23 December 2016

That darned chicken!

Well it is nearly time for Santa and his team to make their epic trip around the globe..............have you been naughty or nice?   You'll find out soon enough, mwah ha ha!

Anyway I thought I'd share a little tag I made for the season...........it's taken a little longer than planned due to an impromptu visit from the Migraine Monkey!!

And as you can see,  someone wanted to offer some assistance to one of Santa's Elves - that Chicken is a menace!


The soft appearance was achieved using the "no lines colouring" method, stamping the images with My Favourite Things Bubblegum Hybrid ink. In order to get that cheeky chicken hiding behind the elf, I stamped the image in pink on the tag and again in black on art masking tape. I fussy cut the image on the tape, placed it over the image on the tag and then stamped the chicken, again in pink.


SUPPLIES:
Stamps: Santa's Elves and The Whole Herd - My Favourite Things
Paper: Navigator Office Card 160gsm
Colouring Medium: Copic
Tools: MFT Stitched Traditional Tags, MFT Blueprints 24, White gel pen, Spellbinders Grand Calibur, Misti, Eclipse art masking tape, We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy Fancy Floss, MFT Bubblegum Hybrid ink.

Well, I think this is going to be my final post for 2016 - so I would like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and all the best for 2017.


See you in the New Year
until then
Happy Colouring

7 December 2016

He's limbering up!

Well it looks like Santa is getting ready for his big day!


For a portly chap he is remarkably light on his feet don't you think!
SUPPLIES:
Stamp: Jingle all the way - MFT
Paper: Neenah Desert Storm by Craft Creations
Colouring Medium: Copic markers and Caran D'Ache Luminance pencils
Tools: Spellbinders Grand Calibur, MFT Pierced Traditional Tags, MFT Blueprints 24, We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy fancy floss, Memento ink - Angel pink

Thanks for dropping by
Happy Colouring

5 December 2016

Owl like to wish you a Happy Birthday

This was such a "Hoot" to create, I just loved colouring those eyes and the balloon!


SUPPLIES:
Colouring Medium: Copic and Caran D'Ache pencils
Tools: Spellbinders Grand Calibur, MFT Wonky Stitched Rectangles, Misti
Size of card: A2 USA


Happy Colouring

3 December 2016

.......and shake!

I loved snow globes as a kid, until they sprung a leak, that is!  Here is a super cute one from Stamping Bella.......



The challenge with this one was to make the glass globe look authentic........and as I always say these days......."Google don't guess!"  Hopefully, this has helped and the glass dome looks plausible.

SUPPLIES:
Paper: from stash including Kraft card
Colouring Medium: Caran D'Ache Luminance and Pablo
Tools: Spellbinders Grand Calibur, L'il Inker Stitched Squares
Size of Card: 13.5cm


Will be back with more crafting goodness soon
until then as always
Happy Colouring!


1 December 2016

Ah, isn't he cute!!

There is something magical about coloured pencils on kraft card - it just makes the colours "pop" and I love it!

Here is the adorable Nacho getting into the festive spirit!


SUPPLIES:
Colouring Medium: Caran D'Ache coloured pencils - Pablo and Luminance
Tools: Spellbinders Grand Calibur, MFT Blueprints 27, L'il Inker Stitched Rectangles, brown chalk ink
Size of card: A2 USA


Thanks for dropping by
Happy Colouring!

29 November 2016

Don't forget to take care of you!

At this time of year we all tend to end up burning the candle at both ends, sometimes forgetting to breath!

So here is a card using My Favourite Things new stamp Sweet Sloths - who as we all know have got "chilling" down to a fine art!


For my second Guest Design Team post I opted for my usual "no lines colouring" style - for those not familiar with this technique, you need to stamp your images in pale ink (I tend to use pale pink).  When I add the Copic ink, the lines disappear, giving a delicate, hand drawn look to the image.  But I would strongly recommend you stamp the image in black too on scrap paper, so that you have a clear picture to refer to as you colour.

I decided to add a little doodling of my own so this relaxed little guy is surrounded by greenery, framing him using Stitched Rounded Rectangle Frames cut out of kraft card.  Then I headed straight for my favourite die for A2 cards from Blueprints 15 for my background and stamped a Sweet Sloths sentiment with Versamark ink which I then heat embossed with superfine white embossing powder.


So whilst the world rushes by at this festive time of year, take time to chill so you too can enjoy your special day!


Well, that's it for now, all that is left is for me to say a huge
thank you to My Favourite Things for having me as a Guest Designer this month.

Happy Colouring everyone

28 November 2016

Tag time

Now as some of my followers will know I solved this years Christmas card dilemma by drawing and colouring my Robin and Holly (but I still have to make all the cards.....this weeks task!) so I thought I'd take the opportunity to create a tag or two.

I dusted off my pencils and coloured up this little chap.


SUPPLIES:
Paper: Crafters Companion Neenah Desert Storm
Colouring Medium: Caran D'Ache Luminance pencils
    Body: 002, 009, 495, 001, 802, 803, 808
    Feet: 069, 077, 876
    Eyes: 001, 661, 004, 009
    Stick: 037, 906
    Sky: 661
    Ice: 001, 002, 004, 504, 507
Tools: Spellbinders Grand Calibur, MFT Pierced Traditional Tags, MFT Blueprints 24, Dovecraft Tea Party twine, Memento Angel Pink ink, Misti

Thanks for dropping by, I will be back tomorrow with another 
My Favourite Things creation


25 November 2016

Nearly Christmas, just saying

Firstly, I would like to thank My Favourite Things for inviting me to be a Guest Designer this month, I was over the moon when they asked me and was thrilled to be given the chance to play with some of the November release.

This particular card was such fun to make and I have to giggle when I look at the snowflake, you'll understand why later on in the post.



I thought you'd like to know how I set about making this card:

Lets start with the background - this was achieved with a Copic airbrush, using a mixture of G000, RV00 and B01.  I then added white dots with a gel pen to compliment the Snowfall of Blessings sentiment that I stamped with Versamark ink and heat embossed with superfine white embossing powder.

It was then time to turn my attention to the centre panel.  Initially I stamped various Simply Snowflakes on a piece of smooth card with Versamark ink and embossed it as above.  Colour was added using very pale Copic markers G0000, B0000, RV0000 - just make sure you've cleaned off any dusting or embossing powder from your cardstock or it could damage the nibs of your markers - as you can see it gives you a very soft mottled background.  The oval was cut out using Dienamics Pierced Oval Stax.

Now, this is where I start to chuckle as I got in a bit of a pickle with my first idea for the focal point on this card.  Initially I cut several Stylish Snowflakes out of shrink plastic, blasting them with my heat gun.  Ha ha, as I found out, after several attempts, fiddly die cuts don't shrink very well.......lets just say I ended up with some very strange looking shrunken blobs wrapped around the tweezers I was using to hold them - I made a right mess!!  So I abandoned that plan and cut a single snowflake from matt shrink plastic, which gave the die cut more rigidity than acetate or vellum would and carefully coloured it with the same Copic markers as above - the matt surface made this really easy to do.  A little sparkle was added courtesy of Clear Wink of Stella, a sequin and a dot of pearl paint.  

Finally I mounted it all on an A2 white card, using small foam pads under the central snowflake to make it stand out.


Ta da, a clean and simple Christmas card with a touch of sparkle!


Thank you for dropping by and I will be back in a few days with another card using 
My Favourite Things.


19 October 2016

Pushing the boundaries!

As crafters, many of us try (and in my case, often fail) to make our own Christmas cards each year.  Some are diligent and create the darned things "all year round" whilst others hit panic mode in November when they realise there just are not enough hours in the day to get them all done!!

Well, I reached that conclusion a little early this year........my Christmas card tally was in single digits and I'm away in early November...........things were not looking promising!

Then I sat in my studio day dreaming.........how long was it until my trip to Arizona to attend Jennifer Dove's Copic Bootcamp?  As I gazed into space I found myself pondering over the Copic fine art creations we have seen that amazingly talented lady producing......who can forget the giraffe drawn on an ostrich egg or those fantastic tulips and it got me thinking.........dare I have a go?

Could I do it?  So far I'd only ever used my Copics to colour stamped images adding the odd background here and there........would I be able to make the jump to a hand drawn piece of art as the Allen Christmas card? Well, there was only one way to find out - give it a try!  What is it they say - "nothing ventured, nothing gained" ...........but what was I going to draw - not a tractor in the snow, that was for sure!  Then my mind wandered to Ruby, the photobombing chicken and it got me thinking...........Christmas....birds....Turkeys, suddenly it hit me, what about a little Robin!


Well, I've waffled on long enough, so here it is:





It is based on an image I found online, along with numerous pictures of Robins I used for reference, primarily because, believe it or not this is the first time I have ever drawn a bird!




I would love to have taken some pictures whilst I worked on it, but I was simply too scared to do so........what if I goofed and had to start over!  So please forgive me; having drawn the image in pencil I drew a deep breath and started to add the colour.  Firstly the holly branch and leaves, then the Robin. Oh boy, creating the texture on those feathers took some thinking, I was layering lavenders, blues, browns and greys to get the right colours. Then of course there was that vibrant "orange" chest....yes, believe it or not Robin Red Breast is in fact orange!! Finally I turned my attention to the snow, colouring white is a challenge all on its own! I was literally holding my breath as I neared the end - praying that I could finish it without making a mistake - and thankfully I did, woo hoo!!!!  

Oh and it's 100% Copic, no coloured pencil enhancement whatsoever (pinky promise)!!! 

Are you all ready for the Copic list, you know me, I use lots.........well when you have a full set of Copic markers it would be criminal not to try and use as many of them as you can!


From now on I intend to use my markers for way more than just colouring in stamps.........and I have to say I am really rather pleased with my first piece of Copic Fine Art.........keep watching, there will be more, for sure!!!

Thanks for dropping by and I hope this has inspired you to challenge yourself, push those boundaries and try things you have never done before.................you never know where that journey will take you!


Happy Colouring

15 October 2016

Is it a bird, is it a plane?.....No it's Supergirl!

Oh boy, I certainly wished I had had super powers recently so I could have avoided picking up a pesky viral infection........hey, ho, sort of back to myself again and yes I have been colouring!

Not quite ready to share what I have been up to just yet........suffice it to say I pushed myself further than I've ever done before and am pretty amazed at what I've achieved...........more on that next week!!!

Until the big reveal, here is something else I coloured recently:


Now I confess, the hair -  grrrr, my nemesis; if I am going to have sticky Copic issues you can guarantee it will be with the hair!  This meant I required the assistance of a little colour pencil touch up to save the day!  
And if you look carefully you can see that I gave the envelope a little star treatment, adding them to both the front and the back. It does not show in the photograph but they sparkle too, courtesy of a touch of clear Wink of Stella!


She was coloured using the "No Lines Technique" (a tutorial will be appearing on my blog in the not too distant future) 
I then opted to fussy cut Supergirl for a change, mounting her with foam pads onto a distress ink coloured background. 


SUPPLIES:
Stamps: Super Girl by Whimsy Stamps, Block Sentiments by Lili of the Valley
Paper: Personal Impressions Premier Quality Smooth White card
Colouring Medium: Copic Markers, Caran D'Ache Pablos pencils
Tools:  Spellbinders Grand Calibur, L'il Inker Stitched Rectangles, MFT Blueprint 15, Wink of Stella Clear, Distress Ink - Black Soot, Hickory Smoke, Tumbled Glass and Scattered Straw, Memento Angel Pink, Versafine Majestic Blue
Card size: USA A2

Happy Colouring 
and have a great weekend

5 October 2016

A budding little picasso perhaps

So lets get down to the arty stuff, right - here is a card that was an absolute pleasure to create:


As you can see I decorated the envelope again, I just splodged on some distress ink.  Oh dear, I need to practice with those little spongy distress tools - there must be a knack to it (sadly I haven't found it yet)

Now, my version looks a little different when compared to the stamp...........adding more detail to the eyes and giving her a mouth as well as using the no lines technique adds a touch of realism to the original image.



Here is a picture of the outside, simple and clean - just letting the image be the focal point.








And here is the inside of the card decorated with distress ink and the paintbrush from Tim Holtz Crazy things collection.



COPIC COLOURS
Background: R0000, R000, E40, E41, E43, YR30
Hair: YR20, E11, E13, E44, E47
Skin: E0000, E000, E00, E40, V20, R20
Eyes: B93, B95, W10
Jeans: B91, B93, B95, B97, C0, C4, C7
Jacket & Beret: YR30, E50, E43, E81
Brush: R27, E43, E40, E41, B02, W2
Palette: E51, E53, E81, E43
Splats: B02, Y35, YG25, YR04, BV02, R27, W2
Boots: E11, E13, E15, E44








SUPPLIES
Stamps: WSD Budding Artist, Tim Holtz Crazy Collection
Paper: Personal Impressions white card, card from stash
Colouring Medium: Copic Markers, Memento Angel Pink ink, Distress ink - Tattered Rose, Caran D'Ache pencils
Tools: Misti
Size: USA A1

Thank you so much for dropping by my blog today, hope you enjoyed the post - until next time...........

Happy Colouring

1 October 2016

Happy little hedgehogs :)

We used to get quite a few hedgehogs in our garden when I was a kid, but I don't think we've ever had one here in this garden which is such a shame as they are so cute!


I decided to include a little hand drawn element to my card - I deliberately coloured it much paler than the foreground, giving the impression of distance. (nothing fancy, just squiggles that hopefully look like bushes/trees)


Here are pictures of both the front and inside of the card.....


........and lets not forget the customised envelope


Dependent upon the type of paper the envelope is made of I sometimes use Copics as above, however if the paper is a tad too porous and looks like it will bleed, then I play safe and use coloured pencils.  Here is a little tip - put a scrap piece of paper inside the envelope when using Copics, so if any colour does come through it marks the paper, not the back of the envelope!!


COPIC COLOURS:
Hedgehog: E40, E41, E42, E43, E44, E47, E49, W9, RV32, E99
Toadstool: E21, E23, E25, YR30, E40, E41, E42, W4
Ground: YG91, W0, YG0000, W4, W6, YG93, W1, G40, YG63, YG61
Log: E30, E31, E34, E23, E25, W2, W3, W4
Sky: B0000, B000




SUPPLIES:
Stamps: MFT Happy Hedgehogs
Paper: Navigator Office Card 160gsm
Colouring Medium: Copic Markers
Tools: Grand Calibur, MFT Stitched Rectangles, Misti, Versafine - Vintage Sepia, MFT Hybrid ink - Gravel Grey and Natural, Derwent Graphik White pen

Thanks for dropping by my blog today, hope to see you again soon on Wednesday with another post.

Happy Colouring

29 September 2016

The animals are having a party!!

Why?  Well just keep reading..........


My Favourite Things have announced the 10 winners for their

COMPETITION

(please click on the above image to see all the winning entries)



 I am so proud to announce that....


I am a


with this card.......


(click HERE for original post....... including Copic colours & extra photographs)


As you can imagine, Ruby, the photo-bombing chicken is beside herself............fame is definitely going to her head - taking selfies and signing them for any animal she can corner in the farm yard!  



Joking aside, many congratulations to my fellow winners and well done to everyone who entered, I really enjoyed seeing all of your wonderful creations!

And finally, a huge thank you to My Favourite Things for holding the contest and selecting my comical farm photo montage - thanks guys, you've really made my day!!!


Happy Colouring