Introducing the new Spring Release!
Purrtastic releases so far!

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Tutorial Tuesdays: Red Roses Copic Colouring with Leigh!

Howzit Creative Friends!
It's time for a Tutorial Tuesday segment and today I'm going to show you how to take the stress out of colouring a bed of red roses with Copics!  If you've ever felt intimidated at the sight of uncoloured roses then you'll enjoy my step-by-step photos and video demonstrating my process.  I guarantee you'll find colouring roses a very relaxing and even a zen-like experience!


I'm colouring the Skull Roses Collage for today's tutorial and the digi is on FLASH SALE until midnight tonight pacific!


 Start off by looking at some real roses to get a feel of how they look, how the petals overlap and create cast shadows and where the highlights are.  If you want to keep a rose in front of you for reference you can but try and just use it as a loose reference only!  You're not going to replicate that rose exactly because every single rose is different.  No two petals overlap the same or cast the same shadows.  You just need to think about how the base of each petal is the darkest, how overlapping petals cast shadows and where the light source is coming from, whether from directly above or off to the side.  Then colour each petal one at a time and loose yourself in the methodical steps and before you know it you've coloured all of the roses!  It truly is so relaxing once you get into the zone so lets give it a go shall we?


 We're just doing the roses today using the following Copic colours:
R32, R35, 37, 39 and W7 for dark shadows.


Here's the colours I used on the Skulls:
E40, 41, 42 and G82


For this colouring I decided my light source was directly above.  Pick a rose and start by laying down the darkest red at the base of the petals.  There's no right or wrong coz every single rose is different so where you decide to put your shadows can be different to where I've put mine.  It's just the process of creating shadows and hightlights that counts.


Working from darkest red to lightest red, lay in the next red which will be a shade or two lighter than the first.  Don't worry about creating seamless blends at this point but overlap each colour over the last just a little as you colour in the petals.


At this point I like to jump ahead a shade and decide where my highlights will be and lay down the lightest red.


Then go back to working from dark to light.


Once I get to the lightest shade of red I then colour over everything again but work in reverse from light to dark.


Working dark to light and then back again is how you get your seamless blends.  You might get a nice blend during the 2nd stage or you might need to go back and fore a few times.  You'll know when to stop coz you'll be happy with how the blend looks.  


If you find you tend to go too dark and want more highlights or bright red roses then try colouring from light to dark instead.


 Decide how bright you want the roses to be and lay in all the lightest areas first.


Then add the next darker shade.


Until you get to the darkest red.


Then go back over everything again working from dark to light.


Until you get to the lightest shade of red again.


Just like before you can go back and forth until you're happy with the blends.


Here's the two roses I've just coloured with both methods.


I then added darker shadows with W7.
 
You can stop at this point and be very proud of your roses or continue to take the process further by deepening the shadows with either Copics or coloured pencils and finish with white Copic acrylic paint or white gel pen highlights.


Here's a little demo video of my process in action!  I'd appreciate a thumbs up and I hope you'll check out my other Copic Colouring videos as well!  Please subscribe to my YouTube Channel to keep these videos coming😊  Here's the LINK to the video if you experience any issues watching the embedded video!



I hope you found my tutorial helpful and it inspired you to colour up some roses today😉
Don't forget the Skull Roses Collage is on FLASH SALE until midnight tonight!
 If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I'd love to see your rose colourings too so add your blog posts or social media links in the comments below.

Thanks for visiting with me today😀
Happy Stamping!
THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Monday, February 26, 2018

Dark Valentine DT Showcase: Dark Handsome Stranger Tag Art by Val!

Hiya Creative Friends!
To get your Monday off to a great start here's today's DT Showcase project by LeighSBDesigner Val!


Val made this handsome tag for our MY DARK VALENTINE blog hop!  Love the colours she used on this one....totally works for a 50 Shades of Grey project too, heheheh😜

Val used Dark Handsome Stranger, the Heart Splatter, Gothic Rose and the "You Stole my Heart" sentiment from the Dark Sentiments 1 set!
 
Supplies used:
Spectrum Noir Colourista markers:  Sandstone and Cerulean
Spectrum Noir GG2
Red embossing pen
Clear embossing powder
Black Micron pen
White gel pen
Black and White fibers
Neenah classic white cardstock
Black cardstock

All the digi stamps featured today are on FLASH SALE until midnight tonight!
Click on the pix to go shopping😋
https://www.etsy.com/listing/578293734/new-dark-sentiments-set-1-set-of-5?ref=shop_home_active_1
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/592081131/new-gothic-rose-dark-valentine?ref=related-8
https://www.etsy.com/listing/592090247/new-heart-splatter-dark-valentine?ref=shop_home_active_8

 If you want to get the entire Dark Valentine Collection or just all of the Dark Sentiments then check out these Bundles, you save a lot of $$$ and you get a FREEBIE with the Dark Sentiments bundle too!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/592341533/bundle-full-set-dark-valentine-2018?ref=shop_home_active_10
https://www.etsy.com/listing/578409064/dark-sentiments-bundle-of-11-sentiments?ref=shop_home_active_9
 
Thanks for stopping by to see Val's project today!
 Keep checking in if you're looking for the blog hop prize winners, I'll be announcing them this week😋 
Happy Stamping!
THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Dark Valentine DT Showcase: Dark Valentine Canvas Art by Val!

Howzit Creative Friends!
Happy Sunday and welcome back for another DT Showcase!
Today I'm sharing 2 fabulous canvas projects LeighSBDesigner Val made for our MY DARK VALENTINE blog hop!  Keep checking in if you're looking for the blog hop prize winners, I'll be announcing them soon😋

On this wonderfully moody small canvas piece Val used both the Scratch Hearts and Skull Roses collage backgrounds.  She cut out a cluster of hearts and a single skull rose and paired them up with the "My Dark Valentine" from the Dark Sentiment 1 set.


Vall added yummy texture to the hearts with clear embossing powder and used Stickles glitter glue around the canvas edges to add a soft sparkly touch to the dark moody piece.  Two silver jewelry pieces are the finishing touch which picks up the touch of silver on the skull and silvery shine in the Stickles glitter beautifully.

 Supplies used:
Small Canvas
Text background (from her stash)
Distress Inks:  Fired Brick and Black Soot
Versamark Ink
Clear Embossing Powder
Ranger Stickles
Silver jewelry embellishments
Silver paint pen
Black silk ribbon


 The 2nd share for today is this wonderful large canvas piece with sentiments from both of the Dark Sentiments sets, 1 and 2, as the main focus.  Val also used the Gothic Rose and the Hearts Splatter which is the heart I featured on the MY DARK VALENTINE Blog Hop badge.   You can also save some $$$ and grab a FREEBIE as well if you get the Dark Sentiments Bundle whick includes set 1 and 2 plus the LOVE text as a freebie!


In this photo you can see the yummy texture Val loves to add to her artwork with clear embossing powder.  She also used Cosmic Shimmer Drops to add 3D elements to the negative spaces of the background and picked up the dots in the hand drawn 'dots and dashes' border along the edges.


Supplies used:
Large canvas
Red embossing pen
Clear embossing powder
Red Sharpie marker used to edge the sentiments
Black Micron pen
Cosmic Shimmer Drops
White and Black cardstock

All the digi stamps featured today are now on FLASH SALE until midnight tonight, except for the Dark Sentiments Bundle which is already discounted and comes with the FREEBIE!
Click on the pix to go shopping😋 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/578409064/dark-sentiments-bundle-of-11-sentiments?ref=shop_home_active_9
https://www.etsy.com/listing/578293734/new-dark-sentiments-set-1-set-of-5?ref=shop_home_active_1
https://www.etsy.com/listing/578295032/new-dark-sentiments-2-set-of-5?ref=shop_home_active_6
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/592081131/new-gothic-rose-dark-valentine?ref=related-8
https://www.etsy.com/listing/592090247/new-heart-splatter-dark-valentine?ref=shop_home_active_8
https://www.etsy.com/listing/592093335/new-scratch-hearts-background-dark?ref=shop_home_active_2
https://www.etsy.com/listing/592095493/new-skull-roses-collage-dark-valentine?ref=shop_home_active_4

 Thanks for stopping by to see Val's projects today!
Have a great Sunday and as always,
Happy Stamping!
THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Dark Valentine DT Showcase: Dark Handsome Stranger ATC by Nan!

Happy Weekend Creative Friends!
Today I'm showcasing LeighSBDesigner Nan's wonderful, never before seen, dark Valentine ATC featuring designs from the Dark Valentine Collection.


Nan created this wicked cool grungy ATC with Dark Handsome Stranger as the main focal point and paired him up with one of my original quotes from the Dark Sentiments 1 set.

Love
explores the
Shadows
within our
Hearts

Supplies used:
Spectrum Noir Markers:  TN2 and 3, BT5 and IG5
Cardstock
Distress Inks:  Old Paper, Brick Red and Black Soot
Red Acrylic Paint
Nan used an assortment of rubber stamps from her stash to create the grunge background
Tim Holtz die cut Heart
White Gel Pen

Today's featured digi stamps are now on FLASH SALE until midnight pacific tonight!
Click on the pix to go shopping!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/592087377/new-dark-handsome-stranger-dark?ref=shop_home_active_3
https://www.etsy.com/listing/578293734/new-dark-sentiments-set-1-set-of-5?ref=shop_home_active_1

Thanks for stopping by to see Nan's projects today!
Happy Stamping!
THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Friday, February 23, 2018

Dark Valentine DT Showcase: Gothic Rose Card and Altered Domino by Val!

Howzit Creative Friends!
Happy Friday and welcome back for another DT Showcase post!
If you were ever in any doubt about how versatile a digi stamp can be then check out these 2 fabulous projects LeighSBDesigner Val made for our MY DARK VALENTINE blog hop!
Keep checking in....the blog hop prize winners will be announced soon😋   

Val used Gothic Rose to create a wicked cool altered domino as well as a gorgeous card.
Same digi design, 2 completely different looks❤️


Val used these supplies to make her beautiful altered domino:
White Square Domino
Nuance Powders
Spectrum Noir Colourista Pens to colour the rose
Black Sharpie Pen to colour the wooden beads
Neenah White Classic Cardstock
Wooden Beads
Red Silk Ribbon
Black cord 
 

Val also used the LOVE text sentiment on her beautiful gothic card. 
I love how she added some black "blood" droplets dripping off the single petal and the gorgeous red background is perfect for the gray rose❤️

Supplies used:
Spectrum Noir Pens:  GG2, IG
Red Embossing Pen
Clear embossing powder
Ranger Stickles
Distress Ink:  Fired Brick and Black Soot
Neenah White Classic Cardstock
Black Cardstock
Red Silk Bow and a Black Bead
Red Silk Ribbon

All the digi stamps featured today are now on FLASH SALE until midnight tonight!
Click on the pix to go shopping😋 
 
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/592081131/new-gothic-rose-dark-valentine?ref=related-8
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/578409064/dark-sentiments-bundle-of-11-sentiments?ref=related-3

 Thanks for stopping by to see Val's projects today!
Have a great weekend and as always,
Happy Stamping!
THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Dark Valentine DT Showcase: Valentine card and gift tag by Nan!

Howzit Creative Friends!
Today I'm showcasing LeighSBDesigner Nan's brand new Valentine card and gift tag set featuring designs from the Dark Valentine Collection.

Today's featured digi stamps are now on FLASH SALE until midnight pacific tonight!


 Nan made this stunning card featuring the Distressed Heart Splatter and paired it up with the super versatile Scratch Hearts background and "Love Hurts" sentiment from the Dark Sentiments 2 set.  I love how she coloured the background and left the hearts white, it really makes them pop, and those red paint splatters, distressed grunge effects and the bat embellishment are the perfect touch.

Supplies used:
 Cardstock
Fired Brick and Black Soot Distress Inks
Spectrum Noir IG2, DR3
Red Acrylic Paint 
Plastic Bat with Gold Highlight
 
 
Nan then made a fun gift tag for her cute teddy using "Be Mine" from the Dark Sentiments 2 set and the LOVE text which is in the Valentine (Cute) section in the Etsy Boutique.

Supplies used:
 Cardstock
Distress Inks:  Wilted Violet, Abandoned Coral, Black Soot
Hole punch
Heart Ribbon
Gold and White Gel pens
Teddy Bear
 
Click on the pix to go shopping!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/578295032/new-dark-sentiments-2-set-of-5?ref=shop_home_active_6
https://www.etsy.com/listing/592098365/new-love-text-digi-stamp-dark-valentine?ref=shop_home_active_2
https://www.etsy.com/listing/592093335/new-scratch-hearts-background-dark?ref=shop_home_active_2

Thanks for stopping by to see Nan's projects today!
Happy Stamping!
THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN