Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Beauty of Fall


Can you imagine a more "fall-ish" image than this one by Impression Obsession? It's called Pumpkins and is illustrated by Gary Robertson. Love his illustrations because they already include all the clues you need to color up a masterpiece. The areas of light and shadow are determined by the level of crosshatching (that may or may not be the proper technical term, but you know what I mean), so that's one {huge} less thing to think about!

I stamped this image a few times in several different brown inks before settling on Frayed Burlap Distress Ink (Tim Holtz/Ranger). Its nice shade of medium brown really warmed up the image and allowed the orange tones to show even in the most shadowed areas. I colored with Prismacolor pencils and blended with odorless mineral spirits using paper blending stumps. The combo of Frayed Burlap ink and the colored pencils gives such a nice, soft look. Here's a detail shot:


The embellishment cluster in the upper left is made from some hemp cord, gold organdy ribbon, and two leaves die-cut with the smallest Spellbinders Nested Maples Leaves die, topped, of course, with a button.


A few other details ... the sentiment is from JustRite's Nature's Nested Sentiments. The creamy yellowish paper with the diamond pattern is from the Blackbird collection by My Mind's Eye (not just for Halloween!). To help the organdy ribbon stand out a little more, I added a thin strip of designer paper underneath -- a striped pattern from Cosmo Cricket's Wanted collection. A third dp snuck in to the picture -- the top-most leaf is cut from the woodgrain pattern in Crate Paper's Restoration collection. It's rare for me to mix manufacturers like that - so liberating, though! The lattice border is done with a Martha Stewart punch, and the warm brown card base is Prsimatics Dark Tawny.


Thanks so much for stopping by today!




Stamps: Pumpkins Cling Stamp (Impression Obsession)
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White and Natural, Prismatics Dark Tawny card stock, My Mind's Eye Blackbird dp, Cosmo Cricket Wanted dp, Crate Paper Restoration Collection dp
Ink: Frayed Burlap, Old Paper, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain Distress Inks
Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol odorless mineral spirits, paper blending stumps, distressing tool, needle and thread, Martha Stewart lattice border punch, Spellbinders petite oval and nested maple leaf dies, Stampin' Up gold organdy ribbon, natural hemp twine, button, Robin's Nest Dew Drops
Size: 5 1/2" square

25 comments:

Marci said...

This card is AMAZING!! Your coloring is impeccable!! It is the perfect fall card!!! Thanks for sharing your AMAZING talent!!

Becky said...

This is just stunning, love the image and the colors just pop off of this card.

Rene Sharp said...

This is a little work of art!!! Stunning in every possible way :)

carole (TruCarMa) said...

Wow. Absolutely gorgeous, Amy. Feels like fall! :)

Leslie Deering said...

I just love this card it makes me so happy you really do such beautiful work ! Thank you !

Marilynn said...

Great job with the coloring. I too, love Gary's work. Thanks for the inspiration on how to make his work really pop.

ChristineCreations said...

Oh MY stunning Amy! The warmth in those pumpkins and the whole design! An absolute beauty!

Unknown said...

This is simply gorgeous, Amy! Wonderful autumn inspiration!

Stampvanwinkle said...

Amy this is just beautiful. Your coloring is awesome. Wonderfully done.

Susie said...

I love the illustration! The card is warm, inviting, and beautifully colored. Looks like a masterpiece to me! ;)

Oliwiaen said...

I'm totally absolutely overwhelmingly lost for words...

Unknown said...

Girl, you TOTALLY rocked that one! Unbelievably gorgeous!!!

Linda Carson said...

Jaw-dropping gorgeous!

Kathlene said...

So so pretty--your coloring on that beautiful image is perfect. Love your stitching and that beautiful bow with the button and leaf. Lovely work!

Linda L said...

Oh my gosh those pumpkins look so real...great colouring...what a beautiful scene. Love your little cluster too.

Crafty Cath said...

Wow...this is gorgeous! I love all the little touches you used to make this card special. The leaf button embellishment is just so yummy. I'm a sucker for fall and this captures the essence beautifully!

SusieQ said...

This is such a beautiful card. Everything works. Makes me feel the specialness of the fall.

Denise Marzec said...

Wit Whewwww! GORGEOUS work with those Prismas!

Shannon Erskine aka e3stamper said...

WOW! What a stunning creation Amy! Fabulous! Love this!!

Alyssa S said...

Wow! Ditto on all the other comments...this is just autumn perfection!

Doris said...

I so enjoy your beautiful cards, and this one is no exception! The pumpkins look inviting--pumpkin pie is my favorite T'giving dessert!

Kathy Jones said...

OMGOSH!!!! Amy this is just EXQUISITE!!!! The way you've coloured this looks just like a painting - STUNNING!! Of course the whole design is gorgeous too!!!

Conniecrafter said...

Oh my that is breathtakingly gorgeous, love the papers you chose to go with the image, and your little leaf treatment in the corner is so cute!

Beate said...

Oh my goodness. This is gorgeous! I love that stamp. Jenny already made me want it, but you might have pushed me over the edge.
Amazing card!
Hugs and smiles

Leslie Miller said...

One word: WOW! Okay, a couple more -- this image is awesome and you've set the stage for it beautifully with you fabulous card design! Love these Gary Robertson images!