Ombre Technique - Group of Seven

Hi everybody.  I was so pleased and flattered to have been asked  if I would like to join the lovely talented ladies of the Group of Seven Cardmakers, and this is my first post.  The technique this month is all about Ombre, meaning shading which generally speaking is a graduated tone of one or more colours going from light to dark with inks using stamps, die cuts and stencils, or even using coloured card, which is the subject of the first video which you will find on the GO7 post.  There is also a second video illustrating the use of a flower stamp and a couple of different complementary ink colours which is similar to the technique I have used on my second card.  You can also see some brilliant samples from the other ladies and also find out how they achieved them by visiting their blogs.  Anyway here is my first card.

I have opted to use Distress inks and some masking and have added some stamping over the top.  I used Dried Marigold, Carved Pumpkin, Abandoned Coral and Candied Apple, and the strip I masked off is about 2 1/4" wide.  I used the Acacia tree and the group of elephants from a set of stamps by Sheena Douglass from a few years ago called African Landscape, and the Zebra is a Crafty Individuals stamp which came with Creative Stamping Magazine No 121, and finished with a birthday sentiment, and all stamped with Versafine Clair Nocturne ink.  The lefthand side is the darkest colour, a tone of red but it looks rather pink in the photo unfortunately. 

This is very achievable using a brush, the more recent type with the fine soft bristles really helps to give a smooth finish, and I find just rubbing the inked brush lightly onto a piece of spare card first helps to stop any funny lines or heavy patches, and also using a circular motion to apply it, building up the colour slowly, and if using a single colour to get a good contrast applying lightly and gradually adding more ink and using a bit more pressure on the head of the brush will give that variation of tone.

For this second card I have used a Crafty Individuals stamp called Wild Flowers and Ferns Silhouette and I also used a new set of Torn Edge Dies by Creative Craft Products.  I used my stamp positioner and three Distress Inks - Faded Jeans, Broken China and Tumbled Glass, starting with the darkest at the bottom to make the Ombre effect.  I inked it up quite a few times with the three inks and used an ink blending tool to gently blend the colours in so there were no harsh lines.  I finished by adding a sentiment using the Faded Jeans DI and it was all heat embossed with WOW Clear Gloss Embossing Powder.  It's a simple CAS card but quite effective and easily achieved providing you have a stamping platform.  

I think this is a fun technique and we would love to see what you make, and if you do make anything there is a linky at the bottom of the post where you can put up your cards for us all to see and enjoy.  

Thank you for visiting me today and I'll see you again soon.