Did I have fun making this lil’ guy!    He’s one of my latest additions to my dies – and since its  s u m m e r  I am continuing with fun-sicle stuff! 

My tip here today is how to make the effects of waves & clouds, and ground – in this case, his tiny island -  for your backgrounds.

First I cut a scrap of cardboard into a wave shape using “wave scissors” and positioned it on the page, then used inks or chalks and a sponge dauber to colour along the edge of the wavy edge of the cardboard. Move it down and off to the side a little and continue your next ‘wave’….pretty soon you will have a small ocean of waves!

The clouds were a bit more interesting. Cut a scrap of cardboard into 2 distinct shapes of un-even half-circles – just as my picture shows.  On one side of the cardboard I made 2 large half-circles and on the opposite side, I made a series of smaller ones. [divided by a piece of un-cut cardboard].  Then you can mix the two up as you form your clouds. Making the bottom of the cloud straight is often effective to distinquish one cloud from the next. But do leave a little of the paper between the cloud edges clean of ink or chalk, it emphasizes your effect better.

His island is paper torn into pieces and glued any-ol-way together to form the shape you’re after.  Mine was a very simple shape, I was just careful not to make it too even-steven.