Monster Card for Guys

After I made the last mixed media card, I was afraid it was too much. My style is clean and simple, so this mixed media exploration is quite outside my comfort zone. The idea of artistic freedom - that there's no wrong way for mixed media to turn out - is freeing, but not the way I tend to work.

So, I decided to make another monster mixed media birthday card for another February birthday boy and, this time, tone it down quite a bit.

This monster is from the same C.C. Designs Monster stamp set that I used on the last card. I did more ink smooshing and more stenciling on Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper. I really wanted silver circuitry, so I used my silver Nuvo drops this time to stencil. The product is a little thin to stencil with. It leaked under my stencil which made smudged designs and it dried and tore the paper when I removed the stencil. (In this case, it's okay. It added to the texture of the mixed media piece.)

I used some half-backed pearls that I made with hot glue and green glitter nail polish (coated with floor polish for a permanent, shiny finish). I also used a couple snippets of ribbon. I rarely use ribbon, but I have lots of it. So, I was pleased how well the colours in this ribbon matched the piece and it really did add a nice smooth, shiny texture.

I die cut the sentiment from a larger hexagon and die cut some smaller ones to put behind the stamped image that is popped up on foam tape.

I coloured the monster with  my alcohol markers. I have a poor selection of greens, so I used a mix of Copic Markers and Spectrum Noirs. (I have since purchased some more Copic greens!)

I haven't made a handmade birthday card for this birthday boy before. I tend not to for guys because I have 3 nephews so I run out of ideas for guy cards quickly. Thus, my poor brothers-in-law tend to get neglected in the birthday card department. I make for my nephews, my husband and my dad. By then, I'm out of ideas! But, it was time he got a handmade card from me.

Mixed Media Masculine Card

So, I'm still new in the world of mixed media. I just love watching videos of how so many incongruous things can come together into one congruous piece. I decided to try it out for my nephew's 13th birthday. Cutesy cards just didn't seem to suit this time. I recently purchased these darling monster stamps from C.C. Designs Rubber Stamps. I knew it was perfect for guys! So, that was my planned focal image.

I'm not sure I got the whole congruous part down yet! But I certainly used a bunch of different techniques on this card:

• Stenciling with texture paste, dyed with mica powder, through a circuit board stencil. Mica powder sheen was completely lost. Randomly sprinkled silver embossing powder on it and heat embossed it.
• Ink smooshed with metallic (Finnibair) acrylic paint
• Similarly smooshed the tag and the stamped ticket (cut in half and layered behind tag)
• Stamped clocks and stars in the background
• Stenciled stars on the tag with my Nuvo Glimmer Paste (moonstone). LOVE that stuff.
• Added die cut stars (layered 3 thick for dimension) and half-back pearls
• Added green micro beads randomly with multi-medium mat glue (for more texture)
• Tried to pull all the pieces together with a splattering of black acrylic paint
• Popped the tag and monster up with foam tape

If it's not congruous, it at least has the grunge effect going!

(Click image for larger view)

I coloured the monster with Copic Markers. I wanted him to look fuzzy, so I used flicking instead of blending too much. I thought about putting googly eyes on him after he was coloured, but I spent so much time getting his eyes nice, that I didn't want to cover them up! In hindsight, I should have shaded his belly a little. Oh well.

My nephew said he liked it. (And I'm sure he liked the cash inside too.) This is an A6 card: 6.25 inches by 4.75 inches. I did the mixed media on Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper. I have a 9 x 12 pad, so a quarter sheet is 6 x 4.5. Perfect for this size of card!