Grab your Sunbonnets...

...Summer is here.

Well it was...then it rained...typical British Summertime weather.

However, what I was really referring to was the latest digi stamps from Nicecrane...

...this is just one of the new design sheets that Ignacio has over on the Nicecrane Design site and you can grab this one here.

Ignacio sent me these images and asked me to colour them and this is what I have so far...

This image was coloured with a mixture of Derwent Coloursoft & Pastel pencils...

...when used on Kraft card this gives an almost 'chalky' feel to the image...

...and also enables you to keep things very soft looking. This is very much in keeping with the way the images first appeared when they were published as the illustrations for the 'Primer' but I wanted to see what they would look like coloured a little more boldly.

This image was coloured using Spectrum Noir alcohol pens on smooth white CS...

 ...and as you can see, the colours used are more vivid but not too "in your face"...

 ...the stronger colours also give the ability for more shading when colouring and this helps to give the image a bit more depth. However, if you fancy something with a more vintage feel - how about this...

 ...I coloured the same image again using a limited selection of pencil colours on Kraft CS...

 ...in places there is just a hint of colour and by applying colour more strongly in some places you can still achieve a shaded effect. The softer colours also make the image seem like part of the CS...

...as none of the colours are overly bright. A very different finished look to the alcohol pens.

This new range of images are really sweet and there is plenty of possibility for mixing and matching techniques - how about paper-piecing the bonnets in your favourite PPs or printing onto a more textured CS to give the look of canvas - there really is no limit as to what you can do.

If you would like to see some of the things the rest of the DT have come up with, do hop over to the Nicecrane blog.....................................................................

It's Saturday...

...and how did you spend yours?

I spent my morning in one of Andy's classes (Pinnacle Crafts) playing with Pan Pastels.

This was what I made...

...using a mix of basic Pan Pastels and the newer metallic ones.

Starting with three colours - Orange Shade, Turquoise and Phthalo Green Shade...



 ...a piece of white smooth card was covered in blended stripes.
To create the background card a square of white smooth card was covered...

...with a blend of Diarylide Yellow Tint, Phthalo Green Tint, Turquoise and Phthalo Green.
Using a black Archival ink pad the angel fish image was stamped onto the striped card...

 ...and to create a reverse image, the fish was stamped onto acetate and then pressed onto the striped card. I used a bone folder to help transfer the image.
Once dry, a parchment eraser pencil was used to create some highlighted areas...

 ...this is one of the benefits of the basic Pan Pastels - until they have been sealed they are erasable.
Both images were then carefully cut out...

...taking care not to smudge the colours.
The fish were then sealed using Crafters Companion...

 ...Spray & Shine. Three coats were used to help enhance the colours...

 ...and small googly-eyes were added to give a bit of fun. The fish image was from a stamp set by Sheena Douglass.
From the same stamp set I used two of the seaweed stamps...

...they were stamped randomly using Versamark and then coloured by gently dragging a sponge loaded with the Copper metallic Pan Pastel. This was then sealed using the spray & shine.
Once dry, the fish were mounted onto the background using 3D foam...

 ...a bit of matt & layering and I had a completed tent-fold card.
We were able to play with some other techniques...

 ...some black CS was covered in Versamark and then covered with Pewter, Light Gold, Rich Gold and Copper before using Versamark on some stamps to "stamp off" some of the Pan Pastel...

 ...gradually building up a scene...

...the clouds and covered bridge stamps...

 ...are from Stampscapes...

...the sheen of the metallic pastels made this quite difficult to photograph well but I think you can get the idea - this is a really great technique.

Once finished this was also sealed with spray & shine.

Thank you Andy for a wonderful class - it was great fun playing with the pastels and trying out new things.............................................................

Pan Pastels 2...

...and my new Tonic 'Elegant Vine' Die set.

(I say new but in fact I've had this die a couple of months but have only just gotten around to using it)

I used the die to cut a some black CS which I then dabbed with Pan Pastels in Silver/Light gold/Copper and after sealing the pastels, I mounted the piece on copper miri card...

 ...which was then mounted upon a 6x6 black card blank.
The sentiment was also cut from black CS which was dabbed with the pastels...

...and then mounted over a miri card cut of the sentiment to create a drop shadow effect.

I'm really enjoying the effect that the metallic Pan Pastels create - it is so quick and easy - I might just have to run up a batch of these to boost my stock of Christmas cards..............................................

Pan Pastels...

in metal shades.

Yep, there are now 6 metallic colours that have been added to the range of shades - four golden shades and two silvery ones.

Now these have been in the shops for a good few weeks but today was the first time that I got to play with them. Andy (Pinnacle Crafts) held a half-day workshop where he demonstrated a variety of techniques and then we were allowed to play.

Starting with an embossed square of black CS and...

 ...a die-cut sentiment (this was from the Tonic Christmas set 1). The CS was completely covered with Versamark before the Pan Pastels were dabbed all over...

 ...I went with Silver/Light Gold/Copper...

 ...on both items. Both pieces were sealed by spraying with Spray and Sparkle in gold.
The base card was created from white CS...

 ...then gold miri card and glitter vellum covered pearl CS were used to matt & layer.
Some holly branches were cut from gold miri card...

...and the sentiment was cut in gold miri to create a drop-shadow for the coloured sentiment.
As you can see here...

...the embossed panel and the sentiment have been raised up using 3D foam...

...and this was the finished piece.

Of course, a few new toys jumped into my shopping basket before I came home but I was very good LOL - I only bought 3 of the 6 metallic Pan Pastels (I went with the three I used today) as I can always get the others at Members weekend.

It was a lovely way to try out these new Pan Pastels as they do behave a bit differently from the normal ones. Thank you Andy for providing lots of ideas and letting us play. I really enjoyed myself and am very pleased with my finished card. It also goes to show that you don't have to have pictures on a card...a bit of texture, colour and a sentiment and you are well away...........................................

How's your weekend going...

...are you having fun?

If you have a spare moment or two...grab a cuppa and have a browse as this post is quite photo heavy.

At the moment on this bright Sunday morning the sun is shining, the sky is a fabulous blue (bit hazy) but boy is it cold - - still; at the moment it is dry.

Yesterday the weather wasn't too great - blooming cold first thing, bit of sun shine then rain and hail (in places) - but did I care? Nope!

I was sitting getting a 'numb-bum' watching Andy (Pinnacle Crafts) demoing PanPastels.

Andy showed how you could create the basis for scene background just by giving some thought to where you are placing the colour...

...and then you can start adding your stamped images to build-up your scene.

If you want, you can go for a more 'all over' colour...

...because PanPastels are eraseable (is that a word?) - just by using a pencil eraser you can take the colour back which is great if you have been a little heavy-handed in places or you can use this technique to add highlights...

...you can also add more colour to areas after stamping if you think there is an imbalance or something just doesn't look right.
Andy had prepared a lot of samples...

...this scene looks so soft and peaceful.
He showed everyone just how easy...

..it is to gradually build up the scene...

...and how effective keeping to a monotone can be...

...everything stamped on this piece was done in the Olive shade og Memento but most of it was done with the 'second stamping' to give a paler result - just the two pines and the figures were stamped straight from the inking.

This piece was done using a single colour of PanPastel and mainly the grape shade of Memento.

Andy showed how even when things don't quite look right...

...he intended the church to be a little higher. You can use colour or 'filler' stamps to adjust things. In this case he used a blue Memento so you could see where he had added some 'water' to create a lake effect...

...which when done in the same shade as the rest of the stamping would blend more seamlessly.
This finished sample shows how the use of clouds...

...and sedge...

...help to pull everything together without 'white bits'.

PanPastels can also be used to just create a colour base for images.





A random use of colour over the background can create the perfect colour base for the images and of course you can even create background 'papers' to match in with your projects. Andy said that the tiger sample had used a tiger-print paper but there was nothing in the shop to match in with the cheetah...

...well after a quick play with the pastels - there was!
Some of the samples showed just how effective different colours could look...

...when you see 'orange shede' in the pot it is not a colour that you would think that you would get a lot of use from - however...

...as you can see - looks can be deceiving. Doesn't it look effective.
PanPastels need to be sealed as they attract moisture and the last thing you would want to do after all your hard work is to ruin the effect with a very noticable finger-print. Cheap hairspray works fine but if you want a slight sheen there are sprays that will do the job (Spray & shine or Spray & sparkle) - just don't be too heavy-handed otherwise you can obscure your work.

The pastels are very forgiving and for those of you who love the effect created by brayering (but can never quite get it to look like the pieces produced by Barbara Grey) here is a medium that you could try.

They are quite expensive (around £6 per pot although colour stacks do work out a cheaper option) and there are currently 80 shades in the range (mega OUCH to the wallet) but you don't need to have all 80 - you can build up the intensity of the colour you have applied to give you extra tones & tints. You also use very little so unless you are using the same colour, day-in-day-out, it is unlikely that you will ever have to buy a second pot of any colour...oh, unless you drop it on the floor without the lid on - remember they are compressed powder (I've seen the mess that this makes - one was dropped at a show).

Thank you Andy for another super Demo-day and for those of you who haven't tried this product yet - go on, have a play.............................................................................................