Forest Printed Canvas and Three ATC Cards

Hi crafters! We have terribly chilly weather today with snow. Hopefully spring will return tomorrow again. This irregular kind of weather is unfortunately expected to increase as a result of climate change, and since today is Earth Day today, I thought I would do a nature-inspired post. I have three tree-themed Artist Trading Cards to share with you, inspired by a canvas.

Please note: this post has are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Here is the canvas. The art work is by Annette Schmucker and the canvas comes from Photowall. The painting is called Forest Bathing and since the forest is my favorite place I really like it. It reminds me of one of my favorite spots in a nearby forest. I also really love the color combo and the texture. Recently, I was asked to collaborate with Photowall a second time. I hardly ever say yes to such collaborations, but in this case, I thought it could fit on my blog, and I also created a little inspiration project of mine own, which you will see below. Photowall is a Swedish company that sells wall-murals, wallpaper, canvas prints and posters and there are thousands of designs in a wide variety of sizes. 

You can also use your own photos and art. If we had our own place, I would have loved to have one of my own photos as a wall-paper, or maybe something like a textured mixed media background.

The canvas arrives a narrow box and the canvas frame is easy to assemble. You can find a handy video for it here. I also posted some photos last time when I assembled one of their canvases. 

I made three Artist Trading Cards inspired by the canvas, particularly by the mix of colors, although I used a little more green and skipped the purple shades. Initially, I only planned to do one ATC, but I ended up liking all the three backgrounds I made, so it turned into three.

Cut ATCs from watercolor paper (2.5 x 3.5 in). Coat with gesso using a palette knife.

Paint with Distress Paint and mist pretty heavily with water.

When dry, stamp with trees from Simon Says Stamp All Seasons Tree and Forest Scenery.

Add color to the trees and the lake/ground using a palette knife. Let the initial layer dry and then add more color.

Next, I added some white and yellow paint in the same way. This time I used Dina Wakley's paint, which is thicker than Distress Paint.

When the paint was dry, I decided to do some white gel pen and black pen work on the trees, in the background and around the edges.

The first ATC features a single large tree, with the lake behind the tree. I stamped words from the Forest Scenery set on each card.

Let some of the branches show through the paint.

The card with the three trees is my favorite. The smaller trees add a sense of perspective and make it look like they are on the other side of the water. There are also some reflections in the water. I rubbed white paint in the sky to lighten the area between the trees.

Here you can see the mix of stamping, paint and pen squiggles.

Drag the side of the palette knife through the paint to create water ripples.

The pine tree card differs from the other two and I think the two smaller trees stand on top of a little hill, rather than at a lake. 

To the right of the tree you can see that I rubbed some white paint.

The canvas is 100x70 cm and hangs above the sofa at the moment. My eldest loves it and wants it in his room instead, so it might move there later. You can see more of Annette Schmucker's paintings here.

If you would like to have a look at the Photowall products, I have a 25% discount code for you, it is layersofink25 and will be valid for two months. They deliver to many different countries. Since this is Earth Day, you can find info on their environmental work here. 

Thank you so much for stopping by here today! See you soon again!

Happy crafting!

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by here today! I will see you again tomorrow.

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.