Showing posts with label Prismacolor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prismacolor. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

A couple of images all colored up!

Hi everyone! I know it's been a while since I posted here...spring is always an insane time at work for me, so I have had very little time to craft at all, much less post. I'm really hoping things slow down a bit in the next few weeks, although I think the busy times will transfer from work to home life in these next few weeks as the kids wrap up the school year. Are any of you feeling a little overwhelmed right now too?

Anyway, I wanted to share a couple of digi images that I colored with my Prismacolor pencils yesterday. Both are from Mo Manning, and I have really fallen in love with her images. I can't believe how long it took for me to start using her digi stamps, but they are so cute!


The first one is called Bronte Kisses. How sweet is this image??? I colored this one while I was on my lunch break. Lately, I've been either rushing through lunch, missing lunch, or working through lunch, and yesterday I decided I just needed to get off the grid for a bit and have a little "me" time. And although a couple people looked at me a little strangely as I sat there with my bowl of soup and my pencils, blending stumps and Gamsol around me, I had a great time. :)


The next one is called Prince Edward Island. As soon as I saw it I had to have it! My best friend and I were huge Anne of Green Gables fans when we were girls. Have you read the series? It's just delightful - and I have been rereading the first book over the past couple weeks when I have a few minutes here and there. My favorite as a girl was Anne of the Island, and I wonder if my taste has changed now that I am older. But knowing that Anne and Gilbert are finally going to end up together...sigh. :)

This was my first time coloring on kraft cardstock. I used a tutorial over at Dorcas Designs to help me with the flesh tones. Not nearly as good as hers, but I was happy with the result for a first try. I really like how the colors pop on the cardstock. With kraft you don't use Gamsol or other solvents to blend the colors, rather you layer the colors on top of one another. The photo makes the coloring look a lot lighter than it is in person, but still, the overall effect is a lot like pastel chalks on paper. I worked on blending on Anne's face & body, but left her carpet bag less blended, trying for more of a tattered look. If anyone read the book, they would remember that she held onto her old bag when she met Matthew because the handle was broken and she knew the trick to keeping it closed. :)

The next step with each of these images is to put them on a card. Hopefully I'll have a chance by the weekend to do that, although first I have to dig my desk out of the piles that have accumulated over the past couple of weeks. I've also been working on my quilt here and there, and pulled out the knitting needles to work on a preemie hat. I'd like to get a few together and make a donation to the NICU at the local hospital. Ever since my colleagues twins were born at around 21 weeks in October, I've had preemies in the back of my head. The twins are home now, both well over 9 lbs and happy and healthy. Modern medicine really amazes me, but knowing that there is also a little something I can do to help these tiny babies makes me happy.

Lastly, an update on our duck. She laid a total of 11 eggs, but never returned to incubate them. Perhaps she was a young duck and didn't know what to do, perhaps she was frightened off, perhaps (and I really hope not) she was attacked and couldn't return. We kept our distance from the nest for over a week, but never saw head nor tail feather of her. Maybe she will try again next year...but it will have to be in a different spot since I still plan to dismantle the crumbling stone grill this summer.

Oh wait - one very last thing! Today is Teacher Appreciation Day in the states, and I just wanted to take a moment to wish our teachers a very happy day! We set up a lunch for the teachers at my son's school, and my daughter gave her preschool teacher a wooden birdhouse she painted herself. I'll have to post a couple pics of that...her furrowed brow as she concentrated on her art was adorable to watch. She was very proud to give it to her teacher when I took her to preschool today. :) So to all teachers (including my hubby!) - a very Happy Teacher Appreciation Day to all of you. Thank you for all you do for our children!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Prismacolor chart

Hi everyone!
Things have been a little crazy on the homefront and workfront lately so I haven't had a lot of spare time to work on cards. At night I've been doing a bit of quilting on a t-shirt quilt while I've been catching up on shows on the dvr. By the way, hubby and I have been faithfully watching "The Biggest Loser" this season. We've never watched it before, but Buddy, one of the contestants, is a family member! We've been cheering him on each week and it's amazing how much he has accomplished in the time he has been on the show. We're so proud of him - go Buddy!!!

Anyway, I wanted to share a little something that I have been working on. Nancy (a very sweet woman I've exchanged comments with via YouTube) sent me a couple of links to some Prismacolor-related sites and I've really enjoyed the info I've been finding there. One of the links sent me to a blank Prismacolor chart provided by Dana's Inspirations, which is just what I needed as I learn more about the pencils and shading, especially skin tones. I printed the chart out on Hammermill Digital Color Copy 80lb cardstock and went to work. Here is a picture of the coloring in progress:


I really love this chart already, because it's been challenging to guess at the shade when the pencils are in the box. It basically functions the same as a Copic color chart, but I took inspiration from Dana's example and colored it from light to dark so I could see how the color changes. Very helpful! If you would like to check out the color chart as well as the other great tips and ideas from Dana, go here. I have the 120-count box of pencils and the completed chart includes basically everything through the last set of colors on the bottom right corner. Those are the colors released in 2006, and there are a few that I may buy individually down the road. But for now, the set I have has been great for my needs.

Ok, I'm off to enjoy a bit of this ridiculously beautiful day. I can't believe that it's about 80 degrees in Michigan, in March! I'm not convinced that winter is gone for good, but for now I'm going to enjoy every bit of this weather while we have it! I hope the start of spring has been as lovely where you are, or that it's coming soon!

And thanks again Nancy, for sharing the links - they were a big help! :)

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Thinking of You card (Chickadees)

I traded my Copics for my Prismacolor pencils for this card. I started with a beautiful chickadee stamp from Sparkle & Sprinkle. I showed the various stamps, glitters and embossing powders that I purchased from them in this video. It was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Naturals White cardstock from Stampin Up.



Once I got it colored I used a sketch from Splitcoast Stampers as the inspiration of my layout. The sentiment is also from Sparkle N Sprinkle, and I used a Nestibilities die to cut out the circle. Here's the finished project!



 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed the card! :)