What are scene building cards…you ask..… ? It is exactly what it says…. cards created by building a scene.
Hello and welcome to my wonderful card making corner of the world!
My name is Renee and I live in Trinidad and Tobago. This is my first article for 2023 as one of the newest members of the TPC Magazine writing team and I hope you enjoy it!
My cards are often bright and cheerful in design. A definite result of my Caribbean roots …and today’s card is no different. It features a beach themed card with stylish lettering.
Now that I have these introductions out of the way …let’s go straight to today’s card.
READ ALSO: REVIEW OF DIAMOND FOLD CARDS
SCENE-BUILDING CARDS
Your scene can be anything …elements of the beach, life under the sea, a jungle, a farmyard, a starry night. You build using the elements of your story…the storyline for the scene you are creating…not random pieces….….
Are you getting the picture now……?…
For my card, I created a beach scene using a coconut tree, sea, sand, waves , birds. The number 2023 refers to the year of the design. I could have added words such as “Hello, Be Calm…Steady on”….. or even numbers for an anniversary, birthday etc. The possibilities were limitless.
The scene is hand drawn and rendered in colour using copic markers and coloured pencils. I am sure you are wondering why hand drawn? Well …..for one, I wanted to include lettering in the scene. Two, it is a nod to my beginnings in card making and to my beloved sister who taught me this skill, before she passed in 2003. Since then I have mainly used digital artwork provided by other wonderful artists.
THE SCENE I BUILT
Even though I live on an island, I don’t get to visit the beach as often as I would love to. However last week’s visit stirred something in me and made me want to re-create the scene I saw. The lovely turquoise blue sea with waves splashing in the background.. while I lay under the shelter of the trees and oh yes…the birds flying in the distance…….. (I could definitely go back there soon.)
If you cannot draw or do not want to, you can support other artists by buying their digital images which you can print out. These can be painted or coloured with pencils, crayons or markers.
For those who want to draw something simple, start by drawing words such as “Hello, Thanks, Happy” etc in a straight line or like I did in a balloon shape(the balloon shape is easier so you don’t have to worry about lines being super straight).
A fun feature is adding texture to the letters using colours, 3D rendering, patterns and much more…… This is a fun activity that parents can do with their kids or even teachers can do this in their classrooms…… You might say “I am not an artist” but there you are wrong! Everyone is an artist…. Art is life and a representation of you. It is never perfect …It is always an interpretation…(I dare you to give this a try!)
Here is my completed hand drawn scene. It does not look like much….until I add the colour!
READ ALSO: HOW DID YOU DO THAT?
LOTS OF COLOUR
Starting with the tree, I gave it an undercoat of yellow. I then added hues of pinks, green, grey and brown to the trunk. To the branches, I applied, several strokes of green, brown and yellow. This gave it a vibrant appearance. Each process started with markers, followed by colour pencils… moving from light to dark in each colour grouping.
Next I coloured the year 2023 to which I added polka dots and stripes. These were coloured in red hues. The thickness of the outside edges of the numbers, gave it a 3-D appearance while the white lines highlighted the curvature of the font. I love how stylish and fun that turned out!
For the turquoise blue sea, I created swirls in the water…. first with a blue marker and then finished off with turquoise and blue coloured pencils. Did you notice the waves with a touch of sea spray for added effect?
The sand bank was created using curved lines in different directions in hues of gold-ish brown and the birds, added in the distance… completes the scene.
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER NOW
Now that the image is complete, it is time to put the card together. To do so, I matted it on to black card stock using a ruler, scissors and pencil…
(Oh how I do miss my Tim Holtz Tonic paper trimmer and my ultimate Crafters Companion, for scoring paper- which is what happens when on holiday).
Next I adhered it to a black and white background as a simple bi-fold card. The greeting for this card reads, “Live vividly and love fully “ for 2023. On the inside I wrote the message “ sending sweet Caribbean vibes your way!” This is an inspirational card to someone who is in need of cheering up….. A blue sea with a cool breeze is certainly good therapy for the soul!
WRAPPING UP!
This is my project for today…and I want to thank you for taking the time to read this article…….
Resources used
- Copic Markers
- Prismacolor colour pencils
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Cardstock (White, black)
Theme – Beach Scene
Style – Scene-building with stylish lettering
Tones – Browns, Yellows, Reds, Greens
Renee Hamilton is from Trinidad and Tobago. Renee has been writing for TPC since 2023. Renee started paper crafting in 2008 and she mostly do Cardmaking, 3D and interactive projects. Her paper projects are often made in a Clean and Simple or a Whimsical style.