Cardmaking: And Then There Were Three Part 1

I love being presented with the news that a couple is expecting their first child! Today's blog is designed especially with this is mind. I show you how to colour three owls to take on the distinctive characters of Dad, Mom and Baby, merely by carefully selecting the colours used. The design is taken from my book Designs By Miekie 1.

I have previously printed the design for today's card on an A4 paper, along with three more designs, as I do not want to use a full sized picture for this project. However, size is a personal matter and you can resize it however you like.

Here you can see an A4 sized design which will show you the detail much more clearly.

As these are still early days in the pregnancy, the gender of the baby is still a mystery and yellow seems an appropriate colour for the card. I will be using a sheet of cardstock measuring 6" x 12".

I will use my Derwent Coloursoft pencils to colour the design with.

I start with the largest owl, turning it into the Dad. I use rustic earth tones to portray the grounded character of this stable family figure.

Note how I coloured the green over the brown for the breast of the Dad, effectively mixing my own shade in this area.

I keep with the neutral colour scheme throughout.

When I colour the eyes of the owls, I make sure to leave a tiny white spec in each eye. This reflection of light in the eye, is what gives it the appearance of being alive.

When I move to the baby owl, I use vibrant and energetic colours. I will use both warm and cold colours to incorporate the possibility of either gender.

I select the yellow/orange to duplicate the colour of the cardstock the card will be made from. This will focus the attention on the smallest of the three birds.

I finish the tiny one in neutral 'male' colours.

When it comes to the Mom, I colour her in the colours of spices.

The colour scheme is muted and neutral, yet warmer than for the dad.

There is a distinct femininity to this palette.

When I am done, the dad appears robust, the mom warm and soft and the baby is energetic. Very appropriate.

I ground the three owls on a branch.

Then I give them a pale blue background that will not give the card too boyish a character.

Finally I blend the colouring-in with rubbing alcohol to give it a smoother appearance.

A better view of the finished product.

Now I need to carefully cut out along the frame of the picture.

My picture is now ready to be mounted onto a card.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
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