Butterfly, flutter by

Since I was a very small child, I have had a deep interest in nature, including all the creepy crawlies (much to my mum and sister's horror!), but my real favourites are butterflies. So I was a bit disappointed on moving to Spain, to discover that there are not a lot of butterflies around here, and certainly no very exotic ones. But one afternoon I found this rather sad specimen, dead of course, by my gate. I decided I could use it for something crafty, so from this photos I made a black and white image. I then made a clear stamp of it using my imagepac kit.

Next I resized it, drew some free-hand flowers, torn netting and swirls and leaves, and scanned these into the computer. I then computer generated some text and using a mixture of Publisher, paint and Corel PSP, I cobbled together this collage. Unfortunately I was unable to get the contrast balance quite right between the various elements so I never managed to make a successful stamp of this, but I stored it to use as a 'digistamp'.

So this week I decided to dig it out and make a card. I was working to this sketch, and I found some lovely butterfly paper that I remember buying at the Hobby craft show a few years back, to make the side panels. For the centre I chose a fairly plain antique gold paper.

I wanted to keep the butterfly close to its natural colours so I stamped it onto white card and coloured it with copic markers. To make it more of a feature, I cut it out, rubbed it all over with a versamark pad and heat embossed it. I only used one layer of fine powder because I wanted to be able to shape the wings a little without cracking the glaze.

I then thought I would use just part of the collage for my script panel, so I printed this onto white card that I had coloured with a very pale copic pen so that it didn't look too stark. Because I wanted to add colour with the same copic pens as I had used on the butterfly, I went into my printer properties and increased the ink volume to maximum and as soon as it came through the printer I threw fine embossing powder all over it. You do have to work quickly to do this, but it gives a good image for colouring or painting. I then linked the central panel to the colours of the side panel butterflies by covering the joins with pale pink sticky ribbon top and bottom, and a matching brighter pink down the sides. The glossy butterfly was attached under the panel, and three pink flowers from my stash completed the design, and here it is.

I am entering this card in the following challenges.
The first challenge on the new Card and a Half Blog; Following a sketch.
Daring Cardmakers: The Darlin' Bugs of May
One Stitch at a Time Challenge 62; Anything goes.
Scrappy Frogs Challenge; Anything goes.