Deer in the woods

Some paper crafters say they have a hard time making masculine cards. I actually like making cards for men. This deer image from Serendipity could be used for a hunter, nature lover or most anyone. The plaid ribbon looks more masculine than most ribbon would look or you could use jute or something more rustic.
The images were done with watercolor paints. I like to spatter paint in the background. It fills up the background and makes the image look more rustic. Plus, it just gives a look that says "watercolor". The foreground was done wet into wet, which also says watercolor. People that complain they get lines when doing watercolor probably are not working wet into wet. Punch art also gives you a very inexpensive embellishment (well, once you have purchased the punch :-). I like to go "off the page" like I did with the verse. If I had cut the rest of the image out that far, the ribbon would be crowded. This helps balance the composition and also draws your eye to the verse. There I go analyzing again! Sometime, sit down with a fellow paper crafter and go through a magazine and try analyzing the designs. I think that is great fun to do, whether the subject is a photograph, card or layout. My friend Joyce and I did that once with a book of atc's and it was interesting to hear and see what each person saw.