Creating a Nighttime Scene with Alcohol Markers and the Floral Nativity Stamp Set

Hey there! Daniel West here with an airbrushed holy night background and nativity scene featuring the Floral Nativity stamp set!

All the papercrafters who expeditiously produce their Christmas cards before Halloween already have a good dozen on hand. Some of us, though, have yet to decide on a stamp set for this year! Today, I want to nudge you Nativity lovers toward this fun set with a project I created using alcohol markers.

Steps to Create this Card:

  • To begin, I die cut a mask for the star with the coordinating Frame Cuts and adhered it to front of the card panel. 
  • Next, starting with my darkest blue Copic marker in my airbrush attachment, I sprayed a vignette of color around the outer edges.
  • Then, I gradually added lighter colors of blue around the star.
  • To darken up the outside, I used a very dark violet marker. (You can get the same look with blender brushes and ink pads.)
  • Next, I stamped out the stable, donkey and camel images from the Floral Nativity stamp set in Intensified Black Ink and filled them in with black ink.
  • I ran my colorless blender marker over the top outside edges of them to remove some of the black ink and give the appearance of backlighting.
  • After that, I die cut and then stamped the images of Joseph, Mary and Jesus with Navy Ink and colored them in with the same blues and blacks.
  • I intentionally only colored them in with blues, allowing the light of the baby Jesus and the star above to illuminate them.
  • Next, I taped off a horizon and darkened up the bottom third of the card for a foreground with a black marker.
  • Then, I stamped and heat embossed the sentiment on Pitch Black cardstock with White Detail Embossing Powder.
  • I cut the sentiment into two small blocks and I popped it up with the holy family on foam tape.
  • Next, I adhered the entire panel to a Dove White Side
    Folded Card
     with Precision Glue.
  • To finish off the card, I added a host of stars in the sky with a white gel pen.

I hope you enjoyed this little project and maybe you'll give it a try! I have a bonus card using the Floral Nativity stamp on my blog, too! Check out more inspiration for this stamp set in the photos on the product page

You will find a grid of supplies below for your convenience.

Have a wonderful week!

Click on products to shop:
CM485 Floral Nativity - Hero Arts
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DI826 Floral Nativity Frame Cuts (D)...
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AF435 Intens-ified Black Ink Pad -...
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AF234 Navy Mid-Tone Shadow Ink - Hero...
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AF419 Clear Embossing & Watermark Ink...
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PW122 White Detail Embossing Powder -...
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PS323 Hero Hues Premium Cardstock...
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PS406 Hero Hues Dove White Side...
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GW101 Precision Glue - Hero Arts
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  • Barbara-Jean Kubik

    This card is gorgeous. The true meaning of Christmas. Love the blue

  • Carol E. Wortman

    Amen… The lighting and shadows are beautifully reverent. Again, another brilliant tip for backlighting I hope to never forget. (I need to start a tip journal) . Wonderful card that, to me, IS the magic and joy of Christmas. Thank you Hero Arts for keeping the Christ in Christmas!!

  • Mary Miller

    This card is absolutely gorgeous. It’s my favorite Christmas card that I have seen this year. Thanks, Daniel.

  • Gail Scott

    So beautiful! Thanks for sharing your art work! Love love this background and card