A Kraft Paper Christmas Class

Kraft paper is humble, yet beautiful.  While it is the source for paper grocery bags and cardboard boxes, it also is used for "decorator quality" hand blocked wrapping papers, totes and gift boxes.  In other words, it's country, but it's cool!  I love this look ~ so different from stamping on white!  Here are some close up examples from the "Kraft Paper Christmas" pencil coloring class that I recently taught.   6104  Wintertime Woody   6109  Must Be Santa!   6107  Wintry Window   6108  Angel On High 2253  Hawthorne & Roses And to share with you...my notes from the class! MID TONE  Tan kraft paper is a mid toned color, consequently, it provides a nice middle range value that lessens your coloring time.  In class, we will focus on deepening it with shading and lightening it with highlights of pastel and white.  PAPER TOOTH  Kraft paper does not need to have an initial layer to smooth out fibrous paper tooth with pencil wax. The rougher surface of the paper and grainy look of the coloring adds to its homespun charm.   WHITE   Color whites in first...you can color over white pencil, but white pencil doesn't fully cover over colors.  A good way to shade on top of the white is with pale grey.  Try using a pencil stroke that follows the direction of your object, for example: the flow of Santa's beard, the furry trim on his suit, the slope of the snow drifts. EXPERIMENT  It's always a good idea to use your sample swatch to test colors.  They will look a bit different than what you are used to seeing on white stock. COLORS  I suggest adding lighter colors first, then darker colors on top.  You can always go back and add a second layer of light color again to brighten it up.  SHADING  Make the paper tone work for you!  I have let the paper be part of the shading on Santa's beard, the window shutters and the Christmas tree boughs as it provides a nice undertone that is perfect for these objects - no initial layer is needed.  FILLER  After counting, I found myself adding about 50 "snow" dots to each Woody card.  Dots are made by wiggling the point of the white pencil in a teeny circle.  Don't make them too big, or they will morph from falling snow into a polka dot look.  METALLIC  Silver, gold (and copper - if you can find it!) look great on kraft paper stock!  Their shimmer is a perfect foil against that "paper bag" brown.  I think a black, white and metallic color theme on kraft would be a very elegant look. FUN  Have fun with this different paper surface...that's what it's all about!

Back In The Game

10/15/2015

I've been designing stamps for Pink Ink for over two years now and loving the freedom of coming up with my own images, being able to respond to customer suggestions and learning to plan releases that are cute, coordinated and sale-able. But I recently discovered that I've been missing a little of the "thrill" of cross merchandising that I experienced in the licensing world.  That is, where a good idea "takes off" to jump from one category into another.  I've been feeling this again lately, as my newly hatched coloring book, Flora Bella, has crossed into the world of Pink Ink Stamps.  Here are two brand new card samples that I've created using stamp images that came from the pages of Flora Bella, ~ No. 2258 Earth Laughed and No. 7102 Curlicue Heart. These are the two page spreads from the coloring book that inspired the stamps ~ You can see how the book is fertile ground for stamp ideas!  Even more fun, is this brand new stamp image, Seed Packets, that I plan to put in to Flora Bella's sequel (not yet titled) which will be all about lovely gardens and the joy of gardening. I'm jazzed! But back to the thrill of creating new products...exciting news came yesterday as the book publisher, Sellers Publishing, has decided to expand the Flora Bella illustrations into two coloring calendars, one for the wall, and another in a large "desk blotter" style!   And so, the Pink Ink Empire grows, and I feel happy and honored to be creating new products that can bring hours of fun and relaxation to my friends and fans.  Now, I just have to think up that catchy new title.

Wintery Window

09/10/2015

Hello friends! I have a new card to share with you created with a beautiful stamp from Pink Ink Stamp Company! Their Fall and Winter release is available now, and there are some really pretty images! Isn't that the sweetest image? Pink Ink stamps are so detailed and have such fine lines. They are really fun to color! I did all the coloring with Copic Markers, then cut the image out with a stitched rectangle die, and mounted this onto a card covered with some pretty patterned paper. Of course I had to add a few Pretty Pink Posh sequins to finish it off! :) The stamps I used for this card are linked below! Wintery Window Favorite Time You can find the whole line of Pink Ink Stamps at Ellen Hutson! Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Friday and weekend! Kay :)

Flora Bella

10/8/2015

It's been four l-o-n-g months since my last blog post.  Wow.  Where does the time go?  Well, in this case, I know where it's gone.  I've been working like a mad woman on a BIG project!  First, I want to thank my loyal design team, Debbie, Heidi, Kay, Sharon and Shelby,  for keeping the blog afloat in my absence.  Their beautiful projects were nothing short of wonderful and I hope Pink Ink fans appreciated their terrific contributions!  Meanwhile...back in Petaluma, I've been drawing up a storm...88 pages for a brand new coloring book titled, Flora Bella !  It's being produced by Sellers Publishing Company and will be available for sale March 1st, 2016.  Ronnie Sellers and I have collaborated previously on two children's books and I could not ask for a kinder, more conscientious publisher to work with.  I know, the publishing date is a ways off still but I felt I needed to explain what I've been up to these past four months.  Here is a sample of the distinctive cover...colored by me with my favorite Prisma colored pencils~ As I teach coloring classes throughout the country I've frequently been asked, "why can't you make the stamp images BIG so they're easier to color?"  Well, I was listening and was encouraged by the coloring book success of my friend Joanne Fink, so decided to approach Sellers Publishing with the idea for Flora Bella.  I wanted to both elaborate and re-size some of Pink Ink's stamp images into coloring book pages and conversely, reinterpret some of the Flora Bella pages into rubber stamps.  Here are samples of each conversion ~ So, it's nice to have a breather this October,~ my wedding anniversary (today!) and birthday month.  Thanks to my family for putting up with this extra layer of busyness and to my blog followers for hanging in there with me.  I like to think it was worth the wait.  Be prepared though, a sequel is in the works!

Welcome Fall by Sharon Harnist

Happy Fall, all! Sharon here today, helping to ring in October and what is  supposed to be Fall for most of the country ... but it's still just a tad bit warm  down south where I live!  Maybe this fun card will help spread a little  cooler weather cheer! I used Pink Ink's beautiful new Picket Fence Pumpkins for this breezy  scene and stamped it onto an Inchie Arts 2" x 4" matboard rectangle, then  watercolored it with Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.  I absolutely love  all the fine details Peggy put into the illustration of this scene ... so warm  and welcoming! The watercolored matboard was adhered over a die cut tree (also watercolored and painted with clear Wink of Stella shimmer), attached to a cream card base. This picturesque scene really makes your Fall and Thanksgiving cards and projects a breeze to create! Pink Ink Stamp Company products used, available online from Ellen Hutson LLC:  Pink Ink Wood Mount Stamp, Picket Fence Pumpkins Or you can visit the Pink Ink Stamp Company website, to find a local retailer near you. Happy weekend!  ~ Sharon

Pie Anyone?

09/24/2015

Good morning Pink Ink Fans! It's my turn (Shelby) to bring you a little bit of pinky goodness on this gorgeous Thursday morning.  We are finally beginning to feel a little bit like fall around here with the evenings cooling off and the leaves beginning to change.  Of course that means the Thanksgiving holiday is just around the corner and the best part of Thanksgiving is all of the desserts and specifically the pies!!!  This fabulous stamp is called All About the Pie and can be found online at Ellen Hutson or if you're local to Southern Colorado, at Simple Pleasures Stamp and Scrapbook.  I colored this stamp up with mainly Copic markers but added some Wink of Stella for some shimmer.  This is one of the 3 cards we'll be making with the Pink Ink Stamps Oct. 1 class.  This class using the Pink Ink Stamps is also available as a kit.  I'd love to see you in class. Thanks for stopping by and see you next time! Shelby

Pumpkin Fairy House

07/09/15

Hello friends!

I have a new card to share with you created with a beautiful stamp from Pink Ink Stamp Company called Pumpkin Fairy House! Their Fall and Winter release is available now, and there are some really pretty images!

Isn't that a fun image! I would so love to go inside that little pumpkin house! Anyway, I colored the scene with Copic markers, then I stamped a mask, masked the house and blended some Salty Ocean distress ink lightly around it. I colored a little bit of grass along the bottom with Copics as well. I stamped the Thinking of you sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I cut my little scene out with the Double stitched oval die from My Favorite things and mounted it with foam tape onto a Razzleberry background stamped with the Diagonal Stripes background stamp. I added a few details with my white gel pen, and then a few very colorful Pretty Pink Posh sequins to finish it off.

And a close up so you can see all the fun details in this adorable stamp! This is a really fun one to color!

Thanks so much for stopping by! The Pink Ink Stamp Co products I have used are linked below!

Have a great week!

Kay :)

Pink Ink Wood Mount Stamp, Pumpkin Fairy House

Pink Ink Wood Mount Stamp, Thinking of You