Indigoblu 'Autumn Wildlife' Challenge - Stag Night!

Indigoblu Challenge September 2016

'Autumn Wildlife'

This was a difficult challenge and I almost did not attempt it as I have only one suitable stamp and here it is. I have also used a different technique and no! I haven't smudged the image - I deliberately over-stamped the first image with a darker colour - just to see if I could achieve a more dimensional effect. I did have to have to repeat the process a few times (well seven actually) until I got it to work. 

The composition was inspired by Royal Deeside as a few times each year, we drive along there to go 'deer chasing.' This is not literal - we try to spot them on the hills above Braemar! It can be quite tricky as the herds are very well camouflaged. I hope the tinges of purple convey the last remnants of this year's heather and the rusty brown the dying bracken. We still have a few of our summer migrants around, hence their inclusion around the top.

Materials:-

• Cardstock:- white, gold pearlescent, bronze pearlescent
• Stamps:- Indigblu - Looks Like Rain, Deer; Nature1, Mr Darcy
• Inkpads:- Ranger - Archival Black; Distress - Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo, Hickory Smoke, Old Paper, Antique Linen, Black Soot, Milled Lavender, Shaded Lilac
• Miscellaneous:- Charcoal pencils - light, white; Sharpie pen - black
  

Instructions:- 

1. On white 7ins x 7ins card, stamp the large stag from 'Looks Like Rain Deer' set using Rusty Hinge. Overstamp again with Vintage Photo but slightly offset. 
2. Using a damp paintbrush, pull in colour from the stamped lines towards the centre of the stag. 
3. Stamp stag again onto sticky notes, cut out and use to mask image.
4. Tear copy-paper into a mountainous landscape shape, place over the card and blend background using Old Paper, Antique Linen and Hickory Smoke.
5. Repeat at base of card with Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge. 
6. Cut a circle from a sticky note, apply to card and blend Milled Lavender and Shaded Lilac to create sky. 
7. Lightly blend Lilac and Lavender onto hills. 
8. Stamp trees using Archival Black, deer using Hickory Smoke and birds using second generation Archival Black. Stamp bushes around base using Archival Black, branch stamp from Nature 1 but Do Not use a stamp mount - apply by pressing with fingers to achieve a random effect. 
9. Add shadows with Black Soot and charcoal pencil. Add white pencil to highlight areas.
10. Cover hills and stag with paper, spritz water into air and pull card through. Blot with kitchen roll. Repeat until desired effect achieved.
11. Drag a black Sharpie around all four edges then mount onto gold followed by bronze.

 . . . . And there we have my submission for the Indigoblu Challenge 'Autumn Wildlife.'