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Please feel free to use my designs for inspiration, I just ask you to credit me, and provide a link back to my blog.

Thanks, Shaz XX

Wednesday 16 April 2014

WOYWW #254

Good Morning Deskers- another week been and gone, where is this year vanishing to? Time for another show and tell, courtesy of our Chief of Desks, Julia, over at The Stamping Ground. Finally we have some spring type weather, lets hope it last for the Easter weekend.It would be nice to be able to do some work in the garden at long last.My desk still contains the images of Molly from last week, but now she has some colour.
 You can see a mask of Molly on a post-it, for later use, and some colour samples as well. 
I'm actually quite chuffed, as I seem to have stumbled upon a colouring method that works for me.
Regulars will know I frequently moan that my colouring skills are less than desirable- blending and shading have managed to elude me entirely. However, quite by fluke, I seem to have blundered into a solution. After I had coloured the purple Molly, below, I was as usual less than impressed. It still seemed 'flat', and I wanted to give her hair in particular, some texture. So I added one of the ultra fine nibs to my black Promarker, and flicked in a lot of short lines.Which I then coloured over in a dark grey.It wasn't perfect, but I did find that amount of colour was blendable. So I switched to using ultra fine nibs on all the colours I was using- and by putting down loads of fine lines, in two colours, then blending over the top with a third really pale one, I got what I wanted. Talk about a Eureka moment!These images have to be my first colouring attempts I'm actually pleased with, and that look pretty much like the version in my head- ( you don't want to go there, its a dark & scary place!). So much so, I think I'll be stamping up a few more, and I can see me colouring just for fun now. I've also just ordered a bunch more ultra fine nibs- so I can have one for each colour group, dark and pale.
  So apart from this, what else did I discover? Well,  I mentioned in last weeks post about how the black inks took to different card, and Julia also commented about how different all the 'white' card looked next to each other. Which they did, its true. 
Some had been stamped in Versafine, some in Memento, and a few had been stamped in Versafine & heat embossed.Results? The images were all left for a few days before I tried colouring- and I had issues with the Memento bleeding, surprisingly.


Not sure if that was because I was using the bullet point nib, and I will be testing it out with the ultra fine nib to see if that solves it. It may also be down to colour, as I find the reds tend to spread alarmingly. The heat embossed lines seems to cure that though.


Although it wasn't just the reds, I had a problem with the purple in this Memento image.

I shall be able to use the ones that bled, if I cut them out and mount onto a card, so all is not yet lost.
 One epic fail was the Clarity Silk Coated card- that and  Promarkers do not play well together. The image was heat embossed, but it was as though the next colour added 'lifted' the first one, rather than blended with it, leaving the blue in the image looking very streaky and also the black dried out looking very flat.





 So thats my desk, go on- show us yours! Have a good week folks, and hopefully a lovely Bank Holiday weekend too.



27 comments:

Krisha said...

Hi Shaz,
Love those Eureka moments....that is how I felt when I discovered blending with OMS and colored pencils. Still my favorite method even though I have tons of markers......LOL
Happy Ester and WOYWW
Krisha #3

Helen said...

great colouring experiments! thanks for sharing. have a fabulous Easter. Helen 20

Belinda Basson said...

I am lucky that colouring comes easily to me...someone asked me to teach her how. Not sure about that as I will have to investigate how I do it...busy with a tutorial on my desk that I will do on a Gorjuss stamp.I use manila tags, they colour quite nicely and I use Tims distress markers which are water based and I add water-colour pencils on top. #36

glitterandglue said...

Such a huge amount of experimentation, Shaz - but I'm really pleased it ended with a Eureka moment. They're great, aren't they?! I like to colour with water colour pencils myself, then add water very slowly with an extremely fine paintbrush - works for me, mainly 'cos I don't have to colour right to the edges - the water carries it for me... Not too good at the edges, you see...
Well done!
Have a really special Easter.
Margaret #18

Sylvia/LittleTreasures said...

Great coloring...I've not much patience for coloring but should do a lot at one time when that moment hits me. ! I have this little image stamp too and should get one ready for my next birthday girl. Thanks for sharing, enjoy the week. #14

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

seem to remember Joanna sheen has instructions on what papers and inks work with Promarkers, Shaz.. glad of the eureka moment! :D worth it huh.. I still have not worked out how to get those fine ones on!! sooo hard! Shaz in Oz.x #60

Maisie Moonshine said...

Hi Shaz - thanks for the heads up on the pitfalls of inks v cardstock v promarkers - it is so frustrating to have to have so many different inks to do all the different crafting jobs - I wish they'd make a one ink suits all! I'm glad you've found a colouring style you feel happy with - your Mollies look so cool. Keep having colourful fun. MMx #70

Lunch Lady Jan said...

I love colouring! In fact, when I was a TA at school, I almost used to push the kids out of the way if there was any colouring involved, lol!! Love Eureka moments too :-)
Hugs, LLJ 37 xx

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

Love it when that happens. I reckon you might be doing a *bit* more colouring in from now on!

Fiona x #72

Laura said...

Glad you've had a "lightbulb" moment with your coloring! It does feel so great to push through a barrier that felt insurmountable previously. Happy week and Happy WOYWW! ~ Laura #64 [http://bookworm.typepad.com]

Anonymous said...

Interesting. Gotta love stumbling into a solution :) One thing I def. noticed is that it I use black embossing powder the ink (at least with the Copics) pulls out when I colour. But if I stamp with black ink then emboss with clear embossing powder it's fine. And I agree - the paper is key. When you find one that works stick with it and don't be tempted to go for a cheaper other option. :)
Better late than never :)
Happy WOYWW!

Mary Anne (23)

Chrysalis said...

Thanks for all the great tips, Shaz. I've bookmarked this page to come back and try, when my new craft room is up and running. Easter blessings, Chris # 31

fairy thoughts said...

Hi Shaz
Wow all the science involved in colouring .... different nibs, paper, card, ink, Agh! so much to remember but I'm glad you worked it all out
janet #22

Shoshi said...

I'm always very impressed with people's efforts blending and colouring with Copics. I've never attempted this, but each to their own, I suppose!

Thanks for your visit and your nice comment Shaz, and I'm glad you enjoyed my efforts this week!

Happy belated WOYWW,
Shoshi #46

Christine said...

Interesting post .... don't use markers myself, watercolour pencils and then add water seems to work for me. Love that you found the 'Eureka' moment though.
Happy Easter
Bishopsmate #91

sandra de said...

I like the result you have achieved and I think it all comes down to developing your own technique. I haven't even tried with the copics or promarkers... struggling to tame paint and water. Have a lovely easter.
Sandra

Unknown said...

Love the colours and the girl, looks great. Happy Easter
Andrea #76

pearshapedcrafting said...

Love your Mollies! (Ooer! That sounds a bit rude!) Glad you found the right combination! Chris 69

CraftygasheadZo said...

Think with colouring we all find ways to do things. One tip I will say thought is don't use any coated card, it will puddle, lift etc, you need super smooth card. I'll be colouring at the crop so feel free to ask any questions, I'll help if I can. Though I only use Copics & Graph It's these days. But I do know how to get texture etc. Fab WOYWW, yes I'm a tad late but never mind hey! Hope you have a great weekend. Take care Zo xx 53

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Hi Shaz, the colouring looks great and what a gorgeous stamp. Many thanks for visiting me earlier.
Happy Easter, Angela x45

Andrea said...

Hi Shaz thanks for visiting as usual I end up playing catch up , your colouring is great and thanks for the tips 'I'm always looking at ways of blending and what works for others ,that's a great stamp I love her hair and skull bows! ...hope you have a good weekend although not looking like teh weather is going to be up to much the usual bank holiday scenario hugs Andrea #24

my cup of tea said...

She looks CUTE in any color!
Great job! I love discovering things by chance! Thanks for the visit!
Have a great week!
donna

Annie Claxton said...

ooooooh I'm gettng colouring-in urges now!Very interesting to find out about your experiments,love the stamp. Happy WOYWW two days late sorry! :o) annie C #54

Mrs.D said...

HI, you have been having fun colouring, I'm not good as it so yours seem brilliant to me,
Chris #39

Anonymous said...

Hey there! Yes, I have read the Ann Rice novels!! I love ALL vampire books, but for some reason, am stuck on the young adult versions right now!! Erica #15

BJ said...

Hi Shaz, thanks for your comments this and last week, I just didn't seem to get around to answering last week due to Easter Holidays and having a bad cold and stuff. I like Molly, you colour her lovely, wouldn't catch me colouring anything LOL. Happy Easter BJ#44

Monica said...

better late than never. I am not sure what promarkers are as I use Tombows and have a time with the learning curve and small figures.
Monica

An End of an era

An end of an era

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