Video Tutorial: Prismacolour Pencils on Kraft

Hi!

After I posted this card:

I had a few friends on twitter (and in the comments) say they weren't confident using Prismacolor Pencils when colouring.

They were unsure how to do the blending, didn't think they could do it. But honestly, its SO easy.

I am FAR from the world's most proficient colourer (colourist?!) but with a little practise, you can get results just like mine in the card above--and even better than that.

I've made a video "tutorial" on how to do it :)

So a few tips that I have found work for me:

• Use the 72 pack--if you can afford it, they are an investment, but the pencils in the larger set are MUCH waxier and creamier. This makes for flawless blending with much less effort. (There are also MANY more colours to choose from in the larger set :))
• When sharpening your pencils, our natural instinct is to hold the pencil in our dominant/writing hand and the sharpener in the other. If you swap hands (so that the pencil is in your less dominant hand), you'll break the leads MUCH less frequently, because you're putting less pressure on the pencil as you turn it in the sharpener. It also tends to stop you over-sharpening (which can also lead to broken/fallen out leads), and a ridiculously pointy/sharp pencil tip, will show up on your page very dark, I prefer my pencils sharp, but with a very slightly rounded tip (You'll see this in the video)
• This is going to sound odd, but trust me: Find how your hand colours the most comfortably (which position your hand is in). For me, I colour best when moving the pencil left and right (on a slight angle), so I move the cardstock/paper (whatever I'm colouring) around, so that my hand stays in the same place. If I try to keep the image still but move my hand around the paper, my colouring ends up awful and choppy. Find what works for you.
• Don't hold the pencil too tight/firmly. 1) your hands wont cramp up after you've been colouring for ages, and 2) you'll have a much more natural 'movement' in your colouring, which will look better.
• Hold the pencil a little way up from the end. If you grip the pencil very close to the actual point/lead then your colouring will only be able to fill a tiny area, and you'll have to keep moving your hand around, this tends to make it look less smooth (plus it's tiring!) Holding the pencil further up the 'shaft' of the pencil will also allow you to get into those little fiddly spaces more comfortably.
• Colour each little section of your images (eg. if it's a person, their hair, their shirt, their pants etc etc, if its a flower, each petal) in the same direction for the entire space. If you're moving your pencil left-right (and back and forth), then colour the entire petal/shirt in that 'direction'. If you colour parts of it in left-right movements, then switch to up-down (like a small child would do), you'll find blending is difficult and the image wont look smooth--it will look like a patchwork quilt!
• try not to hunch over your work. Sit close enough that you can see the image (of course!) but if you can sit back a little, so that you can see the WHOLE image (not just the tiny space you're working on), you'll get a better overall effect.
• work in small sections--it's less overwhelming! If colouring a whole page of flowers (like on my card), I work one petal at a time, then I look at the whole flower (singularly) to see if it all suits. Then I move onto the next flower, petal by petal. If I look at the entire piece I have to colour, I get overwhelmed and I tend to rush--never a good idea :)
• If you're REALLY against the image looking pencil-coloured (or hand-coloured), you can purchase 'blending' solutions (eg Gamsol) and use them after you've coloured everything. Using a blending stump (a pencil made out of tightly wound paper) and Gamsol, takes away all the stroke marks that come from colouring with pencil. ***however, Personally I LIKE my images to look like I've coloured them myself, and using the technique I showed in the video (going back over the entire area with your palest colour) will give you a VERY blended look anyway.

Hope this helps! I hope you'll give colouring a try, its so fun when you figure out what works best for you.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments!

Enjoy :)

Linda xxx

InLinkz.com

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Prismacoloured Poppies

Hi there!

This is the card I actually meant to post on ABNH the other day lol, but thats ok.

I'm entering it into the Hero Arts August challenge. It's CAS (its only one layer other than the gems) and I used the bottom right-hand sketch as inspiration. I flipped the image so the 'strip' was on the left hand side and instead of patterned paper, I did it with the flowers, then shifted the sentiment over a wee bit. Couldn't bring myself to stamp right onto (or over) those flowers.

First I stamped the HA Friend Definition using Memento Toffee Crunch ink, then the flowers in Tuxedo Black. I coloured them in with Prismacolour pencils and added a soft white outline all around the image, it helps to make the flowers reach up off the page a bit more.
Next I stamped my sentiment and added the gemstones, before adhering the whole lot onto a white cardbase!

Oh! and I wanted to mention something, the Prismacolor pencils that are in the big 72 pack, are MUCH nicer and 'more heavily pigmented' (they show up on the page better) than the smaller packs. I'm not sure if they're all made the same way, but these seem waxier too--which makes for better blending. So if you can, save up and make the investment in the big set--its so worth it! (I've linked the correct set below :))


I think I'll be making this card a few times over, I really love the effect.

Thanks so much for looking!

Crafty hugs

Linda xx

InLinkz.com

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Fluorescent flower :)

Hello!

I'm here to share a card I whipped together last night.

I've been noticing a trend of fluoro yellow and black and I have to admit, I love it!

So I went with that colour scheme and pulled out my new Hero Arts Studio Calico Lattice background cling. My good friend Leslie and I did a bit of a stamp swap (I had two of something and she switched for this Lattice background)

SO here it is!

VERY simple to make! I used the Lattice background and some Memento Tuxedo black ink, stamped onto kraft cardstock, which I then cut to size and matted onto black Bazzil cardstock. Those layers were then adhered to a white cardbase.

Next I stamped the Flower image from Pattern Hearts and Flowers, (Memento ink again), cut around it and coloured in using my brightest Prismacolour pencils.

For a finishing touch, I added some Stardust stickles to the petals.

Next I stamped the sentiment panel and cut it out, before adhering it to the centre of the card, then placing the flower image over the top, on dimensional foam tape.

Lastly I added some pearls!

Here is a closer look

 and so you can see the dimension (and a random white dog hair that decided to adhere itself on the back of the flower LOL) Thanks Toby.

I gotta say, i love this card!

InLinkz.com

Thanks for looking!

Linda xoxo

Oh snap!

Hello!

Just thought I'd pop in quickly to share a card I made :) and to thank those of you who commented on my last post :) It was lovely to see what you were grateful for along side me!!


Here it is:

I cut and scored a piece of kraft cardstock then rounded all four corners with my corner chomper.

I stamped the Amy Tangerine camera stamp with Memento Tuxedo Black, and then repeatedly stamped it 4 more times without re-inking it. I love this fading effect and I'll definitely be using it again soon! I trimmed the white cardstock and then mounted it onto a slightly wider strip of aqua AC cardstock, before adhering the lot to the kraft cardbase.

Next I stamped the letters for the sentiment onto a sticky note (you could use masking paper but I couldn't find mine!) and then cut them out--if I'm being completely honest, I only cut out the right hand side of them as this was the only bit I'd be using. Then I stamped the sentiment onto the card one letter at a time, making sure to slightly overlap the letters a little.

Then I took my beloved Prismacolour pencils and coloured in the left of the letters with a beautiful teal green pencil. I was going to leave it at that but then decided to add some nice crisp white to the opposite side and I. LOVE. the effect this gives. The letters just pop off the page, see??.....

 

Lastly I thought the edges of the card needed some definition, so I used a white gel pen to create a faux stitch line.

That's it! Very simple and some fun, easy colouring.

I'll be back soon with more to share :)

*sending smiles*

InLinkz.com

PS I couldn't find an inlinkz-friendly aqua cardstock, but Hero Arts pool layering paper would be perfect :)

Inspired By...Joy Taylor, Day 4!!

Hey Y'all!!

I know I'm not a "Southerner" but I've always wanted to say Hey Y'all...in real life too, but I'm pretty sure I'd get some funny looks here in Australia! lol

How are you all enjoying my week of Inspired By?? As much as I am I hope!  Thank you all so much for all the comments, it's such a treat to have feedback. Really lovely!

Here is card #4 of Joys that I really loved as soon as I saw it:

 I love Joy's colouring no matter what the image is, but this is so vibrant and pretty, it's just amazing!

Here is my "version":

I used my Prismacolour pencils to colour the Daphne flower image in (which is from Tiffany Doodles). I started with the yellow centres, then used my lightest blue over the rest of the petal, then added gradually darker shades of blue from the outside of each petal (not overlapping the previous shade completely). Then at the end I went back over the whole petal (yellow part too) very lightly with the palest blue.

Blend blend blend :)

Here is a shot that's far too bright :) but you can see the scoring I did on the backing card (which again, is HA Layering Paper (love that paper!)

I used Jenny Bowlin Lemon Drops ink with the Hero Arts Life of the Party Dots cling stamp (loooooooooove *sing song voice*). I canNOT get enough of that stamp (or that ink!)

The sentiment is Hero Arts too, the sentiment strip is diecut with my Big Shot using a Papertrey Ink Banner die *so versatile!*

Here is a super close-up of the flower, so you can see how much I blended it.
I spent a good 20-30 minutes on this flower in total because I took my time (and did it over several sessions), but I blended until my eyes were nearly crossed! It's worth the effort though.

As you can see better in this shot above, the flower is up on dimensional foam squares to really make it stand out against the rest of the card, which is all 'one layer' (sort of :))

To finish the card, I once again put on my Joy Taylor-thinking-cap and pulled out the gemstones :)

Joy always seems to know exactly where to place her gemstones/pearls...I'm pretty much stalking her blog to try to learn off her :) She's always PERFECT in placement.

Anyhoo, I hope you liked this one! I'm really happy with it. The extra time spent on the flower (and being patient with my colouring *cough not my strong suit cough*) really paid off. 

Come back tomorrow for *sob* the last day of my Inspired By Joy posts (the last one for Joy's beautiful cards, not the last inspired by post :))

Hope you'll join me then!

Please feel free to leave me some comment love :) It's been so amazing to get such a response so far!! (Lovely to know I'm not talking to myself on here too haha!)

Take care lovelies!

*hugs*

Linda xx