Saturday 12 March 2016

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



24 comments:

  1. I love it!! Those bugs are awesome. Your family shouldn't have been laughing at you. 😉

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    1. Lol...I'm afraid I am used to that, Lisa! Thanks for being on my side! ;) xxx

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  2. You always amaze me Claudia and today is no exception! Wowzers! That beetle and ant are totes amazeballs and look real! Love the background and your main F MDF is stunning! 20 thumbs up dearie! ~Niki

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    1. Love that "F" too! Thanks for the lovely comment, my friend! Hugs! XXX

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  3. Wonderful to have you join us here Claudia! The effects you have achieved on your background and the various craft parts is amazing!! I specially love the wood/bark effect on the frame, brilliant! A fantastic ATC!!

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    1. Aw! Thank you so much, Astrid! So glad you like my ATC! xxx

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  4. this is an amazing piece!!!! i love liquid glass!! it is such a cool product! your bugs are freaking fantastical!

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    1. Thanks for the lovely laud, Diana! Yes, the Liquid Glass is really cool! I will have to make more ants - that's for sure! ;) xxx

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  5. Zauberhaft gestaltet dieses Waldkunststückchen, auch die grüngoldige Färbung finde ich sehr schön. Erste Sahne!
    Liebe Grüße
    Sabine

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    1. Herzichen Dank, liebe Sabine! Busserl aus Wien! Claudia xxx

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  6. This is so unique, so interesting, and so beautifully done! Every color and detail is in harmony with the next. Perfection!!!

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    1. Aw! Thank you so much for this wonderful comment! Mwah! X

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  7. You really have captured that forest feel! I love how textured this piece is. It has that wonderful element of surprise that art should have. Great work! xx

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    1. Thank you so much for your laud, Julie Ann! This really means a lot to me! xxx

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  8. Oh wow Claudia - I think you must have been at the ranch on that hike!!! This is wonderful... love, love, love. The green blends of colors - stunning. And your bugs are PERFECT. I have a real (but petrified) beetle here that looks JUST like yours!!! Now - I'm claiming that CROWN FOR YOU... because you are definitely the QUEEN of your Calico Craft Parts Forest of LUSCIOUSNESS!!! XXj.

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    1. Giggle...thank you so much, Joi! Your comment just made my day! At the moment it is all grey, dark, cold and wet and raining and snowing over here in Vienna...brrr...so your comment just let the sun shine. Guess the beetles in the Vienna Woods all hide from the weather right now. ;) XXX

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  9. absolutely stunning piece Claudia x Its lovely to see you hear as a gust designer...as you know I just love your work,
    The CCP's look absolutely fabulous and I really have to stop looking at them and start creating.

    TFS
    Annie x

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  10. Love the layers of green to create such leafy depth, and fabulous gilding effects on the flourish and on the insects. DecoArt and Craft Parts are a match made in heaven, and you've shown that perfectly here!
    Alison x

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  11. I am not a lover of the bugs and regularly jump away from any I see in blogland, yes I know they're not real. This is just so beautiful, such amazing depth of green, it looks like a piece that has been left out too long but it's just sheer perfection and again something I wish I could create or close to create. Just awesome Claudia, awesome art Karen x

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  12. Sorry for the late "thank you", Annie, Alison and Karen! Your lovely comments made my day! Hugs, Claudia xxx

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