Forest Love ATC by Claudia

Hi and servus!

Claudia from Von Pappe II here today and I am still pinching myself...OUCH! Yes, that hurt. So, yes - this must be me doing my first of two (real!) guest designer posts for Calico Craft Parts! How exciting is THAT!!!

I am even more excited about this invitation to guest design for Calico Craft Parts as it made me discover some of the most fantastic chipboard pieces I have ever worked with! Those who know me already know that I am the fiddly type of crafter and also know how much I love nature and the forest in particular! So while browsing the Calico Craft Parts online shop in search of some products I wanted to feature with my two projects, my son and hubby heard me utter "ooohs" and "wows" and other little squeals of excitement whenever I clicked a new category and product link (and of course they took this opportunity to make fun of my honest and sincere joy.... philistines! lol).

But back to business...here's what I created for my first guest post:

Calico Craft Parts used on my "Forest Love" ATC:

Plain ATC Wood Blank with Plain Frame
Mini MDF Wood Insects - Style 3
Mini MDF Wood Crowns - Style 3
Mini MDF Wood Wings - Style 3
Leafy Glade MDF Letter F
Ivy Leaf Garland - Style 1

Especially the fantastically detailed insect shapes and wings were what caught my eye in the first place and the moment I saw them I knew I had to create a project to showcase these beauties!

I also took a picture of all the paints I used after the ATC was done, because I couldn't believe it: the ATC is so small and still I had my desk crammed with what seemed half of my painting stash. lol

I started with the lovely letter F which was covered with gold leaf flakes to form the sparkling centre piece of my ATC. But of course the painted insects and ivy should be as important and make a worthy "frame"!




The background of the ATC was done using a variety of green acrylic paints and a fern mask. I mixed the paints directly on the ATC panel while stippling them on with a small sponge.

 It took several layers (painting over areas of which I had thought they were finished again and again) until I was content with the look.

To add some more depth I also sprinkled on dark grey and green acrylic paint using a splatter brush.

 The Ivy garland was painted with a very fine tip soft brush, layering on greens, browns and DecoArt Media Interference Gold paint.












The insects were painted that way too, building up layers of opaque and transparent acrylic paints and adding a dash of Interference Green to create that typical "bling" most beetles show. 

I used photographs of insects as a reference so they would look as close to real bugs as possible.

The ant also got a generous coat of Liquid Glass to make it look even more dimensional.

Isn't that cool? I love this effect! It's just perfect!

The gorgeous crown was created by dabbing some DecoArt Venetian Gold Dazzling Metallics paint onto some still wet dark grey so I got a more grungy look.

The frame of my ATC was meant to resemble the look of tree bark, so I scraped on some browns, greys and a bit of gold paint with a palette knife, making sure I didn't cover the spots too evenly. I let each layer dry naturally before putting on the next.

The wings were dry-brushed using Titan Buff, dark green and a hint of gold acrylic paint.

Once all my elements were painted and dry I glued them in place using matte medium.

My aim was to capture what I love about the forest: the beauty of the "living jewels", the gorgeous fresh and moist greens, the lovely shapes of ferns and ivy, the wonderful texture of bark and the feel of those golden days I am always spending when hiking in the forest, hunting for visual treasures and tiny miracles.

I hope you find a bit of all that in my ATC! Thank you so much for stopping by! And thank you so much, Calico Craft Parts, for having me!

Claudia

 xxx