Hi Everyone

Apologies for being MIA last week. Unfortunately a nasty illness got in the way of creativity!

It's 'business as usual' though today and it's good to be back sharing with you my latest 'art card'.

It may look a relatively quick and easy card to create but don't be fooled as there are a few 'masking' steps involved that need to be carried out in the correct order to achieve the sense of moonlight shining through the tree branches.  I speak from experience having erred a few times along the way!

I cut a panel of white card to the required size and set it aside whilst I made my first mask. This needed to cover all the area surrounding what would be the moon as that was what I would be creating first so I cut a circle aperture/ window into a piece of copy paper and positioned it to the right of the white card panel where I wanted my moon to be.  As I wanted the moon to sit behind the trees branches I then placed the 13arts 'Trees' stencil designed by Olga Heldwein on top using masking tape to hold everything in place.  

I coloured the moon by blending distress ink through the stencil working only within the circle aperture.  

Keeping the stencil in place I then removed the first mask and replaced it with a solid circle mask that would cover the moon enabling me to blend colour through the stencil to create the sky.

When I was happy with the depth of blended colour I then removed the stencil and mask to reveal my night sky with the moon shining through the trees. 

I loosely watercolored the branches of the trees using Ice Spruce and Pumice Stone distress ink and added some marks using a couple of That's Crafty texture stamps. The branches are also shadowed and outlined using a black pen.

The words are taken from one of the quotes on PaperArtsy Electica EAB02 stampset. They are  stamped in Versafine ink on white card that is distressed very lightly with Iced Spruce distress ink.

The panel is double mounted before finally being adhered to a handmade card base. 

Cardstock: White, Black, Grey
That's Crafty All Purpose Adhesive
Distress Inks: Mustard Seed, Stormy Sky, Chipped Sapphire, Black Soot, Iced Spruce, Pumice Stone.
Tsukineko Versafine ink: Black Onyx
Black Posca Pen
13Arts Stencil: Trees designed by Olga Heldwein
That's Crafty Clear stamps: Texture collection 2
PaperArtsy Eclectica EAB02 Stampset
Spellbinder Nestabilities Circle die
Masking tape
Stamping Platform
Paper Trimmer
Paintbrush
Ranger Mini ink blending tool
Copy paper