Sympathy Card - Adding Details with Alcohol Markers -

Hi friends! I’m back to share a technique with alcohol markers that I had no idea I could pull off. I recently completed the Beautiful Details class with Altenew and when I tell you approaching the techniques discussed in the class felt more like being chased by a lion…it is not an exaggeration. Was I overreacting? Absolutely. Sometimes I just need to do that first, okay? So, after I checked the breakdown off my list, I just sat down and TRIED. I started small and just tried adding some detail to a flower on the coloring card Altenew sends us with each order. That was the little confidence boost I needed because I actually liked how it looked.

When I set out to make my card, I knew I wanted to make a sympathy card because I don’t make those often but we unfortunately need them. I chose the Lovely Flowers Press Plate because it felt less intimidating to color. Since I was going to be using alcohol markers, I didn’t want to use watercolor paper or the cotton cardstock recommended for the BetterPress. I just used my regular Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80lb cardstock. It doesn’t give you the pretty impression when used with a press plate but you still get a beautifully stamped image. I placed the press plate onto the magnetic platform. Then I cut my cardstock large enough to fit the full image and taped that to the clear top plate. I inked the press plate with Memento Tuxedo Black ink because it’s alcohol marker friendly and then ran it through my die cutting machine. It’s probably the most perfectly stamped image I’ve ever achieved.

With my image stamped, it was time to color. I chose two shades of a purple and green for simplicity and to keep from being overwhelmed. From the Island Garden Artist Alcohol Marker set, I picked Minty Mint (G201) and Sweet Leaf (G213) for the stems and leaves. For the flowers, I chose Wisteria (R801) and Ultraviolet (R826) from the Water Garden set. I colored the full leaves and stems with the Minty Mint. With a flicking motion from the center and up toward the tops of the leaves, I used Sweet Leaf to add additional detail. Use the brush end of the marker for this technique. I used the same technique with the flowers but I did not color the full flower with the lighter color. Instead, I used the Wisteria for the first layer of color, flicking the marker upward from the center of the flower and also from the outermost edge of the petal down toward the center. This left some white areas in the centers of the petals. The Ultraviolet layer worked the same way except I didn’t take the color out as far on the petal. That sort of created the look of bending in the petals. When I tell you I was shocked that I didn’t ruin this, I’m serious. I still have lots of practicing to do but now I know I can do this and if I can…….so can you!

Just simply cutting down the panel to something I could use on a card felt a little flat. I wanted some interest in the background so I decided to fussy cut the whole image. That way I could add it over top of a die cut background. To keep from distracting from the image I just meticulously colored, I chose to create a white on white background using the Circle Quilt Cover Die. I die cut a panel using the cover die and then adhered to an A2 card base with liquid glue. Then I adhered my floral image over top of that with liquid glue and trimmed the small amount of excess from the edges.

My sentiments are from a Spellbinders hot foil sentiment set called Mini Everyday Sentiments. I like to mass produce sentiment strips so I can just grab what I want when needed. I had used various foil colors when I prepped them so I chose a few sympathy themed sentiments in gold foil. I thought it looked nice with two sentiment strips so I trimmed them to different lengths to create some variation. To give them some strength and dimension, I glued two layers of white cardstock strip scraps to the back of each and then adhered to my card front. Then I grabbed some gold sequins I’ve had on hand for quite some time and placed them in a sort of triangle pattern with my Perfect Picker tool.

For the inside, I cut a panel of Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80lb cardstock to 4 x 5 1/4 inches. I taped that in place on my BetterPress clear top plate. Then I placed my Lovely Flowers press plate onto the magnetic platform using the A2 guide marks. I wanted the image to fill the top half of my card and spill down. With Wisteria Fresh Dye Ink, I inked the press plate, put the clear plate into place and ran that through my die cutting machine. The sentiment is from the same Mini Everyday Sentiments I prepped ahead of time in gold foil.

That completes my sympathy card using alcohol markers to add details. If you have alcohol markers, you should give this a try. It’s pretty simple and you don’t have to get so caught up in where you’re adding the color. Just do it. You might surprise yourself. I did. Thank you so much for stopping by today. Now go get crafty!