Calligraphy Collage Cards

I'm not a fan of collage.  Mainly because it forces me to recognize that all the little bits & bobs I have hoarded collected over time are stored in so many places that to get them all out at once is overwhelming.

I started with some muslin

And some inks

And my nibs

And off I went!

Here is after I brushed one sheet of muslin with red; then added calligraphy

For the silver writing I use this pen (sorry the pic is a bit fuzzy)

I LOVE THESE PENS!!!

They can be pricey but SO worth it!

They dry in seconds; are SUPER shiny and come in different metallic colors.

You see I discovered there is a difference in silver gel pens; silver calligraphy ink and these silver pens.  I took a piece of black card stock to the store & tried each one.  I also took a scrap of fabric and the pen above was hands down the best. 

Anyhow; I had been given this book by my friend Jamie Fingal. It inspired me to stretch a bit.  As I may have mentioned earlier I really don't like to collage. 

I was also given this ink to try by my friend & fellow Calligrapher Lisa Englebrecht

This is the only bottle I have & let me tell you; when I can; I'm going to buy all the colors I can lay my hands on!  It's FW Acrylic Ink.  (The Acrylic part is the important part)  Regular Ink like Liquitex above is too thin; it quickly absorbs into your fabric and MUST be used with a primer such as gel medium.  That can change the hand of your fabric. Something I'm not always happy with. 

I didn't like this experiment as much. ^

Here is the mess that drives me insane. 

So after all this I made some Valentines cards. 

Here is the first one:

This is the one El said was the best one

And this was a birthday card for a dear friend

This was the last one; it was a scrap of fabric I didn't use but the paint blotch looked to me like a bee to me.

I used some shiva paintsticks on the bottom to color in grass.  Not the best photo but you get the idea.

So after spending a night and a day and making these it was kinda fun but I don't think I'll be doing it more.  It takes up too many 'stations' in my room.  The sewing machine station; the calligraphy table; the embroidery area & all the tackle boxes full of stuff! 

I do have scraps now that I may use in other projects so I guess that is the silver lining. 

Thanks for visiting!