Technique Time

It's Saturday, and that means it's time for a new challenge at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers! For our 51st (!!) challenge, we have T is for Technique. Show us your favourite, or try something brand new to you! 

If I chose to use my favourite technique, heat embossing, that would hardly be a challenge at all — it's more of a challenge NOT to emboss. In searching for a new technique to use instead, I decided to give no-line colouring one more try. (My previous attempts have made for excellent recycling bin filler.) If you're not familiar with this technique, Alice Wertz is definitely a master of it. While I'm sure many people have, I haven't personally seen anyone use this technique with the Bird Crazy set, so that was my personal challenge. I think it worked! 

I started by stamping my bird in antique linen distress ink, to give just a light image. Then I watercoloured him with distress markers. My favourite part is how well the colours blended on his body. My least favourite part is his beak, which looks a bit like a collagen injection gone very wrong. Even so, when it came to choosing a card base, matching the orange worked the best of anything I tried. For the background panel, I smooshed the same colours as I used for the bird at the top of the panel, and allowed them to run down the panel's length. The sentiment cracks me up, even if I'm not entirely sure yet what I mean. :P 
For my design, I used the current layout from Tuesday Morning Sketches, rotating, stretching, and leaving off a few layers. Since a bird is centre stage, I'll link this up to Simon Says Stamp's current Critters challenge as well. We were encouraged to show off a picture of our own critters too — well, if you insist. This is Duncan, checking out a few patterned papers while holding the Best. Toy. Ever. Also known as an ink-blending sponge. He loves them! 

Do you have a favourite technique? Or perhaps a technique on your must-try list? Come and play with the Snarky Sisters! And of course, check out our blog to see what my sisters in snark cooked up for this challenge. We hope you'll join us!

Supplies: orange & Bazzill textured teal cardstock, Strathmore watercolour paper, Tim Holtz Bird Crazy & Rubber Dance Sarcastic Superpower stamps, Versamark & antique linen distress ink, Wow super-fine white embossing powder, peacock feathers, mustard seed, spiced marmalade & walnut stain distress markers, Spellbinders circle die