Feeling my way with Brushos

Some new products are more of a challenge than others.  Brushos are one of those products.  The results which I've seen in some cards and other creations have shown me that it is not just I that finds these watercolour crystal paints a challenge.  I imagine that patience and more patience is required for noteworthy results.  Isn't that true of everything, you ask.  In varying amounts.  The Brusho experience is one which can't easily be explained.

For one thing, when one is using watercolours, one rarely winds up with "exploding" colours.  But that's the closest I can come to describing what happens when water meets these crystals.  Oh, and crystals is perhaps a misleading word.  These are in many cases tinier than salt crystals, almost a powder.  But my goodness, what a lot of power in the powder!

I decided that I would buy one or two colours from a craft store in Calgary since we went there last week.  I wanted to try them out before investing in the five-piece set available through Stampin' Up!  Since it's so close to Christmas, my choices were Emerald green and Scarlet red.  I thought holly might be a fun first attempt.

Using my gorgeous Tim Holtz Holly Bough stencil, I took a water-based dye marker in soft grey and outlined the holly and berries, resulting in something akin to stamping on my mixed media paper.  Once that was nicely dry, I pierced a hole in the lid of my Scarlet Brusho and shook just a bit into a small paper cup.  Then I took my AquaPainter and "painted" some of the berries with water.  After that I picked up some of the Brusho crystals with the tip of a slightly damp brush and proceeded to colour the berries.  The results were both exciting and unexpected, with the Brusho wildly deciding what to colour and how much colour to leave in spots.  Long story short, I did the same with the Emerald crystals and the holly leaves with even more wildly spreading Brusho colours.  It was not what I expected but at the same time, there was something original and attractive about the results.  Enough so that I continued with the piece and used it in a card.

I've also added a cardinal from an unnamed die and some of the beautiful Year of Cheer Specialty Washi Tape.

I've decided to link this card up to some challenges.

Fab & Funky Challenges #374 - All Tied Up since it has a tied  up bow holding those little tags.

HLS December Watercolour - Anything Goes.

Addicted to Stamps & More #271 - Anything Goes