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Magenta Style Paper Enchantments

Create Charming Cards, Boxes, Ornaments, Albums, and More

Arena Books Associates, LLC

Layering Color

It's a given: think of Magenta, and you think about color — luxurious color applied layer upon layer for a sumptuous burnished effect. And whether that color is applied with pencil, marker, inkpad, brush, or glittery adhesive to paper, wood, acrylic, or glass, the meticulous attention to detail is consistent.

Sophisticated Colored Pencil

Magenta artists have a reputation for using colored pencils with stunning results. A trio of cards, opposite, were all created by rubber stamping an image in black ink on a slightly "toothy" nonwhite cardstock, and adding color to the image by gently rubbing in layers of rich-toned colored pencil. Try varying the line weights and texture by changing the pressure on the colored pencil as you work. Add contrasting light and dark highlights to the edges and centers of shapes with white or dark pencil to heighten the play of light and tone, adding an unmistakable rich, luminous effect.

LIST OF MATERIALS

Card: terra cotta square, 5¼ × 5¼ inches

Cardstock: white, 3½ × 3½ inches; terra cotta, 3½ × 3½ inches

Stamps: Daisies Square; Daisy Post

ColorBox Ancient Page inkpad: coal black

ColorBox Cat's Eye inkpad: stucco

ColorBox Cat's Eye Fluid Chalk inkpad: burnt sienna

Prismacolor pencils: violet blue, violet, parma violet, lilac, lavender, mulberry, dark purple, raspberry, orange, goldenrod, white

Tools: craft knife, cutting mat, ruler, adhesive

CREATING THE PROJECT

Rich color effect

For a rich, dramatic result, stamp an image in dark ink on a medium-dark cardstock and color with soft, almost waxy, colored pencils.

1. Hold the stamp rubber side up in one hand and gently tap the coal black Ancient Page inkpad on the rubber image in a light circular motion. This allows you to see the application of the ink on the rubber image, and adjust the pressure and positioning of the inkpad to correct any flaws. Stamp the inked image on a terra cotta cardstock square.

2. Color the stamped image. Start building the layers of color with the darkest colors first so you can blend the colors easily and evenly overlap the previous color as necessary. Silhouette the stamped and colored image.

Tip: Use old, slightly dry inkpads for "distressing," or lightly inking, the edges of a layered panel. If the pad is too wet, the inking will be too dominant.

3. Stamp the Daisy Post flower in burnt sienna Fluid Chalk ink in diagonal rows across the terra cotta card leaving some image off the edge. The monochromatic palette of ink and cardstock creates a refined background focused on texture more than color. The diagonal pattern adds energy to the background.

4. Lightly brush the edges of the white cardstock square, direct-to-paper, with the stucco inkpad. Edging the white square with delicate color softens the contrast and relates the white square to both the card background and the featured stamped image. Layer the colored squares onto the stamped card.

White-Embossed Card

The loveliest cards are not necessarily the most difficult to make, but often they employ a stylish, though not obvious, element. Delicate, translucent, pearlescent inks add a distinctive touch to the delightful card, opposite. The four-square arrangement of slightly rotated blossoms offers a calm sense of order. The blossoms move around the surface of the card with each square. The outline image, stamped four times in white pigment ink on black cardstock, embossed with white embossing powder and heat set, resists the watercolor painted on top of it, leaving a lovely white border around each shape.

LIST OF MATERIALS

Card: moss green square, 5¼ × 5¼ inches

Cardstock: black, 2½ × 8½ inches; ivory, 4½ × 4½ inches; citrus green, 4¾ × 4¾ inches

Stamp: Spring Flower

USArtQuest Watercolor Palette: Duo & Interference Colors — Jewelz

ColorBox Pigment inkpad: white

Embossing powder: white

Tool: heat tool, small paintbrush, cup of water, scissors, adhesive

CREATING THE PROJECT

Refreshing outline images

Watercolor painted over an outline image stamped in white pigment ink and embossed with white embossing powder will not stick to the embossed line. You will have an appealing raised white outline with the watercolor inside the line.

1. Stamp the Spring Flower image four times with white pigment ink on black cardstock.

2. Sprinkle white embossing powder on the wet stamped images. Set with a heat tool. When "set" the white lines will be hard and raised from the cardstock surface. If you are using a jar of embossing powder, keep a folded sheet of paper on hand to catch the excess powder and to funnel the unused powder back into the jar for future use.

Tip: Wipe the colored surface after the watercolor has dried to remove any residue of paint on the embossed white line.

3. Paint the stamped, embossed flowers with the pearlescent inks in the watercolor palette as shown, each blossom a different color. Use just a little water to brush the color evenly and keep it slightly opaque. (More water will make the painted image more translucent than we desired for this project.) Experiment to find what you prefer.

4. Layer the ivory and citrus green cardstock panels on the moss green card. Silhouette each of the four completed squares and arrange them on the matted card in a square. Here, all the blossoms are toward the center, but in the card on the previous spread, the blossoms are all to the outside of the squares. Rotate each square before adhering to the card.

Polished Surfaces

Three decorative folded boxes in varying shades of blue, white, and silver are reminiscent of graceful, earlier days. The nestled shapes, refined palette, brilliant glossy surface, and delicate size are as intriguing as they are effective. The sizes, especially the two smaller boxes, are ideal to present small gifts, grace a table as place cards, or become party favors. A mixture of two fast-drying dye-based alcohol inks made for use on slick surfaces (glossy paper, glass, acrylic, metal) were used to create the colorful patterns on the mid-sized Kromekote boxes. The box die cuts are available from Magenta — ready for coloring, folding, and embellishing.

LIST OF MATERIALS

Hexagonal box

Cardstock: Kromekote

Stamps: Swirly Branch, Bold Branch, Deco Flower, Sunburst Blossom

ColorBox Fluid Chalk inkpad: azurite

Adirondack Alcohol inks: sailboat blue, cloudy blue

Blending Solution

Peel Off's: Silver Foliage

Tools: craft sheet, scissors, adhesive, felt pad with handle

CREATING THE PROJECT

Sophisticated surface

The brilliant, glossy surface of Kromekote cardstock displays fast-drying, dye-based alcohol inks beautifully. The ink glides across the slippery surface.

1. Squeeze a few drops of each of two blue alcohol inks on a prepared applicator. The ink is permanent so to prevent spills, bring the applicator up close to the tip of the ink bottle to release the ink drops. Add a few drops of Blending Solution to extend the coverage over a large surface and to help create a textured light/dark finish.

2. Place a protective sheet of paper or a craft sheet under the box before coloring to catch any excess ink. Dab the inked applicator on the front of the Kromekote box, and let it dry. Then follow the same process on the back — which will become the inside — of the box for a "finished" box interior.

Tip: Color both sides of the box, inside and out, for a perfectly polished, finished presentation.

3. Stamp the appropriate flower images in azurite Fluid Chalk ink in a random pattern over the colored box surface. Add coordinating Peel Off's to embellish the box. Stamp a mini flower image on the tabs at each end of the flat box and finish the smaller tabs for the top of the box with a small silver Peel Off's flower.

4. Close the box by mountain folding on all scored lines. Tuck the small tab on the right just behind the previous tab on the Left side. Gently turn the box as you tuck in each tab to keep the rounded shape. The colored, folded box is a sophisticated project. Stamp and silhouette flowers to decorate the box for a more casual, country style.

Laser-Cut Image

The velvety, jewel-toned palette with light highlights emerges dramatically from the black background panel of the featured card, opposite. The white double-folded card at the right presents a quieter statement, although the shapes are also drawn and colored on a black cardstock panel but slipped between the white double-folded leaves. The long double-fold card with the laser-cut image is available as a precut card from Magenta. Use the card as a stencil and trace the design onto a black cardstock panel and then mount it on a card or use the double-folded card itself, tracing and coloring the image on black cardstock slipped between the folds.

LIST OF MATERIALS

Cards: laser-cut Flower Pot; white rectangular, 4¾ × 6¼ inches

Cardstock: black, 3½ × 4½ inches; white, 3¾ × 4¾ inches

ColorBox Cat's Eye Pigment inkpad: moss green

Prismacolor pencils: grass green, lime peel, nonphoto blue, white, lilac, pink, neon red, peach, chartreuse

Glossy Accents Lacquer

Tools: adhesive

CREATING THE PROJECT

Romantic color effect

Outlining with light-colored pencil helps to make soft, blended edges on the outlined shapes. Shading with evenly pressured side-to-side strokes creates a smooth layer of pigment to build on. To create shadows, increase pressure as you stroke.

1. Remove the precut pieces and store for a future project. Cut black cardstock to a 3½ × 4½-inch panel. Center the black panel behind the laser-cut image. Using the card as a stencil, trace the shapes onto the black cardstock panel with a Light-colored pencil.

2. Remove and set aside the laser-cut stencil card. Draw stems and decorative centers on the traced flowers. Finish coloring with layers of colored pencil. Cut white cardstock to a 33/4 × 4¾-inch panel. Color ("distress") the edges, direct-to-paper, with the green pigment inkpad.

Tip: Keep your colored pencils sharp. We work with a pencil sharpener close at hand for frequent freshening.

3. Layer the two decorated panels onto the 4¾ × 6¼-inch white card.

4. Highlight the colored image with a drop or two of Glossy Accents Lacquer. The shiny surface mimics a pottery glaze on the vase and drops of dew or rain on the flower centers.

Multilayered Card

Swirls of bright Adirondack Alcohol ink in shades of purple, plum, and metallic silver create a shimmering background for this intriguing card. The featured layers literally glisten with the alcohol ink on their Kromekote surfaces. The colors are playful and brilliant. The earthy green stamped and colored square grounds the top layers and complements the lower one.

LIST OF MATERIALS

Card: white rectangular, 4¾ × 61/4 inches

Cardstock: white, 2 3/8 × 2 3/8 inches

Kromekote, one piece 3¾ × 4¾ inches; two pieces 2¼ × 2¼ inches; two pieces 3 7/16 × 4 7/16 inches

Decorative paper: Dancing Butterflies, 4¼ × 5¼ inches

Cardboard tiles: two 2-inch square tiles

Stamps: Butterfly, Ornamental Swirl, Old Script

ColorBox Ancient Page inkpad: coal black

ColorBox Fluid Chalk inkpads: warm violet, peach pastel

Adirondack Alcohol inks: purple twilight, wild plum, silver, cool peri, oregano, meadow, mountain rose

Blending Solution

Tools: craft sheet, scissors, adhesive, paintbrush and palette

CREATING THE PROJECT

Metallic streaks

A high-gloss background shimmers with streaks of metallic ink — done with a flick of the wrist — and stamped images.

1. Pour the purple twilight, wild plum, and silver alcohol inks onto a nonporous surface — a craft sheet is ideal. Add a few drops of Blending Solution to help the colors mix together.

2. Place a piece of Kromekote or other heavy glossy stock glossy-side down on the ink mixture and twist the glossy stock, rubbing it in the ink to smear it with color. Add more color and Blending Solution to the mix as necessary to color a second sheet. The process is a bit messy, so color several sheets at one time to save for future use.

Tip: Stamping will be less visible on metallic than on nonmetallic alcohol ink. Use more or less of the metallic ink depending on the effect you want to create.

3. On a second piece of colored Kromekote, stamp a single butterfly with coal black Ancient Page ink. The ink dries fast on glossy paper. Pour drops of mountain rose, purple twilight, and oregano alcohol ink in a palette. Paint the stamped image with a brush. When dry, silhouette the butterfly.

4. Paint one 2¼-inch Kromekote square with purple twilight and cool peri alcohol ink, and the other with oregano and meadow green. Stamp both with the Old Script stamp and mat with white cardstock. Mat the panel colored in step 2 with white cardstock and layer on the Dancing Butterflies paper. Assemble the pieces, lifting the butterfly with mounting tape.

Gallery

Colored pencils create a rich palette for nine small chipboard tiles rubber stamped with a single flower and leaves. The 3 by 3 arrangement is an effective cover for a small album. The presentation is strong and clean. The simple design, pleasing palette, and raised platforms of the tiles provide added interest.

Four small, square tiles stamped in deep brown and beige, arranged in a square on a larger square background of beige cardstock and placed off-center on a warm brown card capture our attention with a harmonious palette and attractive composition. The geometric arrangement is supported by the rectangle of type below it and complemented with the decorative soft torn border at the right.

One large rubber stamp provides a lovely framed natural scene. Stamped in dark brown ink on lightly textured apple green printed paper, the beautifully rendered image brought to life with colored pencil is an appealing gift wrap for a light-wood box. The undulating edges of the torn paper add a homespun note.

A warm palette and a symmetrical composition placed off-center are tied together with a sheer organdy ribbon. An intriguing image is stamped, colored, cut, and mounted on a white cardstock panel. The panel is adhered to the front right side of the card beside another panel, this one softly inked.

Two cards randomly stamped with the same simple rubber stamp present two substantially afferent palettes and effects. The choice of background color determines the basic difference in effect; the blue advances and the dark recedes.

These two cards — one with warm colors and one with cool colors — feature the same large rubber stamp of four daisy-flower panels. There is no substantial difference in the design of the cards, but the color makes all the difference. Color tells its own story.

Pale images float behind a colored background offering a rubber-stamped ghost effect. The technique is easy. Stamp the image in white pigment ink on white cardstock. When the ink dries, color the card with a ColorBox Cat's Eye inkpad. Rub off any excess ink with a dry paper towel. The lighter images peek through the dreamlike fog in a lighter shade of the applied color. Peel Off's, a brad, and a fabric flower complete the decorations.

Variations on a theme — this simple square card presents a centered composition featuring the same flower motif on three different materials. A printed vellum background supports a hand-colored canvas mat embellished with a hand-drawn design and the central stamped and colored cardstock square. The hand-drawn shapes resemble the stamped ghosted images on the elegant blue card above.

A selection of cards stamped and embossed in white and then covered with a watercolor wash illustrate a variety of elegant effects.

Floral and swirl images stamped in white pigment ink, and embossed in white, resist the inks painted over them, producing the Magenta special white-outlined colored images. The background colors influence our reaction to the tags. The light background is almost ethereal, while the dark background provides a more dramatic stage for the stamped and embossed images.

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Excerpted from Magenta Style Paper Enchantments by Nathalie Métivier, Leslie Carola. Copyright © 2010 Arena Books Associates, LLC. Excerpted by permission of Arena Books Associates, LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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