Christmas Mittens -- for Lacy Sunshine

Happy Hump Day, everyone!  I'm posting today for Lacy Sunshine. 
I have an adorable Rory image to share with you today!

This is Rory's Mittens:

Copic colors used:

And, Rory's Mittens made into a card:

Designer paper is form Echo Park.  I cut the card base out on my Silhouette Cameo with a file from Pretty Paper, Pretty Ribbons.  The jute trim is from 3 Girl JAM.

Rory's getting ready for Christmas!  (How about you?)

Rory in Santa's Workshop -- for Lacy Sunshine

Happy Sunday, fellow crafters!  I have a piece I'm posting today for Lacy Sunshine.  It's from one of Heather Valentin's newest coloring books.  If you like to color, this was awesome fun!

Rory in Santa's Workshop is an image from the book Rory's Sweet Urchin Christmas, written and illustrated by Heather Valentin.  You'll find it on the top 100 seller list at Amazon!

I usually write down my Copic colors, and often have a tutorial when I'm posting for Lacy Sunshine, but I used so many Copic markers on this piece, I lost track.  While I didn't use my entire collection, it was very close!

There's a new challenge starting today at Lacy Sunshine, and it's Anything Goes, so come join in the fun!  You can win some fantastic Lacy Sunshine images for yourself!

I'd like to enter this in the following challenge:
Let's Color Linky Challenge -- ATG

Be Zombified! for Lacy Sunshine

Hello, and Happy Sunday!  We're edging ever closer to Halloween. I'm not a huge Halloween fan, but I do like the cute, kids in costumes, let's go trick-or-treating side of the holiday.  Today, I am posting on the Lacy Sunshine blog, and I have a tutorial on how to color zombie skin.  Follow along below, if you're interested!

This image, from Lacy Sunshine, is Be Zombified! from the Rory Be Happy Coloring Book, available at Amazon.com.

Zombie skin.  I've never seen a zombie.  I don't watch any zombie shows (not even The Walking Dead), so really, who's to say what a zombie looks like.  This gives the artist pure artistic license, so have it, right?!?

My interpretation of a zombie, that also has to remain cute, because she is, after all, a Lacy Sunshine digi, is this:

Skin: Copic markers colors V000, V01, G000, G00, BV000

Eyes: BG000, B12, B14
lips: R21, R22

Hair: E50, Y21, YR24

Wrappings: E30, E33, E35

Clothing: V12, V15, V17
YR00, Yr02, YR07, E15, E18

Papers for this card are from Close To My Heart.  I distressed the edges to add to the zombie effect.

There's an anything goes challenge happening on the Lacy Sunshine blog, so come join the fun!  I have 2 Facebook groups for you to check out, too.  There's the Lacy Sunshine Color N Craft Community and the Coloring Without Boundaries Facebook Group.   Both are wonderful, supportive communities to show your work, get inspired, and hear of sales and news. 

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:
TTCRD -- ATG
IDCB -- ATG
D.L. Art -- September linky party
Not Just Cards -- ATG
Sunny Day Challenge -- ATG

Boo Who -- For Lacy Sunshine

Happy Sunday, Lacy Sunshine lovers!  There's a showcase happening on the Lacy Sunshine blog today, and a new anything goes challenge is starting.  The whole colorist team has colored the same image, but the different styles and approaches is so fun to see!

I introduce you to 'Witchy Owl'...

Here are the Copic colors I used on this: 
Hat -- YR14, YR18, E15, E18
Hat Band -- V12, V15, V18
Broom Handle -- E70, E71, E74, E77
Broom, YR30, Y32, E21
Branch -- E81, E84, E87, E89
Leaf -- YG21, YG41, YG45

Owl:
Feet & Beak -- YR30, YR31, YR61
Body & Feathers -- BV00, BV01, BV04, BG000, BG11, BG32, BG45
Glasses B24, B26

I cut out this card on my Silhouette Cameo with a file I found in the Silhouette Design Store.  Papers are from Close To My Heart. The sentiment is a stamp from Unity Stamp Company.

Make sure to visit the Lacy Sunshine blog to see the other fantastic Witchy Owls, then join in on the Anything Goes challenge.  I have two wonderful Facebook groups for you to check out, too.  There's the Coloring Without Boundaries group -- a fun-filled community for those who love to color, and the Lacy Sunshine Color N Craft Community.  Both groups are full of inspiration, friendship, and fun!

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:
IDCB -- ATG
D.L. Art -- September Linky Party
Not Just Cards -- ATG
TTCRD -- ATG

Wonder Bumpkin -- for Lacy Sunshine

I'm posting today for Lacy Sunshine and Coloring Without Boundaries.   I have a super cute digi, created by Heather Valentin, and a short tutorial, to share with you today.

Meet Wonder Bumpkin, one of the Super Hero characters!

I'd like to share with you today how I colored her hair and braids.

First, though, I'll show you a pic of her with just her skin colored.  
Skin colors used (Copics):
E000, E00, E21, E34, R20

Next I colored lips, eyes, and toenails.
Lips & toenails -- R21, R22
Eyes - G20, YG93, YG95, YG97

Her hair colors (Copics) are E93, E95, E97, and E09.

I generally start with my lightest color first, but with hair, I do just the opposite.  I start with the darkest color, then work towards my lightest color.  With that in mind,  I started with...

E09 first

Next, I added the second darkest color, E97

It's already starting to look like hair, and I have 2 colors left to add.
Here comes the E95:

I left a little white space for the E93 to finish it off:

Hair!

All that's left is her adorable outfit and the background.

Colors used for 

Cape/shirt/hair ribbon/anke bracelet

B12, B24, B28, B29, B99

Shorts -- B32, B95, B97

Shirt -- R22, R24, R27, R59

Grass -- G000, G00, G20, YG03

Plants -- YG03, YG61, YG65, YG68

One more view of the completed coloring --

Come join the anything goes challenge at the Lacy Sunshine blog.  You have over a week to enter and there's some really great prizes to win!

There's 2 great Facebook groups to check out, too.  There's the Lacy Sunshine Color N Craft Community and the Coloring Without Boundaries Group.   Both groups are wonderful places for inspiration, friendship, and information.  

Check out all of Heather Valentin's Adult Coloring Books, available from Amazon.com!

I Want S'More Summer! for Lacy Sunshine

Greetings, fellow crafters and stampers!  I hope you are enjoying the weekend.  Today is the start of a new challenge at Lacy Sunshine, and a Designer's Showcase for you from the Colorists.  

This time, we are all showcasing the same image.  I'm excited to see how differently (or maybe not?!?) we've colored it.
Today, I have for you 'Eleanor & Pickles - S'Mores'.

You can purchase this image in the Lacy Sunshine Online Store here.

I have a tutorial for you today on how I colored the bonfire.  I've spent many hours looking at fires through the years, and they often have blue in them, especially when they are burning really hot.  I want some blue in mine.  Here's how I did it, using Copic markers:

I started with B24

Then, added some B21

Next, I added Y17

Adding Y11 added more flames to the fire

I felt like it still wasn't glowing enough, so I added in some Y38

There!  Now it's how I want it!

I hope you can join the Anything Goes Challenge at Lacy Sunshine.  You can win some awesome Lacy Sunshine images for yourself, and I'd love to see what you make!

Check out the Lacy Sunshine Color N Craft Facebook Community and the Coloring Without Boundaries Facebook Group. There's lots of inspiration in both these groups!

Look! Ruby Slippers! for Lacy Sunshine

Hello, fellow crafters.  I'm posting today for Lacy Sunshine and Coloring Without Boundaries. 

Today's coloring is from Heather's Valentin's Lacy Sunshine's Wizard of Oz coloring book, available at Amazon.com. 

Let me introduce you to "Look!  Ruby Slippers!"

Here's a step-by-step of how I did this:

I wanted everything but the ruby slippers and the yellow brick road to be muted, so I started coloring the slippers and the road:

Slipper Copic colors -- R21, R22, R24, R27, R29, R39  

Yellow brick road -- I started with a base coat of Y32, then layered on YR23 and YR24.  It wasn't as bright as I wanted it, so I went over it all with Y02.

Next, the house:
Siding -- C5, C3, C1, C00
Shutters -- BV000, BV01, BV04, BV02
Roof -- BV11, BV13, BV17
Bushes -- G40, G43, G82, G94, G99

Flowers in bushes -- YR61, YR65, YR68, YG17

Tall Flowers:

Leaves -- YG03, YG63, YG67

Blooms -- R81, R83, R85

Grass -- G000, G00, G02

Sky -- B0000, B000, B00, B01

Wood base -- E30, E31, E33, E35, E37, E39

Then, I used cranberry Stickles on the ruby slippers to make them sparkle.  Because, really, what are ruby slippers without some bling?

There's an Anything Goes challenge going on at the Lacy Sunshine blog. It goes all month, so I hope you join in on the fun!  I have 2 Facebook groups to check out, too.  There's the Coloring Without Boundaries Facebook group and the Lacy Sunshine Color N Craft Community.  Heather has many wonderful coloring books for sale at Amazon.com, so go shopping!

Awesome! for Coloring Without Boundaries

It's time for some showcase inspiration on the Lacy Sunshine blog. It's also the start of another Anything Goes Challenge, so come link up!

All the pieces today are showcases Heather Valentin's Eleanor & Pickles characters.  They are available in her new coloring book, Volume 17, available from Amazon.

Today, I introduce you to Pickles & Percy:

I think they are the cutest friends ever!

Here they are, made into a card with a hoedown theme:

They are too cute, together, aren't they?

Join us at Lacy Sunshine for our Color N Craft challenge.  We've got great prizes, and I'd love to see what you make! Then, I have a couple of Facebook groups that are "must joins" -- Coloring Without Boundaries and Lacy Sunshine Color N Craft Community

Sugi's Christmas Truffle -- for Lacy Sunshine

We're celebrating Christmas in June over on the Lacy Sunshine blog, with lots of adorable Christmas images being colored up and showcased.

I had the delightful privilege of using Sugi's Christmas Truffle, found in the Lacy Sunshine Store.

Here's a breakdown of the colors I used.

Starting with the skin --

E000, E00, E21, E34, R20

lips -- R22, R21

Hair -- YR24, Y21, E50

Truffle -- BG000, BG11, BG23, BG34
Berries -- R11, R12, R14, R17
Leaves -- YG03, YG63, YG67
Feathers -- R32, R35, R37
Shoe -- R32, R35, R37, C00, C03, C05
I wanted to pull in colors from the decorations on the hat and the truffle for the wings. 
Wings are -- BG000, BG11, R000, R00

Hat and coat -- G00, G02, G17, G19

Fur trim -- E30, E31, E33, E35, E37

The oval stitched dies are from Die-namics.  The snowflakes dies are from Lawn Fawn.  The snowflake edger die is from Cheery Lynn dies.  Papers are from My Mind's Eye.  

There's an Anything Goes challenge going on at the Lacy Sunshine blog.  Come join the fun!  If you haven't joined the Coloring Without Boundaries Facebook Group yet, please do!  I'm in awe of the talent and fun to be had in the group!  The same can be said for the Lacy Sunshine's Color N Craft Community Facebook group.

I also want to make sure you know of Heather Valentin's fabulous coloring books, available through Amazon.com and her wonderful coloring classes, available for purchase through her online store.

Steampunk Owl -- for Coloring Without Boundaries

It's Showcase Time on the Lacy Sunshine Blog, and today is going to be a great showcase!  Its also the start of an Anything Goes challenge, so come join the fun!

Heather Valentin, the artist behind the incredible Lacy Sunshine Stamps, has created some wonderful new adult coloring books, available at Amazon.com.   It's also available in the Lacy Sunshine Store.

I'm showcasing Steampunk Owl today, from the Tangled Gems: Birds Coloring Book and I used Faber-Castell Poly Chromos pencils.

Here's Steampunk Owl, from the Tangled Gems Collection:

I started out coloring the green scales.  
I used:
Light Green, Leaf Green, Emerald Green, Pine Green

Next, I colored the parts that looked like metal to me.  The beak look like a shield.  

I used:  Cold Grey II, Cold Grey I, Cold Grey IV, Silver, Black

Clock and other metal parts --

Light Chrome Yellow, Naples Yellow, Green Gold, Gold, Light Flesh, Cinnamon

The, I began finding color combinations I liked, and used them in various places around the owl, trying to keep it balanced and pleasing to my eye.  

Here are the combinations:

Light Magenta, Light Purple Pink, Fuchsia

Violet, Purple Violet, Blue Violet

Light Phthalo Blue, Middle Phthalo Blue, Phthalo Blue

Cadmium Orange, Orange Glaze, Dark Cadmium Orange

Light Cobalt Blue

Cobalt Blue, Deep Cobalt Green

Here's another picture -- more coloring done, working on keeping it balanced.

More color combinations:

Burnt Ochre, Terra-cotta, Indian Red

Naples Yellow, Dark Naples Ochre, Brown Ochre

Light Phthalo Green, Phthalo Green, Dark Phthalo Green,

Crimson, Red-violet, Violet

Here's another picture, colored along a little further.  Both wings are done now, working on tail feathers.  Not much further!

This Steampunk Owl piece was so fun to color!  It challenged me in many ways.  I don't often use colored pencils, and it really made me work on color combinations, blending, and shading.  

I printed this Steampunk Owl on a 81/2 X 11 piece of Canson Mi-Tientes paper.  I have framed it in an 81/2 x11 frame, and it's hanging in my hallway.  I love it!  It is so colorful and unusual.  Just looking at this owl makes me smile!

I hope you check out the rest of the coloring pieces done by this super talented design team over on the Lacy Sunshine blog.  Then, please join in the Anything Goes challenge.  There are 2 incredible Facebook Groups to check out, too -- Coloring Without Boundaries and Lacy Sunshine Color and Craft Community.  Plus, don't forget to shop in the Lacy Sunshine Store!  There's so much to choose from, including some wonderful art classes taught by Heather Valentin herself!

Happy Summer -- for Coloring Without Boundaries

Hello, fellow crafters.  This weekend is Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S., and the unofficial start of summer.  What could be more perfect than featuring this happy summertime image from Lacy Sunshine artist, Heather Valentin? 

Today, I'm featuring Eleanor & Pickles Digging Clams....

I'll talk you through the process of how I colored this, starting with skin:

I used the lightest skin tones behind the glasses, so it would look different there -- E000 & E00.  

The rest of the skin tones are: E00, E21, E34 Lips - R21, R22 blush - R12

Eyes - BV000, BV02, BV04

Hair - YR24, Y21, E50

Glasses - B32, B34, B37, C00

Frog - G00, G20, G21, G24
Tummy - YG00, YG11, YG13, YG17
Eyes - W1, W3, W5, W7

Snorkel & Fins - BG000, B00, B02, B05
Water - BG000, BG11, C01
Sand - E30, E31, E34, E35, E37

Sundress, Hat, and Hair Ribbons -- BG000, BG01, BG05, V000, V01, V04

Pail - YR12, YR14, YR18.  The pail wasn't bright enough, so I added YR02
Clams - YG91, YG97, YR20, YR24
Pearl - C01, C00

Here are Eleanor & Pickles Digging Clams, made into a card  -

I cut the card base out on my Silhouette Cameo, with a file I found in the Silhouette Design Store.  The puffy sentiment and sun are from October Afternoon.  The designer paper is from Carta Bella.  The Kraft paper is from Close To My Heart.

You'll find this tutorial and other wonderful tutorials on the Coloring Without Boundaries blog.  There's  opportunities to improve your coloring with Heather Valentin's online coloring classes.  They are available for purchase in the Lacy Sunshine Store.  Check out the Lacy Sunshine Color N Craft Community on Facebook and the Coloring Without Boundaries Facebook Group for inspiration and information.