As often happens, I ended up with a pair of tags rather than just one... one has my little watercolour sketch with part of one of my PaperArtsy quote stamps to accompany it, and the other uses one of my favourite Tim Holtz stamps.
It all started with some wrinkle-free distressing... all Distress Inks, no Oxides to start with. There's Tumbled Glass, Stormy Sky, Bundled Sage, Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint in the mix.
And here's my little pear in its original state... It was done on a tiny little sample pad of watercolour paper, 2.5 x 3.75 inches. But it's had its edges ripped off, so it's even smaller than that now!
I decided some book page strips would play a part in creating some structure, sealing them with multi medium...
... and gesso before I carried on with the next step. You can see I'm getting ready to stamp the lovely pear with the stamping platform, so that I could re-stamp after doing my painting.
I used mainly Fresco paints applied with a water brush to "colour" the pear...
... but there are tiny touches of Distress Oxide too, mainly to create the soft blush on some of the tiny pears.
Back to my own pear... I inked the edges with Pumice Stone and then Vintage Photo and mounted it on some pieces of cardboard.
This raised it up enough that I could run my rusty wire around behind the picture rather than cover it up.
The same rusty wire plays a part on the TH pear tag too, but here it's allowed to roam more freely!
The words for my pear tag come from my PaperArtsy EAB04 The Autumn Edition quote set.
I haven't used the whole quote and since I've cut his name off, I should also tell you that the words are by Walt Whitman.
The words on the TH pear tag are taken care of by the pear stamp itself. I think it's one of the reasons I love it... it has words built in.
There are splatters of Gathered Twigs Distress Oxide around the place. I love how they look in contrast to the soft blue greens of the background.
And I concentrated them near the rusty wire, to make it look as though it has slightly contaminated its surroundings.
You'll have spotted that there are also some glistening autumnal cobwebs hanging around.
They're stamped in Watering Can Archival (as is everything else on these tags), but the spiders' webs have had a touch of clear-embossing powder for that dewy look.
Some simple rustic twine finishes things off, and there you have it.
Juicy autumnal pears (I'm now wishing I had put some in my shopping basket the other day after all)...
... in a colour palette which celebrates the last soft blues and yellowing greens of summer, even as the rusty browns come creeping in.
These came together really quickly, and provided some much needed mind-release at the craft table. I hope you like them as much as I do. Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a lovely rest-of-weekend. Oh, and watch out for some exciting news here in the middle of next week!
Slice a pear and you will find that its flesh is incandescent white. It glows with inner light. Those who carry a knife and a pear are never afraid of the dark.
Yann MartelThere are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I'd like to play along at Tag Tuesday where the theme chosen by Wendy is Apples and Pears
At the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge they are celebrating STAMPtember with a Stamp It theme
I'd also like to join in at the September Watercolour Challenge over at Happy Little Stampers
This is my third entry in the Use A Stamp theme at MOO Mania & More - I like Stamptember!
41 comments:
your tags are gorgeous - a beautiful pair of pears! I think your own painted one is better than Tim's!
Great idea to use your lovely little paintings to make this pair of pears. The p p made me think of Peter Piper and his pickled peppers!! Lovely backgrounds, too. Thanks for joining us again at Tag Tuesday, much appreciated. Hugs, Valerie
Beautiful set of tags Alison..I love the look of pearsa and I love their colour, I just cannot eat them, but I love them on your tags, fabulous water colouring and inky background..
Luv CHRISSYxx
I'm in LUST. I adore the pear you drew and painted. It's so original and beautiful. I also love how you used the rusty wire to elevate the pears. Both tags are fabulous, but I think yours is even better than the stamped one.
Love the contrast of your own pear and the stamped one. Glorious colour combination and of course love your rusty wire. The glistening spiders web is a fun addition and thank you for the quotes at the end of your post x. Amazing inspiration, thank you x.
Love your little watercolour pear and it makes a fabulous duo of tags, love these
Love
Amanda x
I hope it is nothing too serious invading your 'calm'. Both tags are beautiful. I love that Tim stamp too but I am really drawn to your own pear, the greens are most definitely calming and I also love the splatters and the wonderful twisted wire, it is a wonderful finishing touch. Anne xx
Not only are those cool tags as far as pears go, but all the nice details you added are also fabulous Alison. These are just beauties. Happy rest of your weekend. Hugs-Erika
I tried but all I could make was an origami swan.
new follower.
Both tags are gorgeous Alison! Your watercolour pear is wonderful with its lost and found edges!
Your pear looks completely edible, unlike the other. And edible is of course the whole point of pears. Sadly Emerson has it right though, rock hard then a brief moment of perfection and then brown or white mush..
I love this duo xx
Both are beautiful in their own way! Hope you are ok? Stress is never good....
They are so beautiful, but love the one with your watercolor pear most, so gorgeous with the color fading out behind it, and the embossed web taking me to the early morning garden.
The rusty wire is a gorgeous detail Alison. xoxo
Love your pear! You never fail at your colour schemes. The ink choices are lovely for these works of art. These make me smile and also think about summer ending. I think it has here in Victoria BC, we have grey skies and rain on the way. Yucky weather but good to stay indoors. Happy Sunday.
Very nice!
Beautiful pair of tags, Alison. Love the colors used on them. Crafting is my way to stay calm and these days I think I should be crafting around the clock! Thank you for checking up on me at my blog. I'm healing well at my neck but am dealing with a bit of troublesome side effects and not sure of the cause.
Your watercolour pear is delightful, so delicate beside Tim's "fully documented" pear... again a gorgeous pair of tags!
Your pear is just beautiful. I love it. I never let myself look at the SSS challenge entries until after I post mine. Then I go through and see what grabs me. Yours made me hop over here to your blog to learn more about what you did. It is rockstar great.
Diana @ Playing
https://playingwithoutlimits.wordpress.com
Beautiful Alison, I love the gorgeous colours and all the different elements on each tag. Thank you so much for sharing with us on Tag Tuesday and for visiting my blog. xx
Love this perfect pair of pear tags, but I must say I am most taken with your wonderful little watercolor sketch.... absolutely lovely. Glad you were able to get some craft time in - what emerged is a calmer you and a beautiful set of tags! xxx Lynn
Two delightful pears on your beautiful tags Alison! Your watercolored one is gorgeous! xx
Both are simply wonderful - but your handpainted pear is the top of the cake here! AMAZING ! So happy and thankful for your support of Moo Mania & More dear Alison!
Happy new week !
Big hugs, Susi
I love your beautiful work!! I enjoyed reading about your process, too. You have achieved such a calm and ethereal feeling. I'll be following your work for sure! Thank you for commenting on my blog, too.
Both tags are gorgeous! Alison. The colors on the background and the pears are so beautiful! :D
Both tags are exquisite of course Alison, but I adore the one with the pear you have made yourself... Just SO beautiful.
I envy you! I miss time so much to play with my watercolors and sketch myself quietly... I really would love following your steps, and have a try on this! Just follow your sample as it is perfect for me. Well, I guess that mine would not be so well done and gorgeous however, but we never know.. :)
So please, come on in France, organize a little workshop somewhere near me (or come one day in Brittany, and in my home if you want!) and I will play with you and learn from you, with so much joy and happiness!!!! Good night, with hugs xx
Two beautiful tags Alison, the water colour sketch looks awesome.
Yvonne xx
I love these beauties Alison xx
A beautiful pair of tags ...lol 😉. Both versions are stunning, I particularly like your watercolour painting, the brushwork is amazing! It looks so elegant and delicate and it finishes your tag wonderfully with the words that you chose - perfect 😀. I hope you are having a lovely week! Hugs, Jo x
Hi Alison, gorgeous tags and loving the details too. Happy creative week, Angela xXx
Such a delicious looking pair of pears! I might just have to join you in the fun as I discovered pear & apple stamps the other day.
Sally xx
These two tags are utterly lovely - your watercolour is so beautifully done and both pears look fabulous against the backgrounds. Just perfect for this time of year - our old pear tree is bending under the weight of all the fruit at the moment, I need to get picking!
Diana x
These are such beauties Allison. You always take all of my favourite things, put them all together, and make them even better! Have a wonderful week, Sue xx
Breathtaking tags! So beautifully done Alison~
I love everything about them; and the transition they give off- as Summer rolls into Autumn.
So much great texture layered on, and the spiderweb effect adds something unique and actually adds a little warmth~ (hard to think of a spiders web adding warmth! : ) - but it does so here imho)
Great wire detail. I need to re-read the post to see where the pear stamp came from! TFS this sensational duo~ Hugs, karen o
Absolutely stunning!
Your watercoloring is even more beautiful than I saw previously,and not sure how,because it already was pearfect(lol) in my book!
I love the addition of the book pages as well,super composition!
xoxo Jackie
Oh my goodness! These tags are so stunning Alison! Your watercolouring of the pears is perfection as are the backgrounds created for them! I love your colour choices and your attention to details is, as always, simply awesome! My mouth is watering now .. will have to pick up some pears next time I visit the shops! LOL!! Have a fabulous day! hugs xx
Things always come together within the blink of an eye when down time is needed, your studies are indeed beautiful, delicate with just the right amount of detail. I find pieces like this always so satisfying when looking back at ones self creativity. Thanks for sharing Alison, makes me feel like i've created alongside you. Hugs Tracey x
Gorgeous pair of pear tags! the colors are delicious and your beautiful watercolored pear is perfectly paired with the word stamps. I love the added element of the rusty wire and its complemented so well with the splattered gathered twigs ink! Just glorious. ~Ann x
Stunning tags Alison,
great art work as always.
Quite honestly these DO look good enough to eat (except for the wire of course!). Very realistic and juicy looking capture. Excellent makes as always Alison. Nicola x
beautiful tags, wonderful colors
thank you for joining the watercolor challenge at HLS
Barb Housner
Beautiful! It's take me long enough to get to see these beauties! I adore the water colour and of course the TH stamp is one of my favourites too! Hugs, Chrisx
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