinders made art and papercraft supplies! I have been a fan of their dies for years and I find this new endeavour very exciting! There is also a line of stamps, dies, markers, inks and storage available on Spellbinders designed by Jane Davenport for cardmakers too if you want to check that out. That die machine is the cutest and if my machine ever breaks that will be my pick! Spellbinders even has a Jane Davenport die bundle on sale for $35 as part of their Holiday Hoopla Sale, I don’t know how long the price is good for but they do have some nice deals if there was something you were looking for. Oh! I also have a coupon code if you are shopping on the Spellbinders website for 10% off: SBSAVE10 and that code ends on 11/30/18. *I checked the coupon code on some items and it seemed to work on sale items except for clearance and some bundles in the holiday hoopla sale. (I was surprised to see it work on some machines in the Holiday Hoopla sale so try it and see!) Links to Spellbinders are affiliate links.
That’s it for me today. I am seriously considering staying in my jammies all day with hot tea and a heating pad and exploring my new goodies, it will take my mind off my cold and the yucky sleety weather. I hope you are cozy and warm and hopefully healthy today and til next time happy crafting!
Edited to add the finished painting from the livestream. Have a great weekend!
Hi friends! Take a break from Black Friday shopping and relax with a fun painting tutorial. We will paint some ice skates today filled with winter foliage! I am hoping this will inspire me to get my front porch decorated this weekend because I have an old wooden sled that I like to lean up on the stacked firewood on my porch and drape ice skates over. Let me know if you would like a Christmas decorating video and that might push me into decorating sooner LOL! Here is the practise sketch I did to prepare for todays video:
We will have 2 ice skates in the live video, you can get the reference photo and traceable pattern in the supply list below. If you want to chat live be sure to tune in at 12:30pm ET on YouTube today or as always you can catch the replay in the player below:)
I will be using supplies from Arteza today, they have 25 % off their shop today only with coupon code: BLACK25 *This video is not sponsored but I am using affiliate links so I earn a small commission if you purchase something with no additional cost to you, in fact if you use the coupon code BLACK25 you will save 25%! Thank you for your support!
Hi friends! Filling your walls with beautiful art is wonderful but it can be a bit nerve-wracking to put holes in the wall and if you are renting it might not even be allowed. I like to change-up my decor for the holidays too but I don’t want to add holes to the wall that might be visible when I put my everyday artwork back up. If you find yourself in the same predicament I have a solution for you!
Poster putty! Not only is it easy to work with and really inexpensive, you can reuse it over and over again! The downside to using poster putty is that there is a weight limit. That’s why we are going to group lightweight 8″x10″ stretched canvas from our sponsor Conda to create our artwork. Watch the video to see how!
This video is sponsored by Conda. Stock up on Canvases, brushes, easels and more during their 2018 Black Friday week sale where you will find the lowest prices of the year! They even have great art gift sets for children too!
I hope you consider a canvas grouping like this for your home. It was fun to paint and lovely to see on the wall. My only regret is that I didn’t add 2 more panels to fill the area, but I think I am going to move it to a smaller nook and it’s easy to move because of the poster putty. It’s a perfect hanging method for someone like me who likes to change her mind LOL! My only warning with this method is not to hang paintings over your fireplace with this method because heat can loosen adhesive and you don’t want something falling into the hearth and don’t try to hang something too heavy, for that a viewer recommend command hooks and I think that is a great idea as well! Have a happy Thanksgiving and til next time happy crafting!
Hi friends! I have been getting requests to review the Arteza Expert Watercolor pencils. I decided it would be nice to get this review up before Thanksgiving in case there are some really good Black Friday sales to take advantage of (you never know!)
I have really enjoyed working with these watercolor pencils, they feel softer and creamier than a typical watercolor pencils but they sharpen well without breakage. It’s not what I expect from a budget priced product. Then again I have been pretty impressed with Arteza’s line of products over all. Arteza gave me a 10% off coupon code FRUGAL10 to share with you if ordering off their website but I also recommend checking Amazon before ordering to make sure you get the best deal. You can check out these pencils in today’s video review.
Pros:
Price-$35 for a set of 72 in a reusable tin
Quality- Vivid colors that layer well
Lightfast info provided
Leads are strong and seemed well centered sharpens well
Cons:
You can’t buy individual colors so if you use one up you will need to replace it with another brand or buy a new set
Supplies: Affiliate links used: Watercolor pencils and paper from Arteza *Use coupon code FRUGAL10 for 10% off if shopping on the Arteza Website.
Arteza Waterbrushes *I prefer this type to the other ones they sell as the push button on the side is handy:) also on Amazon
BTW here are the swatching stamps I used to make the mixing chart: (many other options to pick from) and they have a fun grab bag sale going on this week!
The paper I used to demonstrate was their premium cellulose super-affordable student grade paper. They just came out with a 100% cotton Expert version that I haven’t tried yet. Let me know if you would like a review of the new paper. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Howdy friends! This idea will add a bit of fun, playfulness and color to your next cardmaking project and you can use it for any occasion!
I am still stockpiling Christmas cards so I used a Merry Christmas sentiment but it would but just as cute with a “happy birthday”, “thank you” or “thinking of you card” theme! Watch the video to see how it’s done!
This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry Use coupon code: LINDSAY and receive 15% off your retail order of $10 or more of peg stamps, peg stamp sets, and unmounted stamps! Coupon expires a week from this video publication. Continue to receive great deals by becoming a PegStamp VIP here. As a PegStamp VIP
you’ll get a weekly deal via email plus links to fabulous tutorials by me, Lindsay the Frugal Crafter and other designers.
Make sure you sign up for the Rubber Stamp Tapestry Newsletter if you want to get the Black Friday deals as well as project ideas in your inbox! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
Edited to add the final painting from today’s live stream. Have a great weekend everyone!
Hi friends! Today we will compost a round painting design. It is a fun new way to approach your painting which is very helpful if you are ever stuck in a rut! We will also discover how to make a vintage color palette that harkens back to the Victorian era.
We will be exploring tints (adding white) and shades (adding black) to create the muted tones of vintage postcard art. Modern watercolors are so crisp and vibrant and normally I love that but the muted vintage tones of yesteryear are also lovely. I have seen a few vintage and pastel specialty palettes for sale lately and while they are lovely and fun their use is very limited. The colors in the those palettes contain lots of white and some black to desaturate the colors. If you already have your basic watercolors a tube or pan of black and white (you probably have them from sets) will accomplish this task in a flash! A tint is when you add white to a color and a shade is when you add black.
By now you are probably asking “Lindsay, why don’t you just add water to lighten and add the complimentary color to darken these colors?” Great question! I usually recommend this method because it keep out colors clean and bright but when going for the vintage look we want to tone down the chroma more and also give the color a bit more body. Confused? Well tune in to YouTube today at 12:30pm ET and have all of your questions answered! The replay will also be available in the player below if you can’t make it!
Supplies available at sponsor Jerry’s Artarama! http://www.jerrysartarama.com/ Use coupon code: frugal20FS49 for 20% off $49 + Free Shipping (Excludes: Sale, Super Sale, Egift Cards, Buy It Try It’s and Vendor restricted items. Look for the green coupon eligible icon on the product listing.
Lukas watercolors: Lukas red, cadmium yellow, green-gold, prussian blue, ultramarine, mauve, black and white (any brand and colors near to these will work)
Watercolor paper *cut your paper round (I will go 12″ round) or you can get round watercolor here. I placed a dinner plate upside down on my watercolor paper and scored along the edge of the plate with a craft knife and then held the plate in place as I tore my paper against it and it worked great! The score mark helped the paper tear where I wanted it to.
Inspiration art (above) from this book of copyright free images (included a CD of images as well as a book of them.) This book is from the Memories of a Lifetime book series and I have found these to be an invaluable reference book series over the years. I used the book for painting inspirations and also for collage and paper crafting projects. I think they are out of print but Amazon has some used copies at reasonable prices.
I have missed my live show peeps so much over the past 2 weeks! We are having our first real snowstorm of the season with all the kids schools cancelled so you may here an errant noise here and there but that is all part of the frugalcrafter experience LOL! See you at 12:30pm ET on YouTube and til then happy crafting!
Howdy friends! The other day I shared this watercolor pencil painting I did in my sketchbook:
I had a few requests to do a tutorial so I thought I would for our beginner tutorial this week. I have been posting beginner (probably over explained but I just want to make sure even beginners can follow along) tutorials on Wednesdays and I hope they are useful:) Let me know if they are just too simple or if I hit the mark:)
Photo credit: thescranline. If you like baking check them out. Their Instagram account is fabulous! (I don’t bake so I follow their IG account for the pretty photos and they encourage fan art!)
Supplies: Affiliate links used. Watercolor pencils and paper from Arteza *Use coupon code FRUGAL10 for 10% off if shopping on the Arteza Website.
Arteza Waterbrushes *I prefer this type to the other ones they sell as the push button on the side is handy:) (also on Amazon)
As always use whatever watercolor pencils (or watercolor crayons) you have to follow along. Heck try it in watercolor or regular colored pencils is you like. It’s your art and I want to inspire you to create with whatever you like! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
The Frugal Crafter Blog 