I love Jennifer Nichols Procreate resources and classes. I have several of her brush sets and I I memory serves me her Skill Share Procreate classes were some the first ones I took. So when I saw her new Free Procreate Class slid into my inbox the other day, I knew I was all in.  Never let a class marked for beginners dissuade you from taking it, especially if it’s free.  Keep reading to find out why I feel this way. Rocks #1 So why would someone like me, who’s been working with Procreate for nearly four years now, choose to intentionally spend time taking a free beginner level class?  What could I possibly learn?  These are some of the I might elect to take a beginner leaves class: I enjoy the teacher presenting the class.   It’s a technique or style of art I have yet to try. It includes some sort of added value I’m interested in, this is especially true if there’s a free Procreate brush set involved. I can generally glean some sort of cool tips and tricks ...

When I had my Honey Bee Layering Balloons Stencils out for the cards I talked about yesterday, I actually created four backgrounds.  I turned those backgrounds into six cards.  To see the first four cards check out yesterday's post -  Inspired by Kelly - Two for One Balloon Cards . For the first card, I used Distress Ink in Villanous Potion, Peacock Feathers, and Cracked Pistachio to build my layered balloon background.  I cut three of the Pretty Pink Posh Happy Birthday sentiment and glued them together to build some dimension.  Keeping things simple I added the A2 panel onto a white card base and glued the sentiment in the lower half of the card. For card two, I used Mustard Seed, Peacock Feathers, and Salty Ocean.  I pulled the Absolutely Fabulous dies from My Favorite Things and die-cut the top portion of the panel.  Next, I adhered the balloon panel to a white panel and die-cut the two layers with the largest of my stitched rectangles.  I sta...

The inspiration for these cards came from the archives of Kelly Taylor's videos -  Layering Balloon Stencil 5 Ways: Birthday Parties .  Knowing I had these stencils in my stash I dug them out and set out to ink blend a few panels.  I wanted to try a couple of the ideas I saw in her videos.   I ink-blended my balloons using Distress Ink in Villainous Potion, Peacock Feathers, and Cracked Pistachio onto my first panel.  I wanted to add more interest, so I pulled out another stencil and layered it over the second layer of balloons, while the balloon stencil was still in place, and added some tone-on-tone details.  Once I had a completed panel I wanted a bold sentiment, but instead of adding the sentiment over top of the panel, I opted for a die-cut inlay.  Which left me with the reverse, which I could have tossed or used later.  Instead, I made two cards for the price of one.   Rense and repeat.  This go round I used Mustard Seed,...

I thought we'd start the week by talking about inspiration and where to find more ideas.  Back a couple of weeks ago I talked about being inspired by Mindy Egan and her Abstract Art for Clean & Simple Cards . I really fell in love with this technique and have made several cards with this technique.  After I'd created a few abstract designs I went down the Pinterest rabbit hole.  I dropped abstract cards in the search bar and found tons of inspiration for layout ideas and color combs.   Pulling inspiration from somewhere other than your own art niche can bring to light different color combinations, new ideas for design elements, and even new techniques.  While my main focus is on creating cards, I draw inspiration from fabrics, photography, watercolor, tile, home decor, and so many other places.   For this card, I drew color and design inspiration from a  business card design  I saw on Pinterest.  To start my design I opted for...

I've been watching Kelly's video for somewhere around six years. Kelly is the reason I ended up in the Copic marker cult.  Yes, I said cult, all in jest of course.  I've watched her color amazing scene card after scene card.  Eventually, I drank the cool-aid and bought the markers, but I digress.  We're here to talk about the cards and the inspiration. Last week Kelly shared the video 3 Cards with 1 Stamp Set and I was inspired to play with my various coffee stamp sets.  I also pulled Copic markers in some similar fall shades.  While I used multiple stamp sets, if you check out Kelly's video you'll see the inspiration shine through.   For the first card, I opted for a horizontal layout.  I started with kraft cardstock and the Tim Holtz Quilted 3D embossing folder.  Once embossed, I lightly ink blended Vintage Photo Distress Ink over the entire panel, then took the Ground Espresso pad and swiped it over the top.  If you use a ligh...

I’ve been watching several Vicki Boutin Videos lately and this card was influenced by what she refers to as a kissing technique.  After watching this video , where Vicki used her art crayons to color onto acetate, then applied water with a wet paintbrush I was intrigued to experiment.  From there she turns the acetate over and kisses it on the paper.  As Vicki says “kiss it like your grandma, not the Rock”.  I already had an image stamped and heat embossed on watercolor paper, just waiting to be used.  Let the kissing begin! There are no Vicki Boutin Art Crayons in my stash, but I do have a small set of Neocolor II water-soluble wax pastels.  I pulled them out and figured I would get a similar effect using the same technique.  I simply scribbled a bit of the crayon onto my sheet of acetate, added water with a paintbrush, carefully turned the acetate over, and gently kissed it to the panel I had.  Once I built the background I used my wet paintbru...

When I started with the stencils and stamps for the abstract card from last week I couldn’t help but make a few more.  I pulled some additional stencils from the stash and my texture stamps.  I opted for Distress Oxides on this one in Uncharted Mariner, Picked Raspberry, and Villanous Potion.   Back with the largest semi-circle, then into some older Crafter’s Workshop stencils.  After applying the oxide ink I felt like a bit of black was needed to break things up and fill in the gaps, so I pulled a Kaisercraft text texture stamp and used a bit of Gina K Amalgam ink to add depth and texture.  To add the sentiment I added a layered black and white circle.   Card three of this stenciling abstract design session has a more fall vibe.  I used Distress Inks in Spiced Marmalade, Aged Mahogany, and Mustard Seed.  I pulled some older See-D’s stamps for the leaves and used some Gina K Amagalm ink to add them to the panel.  The sentiment is from Te...

When I saw Mindy Egan's  Abstract Art for Clean & Simple Cards video I knew I had to see what was in my stash to create abstract cards with.  As I shopped my stash, I remember the Taylored Expressions Abstract stencils and stamps set I had.  I also pulled out my Tim Holtz flower Garden stamp set. I picke a few Distress Inks to build a bright pallet that would lend itself to a modern floral pattern.  The colors I chose to work with were Salvaged Patina, Squeezed Lemonade, and Twisted Citron.   Working with the large semicircle stencil I began my pattern with Salvaged Patina.  I pulled the smaller more jelly bean-shaped stencil for Twisted Citron and completed my ink blending with a second smaller semi-circle and Squeeze Lemonade.   After laying down my colors for a border selected the more open large petal flower from the Flower Garden stamp set.  I added them in a pattern that would overlap more than one color as well as leave a bit of white ...

I was inspired by my bestie over at By Grace Everett. She put a lot of little die cuts to work collage style with this “K” and I just loved it!! Naturally, I had to steal like a card artist and try it myself. I had to find a way to put a spin on it that would work with what I had in my stash. I started by cutting the large “hi” from white. This die creates both letters and an outline.  Next, I dug through my stash of die cuts.  I have a tendency to use up scrap paper by cutting small die cuts for later use.  I pulled some small flowers and tiny hearts.  The tiny hearts filled gaps in my design, as well as created the effect of leaves.  I used scissors to trim anywhere the flowers hung off the letters.   Using Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles to cut a kraft panel, then added the letters.  The easiest way to work with the outline seems to be laying out the inner letter first and then using a bit of liquid glue to line up the outline around t...

I'm often inspired by other makers and their ideas. Yana Smakula has a unique style and I can pick a Yana card out of any lineup, she is great at using smaller images to make an impact on cards.  When I watched one of her older videos,  5 Ways to Stamp Backgrounds (not using background stamps) , I was inspired to use some of my smaller stamps.  While I didn't create a background on this card, I created a focal image using just one small stamp. The magic here is not only in using a small stamp on repeat, it's also a stamp from an older Hero Arts Christmas stamp set.  I rotated the triangle each time I stamped to create a geometric focal point, using Gina K Amalgam ink.  Then came the rainbow of Copics to color the images and make them pop. The large birthday sentiment from Creative Expressions balances the card panel.  I used the Wonky Rectangles from Simon Says Stamp to add the faux stitching.  The panel was mounted on a black card base and I added b...

Deciding on sentiments can be the easiest or hardest part of card design. There is no middle ground for me. Most often it helps if I plan to create a type of card before I delve into making. Theme selection is frequently dictated by low stock in the shop or by requests for a certain variety of cards. Once my theme is established I will pull all the sentiments for it. This in itself can be a project since I store my stamps and dies by brand. I find it difficult to store by theme, as most stamp sets have multiple themes, but I digress. In this phase, I will also select patterned papers and embellishments. There are other times I build elements from components in my stash. I design parts for later card designs. The elements at the right are an example of that. I assembled each one with bits laying on my desk or from my stash box. Using die cuts, tags, and journal cards. As I was creating them I added small sentiments that felt like they fit the element. This practice often get...

We are surrounded by inspiration in our day-to-day lives and in the environment we live in. The graphics used on a restaurant menu, the architecture of a building, the landscaping of a park, and even the tile in a public restroom can all be inspiring for an artist. I have a board on Pinterest dedicated to things I find inspiring. This board includes everything from tattoos to tiles to fingernail polish. I might be inspired by the colors, the textures, or the patterns. I think it’s an unconscious part of my being that seeks out the beauty in my surroundings. I see things that others might walk right past. This pic on the right, of a flower on the sidewalk, is one of those examples. I snapped this pic while on vacation one year in Hawaii. Gobs of people were walking this section of sidewalk, yet here laid this perfectly fallen flower untrampled. I stopped and snapped a quick shot from a bird’s eye point of view. It's one of my favorite shots from that trip. There's somet...

I'm often asked what inspires me. I often laughed and say everything, which usually returns a puzzled look. When I say everything inspires me I'm not really lying. Think about that is what brought to mind the idea for a bit of a mini-series, Inspiration Found where I could go a bit more in-depth to answer the question "What inspires me?" I thought I'd kick off the series with color. I find color inspiration in my everyday life, everywhere. My color choices are inspired the most by nature, especially colors that paint the sky. The skies in Alaska during the winter months produce some of the most amazing pale shades of blue, pink, and purple. I've learned that the pale colors I've never been able to capture on film can be captured with ink on paper. Ink blending is a bit of a magical thing. Through this technique, I can blend the most spectacular skies, recreating some of the same striking combinations I've seen in the evening sunset or early m...

When I was building a name for my handmade card business I was looking for a name that would encompass my cards, art, and photography. What did these three things have in common? How could I tie them all together under one brand? I'm a list maker. I sat and made lists of words and combinations of words until I hit on something that really struck a chord with me. My art, my card, and my photography all had ink in common. It's kind of obvious with the art and cards that there is ink involved, but how did it tie into photography. While I realize traditional photography is developed, the way I was going to be using it, as a card medium, it would be printed with ink. The inspirations came along kind of naturally as a bit of alliteration of sorts. Serendipitous really, because I wanted to inspire people to put art in their lives and in their mailboxes. I wanted my customers to feel inspired to share my work with other people in their lives. While Inked Inspirations had nothing to do ...

Thanks - Green Check by Inked Inspirations Today I'm starting a new series - Inspired by... Today's card was inspired by Heather Hoffman's card that was shared on Lil' Inker Designs Instagram a while back. I'm loving how these Thanks cards turned out and I'll definitely be using this design in the future. The black and white absolutely makes the pattern paper the star of the show by making it really pop. I think this card design will be a great stash buster for some of the 12x12 scrapbook paper I've been cutting into card fronts.  So many of them have great patterns that will carry a card design like this well. Let's look at the elements that inspired me and the ones that I changed up a bit. Elements of Inspiration: Pattern Paper Black and White Tag Thanks Sentiment Inspired by this card by Heather Hoffman Design Swaps: Checked Paper in place of Plaid Ribbon in place of Rick-Rack Large brad in place of Staple ...

Hello Lovely.  It seems as though winter has finally come to Alaska.  I'm not complaining, we had a beautiful, longer than usual, Fall.  It started snowing on Sunday and has been snowing off and on ever since.  It's a fine, dry, powdery snow, the kind that will blow away when the wind comes up.  Anywho... You're not here for the weather report, so let's get to the card. This card was inspired by this week's CAS(E) this Sketch winner - CTS #294 Winners .  I found some green and white plaid in my pattern paper stash and it just screamed to be used in the style of the "Joy" card by Sentimentally Sue . I knew I had the "absolutely" die from Simon Says Stamp, but I really wasn't convinced it would work out as I saw things in my head.  Yet here we are. I updated the older pattern paper a bit by adding a thin gold line to the plaid.  Stamped Merry Christmas under absolutely and gold heat embossed it, along with a small snowflake die.  ...