Day 15 ~ The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge

Hello, Friends! Today was a coloring book kind of day. And I debated on whether or not to share this, as I don't usually post my coloring book pages. When I color in my books, I don't worry so much about shading and light source. I just color. So, nothing fancy here...

This is a page from Ivy and the Inky Butterfly by Johanna Basford. I adore this book and I love working in it. I skip all around. For example, if I use a particular green combination that I really like, I will flip through the book and use it on random pages. There may be only a leaf or two colored on that page. It's going to take me forever to finish this book! LoL! But, it's for pleasure and relaxation so it's all good. You may notice a bit of sparkle. I like my coloring books to sparkle and shine, too! Later, after the coloring is all finished, I will add Crystal Effects to all of the glass elements and clear Wink of Stella on various objects. I'm going to attempt to finish this page and if I do, I'll post it. I love all of the details that Ms. Basford included in this illustration. So many nooks and crannies and so much to see.

That's it from me for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings~

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge ~ Day 8

Hello Friends! Welcome to Day 8 of the challenge! I am feeling sooo much better today! It's amazing what a little sleep can do. So for today, I worked on my Faith Cross, illustrated by  Karla Dornacher. I started this piece on Day Two of the challenge. You can see that post HERE.


Today, I finished the leaves and added color to the flowers. Please click on the picture to enlarge it.

I am really enjoying working with my colored pencils!

That's it for me today. Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings~


supplies ~ 
coloring page: Faith Cross(Karla Dornacher) 
card stock: White 110lb Georgia Pacific(Walmart) 
coloring medium: Polychromos Colored Pencils(Faber-Castell)   Blending pencil(Derwent)

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge ~ Day Three

Hello Friends! If you've been following my blog for a while, you may know how fond I am of Karla Dornacher's illustrations. They just warm my heart!  Anywho...recently, Ms. Dornacher started blogging and she is sharing all kinds of goodness! You have to stop by because when you do and you sign up for her newsletter, you will gain access to some very special illustrations. Click HERE.

And that brings me to my color share for the day. This is a freebie and it's called, Faith Cross. Please click on the picture to enlarge it.

I printed the cross onto a sheet of white card stock and colored it with my Polychromos colored pencils. I only had a little time for coloring, so I will work on this for Day Four!

If you would like to see some of my other projects featuring Karla Dornacher's illustrations, click HERE.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Blessings~



supplies ~ 
coloring page: Faith Cross(Karla Dornacher) 
card stock: White 110lb Georgia Pacific(Walmart) 
coloring medium: Polychromos Colored Pencils(Faber-Castell)   Blending pencil(Derwent)

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge - Days 10 and 11

Hello Friends! I'm doubling up on my days for this post, since I didn't get a chance to post my Day 10. And, once again, I will be super brief!

For Day 10, I did a little coloring in My Secret Garden coloring book. I had been wanting to color these pebbles for the longest time, so that is what I concentrated on. I used my Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils.

For Day 11, I used a cute little heggie stamp and tried out a few things with watercoloring. I like to play around with my stamps and coloring media before committing to a card.

I used Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens for the image on the left and Distress Markers for the image on the right. The image is stamped onto Smooth Bristol with My Favorite Things Black Licorice Hybrid ink.

That's all I have to share for now! Thanks for stopping in.


Blessings~

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge - Day Six

Hello Friends! I hope you've had a nice Saturday. I spent the earlier part of the day visiting my Farmer's Market. I love going each week for fresh fruit and veggies. Right now the beets are wonderful! I really like the beet greens better than the beets! I also buy handmade soaps. LOVE those! This week I purchased a bar called Hugs and Kisses and I tell you what...I wish you could smell it. I feel like this was made especially for me. It has shea butter, rose oil, rose water, and a touch of citrus and vanilla. In fact, when I walked up to the booth, the soapmaker picked it up and handed it to me. He said, "This one's for you. We've been working on this for 6 weeks and we finally perfected it." And perfect it, they did! It is lovely! My new favorite!

And then I did a little coloring in my Secret Garden coloring book. I am still a bit intimidated about coloring in my books. I don't want to make a mistake in them! But, I decided to just jump in and if I mess up a page, I mess up a page. The world won't end! LoL!

So, here's the page I worked on...

I have always liked topiaries and I think this page is really fun! I used my Faber-Castell Polychromos for coloring. Please click the picture to enlarge it. I like the two page spreads, too. And here, Ms. Basford suggests that we draw our own topiary in the pots that she's left empty. I won't be doing that. I'm no artist. I will simply color the pots and be done with it! Look at how cute this page is illustrated, though! So many cute shapes! My favorite, of course, is the heart. And next in line would be the flamingo. But, the rabbit is also cute and his pot has a trim of carrots on it! So clever!

 
Oh! Here's a bit of news, maybe you know about it already but, Johanna Basford, the illustrator of this very popular coloring book series, will be releasing TWO new coloring books this year. The first one will be released in August and it's called Magical Jungle; think elephants, iguanas, tigers, tropical hummingbirds, toucans and tree frogs. I've seen Ms. Basford's sketches from this book and it's going to be another winner. The next one will be released in October and it's called Johanna's Christmas. I cannot wait to see this one! I've seen a glimpse of a sketch from this book and I saw ornaments, nutcrackers, snowglobes, presents and stockings. Sounds like another one to add to my collection. Remember, there are three so far: Secret Garden, Enchanted Forest and Lost Ocean. I have them all and have not finished one page in any of them! Hahaha! But, no matter. I like collecting the books and leafing through them. The illustrations are incredible. This is a peek at another two page spread from The Secret Garden.

Well, I think that's it for me today. But, before I sign off, I wanted to share something with you...My blog and my art are my Happy Place. When I am creating and sharing with all of you, it's a moment in time where I can forget the challenges and struggles, hurts and heart breaks that life brings. I do have cloudy days, some really cloudy days and for those of you who know me behind the scenes, you know of what I speak. But, I choose JOY daily and I like to uplift, encourage and inspire and that is what is reflected in my art and on my blog. Please know that I appreciate each of you who chooses to visit The Buzz. And even though many of you never say a word, I know you're there and that means a lot to me.

Have a wonderful Saturday. Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings~


supplies~ 
coloring book: Secret Garden(Johanna Basford)
coloring medium: Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge - Day Two

Hello Friends! I finished the Tatted Lady from yesterday's post. And here she is...

Again, I used Faber-Castell Polychromos but, I also used a few Spectrum Noir and a Prisma color pencil today. I just really like this illustration, so many ways to interpret it. I think I'm going to frame this one and give it to my mother-in-law. She will really appreciate it.

Sooo...here's a little close up of her face. I added some makeup. Her lips get their sparkle from a Wink of Stella glitter brush and their shine from a touch of Crystal Effects.

I have to admit, I didn't really know exactly what the tattoo on the right is. I could make out a butterfly, but that was about it. So, I added a few colors to give it a sky/rainbow feel. According to the illustrator, the tattoos are replicas of what the illustrator has. I think that's very cool!

Hmmm. Not sure what I'm going to share tomorrow. I have 20 cards to make, with no coloring. Straight stamping does not come easy for me. Soooo...I may be in for a looooong day.

I hope your Tuesday has been terrific! Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings~

supplies~
coloring sheet: Tatted Lady(Shacream Artist)
card stock: 80lb Neenah Solar White
coloring medium: colored pencils Polychromos (Faber-Castell)  Spectrum Noir  PrismaColor
bling: Clear Wink of Stella glitter brush(Zig)
other: Crystal Effects(Stampin' Up!) 

30 Day Coloring Challenge 3 - Day 14

Hello Friends! So here we are, mid-week...how's it going for you so far? It's been horrendously hot in my neck of the woods and I'm afraid I haven't been keeping up with my water intake, so I'm a bit dehydrated. Translates to...I'm not feeling very well.  So, I'll be brief.

I did do a little coloring, because that always soothes me. I reached for my stack of printables and I selected a page from the Garden Blessings downloadable coloring book, by Karla Dornacher. Fun fact: I always post my projects on Instagram. And yesterday, I posted the bookmarks that I colored from this coloring book. Well, guess who stopped by and left a sweet comment? Yep! Karla Dornacher, herself! I was thrilled to have her acknowledge what I had done with her illustrations. I always love it when the artists stop by for a visit.

Alright, onto today's share. I printed my page onto a piece of smooth white card stock and colored it with Copic markers. I really like how it's coming along. Hopefully, I can complete it tomorrow.

I tell you what...I am so over these blurry photos! They are sharp and clear until I put them into my post and right before my eyes, they go blurry! What is up with that?! If you click on the image, it will be clear for you. I apologize for the inconvenience. I'm not sure why it's happening. Any ideas?

And here is a close-up...

And this one is crystal clear! Oh my goodness. At least you get a nice look up close. Don't you just love Forget-Me-Nots? Such a beautiful little flower with a wonderful night time fragrance. It's also the state flower of Alaska. Okie dokie...that's it for me.

Time for me to rest now. Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings~


supplies~ 
Garden Blessings Coloring Book(Karla Dornacher)
card stock: 80# Neenah Solar White
coloring media: Copic markers  

30 Day Coloring Challenge 3 - Day One

Hello Friends! Happy Thursday! And YAY! Today is the first day of the third 30 Day Coloring Challenge! Big shout out to my friend, Kathy Racoosin for hosting another one. I'm super excited to share with all of you, so let's get started!

If you're active in the crafting world, you've probably seen or heard about the grown up coloring craze. There are all kinds of coloring books and post cards and things on the market now. One of the main complaints from colorists about these items, is that the paper is not heavy enough to use with various coloring media; specifically Copic markers or watercolors. Well, I happened upon an artist, Karla Dornacher, who has a remedy for that. Ms.Dornacher has created a series of coloring items that can be downloaded and printed at home. Or Staples. Or wherever you choose. That is fantastic news! Because self-printing allows us to use whatever type of paper we want; heavy weight card stock, watercolor paper, vellum, whatever! Right now, she has two coloring books, both can be purchased at Amazon OR they can be purchased in her shop on Etsy as an instant download. Guess which one I opted for? If you said, instant download you're correct! Now. My share today is not of one of the coloring pages, I will share some of those later on, but today I'm sharing one of her instant download greeting cards! WHAT?! Yes! Take a look at this and I'll explain more about it as we go along. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

This is from the set called Trust in the Lord Digital Coloring Collection. This collection includes: a digi stamp, an 8.5 x 11 coloring page and two coloring cards. What's really cool about the coloring pages is that they can be slipped into an 8 x 10 frame and used in your home for wall art. Or, it can be given as a gift. This goes for all of the pages in her coloring books, as well. I ordered a boat load of items from her Etsy shop. You have to go take a look and visit her delightful blog, too. Okay...back to the coloring project for today. Whew! Get me going and I don't know when to stop! LoL!

I am often asked how I print my digis onto watercolor paper, so I thought I would do a step by step photo tutorial to show the process.  First, I print the images onto regular copy paper. This gives me a 'template' of where to adhere my watercolor paper for printing. You'll notice that these are note cards. They are to be printed onto a full 8.5 x 11 sheet of card stock and then trimmed out, scored, and colored.

But, since I was planning to use watercolor paper and not make the entire note card, I did this instead.

I die cut my watercolor paper before I run it thru my printer. I use temporary adhesive to hold the watercolor paper in place and then I put it thru my printer. And I get this...

Because I pre-printed the images, I knew right where to place my watercolor paper.

I printed the images onto the smooth side of the die cut pieces of Canson XL Watercolor Card stock. Then I watercolored  using my Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens, Distress Markers and a damp brush. I had to bring in my Distress Markers to fill in some color gaps that I have with my Ziggies. I let my image air dry.

I decided to trim around the image to add a little interest, so I didn't use the stitches after all. I rounded the corners of my card base and adhered the focal panel with dimensional adhesive. Then I went at it with my clear WOS! I added some Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear sequins and a some tiny twinkles onto the center of a few of the flowers.

 I love the simple lines here...so easy to color and very relaxing.

That's all I have for today. Thanks for dropping by. If you are joining the coloring challenge, please leave me a note in the comments. I would love to see what you've colored!

Blessings~

supplies~ 
digital image: Trust in the Lord Collection(Karla Dornacher)
card stock: Canson XL Watercolor paper
patterned paper: Brenda Walton Super K Stack(K&Company)
coloring medium: Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens:#041 Light Green, #022 Carmine, #050 Yellow, #036 Light Blue(Kuretake-Zig)  Mustard Seed, Ripe Persimmon, Salty Ocean, Worn Lipstick, Abandoned Coral Distress Markers(Ranger)
die: Stitched Rectangle(Simon Says Stamp)
bling: 4mm Sparkling Clear sequins(Pretty Pink Posh)  Tiny Twinkles(Taylored Expressions)  Clear Wink of Stella(Zig)
other: #0 watercolor brush(Grumbacher) #4 watercolor brush(Claudine Helmuth Studios)

30 Day Coloring Challenge 3 - Getting Prepared

Hello Friends! I am super excited about joining another 30 Day Coloring Challenge! I have found from doing the two previous challenges that being prepared is key. Life happens everyday and things will pop up when you least expect them. So, I like to have most of my things all ready to go. I print out my digis, I do my die cutting. I organize my coloring media and I have my art bag packed and ready to roll in case something should come up and I have to leave home for the day. I have gotten back into the habit of always having something to color with me. I used to do this all the time when I was a young girl. I wouldn't leave home without my coloring books and a box of crayons, a leisure reading book or two and my favorite baby doll. And as an adult, I still enjoy all of those things! Yep! Even the baby doll...but that's another story for another time. *wink* There I go, getting off topic again.

BACK TO THE COLORING PREP!

I printed all of my digital images; images to be used on cards, as well as a stack of coloring pages.  I will be sharing more about the coloring pages soon.

I organized my coloring media. For this challenge, I think I'm going to focus on colored pencils and watercolor. BUT...you never know. I may get the urge to use my Copic markers. I'm keeping an open mind! LoL! I like keeping my supplies in baskets, that way I can move them around easily.

I stamped a few images, I embossed a few images and I pulled the stamp sets that I think I might want to work with.

Having my things organized will help me to actually sit down and color. This way, I'm not scrambling around at the last minute trying to figure out what I want to do. Some of the images are large, like the coloring pages, and they will take a while to complete. Some of the images are small, like those pictured here, and they will be easy to complete and I can take them on the go with me, if need be.

That's it and that's all! I do hope you will join the NO PRESSURE, coloring challenge. It's so much fun to see what everyone is working on. And it's an opportunity to learn new techniques and "meet" new people. Visit The Daily Marker for more information.The coloring challenge starts October 1.

Blessings~

National Coloring Book Day

Hello Friends! Well, when I found about National Coloring Book Day, I took that as an invitation to sit down with my Enchanted Forest coloring book and do a little coloring! I was going to work on one of my greeting card orders, but you know what? I decided that from now on, Sunday is going to be for me. I am going to reserve Sunday for coloring in my coloring books or working on a project for myself. And with that...take a look at what I worked on today.

I gathered my supplies and started right in on this rambling vine.

If you're curious about my pencil case, I bought it from Hobby Lobby and it holds 120 pencils. It has four sections, it zips shut and it also has snaps at the end of the zipper pulls, so they don't flap around. Honestly, it's not my favorite, but I needed something in a hurry and that was the largest case Hobby Lobby had.

If you did a Google search for these adult coloring books by Johanna Basford, you would find that there are some awesome colorists out there, doing fantastic things on their pages. I haven't quite found my groove yet. But, spending more time with the books should remedy that. So, for this fairly plain page, I decided to add some fluffy clouds.

I pulled out my  well loved cloud maker template, some Distress ink and a wedge of sponge and got busy.

For my coloring, I used PrismaColor Colored pencils and I blended it out with Gamsol. I was not planning to use any blending medium in my coloring book, but I saw a page on Instagram that had been blended with OMS and I loved it! So I had to give it a go.  I also added sparkle with a clear Wink of Stella glitter brush and a ClearStar Gelly Roll pen.

I like how it turned out! With all of that open space, I was tempted to stamp a meaningful sentiment or a verse or something, but then I thought, what if it smudges, or doesn't stamp properly? Then I would be stuck looking at that for the rest of my days. Soooo, needless to say, I left it off...for now. I have a nice collection of verses and sentiments printed on vellum and I might just pull those out to see how that would look.

Here are a few more close-ups

And that is it for me! Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope your weekend was wonderful!

Blessings~


supplies~
Enchanted Forest Coloring Book(Johanna Basford)
ink: Tumbled Glass Distress Ink(Ranger)
coloring medium: PrismaColor Colored pencils
bling: Clear Wink of Stella(Zig)  Clear Star Gelly Roll pen(Sakura)
other: Gamsol(Inky Antics)   Blending stumps(Dick Blick)  sponge(Stampin' Up!)

30 Day Coloring Challenge 2 Wrap Up

Hello Friends! Long time no post. Life took over and I had to take care of some things, so I was not able to post. If you are following me on Instagram, then you were able to see my projects for the last few days of the 30 Day Coloring Challenge. I decided to just move forward and I am not going to do a day by day post of what I created. Rather, I will do a wrap-up and post a few highlights.

So, here we gooooo!

I finished the Enchanted Forest Valentine image, illustrated by Johana Basford. I really learned a lot about my Zig Clean Color pens. I absolutely adore them and will be adding a few more colors to my collection to round it out. I tend to color more florals and foliage and I find that the set that I initially purchased is sorely lacking on greens. The beauty of the markers though, is that one can dilute the pigment to achieve a much lighter shade than that which is first laid down with the markers. I had a blast watercoloring this image and I decided to have it framed and I'm giving it to my mother. I apologize for the quality of the photo, I took this with my cell phone.

click to enlarge

Next up is another beautiful image from Power Poppy. It's the June addition to the Instant Garden, called Bees in Foxglove. I tell you what, Marcella Hawley, just 'gets' me. She knows what tugs at my heart strings and she draws it and I love it! You all must know how I feel about bees. My entire business is centered on The Bee....the Buzz, Queen B, the Hive, Blessed Designs by B,etc...What you may not know is that I also have a love affair with Digitalis or Foxglove. Years ago, when I had an English Country Tearoom, I grew all shades of foxglove on the side of my house. I had a rainbow of colors. I loved watching the bees glide in and back out of the little 'tubes'. So when I saw the new digital image for June, I was flooded with memories of that time. My girls were so small and we would garden and have tea and set out lady bugs to eat the aphids off the rose bushes; I had 22 rose bushes in a flower bed in our front yard and the scent was heady and overwhelming at times, but we LOVED it! I knew I had to add the new image to my collection and I knew exactly what colors I wanted to use for it. One of my favorite digitalis was Apricot Beauty. I love the peachy pinks and soft corals in this variety. The spires grow soooo tall and the flowers are just gorgeous with all those 'freckles' inside.

I know I can't outdo God when it comes to coloring and shading and I don't even try. But, I pulled out my Prismacolor Colored pencils to color up this beauty...

click to enlarge

Marcella's attention to detail is amazing. The woman knows how to illustrate flowers! She has perfectly captured the foxglove, right down to the freckles on the inside of the blooms. And just look at those cute little bee butts! Anyway, as I said, I colored this with Prismacolor pencils. I didn't use Gamsol or any type of blending solution, I just used the pencils. I've been seeing some really wonderful pencil work out there in blog land and I want to learn to master a few of the techniques that use only the pencils. When I travel or am at the beach, it's not always practical to have a bottle of solution, so learning these techniques will allow me to color anywhere and achieve favorable results.

Okay, next up, I watercolored a gorgeous hollyhock image from the Sunshine and Smiles stamp set from Clearly Besotted. Hollyhocks are another favorite of mine. I also grew a few of these, but they were notorious for attracting grasshoppers and I REALLY don't like grasshoppers...at. all. I see one and I'm done with gardening for weeks. So, when I saw this stamp set featuring not only a sweet sunflower(another favorite) but also a lovely hollyhock, I knew I had to have it. I used my Zig Clean Color pens for this one. LOVE those pens, ya'll! Just love 'em!

click to enlarge

I stamped the image onto the smooth side of my watercolor card stock this time. I rarely, if ever, use the smooth side. I like the textured side so much. But I saw a video featuring this set watercolored with the Zig pens and the artist used the smooth side and I loved the way the colors blended so effortlessly. I have to say, I am pleased with the way this one turned out. As usual, I embossed the image with white fine detail embossing powder. After the image was completely dry, I added a good coating of clear Wink of Stella on the blooms and the bitty butterflies. This one is going into my Card Boutique, which will open up again in a few weeks.

I created this card in honor of Kathy Racoosin the wonderful host of the 30 Day Coloring Challenges. She is amazing. So gracious and kind. She commented on each of our posts with words of encouragement, cute emojis and lots of warmth and love. I truly appreciate all that she did to pull this challenge together. She creates and posts every day, right along with us. She had giveaways and tons of video tutorials. Thank you, Kathy! I look forward to the next one! 

And that is it for my Wrap Up! Thank you so much for visiting today. I appreciate it!

Blessings~


supplies~
I elected to not include a supply list this time. If you have any questions about an item, please post it in the comments and I will respond. Thank you.

Day 22 - 30 Day Coloring Challenge 2

Hello Friends! I am back from my cruise! My brother and I had a blast! There was so much to see and do and we tried to fit in as much as we could. He's a veteran cruiser, takes several a year, this was my first one and I loved it! Can't wait to go again...The ship we were on was called the Inspiration. I thought that was the PERFECT name for a cruise ship for an artsy type person, like me. Here's a little peek at the ship.

We went on the Baja California cruise, to Catalina and Ensenada. It was a really relaxing and enjoyable time. The weather was perfect. We had cool ocean breezes and nice warm sun. My brother spoiled me by ordering room service breakfasts each morning. I ordered smoked salmon rosettes every day, that's my favorite.

Every night we had turn down service and our cabin steward left a different towel animal on my bed. I had a frog, a piggy, an elephant and the last night of the cruise, I got a heart! I wanted to bring them all home with me.

I brought along a small bag of art supplies; a few pre-printed and pre-stamped images, Prismacolor pencils, watercolor brushes and my Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens. And one morning, I managed to squeeze in a little time to color. I got a table on the back of the ship and set up to do a little watercoloring. While I was sitting there, several pods of dolphins were jumping around in the ship's wake. It was very cool to witness.

I printed this gorgeous FREE Enchanted Forest Valentine image by Johanna Basford onto a piece of watercolor paper because I wanted to play with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens. There are many things I like about these pens, but one thing that I really LOVE, is that they don't need much water to get a favorable result. They really need no water at all, but with water, one can lighten the colors and get some really nice variations.

click to enlarge

I didn't get a lot accomplished, but I did make an effort! I know I've missed a few days of the challenge, but I have no intention of playing catch-up. I'll just jump right back in today and go forward.

I apologize for the fuzzy photos, they were taken with my cell phone. I tried several times to correct them, but it just wasn't working out. Thanks for stopping by today!


Blessings~

supplies~
digital image: Enchanted Forest Valentine(Johanna Basford)
specialty paper: 140# Cold Press Watercolor Paper(Strathmore)
coloring medium: Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens(Kuretake)
other: #2 watercolor brush(Claudine Helmuth Studios)  #0 watercolor brush(Grumbacher)