Lots of perforations and snipping

This is a design I started work on over a year ago.  I did most of the work on the central flower sprays and then put it down.  I had completed the main tracery but used it as a backing for a different design.  More recently, I was gathering up all my parchment UFOs (Unfinished Objects) and came across the flowers, so decided to complete the whole thing.  The original design was by Julie Rocas and published in Parchment Craft Magazine in January 2012, but I did make the odd alteration.

I certainly made a better job of the tracery this time round, and managed to get much closer to the embossed lines.

I found it easier to snip from the centre outwards.  It seemed to hold the whole design together better and I succeeded in breaking the line only once.  The central medallion is slightly smaller than Julie's original and I used the central part of the nested scalloped circles from Groovi to create perfect circles.

This is the completed base layer.  Then it was a case of putting this somewhere safe while I went back to the flowers.

Four sprays of flowers with embossing and grid perforations on flowers and leaves, then each one needed to be perforated around and snipped free.  My choice of tools were the 2 needle fine and my trusty Pergamano Ringlocks.

To emboss the flowers and leaves, I used my favourite shaders, which I, personally, prefer to the ball tools in designs of this kind.

I backed the whole design on a piece of Clarity blue paper, which I thought set the white off perfectly, using tiny dots of Perga Glue.  Then I created a medallion to cover the central circle, embossing it and colouring with pencils, finishing with a multi faceted gem in the centre.  I also highlighted the embossing with a Wink of Stella pen to give subtle sparkle.

I hope you like what I have done and that Julie Rocas does not object to my slight alterations.  It was started mainly to challenge myself to create the base tracery section.

What a major performance!

2. I know it has been a long time since I actually blogged anything, but I had not anticipated such major trauma to get access to it.  Every time I logged in, it started to load but then got covered by totally unwanted adds for all sorts of things.  Now I have managed to get unwanted numbers that I can't get rid of, but at least I am apparently back in. 

This is a Groovi based design that I started a couple of weeks ago at parchment class with Pat White.  We were supposed to be doing our own design using the metal Pergamano grids, but mine had got mislaid during my tidying up, so I was allowed to use Groovi instead. I really enjoyed putting this together.  

I used the large octagon nested shapes to create the basic borders.  The rope twist edging is from one of the first border plates, and is a real favourite as it is so easy to emboss to add shape.  The balloons and large boat came from the Gentleman's Collection.  I drew the small sailing boat freehand as I needed one small enough to add perspective.  The other major plate I used was the landscape plate from the original Starter Kit, a real essential.

I added in the birds from the Groovi, plus some that I drew in myself.

I started the embossing on the rope twist, then I had a "bright idea", nearly a major disaster.  I thought I would use the small semi circle tool to decorate the inside border and snip it out.  Fortunately, I realised in time that would remove the whole border.  Instead, I embossed within the semi circles and reperforated the holes.

The colouring was a mix of the Pergamano pens, and blendable pencils with a little dorsing, both on the front and the back of the parchment.   I used shader tools to emboss the sails of the boats over several days.

When I worked on the hills, I added a few extra lines and shading to give it more perspective, using techniques I learned from painting classes with Matthew Palmer.  I firmly believe that everything you learn can be used to cross over different media.  In the same way, I use things I have learned from Barbara Gray and the Clarity team in my painting.