Ye Olde Clipper

Bonjour!

I've been away for quite some time, yes?  It's been two weeks of preparing for finals, the end of school and upcoming events for the summer.  In addition, I've been wrapping up some personal art projects, and preparing several new templates for the upcoming issues of Paper Crafters Sampler. 

Now that I've caught up (a bit), I'd like to share something I've put together for Father's Day.  It's an 8" x 10" framed artwork and I call it "Ye Olde Clipper".

I LOVE the way it turned out.  The image is from My Digital Studio's "The Open Sea".  Here's a few more images.

Interested in making one for your dad, father or that special gentleman in your life?  It's fairly simple.  Here's what you'll need to do.

You'll start by inserting The Open Sea  digital stamp brush set into your document, scaling it up to the size you'd like.  Print the image onto 2 sheets of Natural Ivory cardstock (one will be your base and one will be for cutting).

A laser jet printer will work best if you don't want your lines to bleed, but I used an inkjet print.  If you use an inkjet, try to handle the cardstock from the edges to prevent extra smudging.  Some smudging is OK as it gives the look of being worn and aged.  You can always spray a light coat of spray fixative on top.

Start with one of the printed images, adding watercolor around the perimeter of main image.  I used watercolor crayons and a paintbrush for blending.  Let this sheet dry. 

Take the second print and apply color to the sails.  If you've used the inkjet printer and didn't seal the ink, be sure to add color gently as to not fade the printed image.

Cut out the top-most sails and bend gently to give shape.  Apply dimensional or foam mounts beneath the sails to lift.  Once the sails are attached, use a needle and black thread to add lines to the ship.  Don't feel that you need to follow the same lines on the ship.  You'll want a few to be offset; it adds to the originality of your piece.

That's it!  I hope you enjoy creating Ye Olde Clipper of your own.