Hatter's Bubbles

Hello, beautiful. I fell in love with this digi of a young sprite in top hat blowing bubbles the first time I saw him and enjoyed colouring/painting him.

Supplies

InLinkz.com

Challenges

The Paper Shelter: Make It Digital
Can You Case It: Blue, Purple, Silver, and White
Try It on Tuesday: Anything But a Square
Sieze the Birthday: Dashes or Doodling
Addicted to Stamps and More: Anything Goes
Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Wonderful Wednesday: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown: Anything Goes
Crafty Gals Corner: Anything Goes

Putting It Together

Since this is a digital image, I started off with printing the image on light (80lb) watercolour cardstock and spraying it with hairspray to 'fix' the printer ink. My chosen medium is Distress Ink coloured/painted with watercolour brushes. With a water based medium, if I don't fix the printer ink, it will bleed horribly as I apply colours. It still does bleed a tiny bit with particularly wet areas of coverage and a lot of printing, so I have to compensate for that, usually by applying the colour in smaller areas and avoid going over printing. This is most difficult on the face and ears. 

Several days ago I started by painting his hat. I started with Salty Ocean, then layered on Chipped Sapphire, and used Black Soot and Hickory Smoke for shadowing. For extra punch and to give the hat sheen, while the ink was wet, I added Jubilee Blue Perfect Pearls with a brush (Perfect Pearls sticks to wet ink). I rubbed the Perfect Pearls into the paper with a paper towel. I added more Distress Ink over the Perfect Pearls for shading, et. al. I was floored by the effect the Perfect Pearls brought to the hat. (I wish it was easier to see in my pictures.)

Working with the powder of Perfect Pearls isn't quite as contained as the other colouring so I got a bit out of the lines. This bugged me enough to set the picture aside for a while, no matter how much I love the look of the hat. But, I decided to continue on with the image.

I painted the clothes continuing with a combination of Distress Ink and Perfect Pearls. The coat painted with Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord, and Seedless Preserves with Grape Fizz. The Vest painted with Weathered Wood, Hickory Smoke, and Confetti White. The pants painted with Hickory Smoke, Black Soot, and Salty Ocean. The shoes painted with Salty Ocean and Black Soot.

I painted his skin with a wash of Spun Sugar layered with Tattered Rose and Victorian Velvet shadows. I lifted some of the colour with a clean wet brush and layered back over with Spun Sugar for a youthful look.

While painting his face, I realised I forgot to paint the hat band. So to show the Perfect Pearls technique I employ. First I painted Milled Lavender, shadowed with Dusty Concord, and then layered over Seedless Preserves. While the ink was wet, I used a small brush to apply Grape Fizz. 

Showing the powder applied.

I then used a rolled up paper towel to rub the powdered ink, both to push the powder into the wet ink and remove some of it as well.

Then I added additional shadowing with Dusty Concord. 

After painting the bubbles with Milled Lavender, Tumbled Glass, and Perfect Pearl (not pictured), white the paper was still damp, I used a shaper to lightly emboss the bubbles to give them dimension.

I painted the hair with Scattered Straw, shadowed with Rusty Hinge, and layered Wild Honey. I added extra shading lines with Vintage Photo. The flower I used Scattered Straw for the centre and white gel pen for the petals. The flower is coloured simply to show up better as a pop of white.

I added Enamel Acccents to the buttons on the coat and vest. For the coat, I started with Grape Soda. After adding Caribbean Coast to the vest buttons, I added a touch of it over the coat button, too. 

I added a watery background, purples (Shaded Lilac and Wilted Violet) as the 'ground' and blues for the 'sky' (Broken China, Shaded Lilac, and Tumbled Glass).

To make the shoes shiny, light patent leather, I covered them with Glossy Accents. I added Stickles Stardust to the bubbles to give them iridescent glimmer. I also added some intentional water spots to the watery background (avoiding the Hatter).

I take notes as I am colouring to remind me what I used. I missed writing down the skin colours, but they're ones I commonly use. 

I embossed a white Soft Finished panel with swirls which I thought would compliment the image. I trimmed the image as well. I also trimmed a silver textured panel to matte the embossing. When I dry fit them together, I felt I needed something more.

I die cut Art Nouveau letters from the centre of the silver textured panel, where it would be covered by the embossed panel. I cut them from a hidden part of the panel to save card stock. 

The letter set was a Yule gift from my good and crafty friend, Betty, and this was the first time I used them. A good first use. 

I dry fit the letters with the rest and was pleased with the look. The letters are a bit tighter than I might chose for other projects, but it looks good here.

I adhered the embossed panel directly to the silver panel and then the card base. I used foam mounting tape under the image panel. For the letters, I ran each through the Xyron to make them into stickers that I applied to the embossed panel. 

I used a sentiment from the retired Wonderland Sentiments set from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps, stamped in the purple-ish Hot Mama from Simon Says Stamp. I added some Broken China to surround the stamp. 

The card base I used (made from 100lb Soft Finish white) is an A2  (5.5" x 4.25") opening on the short side.