Swing Scene

I haven't painted a scene with my Art Impressions stamps for a little while, so for this Watercolor Weekend edition, I put together a few of my favourites:

 

I began using the largest hanging swing image from the 5195 - WC Swing Set, colouring it first in my Tombow Dual Brush Marker #565 Deep Blue, stamping it off on scrap paper, and then colouring it again with #879 Brown.  I stamped it onto my Canson XL Watercolour paper.  *Instead of masking, when I coloured the swing, I left an open area in the corner where I intended my bunny to sit.  I've used the bunny from 5016 - WC Mini Critters Set, coloured him up in #N45, and used my stamp positioner to place him where I wanted him.  With my damp #4 brush, I softened the lines of the swing, pulling out the colour to fill in the shaded areas on the wood frames, and between the cushions.

To create my floral vine, I started with one of the smaller twig images from 4964 - WC Branches Set, and colouring it with #879, I stamped it numerous times, in different directions, creating the flow of the vine.  Using the trailing foliage stamps from 5126 - WC Foliage Set 4 coloured in #177 Dark Jade, I stamped the greenery along the same path, winding it around the swing frame in first & second generation.  Before stamping the flowers, I softened the images with my damp brush.  Using the Daisy Bunch from Flower Set - 4052, I coloured a few of the blooms in #993 Chrome Orange, and created the yellow floral sprays around the base of the swing, stamping them in a cluster.  I filled in any open areas with the tiny dot flowers from 5009 - WC Mini Flower Set coloured in #533 Peacock Blue, and then I added clusters of them along the twisting vine - then touched all the flowers with a damp brush.  I used the fine point end of my #993 marker to draw in the stripes on the seat cushions.  The bunny got a touch of #850 Blush in his ear, and I used a fine tip black marker to define & darken his eyes & nose.

On my palette, I scribbled #992 Sand and picked it up with a wet brush to add colour to the wood frames, keeping it streaky to suggest a wood grain pattern.  I did the same with #565 Deep Blue, and used this to add shadows where needed to the swing, bunny, cushions and under the swing.  Using the smaller mountain stamp in 5198 - WC Mountain Set, I selectively coloured it in #533, omitting the largest peak, and used my stamp positioner to place it in the background.  Then using my brush and picking up colour from the palette, I used #565 to paint in the mountains and sky, and #177 to add a grassy hillside.  Since some of my twigs were 2nd generation, they were a little too light, so I went in directly with my fine Twintone Chocolate marker to darken them up.  I diecut my scene with a stitched square die, and mounted it on a dark brown cardstock.  The sentiment is from 5136 - WC Sentiment Set 2, stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink, and diecut with a small stitched tag from 5132 - Tag Stitched Dies, and it got a small yellow Baker's Twine bow.  I did some zigzag stitching with my sewing machine on my background papers, and mounted it all onto a 5 1/2" square card.