How about a birthday card today? I had fun coloring this image, though I think I didn't help it any at the end when I wrote out "Happy Birthday" on the chalkboard. I considered Photoshopping it out, but I left it. Don't laugh--it's tricky to print in colored pencil! (My white gel pen was not cooperating--ever have those days?)
I started with an image from You Make the Grade by My Favorite Things and combined it with papers from the Cosmo Cricket Jack's World line, Wake Up and Lessons. By the Way, I'm honored to be an MFT Friend this week, and I have another card posted here on Kim's MFT blog today--thanks, MFT! I took pictures as I colored the image with my Copic Markers.
First I colored the skin tones and the blackboard, though it might have been wise to color the girl's sweater first since I added texture with the clear blender--more about that later. I love YG63 and YG67--great colors for a chalkboard!
Here is the sweater with some R02 and R05, and pleated skirt with BG72 and BG75.
Now, since I wanted texture and hadn't had enough forethought to color the clothing first, I masked it with a piece of Eclipse tape. before wetting a wide piece of twill tape with Colorless blender and touching it to the dry clothing. (If the marker is still wet, the texture won't be as crisp.)
Here you see that I've colored her shoes and the wood on the easel chalkboard.
And here I colored her hair a reddish brown. I think I should have used my colorless blender here to add more highlights. It doesn't have enough contrast. (I've already mailed it, or I would change that little detail!)
I used my custom marker filled with half colorless blender and half YR31 to add a warm glow around the image. I also added a soft shadow to ground my image.
A bit of stitching and some cutting with a Spellbinders Big Scalloped edge die, combined with some distress ink and some Jack's World ribbon and a Papertrey Ink New Leaf button, and that's it--one birthday card down! Thanks for stopping by.
