The Key to Happiness ~ inspired by a Vera Lane Studio image

Hi everyone! Sometimes when I create I colour the image first and create a background to coordinate. Other times, I do the background first and then colour the image to coordinate. It often depends on what I'm in the mood to play with first. In the case of this art journal page featuring the image Apple and Tweet by Vera Lane Studio, it was definitely a case of the background informing my colouring.

Apple and Tweet were coloured with Prismacolor and Polychromos pencils with white Posca Paint Pen dots to highlight. They were fussy cut leaving a narrow white border, matted with black cardstock, and trimmed out again leaving a narrow black border. I already knew that my background was busy (it usually is) so this double border around the image allows it to stand out as a focal image should. A little metal key charm was added to Apple's hand once the image was adhered to the background.

The background began with an idea for a colour palette I wanted to use. Twisted Citron and Peacock Feathers Distress oxides were blended onto the 6 x 6 watercolour paper and Wilted Violet Distress Oxide was pounced through a Studio Light Stencil using a make-up sponge. The Wilted Violet was not dark enough or purpley enough to suit me so I went over it with Deep Purple Archival Ink. Text stamping with a Crafty Individuals stamp was applied using Aquamarine Archival Ink and Jet Black was used to add one of the circles from Kate's Cube by Stampotique.

Black gesso lines were applied with a piece of a gift card before white Texture Paste was scraped through Clauding Hellmuth's Confetti stencil. The Texture Paste picked up colour from the Distress Oxides so white acrylic paint was added through the same stencil once the paste was dry. Watered down Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide was applied with a brush to shade the dried Texture Paste designs on one side to help them show better.

The sentiment was printed onto white cardstock, cut into sections, and matted with black. A little torn washi was added below Apple to ground her and another bit of the same washi was added under the top section of the sentiment to emphasize it and repeat the checkered pattern. Jet Black Archival Ink was used to edge the page before a border was doodled around the outside edges to help frame it. Apple and Tweet were glued in place and the key was adhered to her hand so she could place it in one of her own pockets.

Thanks for joining Apple, Tweet, and me today. We always appreciate your good company.

Life is good; so is art.
Bonnie