Friday, August 10, 2018

Darling Dahlias

Hello friends! I'm here to share the Hero Arts make and take project given at Junkie Fest. Junkie Fest was a huge hit, and we're already talking about 2019. If you want to stay in touch, please head over the the Stamp Junkies Facebook page and meet some amazing people!

Today my project is all about this little set. When the fest was over, there were some extras in this make and take, so I was given 4 to take home. I decided to share my Copic coloring methods using 4 different color families. I've been a little under the weather, so I did a photo step-out rather than a video.

Hero Arts Dahlia

------    RED     ------


Reds are often hard for people to grasp. In my mind, I break down what colors go into making a red flower. That determines my colorway.


You can see my list of colors - R89, R39, R27, R24, R05, R01, E01, R000. I begin by determining my drop shadows using my darkest color, R89. Drop shadows are the areas that are directly beneath the petal above. Then I add quick flicks of that color into the leaf. Shadows are composed of the deepest color of the flower plus any coolness dependent on the light. I'm staying neutral with these, but you could go warmer or cooler depending on your light type and source.


I chose a warm, brighter color for the next application. Quick flicks again, but I'm staying close to the R89 areas. This pulls a little of the R89 out into the petal, softening the line and brightening things up.



I shift into the lightest color. This helps even everything out and shows me where I have overly or under-saturated points. I start picking up colors with the R01 to add contrast, or let the maker linger to push ink out of the way.

You see my little porcelain dish? I love these. They come in a stack of 5 with a lid. I scribble a little of my darker colors into this dish for tip-to-tip pickup. If I do actual tip-to-tip, I inevitably drop one of the markers splat on my project. When you see the photos in succession, you'll note when those streaks change. A sure sign that I've picked up another color to be the 'tween combo.


My next colors fill in gaps, and the I finally start addressing the center. Some dahlias have vibrant greenish-yellow centers. My red color palette leans towards orange, so I'm adding more orange and yellow bits in there.

The color palette on my paper is not always a complete list. It's my starting point. I realized the E01 wasn't going to fit in, and that I needed those yellows.


I'm bringing in the YR65 to those centers, and little touches on the other petals to carry the orangeness around.


Smoothing with R01.


And finally tightening up the shadows with my next to darkest in this line up, R39.

Still with me? Great!

------      GREEN     ------


I follow the same process with the leaves - determining the shadow areas, and where I want the lightest part of the leaves to fall. If an image has a ridge, it can be lightest (nearest your eyes), or deepest if you want that to bend away from the light.


G99 begins with the outer edges, bending away from the eyes.


YG67 starts to brighten and lift the leaf.


YG17 brings more light to the raised portion of the leaf.


Lastly, FYG2 (a newer addition to Copic's line) becomes the brightest of the greens.

YG01 finishes the effect. I run a light coat of YG01 all over the leaves to pull it all together and limit harsh lines between the colors.

------      YELLOW      ------


Yellows can be tricky. It's such a light, bright color that deep shadows can pose a problem. Here's my palette, Y11, Y06, Y08, Y26, E37.


Are you scared? I was. I admit it. I wasn't certain this was a good idea, but hey, it's just paper, right? It's ok - it works out in the end. Note the use of the dark marker on the end of the petals - those define where the folds in the petal are. Petals are seldom flat and smooth.


I added the lightest color and learned my marker was very dry and I had no refill. Still, it did its job. I leave a white space on most of the petals where I want the very lightest effect. This is an important step. If you get nothing else out of this post, read this.
Leave yourself room for highlights. Dark areas are easy to darken. Getting lights back is nigh on impossible.

The mid-tone brings on brassiness. I pull a little of the E37 out with this Y08 application.


A little Y26 adds more definition. So that's where I left this - finished the leaves as shown above.


So here they all are. I used the lovely delicate petals stencil from Hero Arts with Distress Ink Tumbled Glass using Clarity Stencil Brushes. These brushes... so awesome if you want a delicate blend without any harsh lines.

Clarity Stencil Brushes



I added some twine, a sentiment from retired Verve set Rise Above, plus some Tonic sequins and Crystal Drops in Morning Dew.



Color palette RV02, RV06, RV17, RV19.


Color palette YR01, YR65, YR15, YR68, YR27, and E37.

I hope these bring you some inspiration. Pull out your favorite colors - enjoy coloring even if the final result isn't stellar. It's only paper!

Ta for now,
~ky





Thursday, July 19, 2018

Little Things

Hello! Welcome to my blog! I must tell you I have a special place in my heart for little things. Baby bunnehs, little piglets, baby alligators - and not just animals! I also love small-format works of art!

I fell in love with artist trading cards (ATCs) years ago, but somewhere I lost the desire to create them. I think I was busy falling in love with the next new thing. I moved from scrapbooking to card making, but all things old are new again!

Small formats still tell stories!
ATCs were a way to create one of a kind art. They were used to trade with other artists - sharing personal style, techniques, or serving as business cards! These were usually created in small quantities earning collection numbers (i.e. #3 of 14). Some were one-offs - only 1 in a series, thus coveted.

The latest phenom stirring the crafty waters are Artist Trading Coins (ATCoins or just Coins). These are the same principle, just abbreviated. The ATCs were 3.5 x 2.5 inches (same size as baseball trading cards and most business cards). ATCoins are 2.5 inch circles. I don't know why, but these are so addictive!


My friends and I just finished our first Coin exchange. There were 2 options - create 18 similar coins (it's hard to make them perfect copies) to exchange with 17 others, and a one-to-one exchange. So satisfying, invigorating, muse-shaking fun! I'll share those once everyone has received theirs in the swap - no spoilers!


I started with a Gel Press printed sheet and punched 2.5 inch circles. I colored some medical gauze with Daley Rowney FW light green acrylic ink. Then I embeded it by stitching it into the gel print and covering bits with modeling paste. I added circles of acrylic paint, added some green glitter washii from Tim Holtz and Nuvo crystal drops. The fish is a Beautiful Betta from The Ton. I love this set so much!!

Here's the one-on-one swap. I made this adorable undersea coin using alcohol inks and foil on Yupo paper. The stamps are Inkon3's My Little Catfish.


I put these cute little merkittehs and sea horse on a fluid alcohol ink circle of Yupo paper. Did I mention these little coins are addictive?!

Here's the one I received from my partner, Rebecca Roh. Isn't it gorgeous? Every kitteh needs toys and leaves pawprints on your heart. I love it!!


Thanks so much for stopping by. I'm hosting the Mix-Ability challenge on Splitcoast this week. Swing on by and join us!

Ta for now,
~ky

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Wonderful Trees

Hello again, my friend! I've been working on a lot of things lately and my blog is a bit neglected. I will have more to share with you soon!

I am working toward attending JunkieFest in Minneapolis at the end of July. I'm so excited! Everyone is working hard for us, and I want to have thank you cards ready to share.

You know I'm nuts about ink blending. I really really really love it. I'm sharing a little video about how I make make multiples using this technique.  This set of eight cards used Distress Inks, but the video uses Stampin' Up! There are 2 in each color combo. Any dye-based ink can be used in this manner.


I know many crafters who are NOT fans of multiples. To me they are soothing. My little video will show you how I set things up for success. The key is making a plan and having everything set so it goes smoothly.



I hope you enjoyed this little video and post. Which color combo is your favorite? I'll be honest - I can't pick!



I'll be back soon with other news! Thanks for visiting, and I hope you enjoyed a safe and happy Independence Day!

Ta for now,
~kc


----    S U P P L I E S   ----
Rooted In Nature stamp set - SU!
MISTIs - My Sweet Petunia
Cardstock - Hammermill Premium Color Copy Cover 80 lb.
Laminator and 3 mil sheets
Ink on 3 Blackout hybrid ink
Distress and Stampin' Up! inks
  • Daffodil Delight
  • Tangerine Tango
  • Rich Razzleberry
  • Chipped Sapphire
  • Stormy Sky
  • Seedless Preserves
  • Dusty Concord
  • Aged Mahogany 
  • Mustard Seed
  • Spiced Marmalade
  • Barn Door
  • Picked Raspberry
  • Wild Honey
  • Crushed Olive
  • Peeled Paint
  • Forest Moss
  • Pine Needles
  • Evergreen Bough



Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Cute But Dangerous

That sums up this stamp set! Welcome back to my blog! I picked up these adorable images from Fleurette's store, Inkon3. Check them out:


Totally adorable, am I right? As much as I love these for card making, I really adored the idea of giving them their own world! I started with an acrylic paint background (titanium buff), then layered over several shades of blues (Dina Wakley's colors) through various stencils.


I followed the same pattern with the lower green areas. I stamped random text over the sky and grass using Archival Inks.


I stamped all the pieces and colored them. You'll note the Ellen Hutson flowers. They are from Rustic Botanicals by Julie Ebersole. So stinking cute!! Her set was provided to Understand Blue Unwind attendees. If you haven't gone to a UBlue event, you really should.

Although these adorable dragons come with dies, I wanted clean dark edges, so I cut them out by hand. I find that activity very zen. I also cut out rocks using Tim Holtz's cobblestone die and created little spaces for the flowers and mushrooms.


And how cute is that little fire! There are two little faces that you can choose for it. I love this one, and debated putting googly eyes on it, but I decided to just leave them be. All of the dragons are shimmery with Wink of Stella. I mean, they're magic so why not!

To tie the whole page together, I painted a crisp black border, highlighted with white Gelly Roll pen lines and gold embossing paste through a Dylusions stencil.


Here's the whole page. I really love how it turned out - I added text bubbles and pencil shading to add interest and dimension. I'm so glad you stopped by today and I hope this page brought you a smile. I hope you're inspired to get this set and start creating today!

Ta for now,
~ky

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Faux Metal Effects

Hello again! Today I have a quick video for you, and an easy way to achieve faux metal effects for use on your cards and journals. You may have noticed the interesting panel behind the focal point of my finger-painting card shared HERE.


Don't you love that look? It's really easy to do. Here's a 3 minute video to show you how I did this.





I love the way metal is woven through most of the elements on this card. Please see THIS POST for more details on the creation of the card. The supplies used are listed below.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog - I really love reading your comments!
~ky

  ----- S U P P L I E S -----
Basic black cardstock
Versamark Ink
Pan Pastel Metallics
Sofft Sponges
Matte Mod Podge Spray Sealer
Stampin' Up! 3D Dynamic Embossing Folder Hexagons
Stampin' Up! White embossing paste
Stampin' Up! Copper thread
Stampin' Up! Copper embossing powder
Copper foil paper - retired
Stampin' Up! Pattern Party Decorative Masks
Stampin' Up! Rooted in Nature Stamp Set and Dies
Palette Knives
Linen Thread
Nature's Poem Designer Series Paper

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Have a Drink

Welcome back! Today I'm sharing a video and project designed to make your playtime fun. It seems alcohol inks have been all the rage lately. I've never put mine away for long. They are just so organic, random, ever-changing, and plain old fun. Add some Yupo paper, and you have magic!

I'm hosting the Mix-Ability challenge over on Splitcoast Stampers this week. Our little team are dedicated to making artistic mediums approachable for card makers and art journalers alike! This week I'm challenging you to use alcohol inks to create a flower. Here's the video.



These are the three flowers I created. I've turned one into a card, one into an art journal, and the other is waiting for another application.



It's a pretty basic card, but I wanted the flower to take center stage. This flower was completed on SU! glossy cardstock. It didn't move the way alcohol ink does on Yupo, but it's still pretty. The faint blue areas on the paper were deposited residual ink drops.


This is the flower from the video. Isn't it wonderful? All the motion, the color, your eye fills in the gaps and viola! It's a pansy lily! Plily? Panly? Linsy? Hmm...

You were born an original. Don't die a copy.

All that yummy goodness! There were a million steps to this, but basically this is how it happened...


I started with a titanium buff acrylic paint, then adhered the Yupo flower panel with torn text paper glued around it. I find it fascinating that God would pick that little bit of all the papers I have (I just pull it out, I don't look at it) that says Santa Fe. That high school was the site of the recent school shooting. Intriguing since I picked the page statement out long before this concept came together. He leaves His fingerprints all around if we're willing to look for them.



I added layers of acrylic ink over Golden crackle paste spread through Dylusions and SU! stencils. I cut each word out of 37 different alpha dies...actually just 3 - 2 old QuicKutz dies and the other from Mama Elephant. The sticker words came from a Tim Holtz pack. I sealed it all up and added shading, black and white paint splatters, and Tonic Nuvo Crystal Drops in places to lead the eye.


And this little gem will find its way onto something soon. I could make these flowers forever. I hope you'll try this technique - and have fun doing it!

Ta for now,

~ky

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Pretty and Polished

Hey friends! I'm back with a new tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers (SCS). This time, I'm cleaning out some of my beauty supplies. Can you guess?

Fingernail polish! Yes! I have some issues with nail polish, so I rarely wear it. I have some bottles that have been lonely in a dark closet. But the colors are so pretty, and the glitter is in a form I can live with - bunnehs do not look good in glitter!

So I created a new technique using nail polish, water, a stir stick, and plain cardstock. We've named this Nail Polish Marbling. Here are some finished panels awaiting turning into projects.




I also made you a little video to show you how I made these. I want to thank SCS for allowing me to share this technique - so please hop on over to the technique page and gallery. I'd be extra happy, like a chicken with a June bug, if you tried the technique and shared your work!



Here are my 2 finished projects. If these strong colored panels are frightening to you, just treat them like monsters and cut them up! Cut strips, paper piece, use your dies - when you do any of these actions, that paper can cover a full set of cards.

Beautiful You paper-pieced dress.


Hero Arts "smile" and SU! striped scallop die

Now, go play and have fun! It's only paper!

Ta for now,
~ky


Welcome to the Bunny Nest! I host rescued animals in a small in-home setting. Currently, I host 3 bunnies and 2 kitties. These animals will be socialized and housed for the entirety of their lives in my home. They inspire my crafts, and I use any proceeds to pay for their needs. Thanks for visiting!