Friday 5 September 2014

Happy Birthday --- In Black and White

*So thrilled that this card won honours at Seize the Birthday Challenges." 
*So thrilled to have both the Design Team Pick and Readers' Pick at 
Around the World Stampin' Up! Challenges*
I've done a lot of black and white photography and so love the look.  It's great getting back to those roots when I design a black and white card.  The dynamics are different from using colour.  You really have to work on your image and use lighting to bring out the key points of the scene.  I enjoyed doing that with my moose in the woods.  I used a lot of dark sponging to make it more of a vignette and made sure that the key area, around the head, remained "in the light".

I decided to design the card as an easel card.  I love the way they're "on show" and this one would look like a framed picture since I planned not to have any sentiment on the front of the card.  That would show up when it formed into the easel.  My base cardstock is Naturals White.  The base for the front of the card, however, is Basic Black.  The next layer for the front is Naturals White which I embossed using my Woodgrain embossing folder and then sponged to help the texture show more prominently.  Then comes the Whisper White which is cut much smaller than the Naturals White layer so that it appears to be matted inside a black frame.

I stamped the Whisper White using black Memento ink and the Walk in the Wild and Lovely as a Tree stamp sets.  Before adding the trees, I masked the moose so that it wouldn't be stamped on.  Since this was going to be left black and white, I used my sponge extensively and really darkened the edges, moving in enough to give the impression of a vignette.  I also lightly sponged the moose, except for the head, to give it more substance and also for the lighting effect I desired.

For the sentiment which I placed at the very bottom of the inside where it would show immediately when the card was up on its easel, I used the "Happy Birthday" from the Sassy Salutations stamp set and also the acorns from the For All Things stamp set.  I stamped both using Versamark and then heat embossed them using White embossing powder.
I love how it all comes together when you open the card and stand it up in its easel.  To finish off the Happy Birthday strip, I stuck a white Candy Dot at each of the four corners.  

For more black and white birthday cards, check out Seize the Birthday.

For more cards featuring animals, check out Around the World Stampin' Up! Challenges.

For more cards where anything goes, check out Loves Rubberstamps.


14 comments:

  1. I love that you made an easel card because this really needs to be on display. What a great image, and I love the way you have highlighted around the moose. Beautifully done! Thanks for joining us at Seize the Birthday!

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    1. Thank you so much for the lovely compliments, Sharyn. I really enjoyed the black and white challenge.

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  2. I really like this card. I don't have the stamp set that the moose is in, but it's on my (extremely long) wish list.

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    1. Thanks so much, Ter. This is one stamp set that I bought as soon as the Annual Catalogue came out last year. I loved it so much and have used it a lot. I've taken a number of photos of moose, but never one with a gorgeous rack like this one.

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  3. Such an awesome creation! Love your style! We are so happy to have you joining us at Loves Rubber Stamps!
    Good Luck & Tons of Hugs, DT Dangina

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    1. Thanks so much Dangina. I'm really happy I found your challenges.

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  4. Great black and white image, and perfect for an easel card! Thanks for playing along at Seize The Birthday!

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    1. Thank you very much, Shirley-bee. I agree that it fits the easel style well. I really enjoyed your challenge.

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  5. Wow...so much detail. Wonderful card!
    I'm so glad you joined us at Seize The Birthday. :)

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    1. Thank you, Susie. Yes, the details make it more of a real "scene". I loved making the card.

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