Fun and Mental Changes

Check out what I featured for my Spectrum Noir design team post today!!!  I figured, what could be better than a tutorial on coloring the creases and folds in a witch's hat???  After all, it IS the day before Halloween!!!  So once I had her colored, I KNEW exactly what I was going to do with her!!!  A coffin treat box of course!!! Isn't that coffin treat box CU-UTE???  I'll go ahead and list the Spectrum Noir colors I used to color this gorgeous little Saturated Canary witch from the Witchkeys digi (click HERE to get the digi) and then I'll post the tutorial pics for creating hat creases.   Witch's Hat, Dress and Shoes:  IG9, IG4, IG1 Accessories:  PL1, PL4, OR1, TN3 Skin:  EB1, EB2, IG3 Hair and Book of Spells:  TN7, TN3, TN1 "Best Witches" outlined with CG1 Ok, here's the tutorial: Ok, that does it!  Be sure to check the Spectrum Noir blog for MORE projects, tips and tricks from th...

I am GIDDY with excitement this year and am ALL OVER Halloween party design ideas!!!  So for my feature today on Spectrum Noir's blog, I featured THIS little guy: ISN'T HE GREAT!?!  He's actually an old image I bought from The Octopode Factory , but for some reason never used (silly me).  He is PERFECT for this treat bag place holder!!!  Here's a little tip for those who might want to give this one a try for an upcoming Halloween party.... color the image, scan it and then print multiple copies.  It is a WHOLE lot easier than coloring a ton of them for each and every guest.  Well, of course, unless you really love your guests and want to give each of them something you personalized for them.  But depending on your guest list, that might be A LOT of coloring!!! hehehehe! Here is a list of all the Spectrum Noir markers I used: Rabbit, Trousers and Shoes:  GG1, GG2, GG3, GG4, GG5, GG7 Ears and Nose:  BP6, BP1 and PP2 Hat and Shirt:...

Ok you guys.... here is my latest and greatest Spectrum Noir project and this time I'm featuring the cuter than cute Jude At The Movies from Simply Betty Stamps along with Make It Crafty 's theater background digi.  I saw it done HERE and just knew it would be the perfect thing for my SMASH Book movie page.  On the opposite page will be a collage of all my favorite movies.  This page is just the attention getter...hahahahaha! You see that film strip at the top of the page?  Well I'm going to go over how I made that so that you can do it too!!!  But first.... You need to start with an image.  Here's the image that was colored using Spectrum Noir pens FS1,TN2 and TN3 for the skin TN2, EB3 and EB8 for hair DR7, DR6, CR10, BGR2, BGR5, IG1 and IG3 for the theater CG2, CG4, DG3, CT1, CT2, OR1, OR2, BT3, BT7, BT8, DR6, DR7 and CR10 for the antennae, drinks and popcorn IG1, IG3, IG7, and IG10 for shirt, shoes and cup lids BT7, BT9 and TB1 for ...

One of my all time favorite things to color is people.  I love the color variations in skin and hair and then add to that the depth of light and shadow.... I LOVE IT!!!  So it was no surprise that people were the first images I colored when I first received my new Spectrum Noir Markers (Click HERE for my first project post).  Since then I've done a couple of hair and skin charts, but I thought it would be nice to do just a BASIC skin chart to feature on Spectrum Noir's blog today.  So here it is, I get to share it with all of you!!! Please don't judge me on my coloring skills for this... I typically ALWAYS color the skin first so that when I color outside the lines, the hair/clothing/etc. will hide the fact that I can't stay in the lines.  hahahahahahahaha!  The top row is light skin and the bottom row is medium to dark skin.  Hope this gets everyone's wheels turnin!!!  More INCREDIBLE color charts are soon to be available on the Spectrum Noi...

Ok, you know you want it!  Today is Spectrum Noir's Christmas In July blog hop!!!  You should be landing here from Louise's awesome blog!  Did her project ROCK, or what!?!  If you're just now joining in on the fun, you will want to start at the beginning of the hop so you don't miss anything! Here's the lineup: Spectrum Noir Official Blog Leann Chivers Jennie Lin Black Linda Hill Taylor Usry Kristine Reynolds Suzanne Foard Angelique Nederpel Lis Murphy Cyndi Bundy Louise Welsh Danielle Johnson Wendy Foster  Be sure to leave some blog love for each of the designers along the blog hop because one lucky "hopper" is going to score TWO SETS of six markers , a pack of Crafter's Companion Ultra Smooth Premium White card stock (perfect for coloring!), and an adorable stamped called All Wrapped Up , from the new Mulberry Wood line.  WHEW... that is A LOT!!! To be eligible to win, be sure to leave a comment on Spectrum Noi...

With everyone gearing up for their "Christmas in July" projects, I decided I needed a Hallowe'en in July project!!!  Here she is: The image seen here is Simply Betty's The Oval Portrait ... isn't she GORGEOUS??!!??  I am absolutely over-the-moon for this image!  I call it The Witching Hour for obvious reasons and think it's the PERFECT image for Hallowe'en in July (Oh how I wish it were Halloween).  To color her I used the following Spectrum Noir markers: Hair:  EB1, EB2, EB3, GB8 Skin:  FS1, FS2, FS4 (Lips:  DR4, DR7) Dress:  PP4, DR1, DR3, DR6, DR7, IG1, IG3, IG6, IG10, Blender Foliage:  CR5, DR7, DG1, DG4 Here's a close up of her uncolored and then colored: I love, love, love this image!!!  I'm not done with her yet, after a conversation with "Simply Betty", I've decided that I NEED to copy her COFFIN BOX.... check it out HERE .... I know you'll want to copy it too!!!  That about does it for today, stay tuned...

I know.... super corny title!!!  But this little guy needs some attention: Isn't this one fun???  Today I get to feature "Texture" over on the Spectrum Noir Blog .  Not only did I FLOOD this card with texture, I also added a bit of texture to the Puppy Stampendous image to make him look furry.  The technique is so very simple.... once you've colored the image, simply take your blender pen and stipple.  Be sure not to over-stipple; remember that with the blender pen, the effect needs time to develop.  But within seconds you get insta-fur!!!  The Spectrum Noir colors I used were: Dog:  TN1, TN3, TN5, TN9 and EB8 Letter:  IG1, IG2 and IG4 ***eyes and nose were accented using sharpie and white gel pens Other texture elements were in the different print papers I chose, the different fibers and the FUN stuff like..... I embossed a Vintaj charm in my Big Shot!  I also "smooshed" a bottle cap in my Big Shot and made a fun metal embellis...

Welcome to the very first Spectrum Noir Blog Hop EVER! And we are celebrating BIG TIME!!! Wait till you see what's up for grabs!!! Wait till you see all the amazing projects the design team put together for YOU!   If you are new to blog hops, simply visit each of the blogs below in the order shown and leave a comment on each designer's post finishing the hop at the Spectrum Noir Blog. Danielle Leann Angelique Linda Jennie Louise Kristine Marcea Taylor   Suzanne Cyndi Wendy Jacqui Spectrum Noir Blog When you arrive at the end, be sure to leave a comment on the Spectrum Noir  Blog telling us one fun new thing (tip, trick, interesting combination of colors, etc) you learned about the Spectrum Noir markers while hopping with us this week.  A random winner will be drawn using random.org at 9:00 AM GMT, Saturday, June 23, 2012 and posted at  Spectrum Noir .  The winner will have one week to claim their prize and will wi...

Welp.... the Spectrum Noir blog is runnin full steam and that means that I get another turn to play!!!  Today I'm sharing a tag that I made using my Spectrum Noir Pens using a dual-tone stamp technique to draw the eye to the subject.  For my post over at Spectrum Noir, I called it:  Dueling Mementos !  LOL! Here’s how it's done.  Stamp your subject in a complementary color to the rest of your image.  In my tag, I stamped everything but the cabbage in Memento Rich Cocoa and then stamped JUST THE CABBAGE in Memento Bamboo Leaves because I knew I was going to color the cabbage green.  Had I colored the cabbage purple, I would have used Memento’s Lilac Posies to stamp the cabbage and then stamped the rest of the image in the Memento Bamboo Leaves instead of Rich Cocoa as purple and green are complimentary colors.  The use of a color wheel will help when using this technique as complimentary colors are found on the opposite side of the col...

Well.... The Spectrum Noir Design team is off and running with the newly active Spectrum Noir blog going strong!!!  Today is my day to feature and after a few glitches.... namely that I fell asleep last night and missed some pretty important emails, I'm finally up and running this morning!  Whew!  Don't you just love new beginnings??? hahahahahaha!  I'm super excited to share yet ANOTHER hair highlight.  So see my original Hair Tutorial Click HERE .  I just love coloring hair and those perfectly placed streaks that gives my colored images a bit of realism. Today I want to spend a little time reviewing exactly what gives you the ‘perfect’ hair.  We'll just call this a follow up to my original tutorial (instead of overkill).  I promise, it will be worth it! This image was a FUN one to color simply because its pretty much ALL hair!!!  The Spectrum Noir colors I used on the hair were TN2, TN5, TN9, EB3 and EB8.  I start...

LAST CALL TO ENTER MY FAVORITE THINGS BIRTHDAY GIVE AWAY!!!! YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT TO ENTER!!! CLICK HERE FOR DEETS!!! Whew... is she a cutie or what!?!  Seen here is the fairy princess Humphrey from the Crafter's Companion Make A Wish stamp set and I ADORE HER!!!!  I thought this cutie pie would be perfect to showcase what the AWESOME Crafter's Companion Spectrum Noir markers can do.  And to go along with this super fun project, I've also included a little video to show you EXACTLY what I mean.  But first, let me give you a little tour of the Spectrum Noir color system and WHY I say its a SUPER EASY alcohol ink coloring system! And here's the quick tutorial on palette blending for fairy princess Humphrey's tutu.  These markers are rockin my socks off!!!  I hope you all enjoy! Ok, that does it for today. Don't forget to click on the link above for your last chance to enter my favorite things birthday give away... I promise, its really g...

Whew.... have I been inspired this week!!!  These new Spectrum Noir markers are a BLAST to color with.  But this particular image inspired me quite some time ago when my blog buddy Melanie of Paper Blessings by Melanie colored this gorgeous Chrissy Armstrong image.  The minute I saw this beauty the quote from Twilight popped in my head:  "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb."  I just KNEW I had to color this one.  But I didn't;  I've been sitting on this one for awhile and finally pulled it out for none other than my fellow Spectrum Noir teamies!  We've been in a discussion this week about how the Spectrum Noir markers work for hair.... because Spectrum Noir markers don't have brush nibs.  Well.... hair is sort of my thing and these markers make hair a snap!!!  Really, could there BE a more perfect image to show how these wonderful markers perform?  Check it out!!! I began this gem by coloring in the entire lion using ...

Ok you guys... its time for the truth.  I'm gonna bare my soul here!  I was TERRIFIED that I would not be able to color once I got the new Spectrum Noir markers.  For years I've been told how well I color using the Copic brush nib alcohol ink markers and for years I've believed it was because of the tool.  NOW I plunge into the REAL world of coloring.... new markers and different nibs.  Can I do it?  Will the new tool measure up? Okie dokie, see for yourself!!!  Above is a hair and face chart that I practiced on yesterday (thank you for the heads Lori Barnett ).  I started the first head in the top left corner using my Copic brush nib markers.  Then I completed the rest of the heads using Spectrum Noir markers in various color combinations to see if there was a noticeable difference.  Oh, these are pretty darn close, wouldn't you say????  This practice sheet is literally the third time I've colored with these markers (I'll post ...

I FINALLY got them!!!!!  My new Spectrum Noir markers arrived yesterday!!!  I'm super excited to be using these new alcohol ink markers and I'm even more excited for the privilege to play along with Spectrum Noir's design team!!! When I got the news that I had been accepted to the design team, I did a touch-down dance (seriously, I was like full-on in an end zone)... you can imagine how badly I wanted my hot little hands on these new toys.  And at around half the price of other alcohol ink markers, I knew that this new habit was not going to break my bank.  AND LOOK WHAT I DID WITH THEM. The images are from The Greeting Farm Sweet & Toxic set and the angel sentiment is from Tickled Pink Stamps.  The colors that I used for the adorable little girl were: Hair - EB8, TN8, TN5 and CR2 Skin- FS1, FS4, FS9 and PP4 Dress - DR7, DR5, DR1, CR6 and IG1 The colors I used for the boy: Hair - EB6, TN5, TN2 Skin - IG's Jeans - TB4, TB2, BGR4 Shirt - ??? (so...

  Paper Vineyard's challenge this week was to use some custom cuts by Grapevine Designs.   We were asked to submit a word that Grapevine Designs would then cut out of chipboard in three different fonts for us to use and showcase any way we'd like on any project.  Really, is it ANY surprise that I had Grapevine Designs (exclusively at Paper Vineyard) cut out "La Push"???? HAHAHAHAHAHA! Because I'm STILL working on my vacation album, this was the perfect time to incorporate the elements for this challenge while at the same time fulfill the design team project!  LOVE IT!  Along with the Grapevine Designs custom cut, I also used Bazzill Cardstock, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, McGill tab punch, Spellbinders dies and a Creative Impressions rub on.  I'm getting closer to this album being complete!  One down, 12 more to go!  LOL! Click HERE to see what the rest of the design team created for this one-of-a-kind challenge!!!

OMGosh you guys!  I am SOOOOO embarrassed!!!  This here is this week's submission to Beyond The Burtonesque Dolls that I'm posting SOOOOO late!!!  Not because the project wasn't done (it was done over a week ago), but because I DROPPED my camera which loosened the SD card inside and had NO IDEA what was wrong!  My computer kept telling me that it couldn't find any of my files.  I honestly thought I had lost everything.  Imagine my delight when the SIMPLE discovery of my SD card being dislodged brought ALL my pics and videos back when the card was snapped back into place.  WOW!  Two days of scrambling... but I'm here to share my experience so if it ever happens to you, you will know how to fix it and quick. So while late, here is my project for Beyond The Burtonesque Dolls bi-weekly challenge.  This week's challenge is to create a project inspired by scary kids or scary kid's films.  MY project is actually inspired by scary kids and the...

**Click HERE for Halloween Give Away** Ok... so there should be a law against disrupting Halloween festivities with Christmas projects!!!  I had SUCH a hard time coloring this Tweet Top Hat by Stampendous for Paper Vineyard's Design Team challenge!!!  I was SUPPOSED to be doing a rather simple technique to make this hat look like felt using Copic Blender #0 (Color the image as usual and then do little "C's" with your blender to make the surface look textured and "felty"... sorry spellcheck, its a word today) but for SOME REASON my brain was shorting out and I just COULD NOT make this one happen.  I'm serious... my brain went on strike the minute I told it, "Let's do a Christmas card."  But, luckily, one of the many pleasing aspects of coloring with Copic markers is that even something that doesn't turn out the way you intended still looks wonderful and at the very least HAND MADE!!!  hahahahaha! So for this one I used my Purple M...

**Click HERE for Halloween Give Away** This week's challenge over at BEYOND The Burtonesque Dolls is to create a project inspired by the artwork and/or films of Terry Gilliam.  Personally, I TOTALLY like this dude's style when it comes to his artwork.  It borders on bazaar with quite a steampunk-y edge... THAT I'm so drawn to!!!  Now while I ended up going "cutesy" with this card, it was not for lack of want for the bazaar.  I had originally picked Smeared Ink 's Gear Head but with the holiday weekend and this user's less than stellar computer know-how, the image wasn't able to be downloaded in time for this challenge.  So inspired by Terry Gilliam's Steampunk Style, here's my project featuring a GORGEOUS alternative:  Tiddly Inks' Owlette .  I altered this one a bit as the owl that is supposed to be perched on Owlette's hand would have gotten in the way of that wonderful Tim Holtz sentiment.  Ok folks... that is it!  Swing over t...