Wednesday, September 23, 2009

More Notecards and a Box-Drawing Tip


Here are the last of the notecards I made on Saturday. I got a bit more experimental with colors, as you can see, and my stamp positioner got lots of use. The first one uses a swirl stamp from Hero Arts, amber clay Colorbox Chalk ink, and a wheat Zig Writer.


This simple thank you card uses an Anna Griffin stamp in split pea VersaColor and a teal Zig Writer.

This burgundy line notecard isn't quite as nice as the teal version because I used khaki ink for the sentiment and it's just too light IRL.


This is one of my favorites. It looks so modern/elegant with the Hero Arts swirl in opposite corners. It uses the burgundy Writer and burgundy VersaColor ink.


The last notecard uses Palette Noir ink and a black .03 Micron pen. The corner stamp is from PSX, and I used a clear ruler to draw the lines. Be careful doing this; as you can see, I overshot the line on the left side at the bottom. Once the card has been written on, this little mistake will likely not be that noticeable, though.

Box-Drawing Trouble-Shooting:
A few people mentioned that they get dots in the corners where ink pools when they draw their lines. I think this may result from either a) holding the pen in one place too long, or b) using a pen/paper that isn't optimum for the technique.

Sharpies and Bic Mark-Its tend to pool ink, so I try to work really quickly if I use them. The new retractable Sharpies claim they don't bleed or feather. Might be worth buying one just to see.

The black box I drew in the tutorial used the Micron scrapbooking pens. Those come in several colors and as long as the nibs are fresh, they work great for this technique. For my colored lines in today's notecards, though, I used Zig Writers. These aren't quite as satisfactory but working quickly will help. If you look closely at the wheat-colored card above, the corners are heavier. Darker colors seem to give better results.

I haven't tried SU markers or the various types of gel pens for this. I wonder how a Sakura stardust pen would look with Brilliance pearlescent inks, for instance. Hmm. Gotta try that!

As for paper, I wouldn't use light cardstock (like SU whisper white) for this project. Heavy, rich-feeling cardsock like PTI's gives the single panel more substance and feels more like quality stationery. I've heard great things about Gina K's heavy cardstock, too, and plan on ordering some soon. Heavy, good quality watercolor paper would also look nice, I think. I wonder if cheap cardstock (i.e., the bulk stuff from Michael's) would feather the ink, too. I never could get stamped images to look good on that paper.

Simplicity Tip: You get what you pay for. Cheap supplies...especially paper and ink...tend to look, well, cheap. Use top quality, and your projects will look much better.

11 comments:

  1. These are all very elegant and beautiful. I actually tried this today and just loaded the result in my splitcoast gallery. I used a Tim Holtz clear ruler and I agree - you really have to be careful doing this. I forgot that the edge had a little nick in it. The image I used may have been rather large but it was the image I really wanted to use. The pen I use is a Copic Multiliner 0.3 and I really can't dilly dally when making the lines or otherwise I get a fat part in the line. I did use your suggestion in drawing the pen one way and not away from myself and that worked well. Thanks for sharing this.

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  2. great tips Susan. Just some of my own notes -- SU markers pool in the corners if you don't work quickly and Yes, cheap Michael's paper feathers terribly!!! I can't seem to find much to use that cheap paper for except matting - either a white mat or I will sponge on color or use a Copic marker to color the edges for a colored mat. If you like good quality stuff, never buy paper from Michaels.

    I love your note cards. My fav is the red one!!! Would you ever put a "thank you" sentiment inside these notecard fronts (if that was what the purpose was)?? I totally could see a beautiful italicized thank you in that one!! :-)

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  3. oops, sorry I just am working backwards and realized that you are doing one paneled note cards!! Duh for me!! But that would make a lovely thank you card...with the italicized thank you inside....heheheh

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  4. Your notecard are simply beautiful! What a fabulous idea!

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  5. Susan, thank you so much for taking the time and trouble to show us creativity-challenged people how to make these lovely notecards! We all have friends/helpers we want to give a little something to, that we don't want to look like a little something! I see a lot of these filling in the blanks on my holiday gift list!

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  6. Thanks for giving us some more tips. I agree that good quality paper is the key for all crafting projects. The card with the HA swirl is so elegant, love that one!

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  7. Thanks for sharing all these tips. My favorite is the Hero Arts swirls - so graphic!

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  8. The more I see of these cards, the more I am convinced that I will make a few of these to have on had for quick notes and thank yous.

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  9. Your creative style is so refreshing! I make every effort to learn from your postings because my cards are usually the opposite - filled with glitter and image and embellishments. Reading your blog and tutorials helps to provide the balance and alternate perspective that is only going to help me grow as a crafter & card designer. So, thank you very much and keep up the good work! We appreciate it.

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  10. these are amazing. I am becoming more and more a fan of clean and simple and your designs certainly lead the way. Thanks so much for encouraging me towards a new technique
    blessings
    patti moffett

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  11. Very classy notecards Susan, these make a lovely gift.

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment!