Inspire Me Monday: One Image, Three Ways!

Hi all and welcome to Inspire Me Monday with yours truly.... Julie! Long ago... when I was teaching classes at my local stamp store, one of my favorite classes was to unveil new stamps and then lead a class to show people three or four ways to use that image. I thought it would be fun to not only have a new stamp but be inspired to create with it in a multitude of ways!

And, today, I am showing you a BRAND NEW image from Power Poppy! That's right folks, a new image just for YOU! This one is called Sketches of Spring and it is downright gorgeous with a mix of daffodills, a tulip and a duo of bell flowers! Look for some fanfare from the Bloom Brigade soon as we show off our takes on this beauty! 

Now, onto my "one stamp, three ways!" Here's a look at all the cards I whipped up! 

So, my challenge was to create something that really looked so different between cards. I used some no-line coloring, some monochromatic coloring and then, color in full force!

Card #1

For my first card, I wanted it to be somewhat straight up and simple. I printed this image pretty much full size, so it would cover a full card front. Then... I picked up my Copics and went to town! 

I honestly can't tell you the colors of all the yellow and orange shades I used because I believe that in making these daffodils colorful, I picked up every single one I own! The tulip in the back was colored up with R20, R30 and R32. The bell flowers are B60, B63 and B66. And, the greens were G40, G43 and G63. 

After I colored my base image, I decided I wanted to make the sentiment somewhat of a focal point. So, I printed and isolated one of the daffodils on the far left side and cut and colored just that portion so that I could pop it up and set it on top of my sentiment for a little added dimension. See?

Card #2

Moving on! I have always been a sucker for a monochromatic card. I think they can be done in a way that keeps some dimension and interest. For some reason, I feel one color seems to have that peaceful and serene feel.

 

For this card, I opened up the digital image in my PhotoShop Elements program and changed the color of my flower to a sage green. If you have the program, all you need to do is hit the Enhance tab, then hit Adjust Color and then Adjust Hue/Saturation. When that box pops up, click the Colorize box and move the slider on the top back and forth until you get the color you like. If you want a lighter version of that hue, just move the slider below it which controls lightness. 

If you're not quite sure what I am talking about, make sure to check out THIS POST that I wrote forever ago about the tips and tricks of using digital stamps! 

Here's a little bit of a closeup to show that I did color up the flowers just adding a little dimension with Copic Markers. I used just two colors -- G20 and BV0000. I really like how it turned out! From there, I added a vellum die cut, some gilded fringe ribbon and a sentiment that was embossed using detail gold embossing powder. Add a button and some ribbon and... voila! 

I should mention with this card and the first, I did use a stitched edge rectangle that is very close to the size of my card front, allowing just a sliver of the card base to show beneath it. 

Card #3

This last card is one of the no-line options offered in the set. I have to tell you, I always get nervous coloring no-line images. You have to think about the depth you are adding and doing it in a way that still looks soft and inviting. I ended up coloring up the image and then adding some depth using a fine tip Staedtler Triplus marker. 

For my card base, I added some stenciled dots using a light peach ink. After I colored up my image, I fussy cut around a portion and then stuck the cut portion through the stitched die circle so that that part of my image wouldn't get lopped off! ;-) I trimmed down the circle and then matted it on a piece of gold stardream paper. See? 

From there, I added a little sentiment and gold cording to help make it pop and... that's all she wrote! 

So, there you have it! One beautiful image done up in three very different ways! Let me know if a tutorial like this is helpful. I plan to join you every second Monday of the month so we can keep up this tradition if you like! 

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you have a beautiful and creative week!

Until next time, 
Julie