Must be my lucky day :D:D:D

Thanks Marsha for telling me I'd been immensely lucky and won the Victoria Case blog candy to celebrate her new releases at SCACD! Wow I've never won a blog candy before so I'm thrilled! Thank You!

AND! I won a Top 5 blinkie at Passion for Promarkers for my Mo Manning image wallet, woo hoo! I'm so chuffed! I've not been using promarkers very long but am slowly building up my collection!

Victoria Case challenge 17

A nice and easy sketch at Victoria Case this week which I've managed to finish in time between running round the village like a loon looking for the real radio renegade! Image is Kayla coloured with promarkers. Not my usual standard as my little uns kept nudging me, jeeez can't a girl have 5 minutes peace to colour in a pretty picture! I bled over the lines a couple of times as I was trying to keep one eye on them lol! Background papers are K&Co

PROMARKER/COPIC COLOURING TUTORIAL - HAIR & SKIN ON A BUDGET

PLEASE ALSO SEE MY 2012 SERIES OF PROMARKER TUTORIALS HERE!


OK OK I've been harassed to do a colouring tutorial lol! There are lots and lots already available so I thought I'd do a budget one. If you've got more than a few colours you might want to read my other tutorial HERE! I've been using copics since May 09 and have the grand total of 21 (3 have run out!) so I don't use a lot of colours, I just blend. Recently I bought some promarkers as they were cheap and then I added to them however you don't actually need many at all of either brand to get started. Not everyone has a huge disposable income especially us with small kids who outgrow things every other week or maybe you're thinking of trying them but don't want to fork out on lots of colours yet but I know a lot of people want to get all the effects you get with copics and promarkers but on a budget so here's how...

This tutorial is for brown hair. There is one for blonde hair here and one for black hair here. There is also a blending tutorial here showing how much tone you can get with 2 colours.
These tutorials are designed for people who do not have a lot of pens or are thinking of trying them but if you have a good colour range check out my other tutorial HERE.


For skin and hair (dark blonde to dark) you will only need...

PROMARKERS
1. Vanilla
2. Pastel pink
3. Choose a mid brown. For the example I used terracotta as its a nice reddy brown.

OR

COPICS
1. E00 (or E51)
2. E02
3. E29 or another shade of brown



The reason for the colour choice is that they are popular shades. The vanilla and pastel pink for example were recently on special offer in a pack so I know lots of people bought them (myself included!) If you don't have these colours just use what you normally would for skin and cheeks :)

The image I'm using is called Tara by Victoria Case stamps which is available in rubber or on digi by request (Isn't she absolutely beeeeautiful!).


STEP 1
Colour in your skin colour with the Vanilla (or E00/E51) leaving a couple of areas blank as these will be lighter. Remember the more you colour over the darker it gets (to a point!)


STEP 2
Use the pastel pink (or E02) to add some shade. Now this isn't everybody's cup of tea for adding shade but remember this tutorial is for doing it on a budget!
STEP 3
Oh dear she looks a bit of a mess.... Patience Grasshopper :D
Pick up your vanilla again (or E00/E51) and push the pink into the flesh tone. Now some people do this in a circular motion, some zig zag or other ways whatever suits you best. Personally I'm a circular kinda girl so I colour in tight little circles over the pink whilst pushing it in. Leave bits exposed as above (part of the vanilla and part of white) whilst pushing your colour in. When its blended nicely colour right over it all including the white bits.



STEP 4
Using your pastel pink again (or E02) give her some cheeks. The skin you just coloured in will still be wet so you dont need much as it will bleed naturally into it. Go over the whole face with the Vanilla (E00/E51) again to blend the cheeks in. Don't worry about going over onto the hair when you blend as this will be covered up later ;)






STEP 5
Looking OK so far! Next we're moving onto the hair. On Tara you'll see 2 distinct "bumps" on her hair. This is normally the area the light will hit. You can add other light areas too or not its your call! So we need to go back to the Vanilla and colour in most of the hair except leave some white bands uncoloured.

STEP 6
Now to keep the hair blondish just keep building up the vanilla and add just touches of the brown. With copics you can touch the nibs together so touch the brown onto the E00 and scribble quickly onto scrap paper (to reduce the concentration of the brown on the nib) then start adding it.
OK so the rest of this tut is for brown hair as below. Pick up your brown (terracotta) and colour over the vanilla but not right to the edge, leave some vanilla and white showing.


STEP 7
Using your vanilla again colour over your terracotta/brown (I use an up and down stroke to push the colours into each other) Push a little bit more into your white bits.





STEP 8

You'll see the terracotta/brown changing colour as the vanilla dilutes it as in the pic below. Keep pushing into the white gradually.
STEP 9


Simples so far! Now add more terracotta leaving the white, vanilla and the blended bit so your terracotta should be a bit narrower this time. You can stroke the odd strand into the lighter bits now too.


STEP 10

Repeat this as desired for the depth of colour you want. When you're done push the vanilla right over the white. You should now be looking something like this. . .


STEP 11

Now I add smaller areas of terracotta without blending over with the vanilla and voila job done! Colour the lips in with the pastel pink and use a gel pen etc for the flowers on the hair.

This (below) is the version done with copics. As I said previously if you don't have these colours just use what you normally would for skin tone and cheeks and add a brown of your choice!
ADDITIONAL
If after you've done the hair you've bled a bit onto the face just blend it in with the vanilla. If you have an even darker brown you can add a bit more depth by colouring over small areas of the terracotta.
The finished piece (I used rose pink for the lips and 2 blues and 2 greens for the rest) You can use other mediums to colour in the rest of the image but these 3 colours will at least get you started :)

Fav embellishment

The challenge this week over at Stamp Something is favourite embellishments. Mine has to be sticky gems! Since they made them ready sticky I've bought loads and then some! I never used to be bothered with the putting a dot of pva on so hardly used them in the past whereas now they're just so convenient they're a big hit with me!

I also made this for the Slam Dunk swap on Crafty Cardmaking yahoo group
Let me tell you a bit about our group.... Every month we have regular swaps which are a colour, a style and a technique. The slam dunk is all three of them combined into one so this months are blue and green, cute card and distressing. We also have a noobie swap for newer members and a digital swap or challenge using free digi images an ATC swap plus a project club and or JACK's (Jack's Art and Crafty Koncoctions!) Pop over to see us if you fancy joining in! We're VERY informal!

OK here's me card! Background paper is I dont know but it was a pretty blue/green marbly colour. The left hand side is a blue/green starburst stains creation which I stamped over in oasis green versamagic and distressed the edges. Image is by Victoria Case (Tara) coloured with promarkers (I've done a tutorial using this too which will be ready end of week) and the wings are shimmerz angel wings you can get from Quixotic
I did the flowers 3d and made the one in bottom corner with a circle punch, added SU ribbon and sticky gems :)

Victoria Case #13

I thought I'd give Willy a run out this week in all his glory! Normally I hide him in the leaves on my designs but he's centre stage today! I've cut him out of an oval mounted on cathedral pines starburst stains (what else lol lol!) Then I've inked round him in adirondack lights - Juniper and added faux stitching with a sparkly green sakura pen. The background papers are papermania exquisite pack and err not sure about the green but probably K&Co. The card was already embossed so I inked round that too and stamped a sentiment and added a hero arts flower with a ribbon rose that has a diamante centre. Willy is coloured with a mix of copics and pro markers. He's also available free so if you want him pop over to Victoria Case

Hakuna Matata

It means no worries :D

This card is for the Victoria Case challenge which is to use their sketch (below) and for Color create which is to use pink, orange and green.

Here's my entry ths week, I love love love this little lion!

The image is Victoria Case baby lion (cute isnt he!) and I coloured with copic markers. I added clear gloss to the water and touches of stickles glitter to make it sparkly and shiny. The green background is starburst stains bells of ireland green overstamped with a stampscapes frond stamp. The palm trees are made with bits of brown card shaded with a white pen and the palm leaves are starburst stains in cathedral pines green. The coconuts are cut from brown card then I glued cotton wool on and dyed them with starburst stains (one of the browns) then when dried I fluffed them up so they look like a shaggy coconut lol! Wording is from a dymo :)

Must tell you, I showed this one in playgroup and someone asked if it was colouring by numbers....Oh how I laughed :-/

The twinkling water :)

My shaggy coconuts and palm leaves :)

Victoria Case & Delicious Divas

I spied with my little eye something beginning with N.....

NEW CHALLENGE BLOG woo hoo!! In this case it is The Delicious Divas which opened its doors yesterday. I think its a sketch and colour challenge blog, any products can be used :)

I'm also entering for this weeks Victoria Case challenge which is to use Light blue, dar blue and ivory

Image is Sitting Fairy by Victoria Case (isnt she just lush!) I distressed the edges gently this time and edged with blue. I like the effect distressing gives as it looks like it was stamped on linen. She's coloured with copics of course (Thats that Sheilakins fault that is getting me into them!) Background dark bue is bazzil bling and I stamped some swirls in the corners with white stazon. Ribbon was white but I coloured it with distress inks, added a charm and a swarovski crystal. Sticky gems down the bottom are coloured with copics to match too.

Stamp Something and the pink elephant

Oooh I like this digital mularky lol! The resizing is very appealing!

The challenge this week over at Stamp Something is "Bugs, butterflies and other winged somethings"

Victoria Case stamps will send you a couple of images on asking (You can choose from Tara, Willy the worm and bunnyfly) so I chose Tara and Willy :)

Had a mooch for a sketch to follow and found one at The Pink Elephant

Also this week at Copic Buzz on papercraft planet the challenge is "Animal Antics" so I'm entering this one for all!

Image is Tara by Victoria Case Stamps coloured with copics. I edged with distress ink in cool peri just to take the glare of white down. I printed Willy the worm out at 50% and popped him on too! Papers are K&Co and sentiment was a freebie on the do crafts creativity magazine with some papermania sticky gems in the corner.

Thanks for looking! Feel free to leave a comment I need the love today lol!

My 1st Victoria Case challenge

I love love love this digi stamp :D I love the eyes and real mouth and the hair and everything!
Thought I'd have a go at this weeks VC challenge which is a sketch, not as easy as it looks either lol lol!

Image is Kayla by Victoria Case stamps reduced in size to about 40% I think printed on bristol board and coloured with copics. Flowers also printed again and made 3d. Edged around the image in adirondack ummm cant remember but it was pink and a lights one and I used a corner adourner on glitter card to mount. Papers are K&Co

My 1st digi stamp and friday sketchers

Now this is a new concept to me! This is actually a digital stamp. I've never got into them at all before because me+printer=do not get on! Thats why I never print inserts either because I dont get along with printers haha! Anyway after some fab direction from Teresa on crafty cardmaking I looked at them a little more, but that was it I looked!
This week I joined a group onpapercraft planet called Copic Buzz and one of the challenge cards was just so stunning and I mean stunning I had to find out more! The maker, Scrappinnana was so helpful and told me this gorgeous girl was a digital stamp by Victoria Case stamps. She only cost $3 and delivery is instant and freeeeee!

I hot footed it to hobbycraft to purchase some Bristol Board as recommended by my dear friend Sheilakins who is the fountain of all knowledge lol! Printed this little beauty out and went to colour and oh no disaster struck! It kept smudging, I tried everything even heat setting to no avail! Sheilakins kindly phoned me and we checked I had the right card, yep, tried all different settings and decided I was going to try another printer and hey presto problem solved!

I looked at the challenge on Friday sketchers which is a pretty sketch and to use some shimmerz which I dont have so I have used sakura sparkle clear on the wings which doesnt show up at all! It just looks white but its glittery!

The ragged distressed look was inspired by Rowena crafty pagan who has just made the DT at sugar nellie, wow well done! I love the look of her work as she doesnt seem to use loads of expensive accessories.

So this card is thanks to Teresa, Sheila, Scrappinnana and Rowena lol!

All papers ar K&Co and I distressed the edges with scissors then went round the edges pushing some ink in towards the centres with cut n dry foam. Image is Kayla by Victoria Case stamps coloured with copics. The flowers are 3d with a little distress ink (old paper) to take away the glare from the white card.

Thanks for lookin!

Truly Scrumptious #12

This is for the Truly Scrumptious challenge 12 which is a gorgeous sketch by Heather. Ive been in a distressing mood today (see next post!) so started with the base layer which had ragged edges then I crumpled it up, opened out again and swiped over with a distress ink pad. The other layers are made without the crumpling, just with the ragged edging and swiping with distress ink. Daisy is coloured with copics and the flowers are from a design called Kayla by Victoria Case stamps. Papers are K&Co