February Challenge: Say YES to NO Lines

Hello Peeps and welcome to another wildly creative and wonderful Friday here on the Power Poppy Blog. Not only do we have fun things to share, we have a brand new challenge to kick off the month, hosted by the lovely, and warm-hearted Cindy Lawrence. So, let's share those details first!

HOW TO PLAY: If you've ever reached for your coloring medium of choice in the hope that the stamped lines below would fade into the background, then this little challenge is just for YOU! No Lines coloring allows your stamped image to appear more like an original drawing or watercolor, and it’s all about stamping or printing the image in a light ink and avoiding dark lines.

Here’s what Ms. Cindy had to share about her challenge “Say YES to NO Lines!” She was even sweet enough to offer a few tips if you've never tried this fabulous technique before!

To color an image using the ‘No Lines Coloring’ technique, stamp or print your image in a light color.  I try to choose a color that makes sense with my image.  For example, if I’m coloring an image of a person, I’ll use a light skin tone or tan ink. For floral images, I often use a pale green, particularly if they have a lot of leaves. I find it also helps to stamp the image again in a black ink on another piece of paper. You can use this image as your reference while you're coloring the lightly stamped image.

When I color up the image, I will often use my lightest ink color to lay out where I’m going to put my shadows and highlights first. This allows you to plan your image without fully committing right away. Next, I color dark to light from the shadows out towards the highlight areas. I find this easier when doing the ‘No Lines Coloring’ technique. You may find the light to dark technique works best for you.

Keep in mind, as you color it is going to look pretty bad before it looks good. It will have an ugly stage for sure. Don't give up on it! I promise it will get better!

Not being able to see the lines of the image presents a little more of a challenge than usual, but it is so worth it for the beautiful painterly look you get in the end. I hope you have fun with it!

Thanks, Cindy! I have to admit, I have never used this technique, so the challenge is ON in my own stamp room as well.

THE OFFICIAL RULES:

• Use Power Poppy stamps if you have them. If not, it is a great way to win some! 
• Link your creation below using our Linky (please use the exact URL from your post instead of a generic blog address.)
• Please mention Power Poppy in YOUR blog or gallery post with a link back to THIS challenge
• Winner will receive a free clear or three digital stamp sets of their choice from the Power Poppy Shop
• Enter as many cards as you’d like, as long as they fit the theme of the challenge!
• Deadline to enter is February 28 @ 8:00 PM EST. At that point, we’ll draw the winner randomly and make the announcement right here on the first Friday in March.

Here’s the full peek at Cindy’s full-of-blue hues creation:

Goodness gracious, that is a feast for the eyes, isn't it? If you want to read up on “how” Cindy created this look, just hop on over to her blog using the link list below! Cindy used Power Poppy's digital stamp set Tulips in Hobnail Pitcher to create this look. If you'd like a few tips on how to change the color of digital stamps after you've snatched them up, just click HERE to one of our tutorials on the topic!

Moving right along! Now that you have all this inspiration and insight, it's time to reach into our bag of tricks to see who won our Power & Spark Winter Blooms Challenge from January! 

We had 49 players last month submitting 56 beautiful entries -- Wowza! There were so many lovely ones, I swear I might have had to pick my jaw up off the floor more than a few times! Random.org threw all those entries into its little random generator and the winner it drew was.....

That means the lucky stamper is....

***BARBARA CAMPBELL*** 

And here's a peek at her absolutely fabulous creation using Power Poppy's Glistening Paperwhites!  

Congrats, Barbara! Your card is so very clever, lively, and well executed. Just a wintertime dream, really! Simply email us at bloom@powerpoppy.com and let us know which clear stamp set or three digital stamp sets you'd like us to send your way.

Before we hand things over to our Bloomies, there were a few Power & Spark entries that deserve a major SHOUT OUT. First up, Nancy Kirk shared an amazing way to get a watercolor look with Copic markers using at least one material most of us have around the house! Here's a peek at her cards and you can catch her video tutorial HERE!

And second, Laine Webb made a gorgeous ribbon-accented box using Power Poppy's Dynamic Duos: Peonies & Tulips. Click HERE for a step-by-step tutorial on how to create this beautiful little gift in and of itself. Just delightful, Laine, we enjoy your work immensely.

Now it’s time to turn things over to our classy and sassy members of the Bloom Brigade to see what they’ve whipped up today for your viewing pleasure! I am 100% sure you'll see even more inspiration for this month's Say YES to No Lines Power & Spark Challenge...

Allison Cope

Christine Okken

Cindy Lawrence

Katie Sims

Stacy Morgan

Thanks for stopping by and spending a little bit of your day with us!

We’ll see you here on Sunday with a freshly remixed digi from Marcella’s archives... it’s sure to put some joy in your day with flowers that have a sunshiney personality all their own.

THEN: Tune in on Inspire Me Monday when Guest Designer Corinne Jones joins us to share insights into how she gets all that depth in her Copic Coloring. See you soon!

~Julie

P.S. We know some of you have been having troubles linking up your creations for the past Power & Spark Challenges, especially if you live an ocean away from the U.S. Please try again. We think have figured out the problem, so please see the notes below about how you enter in your link information, it is a bit picky about how the web address is entered -- allowing everyone to share with JOY!

If you continue to have issues, please drop an email to bloom@powerpoppy.com and we will help you get your entry posted! We LOVE seeing your beautiful work, peeps!

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An InLinkz Link-up