The Blossom Challenge: Clean Slate

Welcome to a new year Power Poppy friends!  It’s Christine welcoming you today to start new year right with a new theme for The Blossom Challenge!  January brings a lot of new starts, maybe even new creative goodies and fresh creative juices, so we’re all about a Clean Slate this month!  So put away all the layers and extra do-dads and instead show us your best clean and simple designs that celebrate that simple, clean and yet graphic style that packs a punch! 

Today I pulled out a now retired polymer set from Power Poppy which showcases all sorts of fun mushrooms!  Parts of that set are also available in digi form as Mushroom Trio, Miraculous Mushrooms and Morel Standards.  I stamped this image on Kraft cardstock and then pulled out my Prismacolor Pencils because I always love how pencils look on Kraft.  

You can achieve a look that almost glows!  I always lay down a layer of white prismacolor for the rest of the colours to lay on and blend.   A simple snail die seemed like the perfect accent, and then a bit of ribbon adds another pop of colour but keeps it clean, and the layers very simple.  

 

Now you’re invited to come and join us for this month’s Clean Slate!  All you need to do is create a Clean and Simple design showcasing any Power Poppy image and link it up below to be in the running!  

BUT THERE’S MORE!  Did you know Marcy’s got a gorgeous freebie you can use too?!  Just in time for Valentine’s The Rose Digi is FREE!  It would be a beautiful clean design image to use!  But we’d love to see any of your creations.  

You have until February 17th to enter!  Winner will be chosen at random and will receive a $20 Gift Code to the Power Poppy store!  

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

The Blossom Challenge: Eat Your Fruit and Veggies

Hello Power Poppy friends!  It’s Christine with you here today and we’re headed into harvest season this month with The Blossom Challenge and our theme “Eat Your Fruit and Veggies”.  Today I am showing off our “vegan” concept with two cards celebrating both gratitude and yummy fruit and veggies.

My first design showcases Power Poppy’s Cabbage Patch set.  Each of these cabbages or kale are coloured with Copic Markers and trimmed out.  I have more photos of this design on my blog, as well as a short tutorial on how I created the coordinating cabbage and kale background.  The mini-slimline size is perfect size for this design to make it feel long and lean, and with lots of room for the images, sentiment banner and background.  

The sentiment is from the polymer version of this set, which is embossed in white and inked in black below. I love all the rich green colour!  It’s the colour I love best!

Next up is a card with one of my favourite fall sets from Power Poppy called:  Pumpkins and Pears.

Marcy always does little vignettes so charmingly and they are such a delight to colour.  I started with Copics for this design and then finished off the colouring with Prismacolor Pencils to add in the fine details.  

The background is a Kraft panel that was masked off with tape and then Distress Oxide Ink was added (Crackling Campfire, Abandoned Coral, Fossilized Amber and Seedless Preserves).  After splattering with water and some white ink and it was dry,  I ran the panel through with a pierced die.  I love the look it gives. It’s finished off with some patterned paper, inked die cut leaves and enamel dots.  

Have you been eating your Fruits and Veggies?  How about creating a card with them?! 

Join us this month with a design using some form of Fruit or Vegetable in the card and at least one Power Poppy stamp.  The Challenge is open for a month and you could win a $20 gift card to the Power Poppy Store!  

To top it off, Marcy has a SALE on some of my favourite Fruit and Veggie themed digi stamps in the store if you’d like to add to your collection and play along!   

You have until October 16th to submit your link below.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Want to know the WINNER from our Sentimental Challenge last month?   Congratulations goes out to..... Maggie S ! Maggie, contact Marcy at bloom@powerpoppy.com to get your prize code!  We look forward to see what you create!  

Enjoy and be inspired with more Fruit and Veggie goodness from the Bloom Brigade playing along today.  

Gloria

Essie

The Blossom Challenge: Glassy-Eyed!

Welcome to our second The Blossom Challenge from Power Poppy!  We had such a great time perusing your beautiful challenge entries from last month’s The Blossom Challenge of April Showers Bring May Flowers.  Last month’s winner will be at the end of the post!  

I’m your host Christine and this month we’ve got a fun theme called Glassy-Eyed!  We invite you to use an image that is in glass or under glass on your design.  So dig into your Copics, Pencils or watercolour, and any Power Poppy image with glass.  You could even be totally artsy and use a Power Poppy image and draw your own glass vase, snowglobe or cloche!  

Today I’m using the NEW image from Power Poppy called Accentuate the Positive.  What a gorgeous array of flowers and fruit around this pretty mason jar! I printed the image quite lightly for colouring and then used Copics and Prismacolour Pencils to brighten up the blooms.  One of my favourite varieties of Zinnia is Queen Red Lime, they have such a nice fade between lime and rosy red, so I tried to give the flower on the lower right that treatment in my colouring.  

I have a short tutorial on my blog on what I think are important features of colouring glass HERE.  

Things I like to consider when colouring something in or under glass.  

• Where the light is reflecting on the glass
• The width of the glass for colouring, and the bottom edges (if in a vase)
• Will the glass be coloured or clear
• Will there be a water level be and will you define it
• How stems refract and colour fades in water

Marcy has graciously given a special 25% OFF price on some of her best glassy images again during this challenge, all of these beauties on sale are linked here:  

Accentuate the Positive
Cuppa Cupcake
Cuppa Buttercups
Hellebores
Hyacinth Bulb in Glass
Nest is Best
Seaside Sweetness
Single Orchid
Snowglobe Greetings
Sweet & Sugary Snowglobe
Tabletop Tree
Tiny Treasures
Volumes of Beauty
Well Hello Dahlia
Wildflower Mini

Zinnia Parade 

Challenge Details:  We hope you can join us for the challenge this month and create something in or under glass with Power Poppy images! You could win a $20 Gift Code to the Power Poppy store!  Link up your creation BELOW!   

Remember: You MUST use a Power Poppy image somewhere on your design to be included in the Glassy-Eyed challenge.  Entries close on July 16th at NOON.  

Last month’s The Blossom Challenge May Flowers RANDOMLY DRAWN WINNER IS.....Liz Williams with her beautiful Pure Prairie Bouquet!  Congratulations Liz.  Contact Marcy at bloom@powerpoppy.com for your prize code!  

Here’s some gorgeous Glassy inspiration from The Bloom Brigade:  

Essie

Gloria

Barbara

Lisa

Nancy

and Christine

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Inspire Me Monday: The Perfect Paper

Hello, my flower-loving friends! I hope you are enjoying the return of Inspire Me Monday! If you have yet to play in the monthly Blossom Challenge, there is still time to join the May challenge, "April Showers Bring May Flowers"! The challenge closes at NOON on June 17th. See all the details HERE.  

Today is my turn to share the weekly inspiration. I wanted to inspire you to think outside the box...the paper box that is! If you are part of any coloring or card making groups on social media, then you know that one of the most asked questions is, "What is the PERFECT paper to use for my coloring?" That is not an easy question to answer because the true answer is, it depends. It depends on what you wish to accomplish, what your coloring medium is, what stamps you are using, what your skill level is, and more. The truth is, there is NO perfect paper that fits every artist or every need. 

I decided to try a few experiments to see what I could do with alcohol markers, colored pencils, and digital stamps from Power Poppy...on non standard paper! Namely...on scrapbooking paper. Because, let's face it, I have a huge boatload of scrapbooking paper!

I decided to print some Power Poppy stamps onto SCRAPBOOKING PAPER. And not only scrapbooking paper, but TEXTURED scrapbooking paper. (I used various papers from Authentique, but any heavy-weight, slightly textured paper should work.) I printed each image to to fit onto paper that was cut to 8" x 10". 

Note: To make sure the paper would run through my printer without jamming, I taped the scrapbook paper to an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of printer paper. I had no issues with my printer accepting the thicker scrapbook paper by doing that simple trick. 

Now, we are always told that you cannot use Copics on paper other than marker paper because you will not get good results, the ink will bleed, and all sorts of other dire things will happen. And all those things can happen, but it is only paper and ink! Why not have a play to see what happens?! If it doesn't work out, it only costs you a few dollars in paper and ink, and a little time.

I printed the Hydrangea Hype Digital Stamp Set image at approximately 4 1/2" x 5 1/2" onto a piece of Authentique Glamour One (double-sided) textured, decorative paper. I love how the text pattern seems to overlay the printed image.

I used a very light gray line which was really difficult to see on this paper. I do wish I had printed the "black line" rather than the "no line" version, but in the end....wait and see...

I began to color with Copic markers, and the paper did feel like it pulled the marker a bit, and it felt like the paper soaked up a little more ink than regular marker paper. But, happily there was almost no bleeding of the color outside the lines! What magic is this?! Any bleeding that happened was masked by the busy print and texture of the paper! Plus, the no-line printing of the stamped image also helped to disguise any bleeding that did happen.

I kept adding color and blending. The ink did not blend exactly the way it does on marker paper, but it was looking very much like water color! The no-line printing with the gray lines makes the lines disappear, especially on this text background!

I roughly scribbled in color, then went back over to shade and blend. I did not do as much shading or fine detail work as I normally do because I wanted to keep the water color look. Plus, I did not want to risk the paper getting too soaked with ink.

I used the following Copic colors: BV31, BV04, BV02, BV000, BG70, B34, B21, B000, G28, G24, G21, G20, RV52, RV34, RV19, C9, Colorless blender. I also drew in the leaf veins with a Prismacolor Goldenrod colored pencil.

Using this technique was very fast compared to my normal way of coloring with Copics on marker paper! I am not at all skilled with water coloring, which made me super happy to achieve a water color substitute with a medium with which I am much more skilled and familiar! 

I ended up double-matting the piece as a picture suitable for framing rather than turning it into a card. I could have added a sentiment and created a card out of it just as easily. 

Since Copic markers are a more transparent medium they allow the background to show through the coloring. I think the text background makes the finished piece look a lot like a vintage postcard or a vintage botanical water color print!

Next, I turned my attention to my Prismacolor pencils. I have mentioned before that I am not a huge fan of Prismacolor colored pencils because they are so soft and waxy. However...

I printed the flower wreath from Peony Love Digital Stamp Set at approximately 7" x 7" onto Authentique Party One textured, decorative paper. (Make sure you have the textured version of this paper as Authentique made both a textured and a smooth version of some of their paper collections.)

This time I printed the "black line" version of the image to make it easier to see the lines. This is a really intricate image, printed onto paper with a background print...and my eyes are kind of old! {smile}

The sentiment in the center of the wreath is from the Geraniums Digital Stamp Set. Once again, I love the "built in" background of the scrapbooking paper! Printing directly onto the printed paper was so interesting! Because the colored pencils are a much more opaque medium, the background gets colored over and only shows on the actual project background! 

The Prismacolor Premier colored pencils are a dream to work with on this textured paper! I normally prefer an oil-based, harder lead colored pencil so that I can layer the color. However, this paper is very "toothy" which would mean layering for dog's years! With the Prismacolor pencils, I could lay down a thicker layer of wax and then blend it, easily filling in the tooth of the paper (tooth = texture).

I am overjoyed at how bright and vibrant the colors look on this slightly ivory paper! I have used the following Prismacolor Premier pencils, from the 150 set: 

Dark pink flowers: Scarlet Lake, Blush Pink, Carmine  Red,  Pink, Deco Pink, Hot Pink, Process Red, Magenta, White

Light pink flowers: Blush Pink, Pink, Hot Pink, Deco Pink, White

Red flowers: Scarlet Lake, Crimson Lake, Tuscan Red, Mahogany Red, Deco Pink, White, Black

Peach flowers: Sunburst Yellow, Salmon Pink, Light Peach, Peach, Nectar, Mineral Orange, White, Sepia

Yellow flowers: Goldenrod, Yellowed Orange, Canary Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Deco Yellow, Cream, Light Umber

Flower centers: Spanish Orange, Light Umber, Yellowed Orange, Goldenrod, Canary Yellow, White

Leaves: Limepeel, Chartreuse, Apple Green, Prussian Green, Olive Green

Shadows and highlights: Indanthrone Blue, Black, Sepia, Cream, White

I am still working on this piece, so it will remain a Work In Progress (WIP) until the next time! But it is turning out pretty well, don't you think?!

Thanks for joining us for Inspire Me Monday! Make sure to come back every Monday to see new inspiration!

Power Poppy Products Used:
Hydrangea Hype Digital Stamp Set
Peony Love Digital Stamp Set
Geraniums Digital Stamp Set

Other Products Used: Copic markers, Prismacolor colored pencils, Authentiuqe printed paper,  cardstock

The Blossom Challenge: Bring Those May Flowers

Hello Power Poppy Friends!  

We’re so excited to welcome you here today and to invite you to our NEW Monthly Challenge!  I’ll be your host (Christine), but each month I’ll be joined by some of our Power Poppy Bloomies bringing you inspiration with the challenge. 

It’s called The Blossom Challenge!  As I’ve been thinking about the challenge, my heart keeps coming back to this theme of “Blossom”.  Yes, of course the flower allusion, that’s the beauty of Power Poppy, but also to Blossom in the sense of growing and thriving as creators, becoming more abudant in our abilities .......and sometimes that means we need a spark of inspiration, a push to try something new, a place that celebrates what we’ve done, and how we’ve grown.  I want this to be a place to feel proud of our creative gift, in a Power Poppy Community that cheers one other on!  So that’s what you’re going to find here each month at Power Poppy, and we hope you all join in!

This month our theme is “April Showers Bring May Flowers”.  We want you to pull out all of those lovely Spring blooms that Marcy illustrates so beautifully and create anything with them.  More on the theme, and prizes later in the post, but first I’ll start with the card I created.  

Heart Abloom is one of my favourite illustrations from Power Poppy!  I love the composition of the images, the combination of daffodils, narcissus, hellebore, tiny lilies and the fun blueberries and snail!  Its sister set in polymer is called Always Here (still available!). I really enjoy picking unique palettes for my colouring and when I found a fun peachy-yellow hellebore that helped me decide on these fun colours together.  That’s one of my #1 tips for colouring, do some research on your flowers first.  Find some inspiration and build a cohesive colour palette from there.  

The colouring is done with Copic Markers, with details added in with Prismacolor Pencils.  Trimmed out carefully and placed on this pretty ombre patterned paper, with paper ric-rac and a scalloped frame helps keep the emphasis on the beauty of the flowers.  I delight in how fresh and fun it is and how much I enjoyed colouring it!

So....here are the details about the Challenge!

1.  You must use a Power Poppy image somewhere on your design.  It could be a stamp, digi, sentiment, Power Poppy freebie, or a background, but we want to see you using your Power Poppy images.  Those will be the cards entered for our monthly prize. 

This month we want to see your Spring flowers, think tulip, daffodil, narcissus, hellebore, hyacinth, primrose, snow drop, crocus, and cherry blossoms for your creations.  Let’s leave those summer blooms for a few months from now :)  

Marcy has generously discounted some of our BEST Spring themed images by 25% OFF so you can play along!!   You are not limited to these sets, but what an awesome sale!  

Click here to see the discounted sets this month:

ALL NEW: Sketches of Spring Volume I
Daffodil Bouquet
Dancing with Daffodils

Bowl of Beauty

Auricula Theatre
Blossoming Cherry
Heart Abloom
Hellebores
Hyacinth Bulb in Glass
Love One Another
Magnolia Sunshine
Spring Border One and Spring Border Two
Spring Meadow Bouquet
Springtime Love Roundel
Tulips
Tulips in Hobnail Pitcher
Created to Create
Flowering Branches
Winter Pick Me Up

2.  There will be a monthly PRIZE for playing along!  Sometimes it will be a random draw, and other times it will be a Bloomie Favourite winning design.  Winners will receive a $20 Gift Card to the Power Poppy store!  This month’s Challenge will be open until NOON on June 17th.  

Here is more inspiration for our April Showers Bring May Flowers from the Bloomies!

Barbara C

Lisa J

Gloria

Essie

and Christine

Enter to win using our Linky below!  

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to ent

Inspire Me Monday: Confession Time!

HEY FRIENDS! I'm back today for Inspire Me Monday with something really different for me. And I'm going to start with a confession: I've been bored lately with my Copic markers. GASP! I know, but it's true. 

I'm sure I'm not the only one for whom the past year was tough. But as things open up around here, I'm feeling a weird combination of languishing, but at the same time wanting to find a new way to express myself creatively. So it was time to try something different.

Actually, I think I'm bored lately with cardmaking in general. Or maybe just overwhelmed. I feel like I have two of everything and it doesn't help that I suffer from full set syndrome. In addition to having a full set of Copic markers, I also have three full sets of colored pencils - Prismacolor Premier, Faber Castel Polychromos, and Caran d'Ache Luminance. Full sets! And I rarely use them, mainly because I've struggled finding a paper that I like. So I decided to set my Copics aside for now and experiment with my numerous colored pencil sets.

Like Copic markers, you can't just use any old paper with colored pencils and expect good results. Here you'll want a paper with a bit of tooth that can grab the pigment off the pencils. Paper is such a personal choice and I tested A LOT of papers before I found a pencil/paper combination that I liked. 

My current favorite combination is Prismacolor pencils with Stonehenge Drawing Paper, especially the toned papers. The paper is 100% cotton with a slight tooth. I tend to have a heavy hand (I need to work on that!), but the paper can handle several layers of color, which is what gives colored pencil drawings their rich color and blend. I bought one of the Stonehenge Multi Pads which includes papers in warm white, natural, cream, fawn, and pearl gray. Although I started with the white paper, I found it easier to work with the pearl gray paper. 

So to be really different - I pull a holiday stamp - Season's Greenings. I love the Santa image and I never got around to coloring it when the stamp was released. Since I was using the polymer set, I stamped the image with VersaFine ink. For those of you who prefer digital, the image is also available in the Planta Claus digital stamp set. 

First, I'll show you my finished card.

And here's what I learned along the way:

• Allow lots of time to color. This is going to take a lot longer than coloring the same image with Copic markers. So settle in and enjoy the process.
• Experiment with some of the toned papers. As a Copic colorist, I tend to automatically reach for white paper, but colored pencils provide a perfect excuse to try out other colors.
• Work in layers. For the first layer, I tend to block out where I want the shadows and highlights and use the subsequent layers to refine placement and blend the colors.
• Keep a light hand. If you press too hard on the first layer, you'll flatten the tooth and the paper won't be able to take on additional layers.
• If your hand is getting cramp or sore, you are gripping the pencil too hard so loosen your grip. If you hold the pencil further back rather than close to the point, you will automatically lighten up on your grip and pressure on the paper.
• I prefer a sharp pencil so I had to experiment to find a good pencil sharpener that created the point I wanted. So don't be surprised if you have to test more than one sharpener to get the perfect point for you.
• Most of all, just have fun. Experiment with pencil combinations. You can always find suggestions on Pinterest, but use those as a starting point. You'll get to know your pencils better if you just grab some and experiment with the blends.

Thanks for joining me today! I haven't ditched my Copics entirely so be sure you check out my Power Poppy coloring videos on YouTube.

Nancy

SUPPLIES

• Stamp: Season's Greenings Clear Polymer Stamp Set. Image also available as Planta Claus digital stamp set. 
• Paper: Stonehenge Drawing Paper (I have the 9"x12" Multi Pad)
  
• Ink: VersaFine Clare in Nocturne
• Prismacolor Premier Pencils: 
• Greens: Spring Green (PC913), Apple Green (PC912), Grass Green (PC090)
• Reds: Carmine Red (PC926), Crimson Red (PC924), Crimson Lake (PC925), Tuscan Red (PC932)
  
• Yellows: Canary Yellow (PC916), Yellowed Orange (PC1002), Mineral Orange (PC1033)
• Greys: 30% French Grey (PC1070), 50% French Gray (PC1072), 70% French Gray (PC1074)

Garden Dirt: Copic Marker Swatches for Power Poppy Stamps (Oranges or Clementines)

Ready for a Citrus Punch?

Aloe and Oranges is a brand new digital stamp arriving this week at Power Poppy.

I’m here today with a bright, zesty, and totally unconventional Copic Marker blending combination to help you color it.

Hello, my name is Amy Shulke and I’m the illustrator and art instructor at VanillaArts.com. Welcome to my new feature series here at the blog; I’m calling this The Garden Dirt. 

Why dirt? We’ll get to that in a minute.

But first, I’ve got a whole series of artistic coloring articles here at the Power Poppy blog; here’s a quick link to a bunch of my previous articles.

Let's color an orange!

Today I’m showing you a close-up, tight shot of just one glorious orange. The entire Aloe and Oranges stamp has a lot more to color. This digital image will be available in the Power Poppy shop soon!

Confession time: I ate at least a half box of clementines during the week I worked on the full digital image. 

Fun fact: a trash can full of clementine peels makes your craft room smell divine!

I think this is the best orange in the digital stamp, it’s a juicy cut cross-section showing off the cute orange segments. It's perfect for fun texture details. I’ve colored the orange with a combination of Copic Markers and Prismacolor Premier Pencils.

So why would I name my color swatches after yucky dirty dirt?

Take a closer look. This isn’t just any old Copic color swatch.

In my freelance illustration work, I use a shading technique called Underpainting. I teach Copic Marker classes using this same technique. Instead of using a light, medium, and dark orange marker to color oranges or clementines, I deliberately throw in a clashing color to create a more realistic shade color.

The secret to my very dimensional orange rind is the green marker.

Where’s the green?

It’s UNDER the orange. That’s why we call this method underpainting. We’re using green to create the muddy, neutralized shade color that you’ll see on real oranges in real life.

Garden Dirt? Yep, we’re making dirty color!

Now to make this swatch work, you need to work dark to light. 

I know, I do everything backwards!

Start by adding YG63 with very light strokes to the shadiest areas of the orange rind. Don’t press too hard; you don’t need a lot of green to make this work. We want a little mud, not a swampy mess!

Then go over the YG63 with YR68, hiding the green completely. Let your orange strokes come out beyond the green strikes to create 2 colors— a dirty orange and a clean orange. Remember, no green is left uncoated! No-one should ever know it’s there. The rest of the world will think you used an ugly brick colored marker.

Now blend with the Y38 and Y35 just as you normally would.

Underpainting takes a bit of getting used to. The technique feels weird at first and the color looks even weirder… let’s call realistic shade an acquired taste. 

The funny thing is that once you get used to the color of real shade, you start to see it everywhere, all around you! Your entire life, you’ve been surrounded by murky colors, you just never noticed them.

Want to color Power Poppy’s “Aloe and Oranges” with me? 

Citrus Punch is part of the my Marker Painting Workshops series of online classes for intermediate to advanced Copic colorers. We broadcast the class live to show you real coloring in real time. I also take questions from the student audience. After the broadcast, you can watch and rewatch the class as many times as you want.

Can’t make the live session? No problem! We record and lightly edit every class. Purchase recorded Workshops at your convenience and enjoy anytime access.

Citrus Punch uses Power Poppy’s beautiful Aloe and Oranges digital stamp set.

You can find out more about Marker Painting Workshops here.

And I’ll see you back here next month for another fun color swatch!

Inspire Me Monday: Coloring with Copics & Pencils

Hello and Happy Monday to you all!  I'm Allison Cope your hostess for today's Inspire Me Monday.

Today I was inspired to color and share the process of making a card with only one layer.  I know sometimes people find making a single layer card challenging so that's what I've made today.

Grab a cup of something warm and join me in my craftroom...

To watch in HD, click here.

For my card I used the stunning "Peony Muse" stamp set.  I chose to leave off a sentiment because I'm not 100% sure of what I'm going to use it for.  Leaving off the greeting allows it to become anything from a sympathy card to a birthday to even just a happy hello type card!  

Here's a close up of my card for you today...

Here is a list of the Copics and Prismacolor Pencils used:

• Leaves:  BV34, YG17, YG13, YG01, BV32, Dark Green, Apple Green
• Pink Peony:  R56, RV34, R21, BV34, RV00, Y11, Mulberry, Violet, Yellowed Orange
• Peach Peony:  RV000, V000, R00, BV32, Spanish Orange
• Lavender Peony:  BV23, BV31, V000, V01, Spanish Orange, Violet
• Berries:  RV00, Y11, Spanish Orange, Light Umber, Tuscan Red

Thanks for joining me today!  I hope you enjoyed my video.  If there is any particular image you would like to see used in a future tutorial, please leave me a comment below.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians today!  Happy Turkey Day!

~ Ally ~

stamps: Power Poppy (Peony Muse)

ink:  Memento (Desert Sand), Copic Markers, Prismacolor Pencils

cardstock:  Recollections (110# White)

corner rounder:  EK Success