getting started on Christmas...

Hello my fabulous friends!

Today I have two quick Christmas cards to share that both use the same basic technique... they came together super quick since both started as coloring projects for the 30 day coloring challenge that just ended. 

Up first... bright and traditional

Paper: Georgia Pacific white yardstick; DCWV Holiday Glitzy Glitter

Stamps: Great Impressions Snow Friends

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Distress Salty Ocean; Copic B0000, B00, RV11, 0, W1, W3, W6, W7, W9, YR18, R24, R29, R89, YG05, G05, G19; Signo Uniball white

Other: Ranger Perfect Pearls, Eclipse Masking Paper

I stamped my image using Memento Tuxedo Black ink because I knew I wanted to use alcohol markers, and this ink is safe for that. I then stamped it again onto the masking paper. 

Masking Paper is new to me... but I found it PERFECT for this kind of masking! 

I cut out the mask, and placed it over my stamped card. I then used my ink blending tool and some Distress ink to quickly make a bright background. For a little extra snow in the sky, I mixed Perfect Pearls in with some water and splattered it around.

Rather than try to mask those little snowflakes, I went in with my Signo pen to add the white back in after the inking was done. 

When the background was done, I removed the mask (and stuck it in with the stamp set to reuse next time). I kept the coloring of the snowmen nice and simple with the Copic markers. (the snowmen are shaded with B0000 and B00... but you can't tell in the photo. I need to learn to be brave and add in darker contrast on white images... Oh well, I'll get there!)

 For a little more sparkle, I painted on a little more Perfect Pearls over the snow.

For the mat, I didn't have card stock in the gray that I wanted, so I colored the edges of some white card stock with a Copic marker. I love being able to customize things to make them match!

Next up, winter animals...

Paper: Georgia Pacific white card stock; DCWV Holiday Glitzy Glitter

Stamps: Adam Prescott Winter Woodland, Crafters Companion Winter Wishes

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Distress Seedless Preserves, Chipped Sapphire, Black Soot; Copic V06, W0, W1, W3, C2, C6,C7, C9, E00, G04,YG05, R46,R59, BG000, BG11, 0; Gelly Roll Clear Star

Other: Eclipse Masking paper

*NOTE:The sweet little critters on this card are from a stamp set that came free with a magazine I bought a year or two ago... I've tried to find it online, but I haven't found this set for sale anywhere. Sorry... I try to use current things, but sometimes  I just have to  use older things because I can't always afford to go out and buy all the newest stamps, and I firmly believe that older sets can still be loved and used even if they are no longer available on the market... Hopefully you can still find inspiration in this card... You could create a similar look with SO many other stamp sets that are currently available, or look through your own stash of old stamps... you might already have something similar! 

Again, I stamped my image on both my card stock, and the masking paper. I cut the mask out and covered the image. I also covered where I wanted my horizon line and below... this protects the portion of the card I want to remain white. (yes, that is a lesson I learned the hard way... OOPS!) 

I then did a blend of Distress ink, moving from my lightest (Seedless Preserves), to my darker (Chipped Sapphire), making sure to over lap the colors and let them blend. I added a little Black soot around the edges of the sky just to help keep the focus on the brighter center of the card.

I then removed the masks and did another simple Copic coloring. Nothing fancy or complicated... Just really simple coloring. 

To finish it off, I added stars in the sky, and lines in the snow with my Gelly Roll Clear star pen. 

You can see in this close up just how much sparkle this pen packs... It's AMAZING!!!

What is even more amazing is that I got this pen more than 10 years ago, haven't used it in forever (mostly because I kinda forgot about it...).  I was going through some things, and saw it in my pen cup and decided to give it a test to see if it still worked, or if I needed to throw it out. It works BEAUTIFULLY even after sitting all this time! I'm so impressed! In fact, I'm loving it so much that it now has a place with my white pen and my lining pens right next to my table for easy access!

Adding in the layer of ink in the background, really makes the white of the images POP. 

When you color white, you add color into your shadows, but it is really dependent on the things around it to make it read as white. 

So... Now I have a start on my Christmas cards for the year... Have you started yet???

Enjoy!

~Kassi