Copic Markers for Card Makers Day 7

Hello everyone! I hope you're having a good day. It's beautiful, warm and sunny here in North Carolina. I bought some Fall flowers for the deck and have plans to replant them into pretty pots and hanging baskets. It's too pretty not to go outside.

We had Day 7 for Copic Markers for Card Makers with Online Card Classes today. The images were these beautiful flowers and also a character bat, which I haven't colored yet. I thought I'd go ahead and post these flowers first before the sun goes down and I don't get pictures of the rest.

The lesson for the first image was to show us how to color a white object using the C markers (C-1, C-3, C-5) for the shadows.

I've done this before on gowns that were meant to be white, and I really like it. I may have put too much grey on here, but it's OK. I really like the red in the center. The green for the leaves is from my new markers, G40, G94 and G99, which came in one pack. I'm not sure I would've picked these three on my own, but they do make a nice leaf.

I tried two different reds on my practice sheets, and finally settled on the ones you see here, R27 and R29.

I think it makes a nice, deep red and looks super with the spot of deep yellow in the center. This is how it was colored in our lesson from Sandy Allnock, and I like it.

Thank you for stopping by today! I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope to have another card for you soon.

Copic Markers for Card Makers Day 6

Hello my friends! How are you today? Hope your week has started off on a good note.

Today's post is for Day 6 of Copic Markers for Card Makers with Online Card Classes. I enjoyed coloring dogs and foxes. So cute! For one, I used browns and the other I used greys. Unless I wanted to go into greens and blues, that was pretty much it for my color choices.

The first fox I tried didn't turn out so well, as my E33 marker ran out! I tried to cover up the streaks with E35 and even E08, which had a lot of red in it, but I still wasn't happy with the fox. So, I tried again using browns, and that turned out much better, as you can see. I really like the one on the right, and I don't think I could do much better, so I stopped. I'll go back later today and practice some more, but this was it for the morning practice.

You were right--I do need to make another purchase! E33 and 0 blending marker need to be replaced, or refilled. But you know as well as I do, once I start looking, I'll find a lot more I think I need!

Thank you for stopping by today. Your visits and comments mean the world to me, and they encourage me to continue on this creative journey. I hope to see you again soon!

Laugh!

Hello! Surprise! I have a card for you today!

As a Design Team member at The Outlawz, this is my card for the Paper a la Mode Challenge. We were to add a sentiment, and I think "Laugh" is perfect with this image from Bugaboo. I enjoyed coloring it with different shades of Copic Markers. I added a few little stars from Stamps of Life stamps, a little Baker's Twine, layered onto paper and was done!

Thank you for stopping by today! I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope to see you again soon!

Copic Markers for Card Makers Day 5

Hello everybody! I hope you're having a good day! That weekend sure went by fast, didn't it?

Today's post is from Day 5 of Copic Markers for Card Makers with Online Card Classes. We learned how to color hair and skin on a ballerina. I really enjoyed learning the new techniques from the various lessons.

We had some practice sheets just for hair and skin.

I tried different ways and am still not sure which one I like the best. I also varied the colors after going out and buying a few more Copics. I am partial to brown hair, since that's the color of mine. The skin varied in tone. I tried a couple different colors for blush on the cheeks but I'm not sure you can tell that much of a difference.

As you can see, I still have a lot of practicing to do!

Thank you for hanging in there with me as I take this class. I realize the practice sheets aren't as exciting to look at as a card would be, but that's coming. Sooner or later I'll cut out these practice images and put them on a card.

I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope to see you again soon!

Copic Markers for Card Makers Day 4

Hello everybody! We're at Day 4 for Copic Markers for Card Makers with Online Card Classes. We have some beautiful flowers to color with our Copics today. WooHoo! I absolutely LOVE flowers!

The first picture shows flowers with a pink and orange tone. I learned that combination with the pink, orange and yellow from Laura Bassen. She colors beautiful flowers using those colors.

The second photo shows flowers colored with red Copics, just a little different from the first. I like these two the best, but I went on to try other colors.

I also tried purple and blue, but I forgot to color the white centers on the blue flowers before taking the photo. (I have since completed the coloring with the white center.)

What's your favorite? I'd love to know your opinion.

This had to be my favorite class so far. Tomorrow we learn how to color hair, which is HARD. I've tried it many times but with no luck. Hopefully I'll learn something new here and it will work better for me.

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope to see you again soon!

Copic Markers for Card Makers Day 3

Hello everybody! I'm here with some pictures from Day 3 of Copic Markers for Card Makers Online Card Classes. (I still say that's a mouthful, and typing it isn't any easier!)

Today we were taught how to use grey (the C markers) to add dimension. The first practice image was a coffee cup, using grey on the far left side and blending it in toward the middle with our medium and lightest colors. We had several good video lessons, and all three showed us different ways to blend and use our markers.

This is an example of my coffee cups. I tried bluegreen, blue, brown/tan and pink. My favorites include the bluegreen and the pink. I think the grey blended the best with those.

We went on to practice on umbrellas, using the grey along the bottom, blending it with the darker then the lighter colors. I didn't like this too much, but I had one that I did better than others:

I used the C05 marker on all three panels of the umbrella, and I think it worked the best with the green, red and blue colors that were blended with it.

Everything bled a little over the edges. I think that's what happens when your paper gets too wet. I'm still practicing--a work in progress, so to speak. Please be patient with me as I learn! All of this is starting to make more sense to me, and I'm learning a lot already.

Here are a couple more pictures from yesterday's class. I colored some pretty butterflies and added a deeper color in the center that I did NOT blend so it would be more striking. Hope you like them!

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much! Take it easy, have a good day, and come back soon!

Copic Markers Class Day 2

Hello! Here we are at Day 2 for Copic Markers for Card Makers Online Card Class. Instead of balloons and gift packages, we colored birds and butterflies.

I apologize for the poor quality of this picture. It is cold and dreary here with little light.

Our efforts for Day 2 included lots of lessons on blending. We learned different techniques for holding the marker to get the desired effect. It was interesting to learn from the different teachers and see their own personal favorite techniques. After coloring my images, I wrote the marker number underneath in the box so I'd know what I'd used.

Thank you for stopping by today! I might have a card or two to post in the next few weeks, but most of it will be images such as this. I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again soon ~

Copic Markers for Card Makers Day 1

Hello everybody! Today I have something different to show you. I am taking the Copic Markers for Card Makers card class with Online Card Classes (try to say THAT three times!). They have a gallery where we can share our practice sheets. As always, I feel I can learn a lot from seeing the work of others, so I'm going to share my own, too. Please bare with me, as these posts will not be about cards, but rather, the coloring of images.

We were given several practice images to download, and that's what we use for each day of class. The first day of class, we used the images of balloons and gift packages. Since I'm a true beginner using Copics, I've already learned a lot about shading and blending. Of course, that's always true with these classes given by Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner--you learn a lot!

One of the first things we did was learn about the Copic numbering system, so under each image on our practice sheet are boxes where we can put the number from the Copic marker we used. (Each marker has a number.) I also checked which ones I felt blended the best.

We weren't supposed to pay attention to keeping inside the lines, as these would probably be cut out. It also helps get the technique better if you aren't worried about keeping within certain boundaries of the image.  I did okay, but one place you can tell where my hand jerked and marked across the balloon! It looked pretty good until I did that!

Thank you for hanging in there with me through these next couple of weeks of class. There won't be many cards coming along, but there sure will be lots of images and coloring! I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Fall Colors

Hello again! I'm back with another card I created this weekend. I was fortunate to have some scraps that went together that could be used for a card. That doesn't happen very often, so I felt good about my discovery!

This card was submitted in the Mix It Up Monday Card Challenge at Gina K Designs Stamp TV which called for a Clean and Simple design. The stamp is from Fall Foliage by Gina K Designs.

I am also submitting this card for Operation Write Home's Mid-Month Throwdown that called for Fall Colors. Operation Write Home is a wonderful organization where you can send your best cards for them to mail to soldiers serving our Country. They can then use them to send home to their loved ones. I've sent a few boxes to them over the years, and I continue to support them in any way I can. Check it out!

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Sweet Birthday

Hello everybody! Hope you enjoyed your weekend. I spent some time creating a few new cards for the blog and am ready to share them with you.

This card was created for the Mod Squad Sweet Challenge. I stamped an image from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life in their Blueberry ink, then inked the sentiment in Strawberry for the circle around the image. I used cardstock in the same colors that's also from Stamps of Life. This is my first time using her cardstock, and I love it! The cardstock pack comes in the same colors as their inks, so everything matches nicely. The ribbon actually came from a Christmas pack by American Crafts (the same pack of ribbon I used for my Christmas Card sets in a previous post).

Thank you for stopping by today! I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Sweet Treat for You

Hello! How is everybody doing today? The sun is shining, the temperature is mid-70s, and the rain has disappeared. I'm a very happy lady right now!

Today's card is for the Mod Squad Sweet Challenge. I chose a cupcake stamp by Penny Black; the sentiment is from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life. I colored the image with Copic markers and added some ribbon from my stash. After taking this picture, I went back and added a little bling. Sorry I didn't do that beforehand! (You ever look at a creation and think about it for a day or two before going  back & adding something? Me, too!)

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Cinderella

Hello everybody! I hope your day is going well. Hard to believe another week is almost over! The sun is shining today, and the temp has cooled just a bit, so I'm happy!

This card was created as a Design Team Member for The Outlawz Paper a la Mode Challenge. The guidelines were to create something inspired by a movie. I saw this Digi by Rick St. Dennis and immediately thought of Cinderella. The ribbon and background paper are from my stash, and the sentiment is from Gina K Designs. I used a Spellbinders die for the fancy oval frame; the image was colored with Copics.

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope to see you again soon!

Birthday Stripes

Hello everybody! How are you today? I hope your week has started off on the right foot. It's still raining here in North Carolina. I'm getting used to the dark, dreary days. At least it gives me a good excuse to stay inside and create cards!

I have another card for you that I created for the Mod Squad Challenge, which requires stripes. I love this paper from Gina K Designs. It's from the Red Carpet Pure Luxury Patterned Paper Pack. The stamps are from the Birthday Hoot stamp set, also by Gina K Designs. The images were colored with Copic markers, and the balloons were coated with Glossy Accents. I also used Wink of Stella pen on all the images.

Thank you for stopping by today! I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Stripes

Hello everybody! How's your day coming along? The weekend is here...so is the rain! It's lightening and thundering, too. yuk.

This card was created for the Mod Squad Challenge that requires stripes. The paper for this card is from Gina K Designs Wisteria Lane Pure Luxury Patterned Paper Pack. The stamp set is from Gina K Designs Vogue Vases 2, illustrated by Theresa Momber. I paper pieced the vase.

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your comments and visits very much, and I hope to see you again real soon ~

Birthday Collage

Hello everybody!!! Hope your day is going well.  This week is going FAST...but the weather is staying the same, no matter what day it is.

This card was created after seeing somebody else's card that's very similar. I WISH I could REMEMBER who that was, but I can't. I apologize, and if it looks familiar to you, please SPEAK UP! Let me know if it was yours and I'll be glad to give you credit.

I'm usually not one to put a lot on my cards, but this design really caught my eye. I love the stenciled background, spritzed with yellow, orange and green inks. Adding the balloons and sentiment on top was a great idea, and I'm so glad somebody thought to do that. I thought the stars were extra special.

Stamp sets I used are from Stephanie Barnard's Stamps of Life. The stencil is from Tim Holtz.

I hope to hear from you soon, especially if the design came from YOU! Your visits and comments mean the world to me, and I appreciate your coming by very much. Take it easy, and have a good day!

Christmas Set!

Hello everybody! I apologize for being absent for so long. I decided to follow your advice and work on some Christmas Card sets! I have several Christmas stamps I've never used, so I brought them all out and got to work.

Obviously, I stuck with traditional red and green Christmas colors. Like I said in my previous post, I have a HUGE stack (well, not so huge now, thank goodness!) of paper in these colors that's quite old, and I felt it was about time I used it.

I tried to add just a little bling to each card, sticking with the red and green colors to go with the white. Everything was colored with Copic markers, which bled a little here and there due to the poorer quality of paper. (This was NOT Gina K paper, for once. There's a big difference, I've learned.)

The lighting on these pictures isn't the best. The weather outside is changing--darker days and cooler temps make it harder to get good light for a quality photograph.

The ribbon I used is from a bundle of 24 rolls of various ribbons by American Crafts. I felt so guilty for buying this much ribbon last year I kept it wrapped up until now! To my defense, it was on sale!

I have no idea who made the rubber stamps. Some are blue, and I purchased those from a friend who was selling them through a catalog. If any of you recognize what that would be, feel free to jump in and tell me who makes them.

Thank you all for suggesting I do this. I've had a lot of fun this week creating different cards while using the same colors of paper. This might just be mass produced even more. (I have about 10 cards so far, which isn't that many, I realize.) It's great to put all this stuff to good use!

Now, to find some challenges for all these cards....

Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate your visits and comments very much, and I hope to see you again real soon~