Cuddly Christmas Penguins

This is my second additional Christmas card for Operation Write Home. You can see my first at this post. The inspiration for this card came from this one Emily Leiphart did that I found on Pinterest.

I cut a piece of Strathmore Mixed Media Paper to 4x5.25" for my focal panel. I determined where to stamp the penguins (I think the stamp is by Recollections, but I'm not sure), and stamped them using Ranger Archival Jet Black ink. I used this waterproof ink since I knew I would be watercoloring. I also stamped the image on a sticky note, and cut that out to use as a mask when I did my sky.

I applied the mask to the penguins, and a strip of painter's tape across the bottom of the panel to mask off the snow. I taped the Simon Says Stamp "Falling Snow" stencil over it, and applied Liquitex Gloss Super Heavy Gel medium. I tried to get a thin, smooth coverage with the medium. After I'd scraped off the excess back into the jar, I carefully removed the stencil, and set the card panel aside to dry.

When the medium had dried, I blended Distress inks in Salty Ocean, Faded Jeans, and Chipped Sapphire over the sky. I wiped the ink off the "snowflakes," and removed my masks.

I colored the penguins in with mostly Inktense pencils, adding a grey watercolor pencil for shading on the white portions of their bodies & hats. I also added some shading on the snow with a blue watercolor pencil, using a wet paintbrush to blend & smooth all the colors out.

I stamped the greeting from this Hero Arts set onto a piece of white cardstock with Versafine Onyx Black ink. I felt that particular greeting went wonderfully with these penguin "lovebirds," and would be perfect for a hero overseas to send back to his/her sweetie! I cut the cardstock into a narrow strip, rounded the left corners with my 1/4" Corner Chomper, inked 3 sides with Chipped Sapphire, and then glued it to the panel. Finally I cut a piece of navy cardstock to 4.25x5.5", and matted my focal panel with that, before adhering it onto an A2-size card base.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "Use Watercolors"
Hero Arts Holiday Challenge "Anything Goes"