Introducing “Masterpieces with Mimi”

Happy Saturday! We are very excited to announce a new feature here on our blog, “Masterpieces with Mimi.” Join us once a month as the talented Micheline “Mimi” Jourdain shares a beautiful card along with a photo tutorial detailing her creative process.

For today’s tutorial, Mimi has featured our Slapstick/Cling stamp, 40-372 Divine.

Here’s a look at her gorgeous card!

And now the how-to…

MATERIALS NEEDED: Penny Black Stamps Divine 40-372, 30-286 Heartfelt; Tim Holtz Distress ink pads and re-inkers: Mustard Seed, Forest Moss, Rusty Hinge, Fired Brick; Tombow Dual Brush Pen 098; Watercolour cardstock Fabriano, 100% cotton, 140 lbs, hot-pressed; (Frisket, optional)

STEP 1: Ink flowers with Rusty Hinge ink and stems with Tombow Dual Brush Pen 098 and spray with water.

STEP 2: Spray Frisket (if desired) on the cardstock, let dry, and then stamp. (Note from Mimi: Personally I love Frisket and put it on all my cards… it gives an airy and soft effect.  You can see how I apply frisket (a type of masking fluid) HERE.)

STEP 3: Place a few drops of Mustard Seed, Fired Brick, Rusty Hinge and Forest Moss re-inkers on an acrylic block. Wet one petal at a time and add a little bit of diluted Rusty Hinge to the base of the petal and let it blend with the water, as shown in the next two pictures.

STEP 4: Let the water blend the color as to give a shaded effect from dark to light. Do all petals one at the time and come back to the first ones that are starting to dry up. Add a few drops of Fired Brick, always at the base, which will intensify the coloring. At this point, use a heat gun to dry and stop the blending. This will leave a darkened base.

STEP 5: With a wet paintbrush remove little bit of color from the top of some petals. This will enrich the shading effects.

STEP 6: With a larger paintbrush, wet a few centimeters around one flower (more water than less). Work one region at a time.

STEP 7: Add diluted Forest Moss re-inker along the flower and let it blend with the wet cardstock. Add small amounts at a time. Do not paint, just deposit it small areas at a time. This will give a shaded effect and will look like watercolor. Do not be scared to touch the flowers and stems with the water… you will get a better watercolor effect.

Work around the flowers and the stems to obtain the desired effects. Highlight each flower base and stem with Forest Moss and add a little bit around each flower bloom.

STEP 8: With your paintbrush, mix all the colors on your block with water and splatter some drops on the card, here and there, by hitting your finger against the paintbrush.

STEP 9: Remove frisket (if necessary), stamp sentiment, trim, and mount to notecard.

ET VOILÀ!

Thanks so much Mimi for sharing your tips and techniques! We can’t wait to see what you’ve cooked up for us next month…

Shop for today’s featured Penny Black supplies:

• 40-372 Divine
• 30-286 Heartfelt
• And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter!

 **Edited to add: Thanks everyone for your excitement for Mimi’s tutorial! We’ve had a lot of questions about masking fluid/frisket. Essentially, masking fluid/frisket, goes on like a paint and, once dry, protects/masks whatever surface is beneath it. When you are done painting, it can simply be rubbed off the paper using your fingertips. On today’s card, Mimi flicked her frisket on with a toothbrush before painting her image. When she removed it when she was done painting, it revealed the white flecks you see on her card. Our designer Heather Telford has also done a great video about masking fluid which can be used like the frisket Mimi reference in her tutorial. Heather’s video can be found here.