Using Derwent Inktense on Fabric

Derwent is renowned for great quality art products and their Inktense pencils and bars certainly rank among the best watersoluble products on the market today. I fell in love with Inktense on first use because if its intense vibarant colours. I had read that it could be used on fabric, but remained so fascinated by the beautiful results I got on paper, that I never bothered with using them on fabric. Then I started making hand-painted handbags and suddenly my interest was peeked by everything that promised to put colour on fabric. I dove into my art supplies and pulled out the Inktense sets.

A good starting place is always to gather all the necessary materials. I cut a piece of tabling to size, gathered a selection of paint brushes, my Inktense pencils and bars, a masonite board, eraser and sharpener, and masking tape.

I secure the fabric to the masonite board with masking tape. This will give me a slighly more stable surface to work on. It will also make it easier to turn the fabric around as I go about my painting. This is sometimes important when you wish to avoid working over wet areas. The design I had in mind would make this a real possibility.

I start off with the Derwent Inktense Pencils and will not use the bars until right at the end. I draw my design on the fabric using the outliner that is conveniently included in the set. The flowers are very simple shapes that can be easily reproduced. Try to vary the sizes and shapes of the flowers as well as the petals to avoid monotony.

Once the design is in place, I use Poppy Red to outline the petals on a scattering of flowers. I also colour the inside of the petals closest to the centres.

I repeat the same steps in Sun Yellow on some more flowers.

The remaining flowers are done in Shiraz.

I colour the centres of the flowers by hatching and cross-hatching them with Tangerine.

I use my Pentel Aquash brush with the water reservoir in the handle to paint the flowers with water. I start on the centres and do all of these before moving on to the next colour.

I do each colour in succession until all of the flowers have been painted/wetted with water. I now draw upon one of the features that makes Inktense such a great product. Once the colour is wetted and left to dry, it can't be picked up again and remains set forever. It is for precisely this reason that Inktense products can be used with such outstanding results on fabrics. It won't wash out. I allow the colours to dry thoroughly before moving on to the next step, not wanting the colours to mix into a third colour, which is possible when you work wet on wet.

Once the fabric is dry, I go back to my Poppy Red flowers. I colour their tops with Fuchsia.

The Sun Yellow flowers' tops are done with Baked Earth.

The Shiraz flowers are topped with Violet.

I now once again paint the newly laid down colours with water using the Pentel Aquash brush.

I once again wait patiently for the colours to dry before I continue.

I now turn my attention to the Inktense bars. This is simply for convenience sake, for I could certainly have achieved the same results with the pencils with a tad more effort, I wet the Leaf Green bar with the Pentel Aquash brush, picking the colour up on the brush and painting the background with it.

When I am done I stand back and decide there is nothing more to do, except to sign my name in Ink Black.

This is the final result which I will use in a future blog.

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Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.

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Starting out in Scrapbooking

Are you flooded with photos that you would love to add to albums, but simply sliding them into plastic sleeves after seeing your friends' albums doesn't appeal to you? Feeling daunted by the idea of scrapbooking, but wishing with all your heart you knew where to pick up the skills? Well, fear not - this blog is exactly that starting blog. I show you how to select a page that will require very little skill to scrap and then walk you through the basic steps to complete the page. In no time you will have finished your first page and the ice is broken. Gradually I will introduce more skills and tricks and before you know it, you will be showing off your own masterpieces to your friends.

Select a page that already seems to have every conceivable element on it. It has a space for the photo(s), allocated space for text and even elements to pretty it up. At first glance, you only need to paste a photo in place, fill in the missing words and you are done. This is one of the easiest and quickest pages you can possibly do in scrapbooking since the page layout is predetermined for you. Two of the most used items in scrapbooking will be your non-slip metal ruler and a sharp craft knife. These are also the first two tools we will be using in this project.

Having fitted my photo to the existing frame on the page, I use the metal ruler and craft knife to cut tiny slits into the corners of the frame. I will slip my photo's corners into these slits. Always work on a self-healing cutting mat. It will make measuring and cutting much easier.

If your photo does not stay in place, you can put a small piece of double-sided tape in the centre of the back of the photograph. That will keep the photo in one place and you can easily slip the corners into the slits you made earlier.

I decide to add a couple of fabric flowers and butterflies to complete the page.

I use an awl to press holes through the centres of the flowers.

I then press a small split pin through the holes I created with the awl.

I carefully mark the spot where the centre of the flower will go on the page and make a super tiny slit there using my craft knife.

I then push the split pin in my flower through the paper so it comes out on the other side. There I simply open the legs on the pin, thereby securing my flower to the page. I repeat this with all three flowers I intend to add to the page.

I now use the fine point on my Tombow glue to adhere my fabric butterflies to the page.

My page has a distinct orange tone, yet my photo is mainly pink. This is why I choose to use the butterflies I opted for; their colour is a nice blend of orange with pink (peach) which assists in pulling my pink photograph into the page.

I like the colour on the small point Faber Castell Artist's Pitt Pen for the journaling.

 In no time at all I have created a beautiful page, celebrating the birth of a very special little lady.

For more crafty ideas and great products, visit APrettyTalent.com.

Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.

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Spiced Coffee Recipe

The mornings and evenings are turning cold here in South Africa and 1 June marks the first day of Winter. So far we've been blessed with lovely sunny days and can spend the hours between 10:00 and 16:00 comfortably in short sleeves. But our luck won't last. Time to get the recipes ready to warm up the winter days and spiced coffee is just the thing!

I like to grind my own beans fresh just before brewing the coffee. It does not allow for any lapse of time where those freshly ground aromas can escape. There are plenty of inexpensive grinders on the market, but if you don't want to spend money on a grinder, you can certainly buy your coffee pre-ground. Look for packets which are vacuum packed and sealed tight, The best ones feel as solidly packed as a brick.

Fill your espresso pot up to the steam release valve with water.

Put the 'sieve' in and fill it up with coffee so the coffee forms a small mountain.

Tamp the coffee down tightly. This way the steam will have to build up and press through the coffee with vigor, releasing even more flavour.

Screw the top of the pot on and put it on high on the stove top.

The rule is to put the coffee in the bottom of the cup with the milk on top, but I usually take the lazy route and add the milk to the cups before sticking the cups in the microwave to heat the milk to steaming point. The general rule is 2/3 milk to 1/3 espresso.

If you pour the coffee slowly over a spoon into the milk, you will be able to see the layers on top of each other.

Add a pinch each of finely ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to each cup.

I like to add a bit of chocolate to the mix. This time I added a heaped teaspoon of Milo, but you can also add a squirt of chocolate sauce as well; the kind you'll pour over your ice-cream. The chocolate is optional. I don't add sugar when I add chocolate, since I like the half-bitter taste of coffee, but you may prefer it sweeter.  Enjoy!

For more crafty ideas and great products, visit APrettyTalent.com.

Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.

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Mosaic a Tissue Box Cover

I was very excited to start today's blog project. As a matter of fact, I have been looking forward to it for a very long time and now finally I get to it. Remember those glass tiles we made ourselves in a previous blog? Let me refresh your memories. We cut glass tiles and then decoupaged pretty pictures on the backs of them to create our own beautiful glass tiles. Click here to read that blog. Here is what we are going to be making today.

Although it is not entirely necessary to do so, I like to paint the inside of the tissue box cover so that I will have a more finished product. I use a palette knife to mix Cadmium Red and Titanium White acrylic paint. I use a large dollop of white and only a small drop of red, since I want to mix a very pale pink.

I apply the paint with a wide flat or filbert brush.

Once the whole inside of the box is painted, I leave it to dry in the sun.

I want to finish the edges with Ivory Black and use a small flat brush to apply the paint.

The box is once again left to dry completely before I continue.

While I'm waiting for the paint to dry, it is the perfect time to start gathering the materials I am going to need to mosaic the box. The main component for today's project are the glass tiles I've made in the decoupage project and I use these as a starting point. I visit my stash to see what I have available that will compliment my selection of decoupage tiles. This is what finally settles me on the lilac tiles of the decoupage collection. I will be adding some mirror squares, mother-of-pearl and a shades of purple.

I start by laying out the pattern on the lid of the tissue box. This is the side of the box that will draw the most attention and that is what makes this the obvious starting point. I also discovered three word-tiles leftover from a previous projects that I will be able to use with great success in this project. Once I am satisfied with the layout of the tiles, I apply glue to each tile and stick it down in its place.

I now have a rough idea of how many tiles will be required to fill a side and try to distribute the rest of my tiles evenly between the four sides. The two shorter sides receive half the tiles each of the longer sides. This will not be an exact division, but it will assist me in achieving an even distribution of mirror to picture to purple to mother-of-pearl ratios.

When the tiles are glued down, I wait only a short while before continuing on the next side. The glue is quick drying, making it possible for me to turn the box over in no time to continue working on another side.

I lay out the second side and glue the tiles in place.

The third side is arranged and glued down.

This is the fourth side glued down.

I finally reach the last side and glue the tiles in place. You will note that I have needed to cut the minimum of tiles. Strictly speaking I would have been able to play around with the arrangement and that would have made it unnecessary to cut any tiles, but I liked the idea of including smaller tiles. The choice is yours in this particular project.

I leave the glue to dry completely before I start on the grout. I used dove grey grout. Put a small amount of grout in a container and add water in small amounts until you reach the right consistency, a thick-ish paste. The grout mixes very easily and clumps can easily be dissolved in water.

Spread the grout evenly over the tiles. Use your fingers to work the grout into the grooves and to smooth-en the edges.

The excess wet grout can be wipes off, but don't bother with cleaning the grout too much. We will wipe it clean once it is a bit drier, but before it is set hard. If you clean too much now, you run the risk of wiping the grout out of the grooves. Leave the grout to dry for an hour or three.

Use an old rag or sponge to wipe away the dried grout. I start with a dry cloth and then use a wet sponge to do the final cleaning,

This is what the tissue box cover looks like in its final setting. Brighten up the flu season by adding a bit of beauty to the room ;-)

For more crafty ideas and great products, visit APrettyTalent.com.

Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.

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