Charcoal portait

Hi,
This is a super delayed post of how I continued with the portrait here . I actually planned to upload it soon after that but somehow missed it.
Kindly use the above link to know how it all started :)

Materials used:
I've used
●Mont marte charcoal pencils for this work. First time am using charcoal pencils & that too straightaway in colors :D
●For blending/smudging:
      ◆Tissue paper
      ◆Synthetic brush
      ◆ paper stumps (I don't have the readymade ones yet, but handmade ones worked just fine for me)
●For toning down/erasing:
     ◆Kneadable eraser
     ◆Normal pencil Eraser





This is mostly a step by step pictorial. I'll include some tips which maybe useful & any lessons learned from my mistakes.

it's better to start & progress sketching in one direction so as to avoid smudging of other parts. Here I've started from the top left corner & moved towards the bottom right.

Drawing the hair:
There are soft, medium & hard pencils for black colour.  The soft one is darker & can be easily smudged/blended.
I started off with medium black covering the whole area for neutral tone & added soft black for darker areas & hard black for fine lines for hair strands. Highlights achieved by erasing and also white charcoal pencil (I simply luvvv that)

The appropriate darker & lighter areas give the sense of volume to the hair.





The Face:

I've used Sanguine as the neutral tone,  sepia & black for darker shades, white for highlights.





The eyes are the most challenging according to me as they form the centre of focus but occupying a very small area. A little detail gone wrong might affect the pic drastically. (personally, in this pic I feel the eyeball looks a little popped up coz I wasn't able to leave a very narrow blank space below it)




I guess it's crucial to make the lower lip border least prominent. it kinda merges with the skin & stand out only coz of the shadow below.
I really find it difficult to work with the teeth so I usually prefer pics having closed lips :D






I just followed the guidelines from my reference pic here for the other details.






Finally I used soft black lead pencils (5B,6B) to shade around the portrait & blend well to give some depth.
Done.



Here's the pic alongside the reference.


it's obvious that this is my first attempt isn't it? :D

By the way, This is Mr.Kishore Sheik Ahamed,  the wonderful designer of my website.  I sincerely hope he'll forgive all the mistakes I've committed in his portrait sketch & like it too :)

Hope you liked this. I'll be very glad if it was in any way useful. I love to hear from you so please do lemme know ur comments :) Thanks for your time. Create. Have fun.

Birthday flip card

Hi,
Today I'll be sharing a flip card I made following Gabrielle Pollacco's tutorial here.
http://gabriellepollacco.blogspot.in/2014/11/flip-card-video-tutorial-bo-bunny-star.html?m=1
She is an amazing crafter & one of my biggest inspirations for mixed media works :)

Here's my card, the (nearly) CAS way :)







●I've used PP from Prima 'All about me' collection, sponged inks around (memento rosebud, vintage photo, Bravo micia blue)
●white embossed the sentiment on plain red cardstock
●I've drawn, colored (with watercolor pencils) and fussy cut the cake & candles, added wink of stella clear glitter over the cake frosting.





●I've used pearls in place of cherries
●For the party scene, I sponged DI through Prima Stars stencil & added glossy accents over them.
●confetti, sentiments are from AveryElle cakes & candles stamp set.

Here's the video link. I almost never post videos but I really think the flipping is so cool :)
http://youtu.be/YWXHsNJ9C_Y

Hope you enjoyed this. Do lemme kno ur comments. They mean a lot to me. Thanks for your time. :)
Create. Have fun.

Linking this to,
http://blog.kraftzone.in/2014/11/challenge-10-anything-goes-with-prima.html?m=1

http://casology.blogspot.in/2014/11/week-123-eat.html?m=1

Soccer ball

Hi,
My Brain has been mathematically idle for too long that it takes more time to process  simple addition..!
Hence this easy mind refreshing exercise,
CONSTRUCT A TRUNCATED ICOSAHEDRON..





wikipedia links to familiarise with these shapes..
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icosahedron
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truncated_icosahedron

I dint take any reference coz it'll spoil the joy of making mistakes ;) I guess it's easier to construct with penatagons & hexagons,  but more challenging and all the more fun to watch the actual transition happening. . So I went the "triangles & penatagons" way..

To begin with,  I've cut 20 equilateral triangles of side 6cm (leaving 0.5cm space all around for the flaps)
I've made a template out of cardboard to save the trouble of measuring each time.!



Here comes the icosahedron,  20 triangular planar surfaces with 12 vertices.
I've used staples as am gonna redo it all :)
(Did you know: many viruses show icosahedral symmetry??! )





Now comes the fun part of the transition. I've folded the corners of triangles at 2cm (one-third of total edge length) so the triangles get converted to regular hexagons of size 2cm & when arranged in the same way like before, leaves a pentagon at each of the 12 vertices.





I've cut 12 pentagons of side 2cm out of black cardstock,  (i used the angle method,72° to construct it)
stuck everything & ta da... I've got an almost sphere now :)

initially I tried to stick two flaps together which dint work out very well.. later on I cut one of the flaps accordingly as I added each hexagon &stuck it flat with the other side.. Things were much easier then..!

with acrylic colors & fine liner pens, corrected the imperfections, added outlines for more definition & completed with a coat of sealer :)





Done. It seems functional but can't be sure until it tears apart :D
Had so much fun doing this & dats more satisfying than anything else :)

Thanks for your time & patience :)

Christmas Tag

Hi,
The festive season is fast approaching & I took it literally to make this tag.. having incorporated "bling" in all form I could muster..
3D glitter, glitter embossing,  brush glitter, glitter pen, pearls..  u name it :D
But I have tried to keep it as CAS as possible as that's my favourite style :)
Here it is. .





I've cut the tag from red cardstock, having Ranger craft tag as template.. saves the trouble of all the measurements which am always lazy about ;)

I've white embossed the snowflakes & sentiment from "Noel" stampset.

*TIPS* alert..! am new to heat embossing & I always mess up coz I was unable to clear off the excess powder properly... So I tried something & it worked wonders :)
Just try rubbing the surface to be embossed, with a completely DRY natural hair brush.. rubbing fast like this is another way to remove the static electricity I guess.. I often hear this term in most video tutorials :D
yes I did achieve better results after this  !!

ornaments are made from handmade paper stuck on cardstock,  hand drawn & fussy cut. . same goes for the holly leaves..

The metal string was difficult to attach.. so I made it like a hook & stuck it with tape on the back as well as the end at the front.. The ornament hides it all :)
i made the metal bow separately& stuck with double sided thin adhesive tape..

I can't remember what all I did with the glitter part coz there was way too many & absolutely in contrast to what I usually do, keeping it minimal :)
I guess it doesn't show up well in the pic though..
white dots on the bg with white gel pen.. golden trim for the bow :) ornaments stuck with foam squares for dimension :)

Done.

Hope you enjoyed this. Do lemme kno ur comments. They mean a lot to me. Thanks for your time :)
Create. Have fun.

Linking this to,

http://catchychallenges.blogspot.in/2014/11/cssc-9-christmas-tags.html?m=1

http://themixedmediacardchallenge.blogspot.in/2014/11/mmcc-5-christmas.html?m=1


http://cardsundmore-challengeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/challenge-no-119-schneeflockensnowflakes.html?m=1

CAS CARD : JUST GO

Hi,
My crafting marathon continues. . :)
I love recycling.. I had in my stash, this saree packaging cardboard which had some dry embossing on it & most of all a brilliant yellow color...
I was saving it for so long to use in a proper way & what better way than to make a monochromatic card :)
When I saw the Challenge,  I knew this was the time :)
I made the card for my travel loving friend, especially cycling :)
Here it is :)





I cut out 1/2" width panels from the packaging & stuck using glue at regular intervals. .. I dint bother measuring exactly. . I have used my white gel pen to add some highlights in the center,  some dots around & faux stitches on the edges. .

The cycle is from "wood venner: transportation" (I luv luv luv them), inked with black soot DI, heat embossed with "Wow!" clear sparkle embossing powder.
stuck on the cardbase with liquid glue.

I drew & cut the flag banner from the same box.. sentiment is handwritten. . stuck with foam squares.





On the inside of the card, I also stamped another sentiment from the Penny Black eloquence stampset (am using it for the second time in a row & still can't get enough of it ;)) 

Done.





I have improved in making envelopes over time & I am really satisfied about how this one has turned out to be, almost perfect, considering it was not a standard size card :) Here's a peek on the tool which helps me the most for envelope making.. I took it from my cousin's geometry box.. He doesn't use it much anyway :P





My inspiration for this card is a digital design I made for my profile pic :P
I added the photo of this sentiment too, some light Fx & ended up making this digi poster :) (fully made with PicsArt app)





Hope you enjoyed this. Do lemme kno ur comments. They mean a lot to me. Thanks for your time :)
Create. Have fun.

Linking this to,

http://beyondgrey.blogspot.in/2014/11/bgc63-monochromatic.html?m=1

http://casology.blogspot.in/2014/11/week-122-flag.html?m=1

CAS Card : music

Hi ,
it's been a crafting marathon for me right now & I simply couldn't stop :) maybe coz I might take a week off to my secluded village, a place where I feel more at peace..
So, my stories apart, Here is a super quick CAS card I have made inspired by the CASE THIS SKETCH design. . it's the 100th challenge so I just couldn't slip past that :) and it's not exaggeration when I say, it's the quickest card I have ever made :D





The sentiment is from Penny Black "eloquence" stampset set, white embossed with Ranger white embossing powder on black cardstock. 

design done with music notes Washi tape. .

I felt the sentiment goes perfectly well with the music theme..

Done :D

Hope you enjoyed this. Do lemme kno ur comments. They mean a lot to me. Thanks for your time. :)
Create. Have fun.

Linking this to,
http://casethissketch.blogspot.in/2014/11/case-this-sketch-100.html?m=1

Like you Latte card

Hi,
Today I'll be sharing a personalised card I made for my best friend :) Here it is :)





kindly read on if you are interested in the steps :)
I cut a standard size cardbase, then a 2 1/4" inch circle (using martha stewart circle cutter) in the front of the card slightly offside from the centre.
actually I did in 2 steps as concentric circles.

I colored these circles with inks (memento rosebud, lilac posies ) & created the bg using keyboard stamp from Prima Coffee break stampset collection & memento sweet plum ink.

Then I made the elements using the same stamp set & colored with ikea watercolor pencils.
I stuck the circle on the inside exactly through the hole in the front using glue.
I've stuck the latte cup with foam squares to give dimension & it pops up on the outside.

The sentiment is from Penny Black stampset.





in the front page,  I've used peacock feathers & vintage photo Distress inks around the circle & and numbers washi tape on the side.. sponged some vintage photo ink on all sides.. i felt sponging gives more of a coffee-ish feel than blending... coffee beans stamped with gathered twigs ink & colored.





to make the name plate, I've cut the doodle frame from Prima "All about me" Paper pad collection & wrote her name on it..
stuck few pearls on it & wink of stella clear glitter over the elements for bling.

Done.
Hope you enjoyed this. Do lemme kno ur comments. They mean a lot to me. Thanks for your time.
Create. Have fun.

Linking this to,
http://blog.kraftzone.in/2014/11/challenge-10-anything-goes-with-prima.html?m=1

http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.in/2014/11/challenge-121-anything-goes.html?m=1

CAS card: Birthday-sea

Hi,
Am so excited about My cousin's second birthday which falls on this Saturday.  So I've made a card for my cutie little pie :) Here it is :)





First I drew & cut the wave pattern out of scrap cardstock & used it as stencil to ink on the cardbase as well as the PP (from prima "all about me" collection)
I've used peacock feathers & salty ocean distress inks.
Same steps for the clouds too.. (Bravo blue ink)

Using the stencil collection from itsybitsy,  I've inked the seahorse (memento tangelo, Dandelion) on a cardstock & fussy cut it leaving white border all around.
The boat & sails are hand drawn & fussy cut too..

The number 2 is cut from a cute pink PP from the same collection.

Sentiment is from AveryElle cakes & candles stamp set. I've white embossed with Ranger white embossing powder.
I used Brush embossing pen & "wow!" clear sparkle embossing powder over the seahorse.
I've bought the Ranger craft heat tool recently & using it for the first time :)

I assembled the elements & stuck with both glue & foam squares accordingly to achieve dimension :)
Added two adhesive pearls from Say it with crystals in place of the bubbles :)
Done.

I hope he enjoys the card (may tear it now :D) when he is all grown up too :)

Hope you liked it. Thanks for your time.
Do lemme kno ur comments. They mean a lot to me.
Create. Have fun.

Linking this to,

http://lulupu.blogspot.in/2014/11/lulupu-challenge-41-childs-play.html?m=1

http://casology.blogspot.in/2014/11/week-120-sea.html?m=1




http://fusioncardchallenge.blogspot.in/2014/11/fusion-embossed-ombre.html?m=1

Surprise box

Hi,
Today I'll be sharing a different project which I haven't attempted before.  It's a surprise box :)

I always love recycling & get  scolded often by mom for accumulating all the "junk" in home :D I have few other simple recycling projects to share but just too lazy to write. may do it later :P

The inspiration for this one came from a sturdy cardboard which I got from a bedcover packaging.
I also love to make embellishments on my own & to play with modelling clay, which I have employed here too :)
With that long story short, here come the pics :)











if you are interested in the making just read on & I guess it's quite a lengthy post.
(I tend to forget the techniques used & all the bloopers I did.. recording all that definitely helps in the futuristic point of view)

I'll begin from inside outwards.
The Cake:
I just googled some instructions on making topsy turvy cake. (it was random surfing & I didn't bookmark the sites)
I used Mont marte air drying modelling clay to make the cake (now that rhymes!!) & this is how it turned out to be.



some points to remember while using air drying clay:
●always have a wet baby wipe closeby
●moisten & clean your fingers often to avoid mess as well as to keep the clay wet
●take only least quantity of clay to work & use cling wrap to store the rest in air tight container.
● use mister/hands to sprinkle water to smoothen the surface finally.

I let it dry for minimum 8 hours. smoothened the base with sandpaper. Like I mentioned in my previous post,  it doesn't take up acrylic colors well & the cake is too small to use inks.  So I went with Uniball signo pens (silver, Gold) & Pilot black pen. The roses & leaves were jus pressed directly on to the ink pad (memento rosebud, DI mowed lawn). I've used Say it with crystals pearls & a scrap twine to complete the  cake decor.

Making The Box

Here's the basic layout & measurements I've used to make the box & the lid out of the cardboard.
(straight lines are creases,  dotted lines are cuts )
I've used both glue & stapler to secure the ends in the lid portion.




Inside of the box

I cut out four 2"×2" papers & inked with Bravo! pigment ink pad. I just love the way  these have turned out with all the amazing patterns :) (purple is not much visible in he pic though) I've used Uniball Signo white gel pen to add the galactic elements.





For the base, I've used a PP I created by directly applying ink from the pads same as here

I've also cut a square cardboard piece slightly smaller than the base & covered with silver paper.. applied some blue glitter to it & inked the edges (it won't take up ink unless the glitter glue is applied)



I then stuck the cake stand firmly with many foam squares to ensure stability.

I've also added some crystal stickers to represent fallen moon & scattered stars...

Inside of the lid:

I've used the same paper like that of the base & written "party in the SPACE" with glitter glues & white gel pen.

Box exterior

The surprise part is done.Now to conceal it, I kept the outside of the box totally simple.  i just used Distress inks (gathered twigs) on the raw cardboard surface.  This gave the box a whithered old look which was exactly what I wanted.

For the prize badge, I drew two concentric circles like this to draw it perfectly. 



I've also fussy cut the banners without any specific measurements & DI them too. . Stamped the sentiment with memento tuxedo black ink.

Finally I stuck the bow, which I made from brown paper rope, with double sided thin adhesive tape.

the Box closes perfectly & doesn't give away any clue about all the brightness & surprise it holds inside :)

I had sooo much fun creating this one. It's a birthday gift for my best friend.
Hope you enjoyed this.
Do lemme kno ur comments.  They mean a lot & thanks for your time.  :)
Create. Have fun.

Linking this to,

out of the box challenge, I guess this project is so apt for the title :)

http://blog.imaginationsonline.com/2014/11/challenge-5-out-of-box.html?m=1

CAS card: Just smile

Hi,

Here's a CAS Card I've made.



I've used "just rite stampers" french rose background stamp with memento tuxedo black.
I've colored using watercolor pencils from ikea.
sentiment is from technique Tuesday stamp set.

Initially I dint plan on the script stamping but I simply couldn't resist using it :)

Hope you liked it.
Thanks for your time & comments :)
Create. Have fun.

Linking this to,

http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.in/2014/10/challenge-119-cas.html?m=1

http://aaacards.blogspot.in/2014/11/play-with-watercolors-and-bi-weekly.html?m=1

CAS: you r my reason y

Hello,
Here's a CAS Card I've made..





The tag is done with masking technique & inking. I used a sturdy card for the diagonal division & washi tapes for the stripes. inks are from the Bravo! pigment ink collection..
White dots with gel pen instead of gesso splashes coz I wanted them to be more controlled.
sentiment is from technique Tuesday stamp.





i created the BG by placing the paper directly onto the inkpad in random directions. The fabric texture as well as combination of colours are so helpful...

stuck the paper on to the base with adhesive tape, strip of vellum beneath the tag with tape & then stuck them on with foam squares to add some dimension. 

finally I added some crystal stickers (am so lovin them)

Hope you enjoyed this.
Ur comments mean a lot to me. Thanks for your time:)
Create. Have fun.

Linking this to,

http://casethissketch.blogspot.in/2014/10/case-this-sketch-98.html?m=1
http://tagyoureitchallenge.blogspot.in/2014/10/tag-youre-it-challenge-9.html?m=1

http://addictedtostamps-challenge.blogspot.in/2014/10/challenge-119-cas.html?m=1