Leaf Your Print

If you saw my guest book trial, and thought: "Oh girl! You better come up with something better than magic markers!", then I hope this post doesn't disappoint you too badly. I'm actually quite proud of how this turned out and can't wait to see all of our Palindroguests leafing their thumbprint for an awesome memento. This is going to be a photo-licious, DIY guide to making your very own Guest Tree.

Supplies:

Water Color paper (1 sheet of heavy water color paper from Michaels - $6.99)

Ruler/Yardstick (I used my sewing mat)

Scissors

I used these supplies to cut a 15"x19" piece of paper.  I want to fit it into a 16"x20" frame with a little bit of a mat.

Supplies continued:

Bottle of India Ink (I bought mine at an art store)

Assortment of soft brushes (most of mine are bamboo brushes that are relatively cheap)

Yogurt Cup Lid (my cheapo "palette")

Bowl of water (not pictured)

Before I started painting on the paper I wanted to use, I loosened up and started to test the absorbancy of the paint on a few strips of paper.  The trick with India Ink is that the more water you add, the lighter it gets and the less water you add, the darker it is.  However, it's hard to apply when it's thicker, so you have to p lay around a little bit.

I tested all of the brushes I wanted to use.

Then I put brush to paper and I let my intution take over.  Like the Happy Painter (I totally watched him on PBS growing up), I let the brush and my feelings dictate where the paint would go.

Just kidding.  I'm not that much of a intuition person.  I wish I was more, but instead, I rely a lot on what I see.  One of the first lessons of art is to paint or draw what you see.  Luckily, I had the perfect view out my window.

(Notice the wedding crafts taking over!  I wish someone would make a mock Horror film about weddings.  How funny would that be?  I mean, for us - no one other than brides would appreciate it).  I kept painting until I was happy with the look and then I decided to take a stab at writing our names and wedding date.  I figured that I had a whole other sheet of paper that I could try again if I messed this one up.

I was super pleased with the results, so I sat back to admire my masterpiece.

After this last close up, I did add a few more details, like branch marks and defining the roots a little bit.  I can't wait to show you pictures of her in action at the wedding!

Since I haven't picked up brushes in almost 5 years, it felt wonderful to get back into the swing of using them with the ink.  I forgot how relaxing it was to paint!  Have any of your wedding projects reminded you of your past joys?