I'm travelling into a new way of working, a new country, a new language, and a new hobby which I'm passionate about. Come with me for some of the journey...

Sunday 23 October 2016

The Wonder of Trees - or Etched Branches II

Hello all!  After a crazy week opening Romeo and Juliet - which, thankfully, is going down extremely well - I'm back with the promised second nature spread using the Etched Branches stamp by Penny Black.  As you'll see, I also took the chance to play with my new Tim Holtz Birch stencil.


It's another fairly simple page but, like What You Love or Etched Branches I, it gives me great pleasure.  And after visiting the summer meadow we're now definitely moving into an autumnal forest.  I actually made both pages at the same time - but clearly I was travelling through seasons that day!







I started by blending Chipped Sapphire, Stormy Sky and Weathered Wood inks through the stencil. 














I did a bit of spritzing and flicking for extra texture.















Next I stamped the branches in Archival ink and blended on some more ink to give the impression of further tangles of brambles around the foot of the trees.









I already rather liked it at that stage, but I decided I would have a play with my watercolour paints to add some more detail to the tree trunks.

You can see the early stages on the right hand page here.














I used my Pentel water brushes which have very fine tips, so it's possible to work in great detail...














... as well as to add soft washes of shaded colour.

I love trees - they have such beauty and wisdom and serenity - and birch trees are right up there near the top of my favourites.









I love the dimension it's possible to give the trees, and the whole process was very calming... a soothing way to while away a couple of hours in the midst of a pretty stressful work schedule.


I left it at that for a few days, before deciding that I would add just a few words to the pictures.  After all, I need to live up to the name of my blog, don't I?!








Small Talk stickers to the rescue again...















Once I'd stuck the phrases down, I used the water brushes again to add extra shading between the tree trunks around the words with Chipped Sapphire lifted direct from the mini ink pad.







So there's my autumn forest for you.  I hope you've enjoyed wandering amongst the trees with me today.  I have managed to transfer some photos from my phone to my laptop, so I hope to be back soon with some pictures of the R&J set for you.  Have a lovely Sunday everybody!


Well, one can't get over the habit of being a little girl all at once.... I'm sure I'll always feel like a child in the woods. These walks home from school are almost the only time I have for dreaming.... Here in the woods I like best to imagine quite different things…I'm a dryad living in an old pine, or a little brown wood-elf hiding under a crinkled leaf. That white birch you caught me kissing is a sister of mine. The only difference is, she's a tree and I'm a girl, but that's no real difference.
From Anne of Avonlea by L.M.Montgomery

I'd like to play along at Anything But Cute where they have An Autumn Day as their theme
And at Stamps and Stencils there's a wonderful Elements of Nature theme this month

64 comments:

Anonymous said...

Stunning!
Flo x

Dawn said...

What can I say?! wow! Love the way you use the stencil and stamp together xx

Monika Gulyas said...

Fabulous pages, Alison, with beautiful autumnal colours! You were right the trees look better with enhancing them with black watercolour! I love it! xx

Brenda Brown said...

Beautiful Alison all the wonderful natural tones of the trees in the forest and incredible detail finishing with your water brushes. The end result is a masterpiece. Glad the production is a success after all your hard work xxx

Jane said...

This is stunning Alison. Such serene colours too. Glad to hear that work is going well xx

brenda said...

Beautiful pages ALison, you have created such tranquility with the lovely colours and careful attention to detail.

B x

Helen said...

I have got to get that stencil, it is gorgeous and I love how you have enhanced it on the trunks, they are just perfect - a stunning autumn page!!

Lauren Hatwell said...

Another breathtakingly beautiful vista that makes me want to grab my wellies, saddle up the dogs and head out into the countryside for a long walk. Lx

Nikki Acton said...

Gorgeous combination of stamp and stencil... And your watercolouring and inking provide amazing depth and contrast! Glad to hear opening week has been a success xx

chrissie said...

Stunning artwork Alison and calming colours. I k now this is a combination you often use but on these pages I suddenly see why. Nature at its best for me.

Pleased the play has got off to a good start.

Love Chrissie xx

craftytrog said...

Absolutely magical!!!

Astrid Maclean said...

Oh wow, fabulous how the stencil and stamp work together, and your additional water colour add great depth to the overal effect! A truly magical spread!!

sally said...

How wonderful it is to get lost in the birch forest when it is this beautiful:-)

Sallyx

Redanne said...

The quote took me back to my childhood where Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea were my favourite books..... and birch trees are family favourites too...

I actually thought you had used the birch die when I first saw this, you have created some wonderful depth with the colours and your additional detail Alison. The grasses/branches at the front add even more depth. I think this is now my all time favourite of your work, it is quite stunning!! I hope you are getting a little 'me' time amidst all the work.... Anne xx

Meggymay said...

An absolutely gorgeous journal spread and lovely words as well.
Yvonne xx

Chrissy said...

This is stunning Alison..a work of art..

Luv CHRISSYxx

Amanda said...

Wow!! Absolutely beautiful
Love
Amanda x

Marci said...

You were "in the zone" when you made this. It is exquisite! I loved the summer page, too, but this might be my favorite.

Marci said...

Congratulations on the play opening!

Hazel Agnew said...

Wow, what a triumph, you watercolorist you! Great additions to what was already glorious. another very inspiring piece Alison. xx

Claudia N. said...

Lovely depth and gorgeously painted, Alison!
A beautiful journal spread!

Claudia x

Krisha said...

Awesome pages. It needs to be painted on a canvas and hung in the wall.

experiments in paper said...

Beautiful spread, Alison! I really love what you achieved by adding the watercolors - fabulous dimension and all that lovely soft color. Glad to hear your production is off to a great start! xxx Lynn

maj. said...

Fantastic page, totally love it!

Scraps of Elegance said...

Wow! The Birch trees are just outstanding!

Cestina said...

Oh that's just perfect.....
xx

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

This is not simple at all. Your artistry shows through in mounds! LOVE the details on the trees and all the foliage. Brilliant! PINNED!!!

Lys said...

I would love to have a walk in your birches forest, Alison! These are fabulous pages, and the details you added make the difference. Congratulations for Romeo and Juliette opening!

Corrie Herriman said...

This is beautiful, Alison. I love this colour combination too !
Corrie x

Redanne said...

I was so enthralled looking at your beautiful page I forgot to say - thanks so much for joining in our 'An Autumn Day' challenge at Anything But Cute. Anne xx

Lynne Moncrieff said...

A beautiful effect with the addition of the watercolours and so lovely that not only you created a beautiful spread, that it was also so therapeutic for you. Isn't that when art is at it's very best!
Wishes
Lynne

pearshapedcrafting said...

Oh my Alison! The only thing missing is the earthy smell - this is fantastic! I love those birch trees! Hugs, Chrisx

Cocofolies said...

Magical and fabulously well done Alison.. So realistic!!!
I just love it to bits myself.
BTW, happy to read that "Romeo and Juliette" production is going well! :)
Hugs, Coco xx

Inky and Quirky Designs said...

So beautifully magical and atmospheric Alison, think this is one of my favourites of yours now :)
Hugs
Donna xx

A Pink said...

Utterly stunning! Its sheer beauty deems it worthy of being transfer to a piece of wall art at the very least .
THis really touches my heart and soul Alison
thank you xx

Jackie PN said...

Absolutely stunning Alison!! Your trees look like a photo!
so happy to hear Romeo&Juliet is going so well,maybe a share of photos some time?
hugs & love,Jackie

Sarah B said...

wow - can't believe the how realistic the trees looks with the extra shading - truly life like - can just imagine walking through the woods xx

Mrs.B said...

Stunningly beautiful pages Allison, the extra shading and details adds such a realist look to the trees.
Avril xx

SewPaperPaint said...

This is stunning Alison! Such a beautiful way to layer these images. The detail on the birch is tremendous. Hugs, Autumn

froebelsternchen said...

Your spread is amazingly BEAUTIFUL Alison! Great!

Anne (cornucopia) said...

This is stunning!!! Great artwork.

maria's knutselplezier said...

Wonderfull pages you have made, I love thise trees and the way you made them , with the rust colours it really gives your page a beautiful Automn feeling, I olso love the sky , you really made a masterpiece!!!

Greetings
Maria

Dorthe said...

Amazingly use of that stencil , the sky behind so gorgeous, and the branches are beautiful in front of the trees.Just like walking through a piece of thicket, and then the wood begins !!!
I love it Alison !!!
Dorthe Xo

Sandy said...

I have been away far too long but catch up I must! I would not have missed this beauty for anything. Really gorgeous Alison. Now I have to have the stencil and the stamp to try and copy you. What wonderful techniques you have used!!
Sandy xx

Princess Judy Palmer said...

OH my gosh! Those trees with the foliage in front. Tim should hire you to show off his stencil and he'd never be able to keep it in stock. I just adore this spread of pages. I don't believe I've seen the other pages you mentioned here but I'm sure I'll visit them soonish.

Gio said...

Both spread are wonderful, this one stole my heart, even if Autumn is not my favourite season. Can't wait to see some snippets from R&J :-)

hazel said...

This is wonderful.
xxx Hazel.

Missy said...

I'm so glad I found your blog! I love art journaling and adore your journal pages! I can't wait to see more!

Sue said...

Wow Alison, you've really made this stencil come to life. This is not a flat piece but a dimensional forest in your journal xx

Lucy Edmondson said...

This is gorgeous, Alison!

Lucy x

Anke said...

Fantastic page, Alison. So beautiful ...

Hugs
Anke

Neet said...

Gorgeous, I also love trees and i love how you have used this stencil. Fabulous - I could wander in this forest for ages.
Hugs, Neet xx

Etsuko said...

The pages are very clear and beautiful, I always your work a sense of transparency. I love the white birches but here we do not have distribution. xx

Jennie Atkinson said...

Oooh just fabulous! I love the painted trees - such a creative touch. Jennie x

Paper Profusion said...

What an accomplished artist you are Alison!! I LOVE your scene! The shading on the trees is beautifully subtle and gives tremendous effect. Well done you! Happy weekend. Nicola x

Deb said...

Gorgeous Alison, the detail and shading with the watercolours added a further layer of beauty to an already stunning page! Thanks for sharing it and congratulations on a successful production! Deb xo

sarascloset said...

Alison, your art journal pages are a new favorite of mine! How can that be possible with so many favorites?! But the birch trees speak to me (they are saying "Why did you pass up this stencil?". Your watercoloring and extra details on and among the trees is just fantastic, and brings this from inks on a page to a walk through the forest! This page spread and your L.M. Montgomery quote brings back memories of the birch woods behind our farm where my sister and I would spend our days as children playing and imagining. Only, this is much prettier!

Thank you so much for sharing your lovely work with us for An Autumn Day at Anything But Cute! This beautiful wood is a perfect Autumn Day! Hugs! Sara Emily DT

Evelyn Walter said...

Wow, this is so gorgeous! Seams to be able to step into this wood, fabulous!
Hugs Evelyn

Mary Elizabeth said...

Oh my gosh!!!! I have been trying to get here and comment for an age. This is absolutely amazing!!!!!!!! (Ok. Please forgive me excessive punctuation. I just wanted you to know how very much I love the birch stand.) You achieved such unbelievable depth here. It gives me a sense of steadfastness and solace. One of my favorite pieces. ME

Diana Taylor said...

Stunning work - I am loving this time of year, autumn colours being my favourites, and I love the beautiful burnt orange around the foliage. Gorgeous!

Pawsitively Creative said...

I can see why this was calming to you because it is to me as well. Serene and beautiful like the forests near my neck of the woods. The depth you created with the watercolors is spectacular and so cool! Fantabulous use of the stencil and colors. Stunning design.

Thanks for joining us at Anything But Cute for our "Autumn Day" challenge. Hugz! ~Niki DT

Ruth said...

Wow Alison, simply stunning and so effective. The detail is beautiful, would quite happily look out on this each day! Thanks so much for joining us at Stamps and Stencils too. Ruth xxx

toni said...

Oooooo ! Alyson Such wonderful artistry on this gorgeous journal spread. I love the way you have used the birch tree stencil such a great background for the 'etched ' branches. Thank you for joining us over at Stamps and Stencils Toni xx

Redanne said...

Hi Alison, I have just come over to congratulate you on being a Design Team Favourite in our 'An Autumn Day' challenge at Anything But Cute with this beautiful project! I hope you pop over and pick up your badge. Anne xx