Improvised

Brenda got my card today so I can share my first 4x6 project. It only took 4 days to travel from the mail slot at my condo....to her mailbox in Wisconsin.  I think that's pretty impressive.  

Although I had to improvise....this card was absolutely inspired by the art of Sally Brandl who I follow on Instagram.   Sally does amazing geometric patterns and designs that combine stitching and watercolor....worth checking out.

https://www.instagram.com/sallybrandlwatercolors/ 

I had prepared a little basket of supplies to take to Lexington to make this first card last weekend but I left it in Maine. And like I mentioned in a previous post I was really itching to get started so that's when I wrestled up a few supplies and improvised....then finished it up when I got back in my studio last week.

To get started I pierced some holes in the cardstock to creating the chevron pattern.  Although I did some measuring I didn't want it to be perfect....so I intentionally made it a little wonky.

I didn't have watercolors in Lexington...but I did have colored pencils.  I stitched a little...then randomly colored a little.  It may have looked better to have a little planning with the colors...but this is what I did. At first I thought it was just going to be an experiment....but then I realized that's what these card exchanges are for.....so Brenda gets my improvised experiment.

I wanted to leave a couple of spaces blank....but I kept forgetting so I placed a scrap of fabric on top while I was coloring.

One of the problems with using colored pencil is that I got a "rubbing" of the threads from the back....which wouldn't happen with watercolor.   This is how the colored pencil looked before I blended.

This is how it looked after I used a tiny bit of baby oil on the end of a Q-tip to smooth out the color.

The back is messy and chaotic.....kind of like the pandemic.  I didn't even think about the back at first....then realized I could stitch so I wasn't crossing over coloring spaces.  But then I kept forgetting to do that. Oy! I also didn't want any lumpy knots so every time I started and stopped a piece of thread I taped it down.  I couldn't find my scotch tape....so I used little pieces of packaging tape....I improvised supplies all along the way with this piece. 

I do like how the chevron pattern looks a little dimensional.  After taking this photo I tried to add a little shading to emphasise the hills and valleys....but that was a mistake. So it goes.

I've already finished and mailed my second card to Becky.  I used the same technique but with watercolors this time and a different pattern and I'll be able to share it later in the week. 

We're off and running with our 4x6 exchange....and it's going to be a fun journey.