simon says stamp new release

You can take a look at the Strawbeary set I used today and all the other new products from the Yay You release by clicking here!

you’re cute as a strawberry

Back to this cute Strawbeary set. It is a cute as can be, but I was also drawn to it because it was illustrated by the fabulous Alberto Gava. I styles might be different, but gosh can Alberto colour! His shading is out of this world as he gets so much depth and dimension into everything he colours.  In addition, he often shows tutorials on the Copic Markers he has used and his process as he colours. I’m sure many of you follow Alberto but if not then he’s well worth clicking that follow button!

My card is very simple. I took a couple of the images from the set and arranged them so that the wee bear was in front of one of the leaves from the other image. I used Fabriano Artistico Extra White Cold Pressed watercolour card and Daniel Smth paints.

cute as can be!

I love the little strawberries in the illustrations but you know me, I’m always drawn to the foliage LOL and the leaves in this set were so fun to paint. I used lots of different green mixes to paint the individual sections. 

For the sentiment, I took a greeting from the Strawbeary set and stamped it in Versamark ink before white heat embossing and then trimming out. I foam mounted the sentiment over the painted panel.

There are a lot of little accents to this card that don’t come across very well in the photographs. Trying to take photographs while balancing on crutches proved to be tricky! However, hopefully the photos to come will illustrate some of the extra touches. It was like being a limbo dancer and seeing how low I could go in order to get different angles on the card to capture different accents LOL.

Can you see here the slight shine on the strawberries? Once I’d finished painting them I added a coat of glossy accents for a juicy appearance.

I think you can see the glossy accents a bit better here but also note the shimmer I added to sections of the leaves. It helps to define one area from another too. 

In addition to white gouache accents I also used Faber Castell Polychromos to really deepen the shadows in places and add to the dimension. Oh, and finally, I am still working through my stash of enamel dots from over the years!

Well, that’s me for today. I will be back later in the week to take part in a blog hop to celebrate the Yay You release. I hope you’ll call by and catch up then. 

supplies

You can find links to the supplies I’ve used below; click on the picture or shop icon to get taken directly to the product. Where available I use compensated affiliate links which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you! Items marked with an asterisk (*) provided by a store or the manufacturer. You can read my affiliate and product disclosure here. I genuinely appreciate your support.