Flower of the Month; June Roses

I love this month's flower!  So far my favorite has been the daisy, but these roses were a lot of fun to play with as well!  Click here to see the many Flower of the Month digi stamps from Lila Grey Stamps.

After applying gesso all over the piece, I decided to go with a black/white/gray background.  So, I used an old credit card to apply gray paint throughout.  Then I applied black paint with an old sponge and my fingers.  Many of the marks are made by swirling the sponge in a circular motion and left over paint from my fingers.

I then used a barbed wire stencil to apply some white paint over the black.

At that point, I decided to work on the flowers.  I applied gelato on an acrylic block and added some water to loosen the color.  I also used a water brush to apply the color to the image.  I just painted in a circular motion making sure to color each petal individually.  I then used the same gelato directly to the flower edges and smudged the color.  I used a watercolor pencil in a similar color for the inside petal lines.  White Uni-ball Signo pen for the stamen in the center of each rose.

I used green watercolor paint and pencil for the leaves.  I made the mistake of using a light green (almost yellow) gelato on the first leaf.  Since I didn't like the look and didn't want all my leaves to be that color, I stopped but then realized it looked a little odd so I added more of that color on a few more leaves here and there.  I also decided to use a black fine point Uni-ball pen to outline the leaves and add some swirly lines and dots here and there.

More details:
Music note background stamp by Stamp Oasis and Pink Passion SU! ink on the roses.
Elements 2 stamp for black circles on upper left side (Yes, folks these are the stamps designed by yours truly for Lila Grey Stamps)
Script stamp and black archival ink

The amazing small dots on the left side were made by using the CTMH stamp cleaner brush.  This was a happy accident.  I was cleaning the script stamp with the cleaner and was blotting the brush dry on a paper towel and saw this great image...so I blotted off the rest on the actual piece! 

The best thing about playing is you get to find all these hidden treasures! 

Products:
Faber Castell Watermelon and Margarita Mix Gelatos
CTMH Bubblegum and Olive Watercolor Pencils
Apple Barrel Granite Gray, Black and White Acrylic Paints
Uni-ball Black Fine Point Pen and White Signo Pen
Green Watercolor Paint
Barbed Wire Stencil
Lila Grey Elements 2 Stamp Set
Script and Musical Notes Stamps (Rubber Paws gift)
SU! Pink Passion Ink Pad
CTMH Black Archival Ink Pad
CTMH Stamp Cleaner