Level 3 Class: Coloring Beyond Boundaries with Erum

Thinking of You: A Soft Floral Card with Antique Gold Details

Create a soft floral “Thinking of You” card using Altenew’s Build-A-Garden: Rosa Galica, antique gold stamping, layered ink blending, subtle background stenciling, and a rich Cosmic Berry frame.

Follow the steps below to build the card from the base upward, keeping the background soft so the floral image and sentiment remain the focal points.

Supplies Used

·        Altenew Build-A-Garden: Rosa Galica

·        Altenew Dazzling Dahlia stamp set, sentiment only

·        Altenew Paper Echoes Stencil

·        Altenew inks: Rose Quartz, Dusty Rose, Crimson, Honeydew Glow, Misty Moor, Marshland, Sea Forest, Mangrove Root, and black

·        Altenew Antique Gold Pigment Ink

·        Altenew Monochrome Shading Pencils

·        Blending stump or Q-tip/cotton bud

·        Ivory heavy cardstock

·        Altenew Cosmic Berry cardstock

·        Neenah Solar White 110 lb cardstock

·        Masking paper

·        Glue

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the card base. Cut an ivory heavy cardstock base to 4 ¼” x 5 ½”. Cut a second panel from Cosmic Berry cardstock to the same size. Blend Crimson ink around the outer ¼” edge of the Cosmic Berry panel to deepen the border.

Step 2: Cut the image panel. Cut a 4” x 5 ¼” piece of Neenah Solar White 110 lb cardstock. Set it aside as the main floral panel; the slightly smaller size will allow the berry border to show once assembled.

Step 3: Stamp the floral bundles. Using Antique Gold Pigment Ink, stamp two floral bundles across the upper portion of the white panel. Place the smaller bundle in the upper-right corner and the larger bundle on the upper-left side, allowing the florals to extend down the left edge. Leave open space in the lower-right corner for the sentiment.

Step 4: Create and apply masks. Allow the pigment ink to dry. Stamp the same floral clusters onto masking paper, cut them out, and place the masks over the stamped images. If using coordinating dies for the masks, trim away the border so the background stenciling can sit close to the stamped outlines.

Step 5: Stencil the flowers. Use only the first flower stencil layer. Blend Rose Quartz over each bloom, add Dusty Rose from the outer edges toward the center, and finish with Crimson along the outermost areas to create a soft gradient.

Step 6: Stencil the leaves. Use the first leaf stencil layer for most of the coloring. Blend Misty Moor over the full leaf, add Marshland from the base toward the tip, and deepen the center with Sea Forest. Add a very light touch of Mangrove Root on the final leaf-cluster layer for contrast.

Step 7: Add the background stencil. Keep the masks in place over the florals. Position the Paper Echoes stencil over the panel and apply a very light layer of Marshland ink. Leave some areas open so the background remains soft and organic.

Step 8: Blend around the florals. Remove the stencil but keep the masks in place. Blend Honeydew Glow around the floral clusters, keeping the color strongest near the flowers and lighter as it moves outward. Keep the lower-right corner pale so the sentiment remains easy to read.

Step 9: Add pencil shading. Remove the masks. Trace around selected parts of the stamped images with a 4B Monochrome pencil, then soften the graphite with a blending stump or Q-tip to create a subtle shadow effect.

S

tep 10: Finish and assemble the card. Stamp the sentiment in the lower-right corner. Edge the white floral panel with Antique Gold Pigment Ink to coordinate with the stamped outlines. Adhere the Cosmic Berry panel to the ivory card base, then layer the finished floral panel on top.