Happy Beerday!!

Still playing with pens this week, there is quite a lot to explore and many different ways you can use your pens, sketching and doodling techniques are only the start. Will have to explore more things in future posts. I did in honour of my new blog make Steve a second Birthday card using only scraps and pens. I had already made him one using a digital image which I had purchased online, of Alexander Meerkat, but I thought another wouldn't hurt!!

I have been persevering with the wibbly writing technique As it looks a bit like a drunk has written it I thought it would make a great "Happy Beerday" card. The wording has been matted onto a piece of serviette that I dyed sometime ago (will have to post details later...no ink needed!?!?). The glass was cut out of a piece of scrap card and coloured with the pens used on the writing. I didn't colour directly onto the card instead scribbled the pens on an old ceramic tile (one of my most useful craft tools), which I then spritzed with water, I squidged the glass around in the colours trying to get a heavier build up down one side to create a bit of shading. Once the glass was dry, I spattered the glass (using an old toothbrush) with some water to create some bubbles. As the glass had been moistened it had naturally curled, this all helps to create dimension. To keep the shape and attach it to the card I used some white "blue tak". The froth was made out of a scrap of handmade paper, but woodchip would have looked effective too.

The other thing I have resurrected this week is "growth patterns", this is something my girls were taught at First School to improve their handwriting, but I think it's a useful practice tool for embellishing and decorating your cards. If you're very good at it (which I'm not) you could use it for your main focal point. The idea is to start in the centre of a piece of paper with a dot then using patterns grow the design outwards. I also had a go at growing the pattern away from a corner and working inwards from a frame. I stuck to my trusty black pen but these do look pretty multicoloured or working with a limited colour palette. An additional challenge is not to repeat a pattern!! If you're stuck for inspiration look at patterns from other cultures. Aboriginal art, Egyptian designs and Native American Art are good sources. The great thing about growth patterns is that you can practice them anywhere......if you're like me and don't like flying these are great to do on the plane, it's amazing how quickly the time passes!!

Hope you give it a go ....it's very therapeutic. (TIP: turn the paper as you draw)