Spooky Owl Card in A Box

Posted by DecoArt on Sep 28th 2015

Spellbinders® die cuts provide the shape and DecoArt Media® the color in this mixed media Halloween card.

NOTES:

Let dry completely between painting steps.

Using a 1" flat brush, cover a piece of watercolor paper, approximately 12" square, in Dark Grey Value 3. Let dry completely. Quickly cover the paper in Medium Grey Value 6, adding a small amount of water as you are working to extend the paint drying time. Crumple a piece of paper towel and dab onto the paper, removing some of the Medium Grey Value 6 and leaving texture.

Using the dots stencils from any of the DecoArt Personally Yours Between the Lines Newsprint Stencil, randomly stencil dots onto the entire surface with a cosmetic sponge and Silver (Metallic). (This does not have to be perfect or line up everywhere.)

Transfer the box pattern to the watercolor paper using the transfer paper, pencil, and ruler.
Line up the ruler with the just-transferred lines. Hold the ruler down firmly with one hand and use the very end of the palette knife to create scoring marks with the other hand. (This works best when the paper is dry to the touch, but still contains moisture.) Be careful not to tear the paper. Allow to dry completely before continuing.

Follow the provided pattern for the areas to cut with scissors; set scraps to the side. (Be sure not to cut the tabs on the ends.) Fold the edges according to the pattern, running the palette knife along the edges again to create crisp folds.

Cut two 6" x 1" strips from the leftover painted scraps. Score and fold the last 1/2" of each piece. Use the glue dots to adhere the scraps onto the inside of the box, flush with the top lip of the box. (Be sure that the folds are facing the same direction as pictured; notice the backwards "Z" formation.)

Using a baby wipe, smudge Carbon Black along the outside edges of the box. (It isn't necessary to do the back flap or the inside strips.)

On a piece of scrapbook paper, apply Silver (Metallic) to a 6" x 6" area with a 1" flat brush. Let dry., Once dry, apply several coats of Silver Bling allowing drying time between coats. For the final coat, apply one coat of Gold Glitz. Transfer the moon pattern onto the painted scrapbook paper, using the transfer paper; cut out with scissors.

Use the transfer paper to transfer hills onto a second piece of white watercolor paper. Mix Green Gold with a small amount of Raw Umber and paint in the hills. Let dry. Save mix for later step. Once dry, run through the Spellbinders Artisan X-plorer machine with the Vintage Damask" texture plate. Cut out. Add a few more drops of Raw Umber to the Green Gold/Raw Umber mix; use a baby wipe to apply the new mix to all edges of the hills.

Using the glue dots, adhere the moon to the back flap, aligning with the crease line. Adhere the smallest hill to the first inside tab, hill #2 to the middle tab, and hill #3 in front of the moon with the glue dots.

Run the Woodland Owl die cut (body, eyes, and nose) through the Spellbinders machine on white watercolor paper. For the feet and beak, brush out a small amount of Pyrrole Orange slightly larger than the die. Transfer the ghost sheet onto vellum and cut out with scissors.

Paint the eyes of the owls with Ice Crystal on a #3 round brush. Let dry. Once dry, use the handle end of the brush with Carbon Black to add pupils.
Rest the vellum overlay onto the owl body, but do not adhere yet. Apply a glue dot to the back of each of the eyes, position, and firmly press. Adhere the glue dots on the back of the vellum, underneath the eyes, and press onto white owl body. (This will keep the adhesion unseen.) Use craft glue to adhere the nose.

On a painted scrap from the box, apply a wash of Carbon Black large enough for the tombstone pattern. Transfer using the transfer paper. Free-hand "RIP" on each tombstone with Silver (Metallic) and a liner brush. Let dry and cut out. Adhere onto the second hill using the glue dots. Cut out the excess flaps from behind the moon.

If needed, flatten the box. Transfer the tree and "happy halloween!" text. Mix Dioxazine Purple, Silver (Metallic), and Medium Grey Value 6 for a desired purple hue. Use a liner brush to paint in text with the mix. Use Raw Umber and a liner brush to paint in the tree.

Mix Pyrrole Orange with a small amount of Raw Umber. Add three dots of the mix by the tree using a liner brush. (Be sure they vary in size to create a pumpkin patch.) Transfer the pumpkin pattern onto watercolor paper. Paint Pyrrole Orange/Raw Umber mix onto the pumpkin. Use a #3 round brush and the Green Gold/Raw Umber mix from the hills (see step 14) on the pumpkin stem. Outline all pumpkins using a liner brush and Raw Umber.
Using a liner brush, free-hand spider webs, mixing Carbon Black and Silver (Metallic) for some spider webs and using straight Carbon Black for others.
Cut two scrap strips from the box, approximately 1/4" x 2" long. Adhere the owls to top half of the strips with glue dots: the front owl to the very front of the box and the back owl on the very back. Adhere the pumpkin on the first hill. (See photo for placement.)

To flatten the box, push the front of the box to the right and back. Fold up the flaps to flatten completely. Write a message on the back, if desired. To mail the card, use an A-8 envelope, flatten, and insert the card.

Free Shipping On Orders $50+ (Contiguous U.S. Addresses)