Aloha Days | Summer Scene

Happy July, everyone! We’re in the midst of a heatwave and doing a very good job of melting most days. Wouldn’t it be lovely to lounge in the shade at the beach, just like this cat?

I started my card by trimming a snippet of X-Press It Blending Card, which is alcohol marker friendly, to the size I wanted. I then stamped my image, which comes from Newton’s Nook’s Aloha Newton stamp set. I decided to stamp it with Simon Says Stamp’s Barely Beige ink and do some no-line colouring.

After stamping the image I started on the colouring with my Spectrum Noir Illustrator markers. You can see the colours I used below. I began by mapping out the sand line with my lightest Golden Brown, and extending the line so that the sand would extend across the length of the panel. I added shadows with two darker shades of brown, then stippled across the sand area with each of the shades to create a sand-like texture.

Sand – GB2, GB4, GB7, GB9

Sea – BT1, BT5, BT7

Sky – IB1, Blender

Tree Trunks & Coconuts – EB1, EB4, EB7

Leaves – DG2, DG3, DG4

Hammock – IG2, IG6, Blender

Cat – FS7, FS8, GB2, GB4, EB1, EB4, PP2, PP4

Next I moved onto the sea. I chose to use Turquoise Blues for this. I again started by mapping the area with my lightest shade, then used the darkest at the horizon line and kind of sketching coming towards the shore. With the middle shade I filled in the gaps I’d left further back then continued working forwards filling in the colour sketching. Finally I went over the entire sea area with the lightest shade again to help soften the edges and blend it out.

For the sky I used just one colour, a very light Ice Blue. I started by filling I the area roughly, leaving splodges of white space as clouds. I then went back over the whole area with the same shade, turning the cloud areas a light blue just a touch lighter than the blue of the sky around them. I used my blender to go over the sky to further soften it.

With the background completed I moved onto the trees. Working darkest to lightest I used Earth Browns for the trunks and the coconuts. The leaves I coloured with Dull Greens and tried for a flicking motion with my colouring to give the impression of palm fronds.

My original plan for the hammock was that it would be white cloth, but there’s a bit of a jump between my lightest shades of grey which meant it ended up darker than I was going for. In the end I think it worked out well enough, as a light grey hammock seems to fit the design too.

It took some contemplation to decide how to colour the cat but I eventually settled on a tabby. I used the same browns I’d used on the sand and the trees so that I wouldn’t be bringing in too many new shades. I made one ear and one paw dark brown, though in hindsight I think at least the paw should have been the same colour as the others.

I pulled out my colouring pencils to draw in the sleeping kitty’s eyes, plus to add some extra shading and detail to any areas that I felt needed it. I also used a white gel pen to add more stippling to the sand as well as streaks in the sea.

With the colouring complete I mounted the image onto a snippet of black card, giving a very slight frame to the image. I used the same black card to cut my sentiment using Love From Lizi’s Aloha word die. I added double sided tape to the back first which made it easier to adhere in place, though it was tricky to remove the backing from the tiny dot on the exclamation mark!

With the focal panel completed all that remained was to adhere it onto my cardbase. I chose one in a creamy yellow which I felt suited the colours of the image nicely.

This was quite a labour of love, and rather tome consuming! I perhaps should have let myself do it in more than one session as by the time I got to the cat my neck and back were quite achey. The cat is my least favourite part of the image, in terms of the colouring, which could be because of the achiness or because I’m out of practice with my colouring. Maybe a bit of both. Overall though I am pleased with how the design turned out.

Love,

Charlotte E (Lady Joyful) Email thejoyfulsoulcreates@gmail.com

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Challenges:

Inky Paws Challenge – Summer

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes

The House That Stamps Built – Scenery

The Paper Players – Sketch