Thursday, October 17

Tutorial - Santa By The Fire


My oldest son designed this beautiful image of Santa relaxing with a big stack of books. When I saw it, I knew I wanted to give the impression that he was sitting in front of a cosy fireplace, which meant I needed to add deep shadows to contrast with the warm glow of the flames. Let me show what I did...


1. Print the coloured image onto a piece of kraft cardstock and select a range of warm grey markers for the shadows beneath and around the image. I'm using copic markers - W8 down to W0 and a clear 0 for blending.


2. Add the darkest marker under Santa's body, feet and the book stack, then progressively shade the colour out using lighter and lighter greys.


3. When I got to the W6, I started to add shadows higher up on the image - under his raised knee, under his elbow and between his arm and the top of the book stack. Continue shading out the greys until you've reached W0.


4. Use the 0 blending marker to soften the outer edge of the shadow and blend it into the paper. If you wish, you can break up the dark shadow underneath the image with the 0 marker to add more texture.


5. I chose RV99, R89, R59, R37, and R29 to colour Santa's long johns. Place the RV99 in all the areas where the light doesn't reach, then use the remainder of the reds to shade out the colour, leaving the highest areas, such as his belly, chest, top of the legs, until last. They will be coloured with the lightest shade of red. These will also be the areas where you focus the "glow" of the flames.


6. For Santa's face and hands, I used E18, E17, E15, E13, and E11. The darkest areas will be around his eyes, beside his nose, in his ears, between and behind the hands. The lightest places will be along his nose and forehead, the apples of his cheeks, and the tops of his hands.


7. I used cool greys for his hair and beard, starting with C7 and working down to a C1. Remember that the darkest areas will face away from the light or be behind things that cast a shadow, such as his ears and nose.


8. I coloured and shaded the books with reds, greens, greys and the E series I used for his skin. Remember to add nice deep shadows for contrast.


9. To add a glow, I'm using a very warm yellow with a touch of light yellow for the highlights. The glow will be on all the high areas that are facing the fire, such as his nose, forehead, the front of his hair and beard, his legs and arms. Don't forget to add a little hint of yellow to the ends of the books.



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Tuesday, October 15

Wishing You Joy


Judy coloured one of the images from the new Country Christmas set of digital stamps using pretty shades of blue. She complimented the image with patterned paper in similar shades for a beautiful, coordinated look.


Monday, October 14

Reindeer Games

This sassy trio of Christmas reindeers is sure to bring a smile this holiday season. The range includes clear stamps, cutting dies and fabulous new cut sheets for a complete crafting experience! 
- "Yes, the dies really do cut out the images from the cut sheets!"


Our stamps, dies and cut sheets all coordinate for seamless holiday crafting.
Ask for us by name at your favourite scrapbook shop!

Sunday, October 13

Tutorial - Pop-Up Frame Cards


Who doesn't love a great pop-up card?! The best ones not only have the wow-factor, they're also easy make, and fit nicely into a standard envelope. Today's card ticks all the boxes! 


1. For the base, you'll need one piece of cardstock measuring 7" x 4" and one piece measuring 12" x 4".


2. Place each piece horizontally on your score board and score at 1" and 6". Fold along the score lines.


3. Use nesting dies to cut a circle, square, or oval from the centre of the 7" x 4" piece of cardstock. You'll need to make two nested cuts to create a gap between the card and the central shape.


4. To decorate, you'll need one piece of patterned paper measuring 3/4" x 33/4", one piece measuring 33/4" x 43/4", and another piece measuring 33/4" x 43/4" with an oval cut from the centre (note: the oval needs to be larger than the oval cut in the base cardstock).
OPTIONAL: add some gold mirror card that is 1/8" larger than the patterned paper.


5. Secure the patterned paper to the 7" x 4" piece of cardstock as shown below. The narrow section at the top of the card will be visible from both the front and inside of the card when completed.


6. The oval you cut in step 3 is secured to the back of the card using a thin strip of cardstock and glue. You can place the strip in any position you wish. (NOTE: I actually secured the strip horizontally toward the bottom of the oval to hide it behind the embellishments)


7. Decorate the centre of the card as desired. I used die cut images and a sentiment, positioned over the edges of the oval.


8. Place the 7" x 4" section of card face down on your desk with the bottom of the card pointing to the left. Place the 12" x 4" section of card face down on your desk with the 1" section to the left, next to the other piece of card. See below.


9. Fold back the 1" strip on the larger piece of card and apply glue or double sided tape. Secure it to the 1" strip on the smaller piece of card. 


10. Apply glue or double-sided tape to the 1" strip at the bottom of the smaller piece of card, and secure it to the card below creating a box shape.


11. Press the card closed and decorate the front panel with patterned paper, mirror cardstock, an image, and a sentiment, plus any other embellishments you desire.

NOTE: The 1" strip is visible from both the front and inside of the card.

12. OPTIONAL: Add a piece of white cardstock, mounted on mirror card, to the inside panel.


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