Feminine And Fancy Free

3/1/2018

Beauty is the first present nature gives to women and the first it takes away. --- Fey Weldon

Welcome everyone! I'm so glad that you can join me for toady's post.

Today I am posting a themed cared for Digi Design Studios. This is an up and coming digital stamp company to which I have been given the honor of being a design team member. Every month there is a monthly challenge with a specific theme on their blog. There are prizes for winners from the shop as well as a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place runner up. For more information on the challenge click here. Head on over to the Digi Doodle Studios' Monthly Challenge to get some inspiration from the design team members and enter for your chance to win.

This month's theme is "Feminine Fancy," and to me nothing says feminine more than lovely flowers. To obtain this I am using "Sorrel Merry Thistle" from the February 2017 Release. I fell in love with this image. I love the feel of the digital images that Dina Gerner makes. They have more of a caricature feel to them. That all said, lets get this party started (click on smaller images to enlarge).

Supplies:

Image
Copics (Listed below)
Prismacolor Color Pencils (Listed below)
Card Base 5 1/2" x 5 1/2"
Craft Cardstock 5 1/2" x 5 1/2"
Light Green Polka Dot print paper (from My Favorite Things)
Dies: Leaves and Flower (Craftin Desert Diva's)
Large PiercedFlower (Gina Marie Designs)
Scalloped Circle (Craftin Desert Diva's)
Banner Dies (Simon Says Stamp)

Distress Ink: Shaded Lilac
Faber-Castle .01mm pen

Step 1: The Sun-Kissed Look.

To begin, we will start by printing out the image to 2 3/4"L x 2"W. Usually I like to print out four mages on an 8 1/2" x 11" paper and divide it into four A2 sizes in which I will center the images.

You will start with the lips using R81. Move onto the skin using from bottom layer up: E000, E21, E11, E13. On cheeks use E02 and then blend it all in lightly with E000. This will give you a lovely sun-kissed look.

Below is a closer look at how the colors will blend together.

Step 2: It's All About The Dress

This dress uses a light, medium and dark tone of violet. Starting from bottom layer up: V12, V04, V15. Please note that the darkest color is at the center of the dress folds. Use C02 in order to add in some shading on the dress. (I will be posting a how to video for coloring of dresses and fabrics soon.) . Later on down the way I brought in my Prismacolor PC 1009 to add in more shadows to the dress (see details further down.)

Step 3: The Haute Coiffure

This part will take several steps and will incorporate the use of color pencils. The coloring of hair is not that difficult, so don't think this is a daunting task. We will break this up into three groupings. Light, Medium and Dark.

To being, we will work with Copic E13 to lay down the first of the light tones. Then we will come in with PC 943 and add in a slightly darker shade of tone using short stroke that extend from the bottom up and from the hair part down leaving a good section of the E13 Copic showing.

We will move on to a Medium tone using PC 1081. Using the same short strokes (shorter in length than the previous color) you will color from the ends towards the center. in making short strokes such as these we are giving the illusion of hair strands. This also gives the hair the appearance of low-lights and high-lights when natural hair is in the sun.

Finally are the dark tones. Using PC 947 you will add in a small amount of shading by using light circular motions. as you can see from the picture, this extends from the ends about 3/16" down just to give it a shading effect. Next you will bring in black PC 935. This again uses very light pressure. color along the edges about 1/16". (Click on the picture to view details.)

Step 4: Leaves Please.

Even the tiniest of details require a lot of color. For the leaves from bottom layer up: YG13, YG17, YG67. Note that the lightest of the three covers the whole image, the mid down extends from the pointy part of the leaf to the middle and then the darkest the smallest portion.

Step 5: The Delicate Flower

This simple flower will use Copic V12 all along the leaves. Use Y02 for the center. Now we will use our Prismacolor PC 1009 for shading from the center of the petal out. (Enlarge the picture for details.)

Step 6: Stripy Stockings Are The Thing

In keeping with my theme of floral, being that this image is named after a Thistle I decided to keep the Violet and Green colors throughout my image as well. So, that being said, lets work on the stockings. Work using YG11 from left and right edge towards the center leaving white space in the center. In the same fashion you will use YG41 only covering over half of the YG11 area to create a shading effect. Using the C1 you will crate shadows along the underside of legs.

Step 7: Fluttering Wings

The wings on this beauty took quiet a bit of coloring, but it was well worth it. The effect of transparency is what we are trying to achieve. So here we are going use our colorless blender. Using B0000 you will cover the whole of both wings around the details. Using Copic 0 (colorless) you will lighten the whole of the second wing in the back and half way through the primary wing from the Edge furthest from the hair to the center (enlarge the picture to see details).

Bring in V12 along the center of the wing lightly to create the illusion that you can see through the primary wing to the wing in the back. If it gets too dark you will use the colorless to lighten. Continue using the V12 to color in the paisley shapes and shadow in using Prismacolors PC 934 and PC1009. Using YG11 you will fill in the circles and shadow in with PC1020 and PC 1090. You will also use this trio to to color in the ribbon trim at the bottom of the dress. Darken the wing closest to the hair line towards the center with small strokes using Prismacolor PC 1103. Finally you will add in some white details in the paisley and circles.

Step 8: Who's Getting some color?

Finally we are working on our owl. We are one step away from finishing up our coloring. For the owl I stuck to mainly using only Copic markers since it is not the main subject of our card. For the Beach you will use Y02 and Y17 (the latter for the beak closes to the body). The body will consist of three colors from bottom layer up you will use E35 as the base. E35 and E15 for shading, blend it out with E31 at the end. The pupil of the eye was colored fully with C10. The iris of the eye was made with three colors. Use YG 13 as a base color to cover the entire iris. then shade from the top part of the eye to midway using YG17, then using G28 create some shadow at the very top of the eye and blend it all down with YG13.

Step 9: Background

The last of our coloring will consist of the background. The sky is simple enough. Color around your image with Copic B00. This is a light blue. Using my white Gelli pen, I made small clouds all around just for detail.

The grass took a little more. for this I used. YG17 and crated a shadow with YG67 and C04.
I used long and short strokes from the left to the right..

Step 10: Making Die Cuts

first die Cut will be to our image. Using the scalloped circle die, center the image and cut.

Next using lavender cardstock, cut out two of the Pierced Flower dies. You will adhere them to the back of the card so that they peak out on diagonally on opposite sides of the image.

Using a dark green cardstock cut out the long leaves from the Inside Scalloped Circle Set. You will make 2 cuts are there are two leave sets on the die. Glue them in place under the Pierced Flower cuts as depicted.

Now lets make the Stargazers! this is where I had the most fun. Make 2 cuts with the flower petals on white cardstock. This will give you two large and two small. Make 2 cuts on white cardstock of the stamen or flower center. Make 4 cuts of the leaves on dark green cardstock. Color in the stamen with Y02 and Y17. then using V12 and R85 (dots). Using a boning knife as if to curl ribbon, curl the petals and leaves. Glue your smaller petals together and then the larger together, this way you will have two flower sizes. Glue on the leaves last. Adhere to the upper left using 3D foam.

Make one cut with the banner die. Hand font the sentiment "happy Spring" using permanent ink pen (I used Faber-Castle). Then blend in some color with Shaded Lilac Distress Ink. Once this is done you can now fold the banner along the score lines. Adhere to the lower right hand of the image using 3D foam.

Step 11: Put It All Together And What Have You Got?

Now it's time to bring it all together. Glue your craft cardstock to our card base. Then center and adhere the green polk-a-dot print paper. Now you are read to ad a bit of dimension to the back of your image. Using single-sided adhesive from from my local craft store (these are leftovers from another project), I can cut out a circle just big enough to fit under your image unseen. I used double sided tape on the non adhesive side so that I could use both sides easily to adhere to my card base.