Winter Landscape

Hello all!  It's time for a new theme at Country View Challenges, and the lovely Rachel has asked us to Create A Scene.  I find myself a little uncertain around scenes (as you may remember from my recent guest spot at Try It On Tuesday), but with all the beautiful trees in various forms amongst Tim Holtz's recent releases, I found my way towards a scenic winter landscape in my art journal, and here it is...

It started as a mop-up of some inks from the craft mat - I think they were Pumice Stone and Stormy Sky if memory serves.

Then it sat around for a while as mop-ups are wont to do, but eventually I decided it would make a good starting point for a scenic background, so I started to add in my trees.

I started with the smallest row of pines from the Tim Holtz Tree Line stamp set, stamping them in Pumice Stone - a pale colour to give a sense of distance.













Then I used Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans and Chipped Sapphire as I worked my way forwards... first with the larger tree line and then with some of the individual trees to break up the uniformity.













Love how this set allows you to do that, creating layers with depth quite quickly with the multiple stamps and then breaking up the straight lines with the single trees.













I stamped the tiny stars/snowflakes - can't quite decide which they are - from the Christmas Magic set, and embossed them in white.











I love that you get not only a snowy gleam that way, but also some dimensional texture on the page, and I'm enjoying the white on white areas too - something so ethereal and fragile about the look.













The deer were an obvious choice to inhabit this winter wonderland... I cut them out of plain kraft card and inked around the edges.













Then I thought it would be quite nice if those stars/snowflakes (starflakes anybody?!  Remember the Snowcrow?  I just like making up new words!) were echoed on the deer, stamped in Coffee Archival this time.











They needed to be grounded, so I created some snowy shadows with some ink and a water brush.













And I decided to try out some of the Finnabair Snowflake Paste, applying it in rough swirls with a palette knife to create the look of drifting snow.

I like the additional texture and frosty sparkle it gives.

The sentiment - again from a Tim stamp set, Handwritten Holidays #2 - is stamped in Chipped Sapphire and clear-embossed.  You know how I love to catch the light when I can!












So there you have it...  It looks as though we're in for another grey, wet, uninspiring winter here in the South East of England.  I do envy those of you who get a proper winter wonderland, though I know it can make life very difficult... at least it looks beautiful quite a lot of the time!












You'll find lots more inspiration from my fabulous team-mates over at Country View Challenges today and throughout December, so make sure to hop over regularly, and we hope you'll come and Create A Scene with us this month.

There's a randomly drawn prize voucher to be won - sponsored as always by Country View Crafts - as well as the honour of being one of our Top Three or Special Mentions.  Hope to see you there!







The cold was our pride, the snow was our beauty.  It fell and fell, lacing day and night together in a milky beauty, making everything quieter as it fell, so that winter seemed to partake of religion in a way no other season did, hushed, solemn.
Patricia Hampl