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A Bouquet from Black Paint

Step by step art journal page by Carolyn Dube using Pan Pastels and Twinkling H2O's

Black is a paint color I rarely use on my Gelli Plate but every now and again I do.  So I cleaned off my brayer in my vintage journal like I do with the rainbow of colors I usually use.  And it sat. And sat.  Most of my other colors get lost or look muddy when put on top of black so I shied away from this page because whatever I did was not going to look good.  That was really a sneaky way the gremlins in my head said, “You will screw it up and it will be ugly.”

Once I realized what those gremlins were up to, I had the perfect way to combat them- Oops!  I knew immediately that I would not make a single mistake with this because anything unexpected is just an Oops.  Not good or bad.  Just another layer that takes me another direction.

Step by step art journal page by Carolyn Dube using Pan Pastels and Twinkling H2O's

I needed something to show up against the black so I thought of white.  What if the white didn’t work I thought. Well then it is just an Oops!  Turns out it did work!  I stamped a jumbo foam stamp by Donna Downey in white acrylic paint.  Now I had contrast.

 

 

 

 

Step by step art journal page by Carolyn Dube using Pan Pastels and Twinkling H2O's

Now what do I color them? Twinkling H2O’s!  They are translucent with a wonderful shimmer.

“Oh, that looks so boring with just one color on a flower.  You’ve screwed that up,” grumbled the gremlins.  “Well, no I didn’t!” I told the gremlins.  I knew it was just an Oops that it didn’t turn out was well as I planned.

 

 

 

 

Step by step art journal page by Carolyn Dube using Pan Pastels and Twinkling H2O's

 

I grabbed more colors of Twinkling H2O’s, blending colors together to give it more interest. Some orange to go on the edge of the pink flower.  Some blue to blend with the purple.  “But now the flowers look like they were slapped on the black, like they don’t belong there,” the gremlins grumbled.  Oops.  It is just an Oops you silly gremlins.

 

 

 

Step by step art journal page by Carolyn Dube using Pan Pastels and Twinkling H2O's

PanPastels.  I hadn’t thought about these before now but thanks to the pesky gremlins I saw the Oops of not adding more paint colors as just an Oops and found the next step.  PanPastels cover a large area quickly so all that pink took less than 5 seconds!  I used blue along part of the black and purple along the other to give hints of more colors.  Now my flowers look like they belong there.   Take that gremlins!

I had to have some words on here so a Stabilo pencil along the stems.  The Stabilo pencil is one of my favorite ways to write over dark colors since it will write over slick surfaces with ease.

 

By the time I finished this bouquet, the gremlins were barely a whisper in my mind.  Do you ever have gremlins in your head that keep you from attempting something creative?

Step by step art journal page by Carolyn Dube using Pan Pastels and Twinkling H2O's

Products Used

PanPastelsStabilo Pencil Twinling H2O's

 

 

 

PanPastels        Stabilo Pencil           H2O’s

Linking up with Inspire Me Monday, Make it Monday, Artful Times (blooming),  Simon Says Stamp (flowers), and Creative Everyday.

{ 25 comments… add one }

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  • Judy Shea May 19, 2013, 2:27 pm

    Another “oopselicious”, Carolyn. That background of black make this whole page striking.

  • Von May 19, 2013, 2:28 pm

    Another fab “opps” and bet it looks stunning with the different mediums used 🙂
    Thank you for joining us again at Artful Time and well done on being our runner up 🙂
    Von ☺

  • Maria McGuire May 19, 2013, 2:32 pm

    One of the best OOPS yet!!!! You know I love the black 🙂 Twinks were a great idea!!!!

  • Denise S May 19, 2013, 2:34 pm

    Beautiful

  • Anne May 19, 2013, 3:33 pm

    Well your efforts certainly were worth it, this is just stunning! Anne x

  • Boo May 19, 2013, 3:57 pm

    You so inspire me. I love your Ooops attitude. So take that gremlins.

  • Corrine May 19, 2013, 4:01 pm

    Came out great, the flowers just pop right up and say smell me! The twinkling H2o’s really shimmer…..xox

  • Cynthia May 19, 2013, 4:15 pm

    Love the gorgeous textures going on in those flowers!! Wow, do they look awesome on the black background!!

  • Gerri McCullough May 19, 2013, 4:22 pm

    Wonderful job, Carolyn! You are such a great inspiration!

  • Nancy Lee May 19, 2013, 6:00 pm

    Nice to try a black background. It turned out really well.

  • Janet May 19, 2013, 6:59 pm

    This is gorgeous! The colors really pop against the black.

  • Paula - Buenos Aires May 19, 2013, 9:00 pm

    Coming along with a roll of duck tape to shut the gremlins up. 😉
    Stylish flowers, lovely bouquet, they stand out with the black as background.

  • Rinda May 19, 2013, 11:55 pm

    Ooooh. Black and resist and twinks! I love that combo.
    Rinda

  • Lin May 20, 2013, 8:18 am

    The colors really pop against that black, and I love how you added the words – a beautifully unique piece! Thanks for sharing it with us at the Simon Says Stamp challenge this week!

  • muriel May 20, 2013, 1:02 pm

    Oh great! I must say it has taken me long to not fear mistakes and I am still not totally ok with this. I love what you came out with and the good thing is that I have the Donna Downey stamp and the twinkling h2Os and the panpastels. I love your panpastel “shadows”; I wouldn’t have thought of using them there. And yes, it makes your flowers belong to where they are. Thanks for the inspiration.

  • Kay Wallace May 20, 2013, 5:07 pm

    A great outcome, Carolyn! Love the contrast of the bright colors against the black! Bravo! You kicked those gremlins’ butts!

  • Neet May 21, 2013, 1:23 am

    Thanks for joining us with all those wonderful “oopses” because the journey you took us on was an enjoyable one. The end result was fab! Mind you I did like the “along the way” stops too.
    Thanks for joining us at Artful Times with your blooms.
    Hugs, Neet xx

  • Michelle May 21, 2013, 1:41 am

    Wow, this is stunning. Thanks for explaining your process and materials used. I saw this on MIM and had to stop on by.

  • lynn richards May 22, 2013, 1:17 am

    This is beautiful! What do those dumb gremlins know, anyway? It so helps to tell them to back away in your mind as you work, and just continuing to work does it as well!
    xo
    lynn

  • Barbara Daines May 23, 2013, 3:26 am

    Wow, what an amazing technique, the colours look so good against the black background. I popped over from MIM, but will now be a regular visitor x

  • Marjie Kemper May 24, 2013, 10:19 am

    Such a cool page! Love when you walk us through it. The handwriting on the stems is my favorite part.

  • Shari Nelson May 24, 2013, 7:22 pm

    Striking. So glad you beat those gremlins! Visiting from MIM.

  • Diana Ramsey May 27, 2013, 11:07 pm

    I tried this out this afternoon, and it worked wonderfully. I didn’t have that particular stamp, nor do I have the Pan Pastels, but I did paint the cardstock black and then stamped with white paint and then used my H20’s. Then I used some dimensional paint for emphasis and they turned out beautifully. Thanks so much for the idea. A friend sent me your web site and I love what you do!

  • Boo Martin July 23, 2013, 2:45 pm

    Love this…. now I’ve got to try it asap

  • Cheryl McKenney July 23, 2013, 8:12 pm

    Carolyn, you are so darned adorable and I love your work! This page is fabulous and good for you that you did not let that creepy, nasty little good for nothing gremlin have her way! How can something so small, like gremlins, be so UGLY and BIG inside our heads! I love your 00Ps philosophy so much! You are simply delightful!
    <3 Cheryl