Day 8 ~ The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge Blog Hop with Power Poppy

Hello, Friends! To celebrate Kathy's TENTH coloring challenge, I'm participating in The 30 Day Coloring Challenge blog hop featuring my favorite stamp company, Power Poppy! Yaaaay!

So. I am finally doing something that I have been wanting to do for a while now. And taking a cue from Kathy's post, HERE, I am creating a piece of art that will (hopefully) be frame worthy. It's no secret that I adore Marcella's illustrations and so I have been wanting to color up some of the digis, frame them and use them as wall art in The Hive.

I started by enlarging my digital stamp. Here I'm using Tulips in Hobnail Pitcher, one of my absolute favorites. That is one of the many things I love about digital stamps; they are so versatile! I can enlarge the image or shrink it down. LOVE that!

Anywho...next I printed the image onto Canson XL watercolor paper. I used the rough side because I love the texture.

Then, I selected my color palette. That's the fun part! I went right to the Power Poppy file on my laptop and browsed through the Hues to Use folder, until I found the perfect palette for my project.  Here's a tip: Each time a new Hues to Use pops up on the Power Poppy blog, I save it in a folder on my computer. This way, I have them all organized in one place and I can access them without having to go online. Isn't this one gorgeous?!

Pre-designed color palettes are an excellent way to jump start creativity. It's one less thing to think about and one can get right into the fun of coloring. Power Poppy has quite a selection of palettes and they add to them often. I like that there are just three colors to work with. I use them as a springboard and then add in other colors as I need them.

Next, I went to my colored pencil stash and pulled the colors I wanted to use. I do this for a few reasons; I like to isolate the colors I want to use so I don't get distracted by all of the pretty colors in my collection. :) And, having just the colors I need, makes it easier to grab and go so I can take my project with me when I'm out and about or if I want to color in a room other than The Hive. For this project, I am using Prismacolor Colored Pencils.

I've assembled my cast of characters. And now, I'm ready to color!

I like to start with one element in the image. I choose to start with the leaves. I lay down light layers and just play with the colors until I achieve the look I desire. I LOVE that texture that shows through. It makes my heart happy. I'm also using my new desktop easel that my Mother gave me for my birthday. I love, love, LOVE it! Please click on the pictures to enlarge them.

 In this next photo, you can see how I've added more layers of color on some of the leaves and started to get into "the nooks and crannies".

This is a "take my time" piece. I plan to work on it a little bit at a time throughout the challenge. I can say now that I will be doing a few more of these enlarged digis for framing. I already have, Sunshine of My Life, Graceful Still Life, Chinese Lantern and Everything's Rosy printed and ready to roll! Not sure if I'll switch around or stick to one until it's completed. So what about you? What do you think about creating a piece of frame worthy art? Will you give it a try?

Oh! One more thing before you go:
Marcella is offering a special sale on Burst of Kindness Clear Stamp set and Spring Meadow digi stamp set. Buzz on over and have a look-see. Sale ends June 9th!

Here's the hop line up:
Christine Okken
Cindy Lawrence
Julie Koerber
Kathy Jones
Katie Sims
Tosha Leyendekker
Barb Walker (you are here)
Nancy Sheads
Elizabeth Zaffarano
Marcella Hawley

If you get lost along the way, you can always go back to Power Poppy! Enjoy the hop. The ladies have a lot of beautiful creations to share with you!

That's it for me today. Thank you so very much for stopping by. I appreciate the visit. Have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings~