Hi again everyone! This month I have a fun and easy artsy hybrid project for you. These are a lot of fun to make and share with a special child in your life too.

Want to add a little whimsy to a room? Create these easy layered French Butterflies and create a butterfly release for your studio, a child’s room or anywhere you’d like. After you are totally addicted to these like I am, add a magnet to the back to stick to your fringe, or thread them into a fluttering mobile as I had one friend do.

Here I show mine in my art studio, fluttering off of a canvas art piece my grand-daughter and I made flying towards a window.

We created these in a few hours easily using our printer and some water-soluble inks but watercolors do nicely too. You can print in color if you like and not have to worry about painting them too.

What you will need:

Printer
8.5 x 11 Plain paper to print on
Watercolor Paper cut to 8.5 x 11
Pieces of canvas or fabric scraps
Craft Glue I use Aleene’s Quick Dry Tacky Glue
Scissors
3M Removable Mounting Tabs 1/2” x 1/2” cut in half

Download the files provided here at the end for your butterflies and ephemera papers.

Optional: Your own ephemera like old book pages or vintage newspapers or ads. Watercolors or water-soluble inks or colored markers.

Start by printing the colored or B/W file of the butterflies onto your watercolor paper.

Let them dry before cutting them out. 15 min for colored, 1 day for the B/W set if you plan on coloring with paints or you take the chance of the ink smearing and it will look dirty.

NOTE: If you are going to paint your own colors, it is easier to do this before cutting them out.

I printed off a colored set and a black and white set to color myself and have some white ones to mix it up for my butterfly release.

Warning! Make plenty as when your friends stop by, they will want to “catch” a few for their home too! I had more than twice as many of these before this photo was taken.

Next print the Ledger page and the Vintage Paper page or use any you have on hand already.

Cut out your butterflies

Place your butterfly on your of your fabric or canvas and fussy cut out around leaving about 1/4 or so border. Rough up the canvas edges for a shabby look with your fingers by rubbing them together along the edges. A little moisture on your finger tips makes this a little easier.

Using your butterfly again, do the same with your ephemera paper leaving a slightly larger border than you did before.

Note: You don’t have to be perfect cutting your canvas or paper shapes, just “wing it” and it will look good.

Assembling:

Layer in this order gluing each piece top with just a dab of craft glue under the butterflies body.

Bottom to top: Ephemera paper, canvas or fabric, butterfly. Option: you can use the two different ephemera papers instead of the fabric or canvas if you like, but the canvas does add a nice whimsy touch.

Bend the wings of your butterfly slightly up and off the canvas.

Done! Attach your double-sided 3M tabs and arrange your butterfly release on your wall!

Optional: Attach a small magnet to the back with the craft glue to use on your frig or lamps too for more whimsy touches!

See many more inspirational tutorials, tips and digi art from Cilenia on her Blog Beautiful Mess.

Enjoy a 30% off coupon to her entire shop at Digitals May 9^th — 31^st!

Coupon Code: RP30May

Expires May 31^st 2012 One use per customer please.

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Pretty Butterflies and Ephemera

Hi there and happy to be back with you on the RP blog for some more artsy tips and techniques.

As most know, I LOVE to paint and get artsy in all of my artwork, real and digital. I create many of my digital brushes and items from my real life artwork and brushwork. But in digital, you can get so much more artsy and even change your mind easily with no mess. OK, I like the mess, but you get what I mean.

So let’s get a little messy in digital with no real life mess to clean up.   (more…)

Tags: brushes | Photoshop

Hi there everyone! I’m Cilenia Curtis, and I am honored and thrilled that Renee has asked me to be a guest here on her blog to occasionally share some of my favorite tips and tricks.

I have been playing with mixed media art and art quilting for over 30 years and started drawing on the computer in 1986 for my job in Architecture and Engineering. Boy, do I feel old saying that! Over the last few years, I have been combining my 3 loves and creating and selling digital at Digitals.

Something I am asked a lot, and again recently, is how to create your own unique signature for using on a blog, adding to an art project and even as a watermark for photos posted online. Here’s how.

(more…)

Tags: brushes | Photoshop