Love Bites: An Anti-Valentine from the Heart

With Valentines day just around the corners, it seemed about time for my annual anti valentines card. It is not that I am against Valentine's Day or anything, I just find the card against it so much more fun than the ones for it. I thought this digital stamp, IMG#506 Vamp Boy Mr. Valentine from Oddball Art is perfect for my anti-Valentine.

I started by printing out the digital stamp onto some cardstock and coloring it with my copic markers.

I then fussy cut out both the image and the sentiment so they could float on my card.

To create the background, I dripped Dr. Ph Martin's Hydrus water color ink in red down some heavy duty cardstock along with a few well placed splatters. Let me know in the comments below if this came out just a little too realistic.

To finish the background off, I added a heavy rubbing of Black Soot Distress Oxide around the edge.

I finished the card by adhering the background to an A2 card frame, and then adhere Mr. Vamp to the background. I also floated the sentiment with a little three dimensional tape so it is popped up.

Let me know what you think of my anti-Valentine and if you make fun cards like this during the love holiday. Until then, happy crafting.

Baby Got Bit!

So my teenage son has been complaining (as teenagers tend to do) that there are not enough boy friendly cards.  I think he is sadly mistaken(or sadly absolutely correct), but today I am creating a card just for him and his buddies. 

I pulled out the Oddball Art digital stamp IMG465 Zombie Unicorn just for him and set off to create a man-child friendly card!

I started by coloring the image in shades of blue and gray and then blend them out with some gamsol. 

I finished coloring the rest of the image, letting the gore of the image be highlighted more than I normally would (you know for my horror loving son).

I fussy cute the image out and set it aside.

To create the background, I got a little experimental.  I trimmed up a piece of heavy stock watercolor paper.  I then pulled out some liquid watercolor and added to the watercolor paper.

I sprayed the liquid watercolor, and spread it around a little with a watercolor brush.

While the watercolor was still wet, I sprinkle some black powdered watercolor onto the cardstock.  I heat set the cardstock.

Using some Distress Oxide in Black Soot, I blended ink around the edges of the cardstock to darken the look of the entire background.

I trimmed up the watercolor paper and adhered it to an A2 cardframe.  Then using some double sided adhesive, I adhered the focal image onto the card.

I pulled the sentiment included with the digital stamp, distressed it a little with some ink and adhered it to the cardstock.  I also pulled out a snarky sentiment sticker and added it to the card as well.

Finally, I added some Nuvo Drops in matte gray around the card to add just a little bit of guy friendly bling.

Let me know in the comments below what kind of guy friendly cards you make.  Until then, happy crafting.

Party Time!

Did you see that the 100th issue of Oddball Art's Creepy Cute Chronicles is launching tonight?  That's right, the 100th issue!  And celebrate this milestone, I am creating an extra special and large art project!  Today I have pulled out a full piece of 8.5x11 inches watercolor paper and combined this week's Creepy Cute Chronicles's free digital stamp and IMG443 Mermaid of the Stars and IMG434 Zombie Unicorn.  Because let's be honest, what's a party without a few of your closet friends!

I started by printing out the CCC100, IMG443 and IMG434 digital stamps out onto watercolor paper.

I then colored in each of the stamps with my Zig Real Brush water color pens.  I went vibrate with the Mermaid.

I stuck to a pretty traditional color palette for the ghost, focusing on pale grays.

For the Unicorn Zombie, I experiment with a pale purple and light gray to see if I could get an eerie feeling.  What do you think?  Was I close?

Finally, I went with bold and bright colors for the banners, because lets be frank....it's a party.

I then added a layer of Distress Oxide in Frayed Burlap around the edges of the massive project.

I then added layers of paint over the ink to create a rust effect to lock in the digital images into the
paper.

Finally I added several dollops of White Blizzard Nuvo drops around the project to add so sparkly (cause you know, it's a party).

What do you think?  Is this a party you would want to attend?  Let me know in the comments below.

And make sure you pop over to the Oddball Art Instagram Page.  The party will be continuing over there to celebrate the 100th issue of Creepy Cute Chronicles.

Stay Cute

Hey Oddballs!  It's EK popping in with a brand new card designs.  Anyone else during these strange times finding they now have day jammies and then switch into their night jammies?  I never wear jammies during the day normally, and rarely wear work out cloths unless I am actually working out.  However, with my family staying home to flatten the curve, I find that all of us dress like we are constantly off to bed.

Yesterday, I walked down fully dressed in adult cloths (really nothing fancy, just jeans and cute top) and my children asked where I was going.  I informed that today I was going to dress like life was normal, and stay cute.  This morning, all three of my kids (one a teenager, and the other two preteens) walked down dressed for school like they had prior to covid.  I asked what they were doing, knowing that I too was dressed like normal, and my 11 year old said simply, "Staying Cute."

I thought it would only appropriate today to pull out the digital stamp IMG471 Skull and Ball Cap from Oddball Art and create a little card to remind us all to Stay Cute!  (By the way dressing in 'real' cloths really helped my outlook on my day, if you were wondering.  I'm curious to see if it does the same for my kids).

I started by printing out the digital image onto some cardstock.  Then using my copic markers I colored the image.

After coloring in the image (and aiming for a girly feel despite the skull), I fussy cut out the focal image.

I have been playing with my alcohol inks a lot lately and decided to create a fun purple and grey background for my oddball stamp.  I used Pebble, Purple Twilight and Wild Plum to create this background.

I adhered the background to an A2 card frame and then adhered with double sided tape the skull to the background.

Finally, I added a sentiment from Tim Holtz Snarky sticker collection.  I think no truer sentiment could be used in these strange times.

I hope my card finds you happy, healthy, still possessing a sense of humor, and frankly staying cute.

If you are looking for some new images to color while you finish up doing nothing from yesterday, pop over to Oddball Art to snag a few new digital stamps.  Oddball Art is known for their whimsical images with a touch of humor.  And you don't have to wait to the mailman to arrive to get crafting.  All you have to do is print!

Make sure you share you work over on the Oddball Art Facebook Ground with the design team so we can see what you are up to.  Until then, happy crafting!

Love Bites

Hey Oddballs, it's EK.  I really do love a Valentine's Card with a twisted sense of humor.  I mean, Valentine's Day can get so over blown, so finding an image that is a little humorous really makes me excited.  I am just loving IMG506 Mr. Valentine from Oddball Art because it has exactly that bit of love and humor I am always looking for.

I printed out the image onto some watercolor paper using red ink.

Using Tombow markers, I colored in the image.

I would outline the digital image lines with the marker...

Then using the blender pen, I blend out the marker.

Using a stencil and some Distress Oxide in Tattered Rose, I added a little background hearts.

Finally, I added a bit of red ink around the edges and added the image onto an A2 card frame!

Let me know what kind of Valentine's are your favorite to make in the comments below.  Until then, Happy Crafting!

Age of Aquarius

Hey Oddballs!  It's EK.  Have you ever seen the Zodiac Signs digital stamps from Oddball Art?  I am not really a zodiac person, but I am obsessing about the digital stamps that Lizzy Love has draw!  They are frankly perfect!

So since I am frankly drooling over the images, I thought I would go ahead and feature them.  I am leaping off with Aquarius since we are in the Age of Aquarius (and will back track to Capricorn at some point).

I colored up the IMG496 12 Odd Oracles- Aquarius  with my copics and layered it on top of several coordinating papers.  I also gave a clear layer of Nuvo drops over all the ribbons to add to the water feel of the card!

Let us know in the comments below if you are digging this odd look at zodiac signs as much as I am!  Until then, Happy crafting!