Eek it's a snake!

Well, hello there, yes I am back - harvest is over and I've just about caught up on family stuff so I am in the studio catching up on editing photographs of cards I made ages ago and never had the chance to post online.

So let's get the ball rolling with "Coiled Snake" from Whipper Snapper Designs!

I adore the expression on this guys face, don't you?

As someone who's reached her half century I guess I'll be receiving more cards with snarky sentiments like this one in the years to come, this particular stamp is from Taylored Expressions - Another Year Older

I've also been inspired by Kristina Werner @starofmay who has been creating some amazing artsy envelopes to decorate mine too - I used Whipper Snapper Designs - "Snake in the Grass" on the front...... it's not on a par with Kristina's creations but hopefully it will make the recipient smile!

I opted to colour the snakes with Derwent Lightfast Coloured Pencils......these are relatively new Oil-based Coloured pencils, made here in the UK, woo hoo!!

Strong pigment, combined with good blending qualities make them a pleasure to use.

Until next time

Happy Colouring

Birthdaysaurus greetings to you all!

I'm finally back in the studio having had a wonderful time in Scotland, yes, I finally got there!

So here is hopefully the first of many creations:

The last time I coloured this guy I used Copics and Coloured Pencils, but this time I wanted to see if I could manage without the pencils.

I have fitted some of my Copic Original markers with very fine tips which enables me to add detail with Copic - so I gave it a go!

In all honesty I had to admit defeat and use a grey pencil to a few areas that with the steadiest hand and best will in the world I was not able to achieve with Copics alone!

COPIC COLOURS USED:
Body: BV0000, BV000, BV00, BV01, BV02, V91, V93, V95
Spots: RV10, RV11
Shadows: N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N7, N8, T0, T2, T4, W1, W3
Eyes: B0000, N8
Feet: YR30, E81
Cake: E41, E42, E43, E44, E47, E70, E71, E74, E77
Candle: RV14, RV19, W3, YR20, YR15
Hat: RV11, RV14, RV17, RV19, W3
Grass: G40, YG61, YG63, YG67, YG91

Well, that's it for now, enjoy the sunshine & don't forget the sunscreen!

AGE CREEPING UP ON YOU?

Getting older is something none of us can do anything about, but we can at least have a little fun with our card making for friends and family who are over 21!

This is Danny Dinosaur by Whipper Snapper Designs.

I don't know about you but to me he looks a little startled that he's clocked up so many birthdays.....I know the feeling.......I hit the big 50 in November!

He's stamped on kraft card with MFT Hybrid Cement Grey ink and coloured with Caran D'Ache Pablo pencils.

Don't forget you can also see my work on my FACEBOOK PAGE and INSTAGRAM

Thanks for dropping by today
Happy Colouring

Martini anyone?

I'm more of a Pimms girl myself, but this little bee seems to be enjoying himself!

SUPPLIES
Stamps: Birthday Buzz by Whipper Snapper
Paper: LOTV Country Meadow
Colouring Medium: Copics
Tools: MFT Bubblegum Hybrid ink, MFT Wonky Stitch Rectangles, MFT Stitched Rectangles, Glossy accents

Happy Colouring

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

Even dinosaurs like cake!

Hello there, today I have an adorable dinosaur who is celebrating his birthday - stamped on white card with Memento Angel Pink ink for that soft, hand drawn look and enhanced with coloured pencils.

As you can see I have opted for a very simple layout on this card, allowing the image to be the focal point!

COPIC COLOURS:
Cake: E42, E43, E44, E47, E71, B01, B02, B04, Y15, YR04
Grass: G20, G12, YG61, YG91
Dinosaur: B0000, W1, W3, W8, YR30, YR20, YR21, E81, E84
                 Y26, Y28, E40, E41, E42, E43
Hat: BG11, BG13, BG18, BG05, BG09

SUPPLIES:
Stamps: Birthdaysaurus by Whipper Snapper Designs
Paper: Personal Impressions Premier Quality Smooth White Card
Colouring Medium: Copics (colour list above), Memento Angel Pink ink, Caran D'Ache Luminance and Pablo pencils
Tools: Corner punch, Washi tape
Size of Card: A2 (USA)

Now, some of you may be aware I am married to a farmer so this time of year is manic in our house - and the boys keep me busy with piles of laundry, as well as prepping, cooking and delivering meals to a bunch of hungry farmers out in the fields......... therefore I suspect these gingies are going to stay like this for a while as, sadly all crafting has had to be suspended.   Fingers crossed, we get a good period of uninterrupted sunshine and Peter can get through the combining as soon as possible.

Happy Crafting everyone

(Here's hoping I get to do some soon.....I have a 21st Birthday card I desperately need to make!)

Age is just a number

Copic and pencil are currently my colour mediums of choice, however I have recently treated myself to some new toys............more on that in future posts!

But I have been feeling somewhat guilty that my collection of Shinhan Touch Twin Brush markers have been sitting on my shelf for yonky donks, unused!!!! Now these do behave differently to Copic, the ink is thinner and the paler colours behave like colourless blender, easily removing ink if the dark colour is still wet.  I had also been struggling with bleeding issues, as I am in the habit of adding a lot of ink and being much thinner it permeated through the card too readily.

So for a while now I have been toying with the idea of trying a more Post Impressionist style of colouring which I had a bash at whilst playing with my crayons over the weekend and wondered if it  would help to combat the issues I have experienced with the markers and here is the result of my first attempt:

In order for this to work well I opted for a no-lines colouring, stamping the little dinosaur with Memento Angel Pink...... and then proceeded to colour the chap layering the ink with little dashes/lines.  The way Shinhan behave they seemed to blend pretty well using this method, I may have a go with Copic and see how they work with this technique!

If you are unsure as to what I am trying to achieve, here is a self-portrait painted by Vincent Van Gogh, created with short lines of colour...........

.........and here is the inside of the card with a snarky sentiment and co-ordinating dots 

I am really happy that I have finally found a method that works for my other markers and I will certainly be using this technique again, it was such fun to do!!!

SHINHAN COLOURS:
Balloon: BG179, B68, B65, BG251, BG57

Hat: YR24, YR211, YR25, BR114

Body: Y222, YR26, YR32, BR104, Y223, Y141, BR102

Tummy: YR25, BR114, BR113, R135, R28, R131

Eyes: PB144, WG9

Spines: YR21, Y222, YR23

Spots: R16, BR111, BR101

Shadows: WG0.5, WG1, WG2, WG3, WG4

Foot: WG1, WG2, WG3, WG4

Claws: CG0.5, CG1, CG5, CG9, GY232, BR134

Teeth: PB144, BG3

Hat: B68, Y34, R16, BR115, BR113, WG1, WG2, BR134

For those unfamiliar with Shinhan Markers and their Colour Codes here is their colour chart:

SUPPLIES:
Stamps: Whipper Snapper Designs - Birthday Dino, Taylored Expressions - Another Year Older
Paper: My Minds Eye - Quilting Bee
Colouring Medium: Shinhan Touch Twin Brush markers
Tools: Memento Angel Pink ink, Die Namics Blueprints 15, Personal Impressions Smooth White card, Spellbinders Grand Calibur, Enamel Dot stickers
Size of Card: USA A2

Thanks as always for dropping by, I hope some of you give this a go and please let me know how you get on.

I have been playing

Yes, yes, I know, not much blogging happening in Jane's Box of Colours of late............well, I've been enjoying the sunshine in Orlando and more recently playing with some new toys, but now I am back and ready to share some creative stuff!!!

Firstly, I am the proud owner of a Misti............anyone got one?  Oh boy, I am so glad I splurged on this sweetie - I am a lousy stamper - I goof up so many times and this little beauty allowed me to stamp a perfectly placed sentiment on a pre-coloured image without a hitch! (Can't tell you how many times I've had to fussy cut something because I've messed up stamping the sentiment!)

Secondly, yes, I must have had my head in a bucket (well with this face it's advisable) but along with the Misti I bought an Onyx Black Versafine ink pad - holey moley, what a difference, the images come out so crisp and clean!  (Happy Dance Time!) Why oh why have I not used this before!!!

Anyway, I will be sharing more of my toys, mishaps and creations over the next few months.......

Which leads me on to todays post.............

I have been playing with Derwent Inktense pencils, primarily due to some of the amazing creations Sandy Allnock has been sharing on her Youtube channel - I suspect it could get quite expensive if I keep watching Sandy!!!

For those not too familiar with these, they are similar to ordinary water-soluble coloured pencils except the pigment is ink based.  This means the colours really pack a punch when mixed with water, so much more vibrant than normal watercolours.

Meet Fritz, a fun loving pig who's got a little "messy"  as did I trying to get to grips with my newly purchased pencils!!!

I wouldn't call this a labour of love, as in all honesty it was as frustrating as my orthodontic braces are uncomfortable and a new technique/product I am going to have to work hard at to master.  

Firstly, I just could not get to grips with the Canson XL paper I chose to begin with, so I went back to my favourite, albeit expensive Arches Aquarelle. Then came the challenge to paint a pink pig.....there is not an actual pink in the colour range so you have to mix/blend and, well, Fritz came out flushed, dirty or just plain wrong!

Here are just some of the bloopers.....

In the end to save my sanity and the amount of Arches Aquarelle I was wasting I dug out my tin of Supracolor Soft pencils, which does have pink tones so I could paint Fritz a more appropriate shade!

SUPPLIES:

Stamps: Whipper Snapper Designs - Fritz

Paper: Arches Aquarelle HP Watercolour paper, Craft Creations card

Colouring Medium: Derwent Inktense and Caran D'Ache Supracolor Soft water-soluble pencils

Tools: Versafine Onyx Black ink pad, Woodware Fingerguard Trimmer

Size of Card - USA A2 (10.8 x 13.97 cm)

So from Fritz and I, thanks for dropping by and see you again soon for more crafting hints, tips, bloopers and cards!!!