Scratch-N-Stamp
Search

Checkout

Keep up with Sales, New Products and other events at Scrap `n Stamp. Sign up for our newsletter now!

What's New

Hot Deals



Tuesday Tutorials

Tuesday Tutorial – Coloring with Letraset ProMarkers 101

Hi everyone, Mara here. I’m really excited about joining you today to show you how to use Letrast ProMarkers to color Tori, one of our Paper Plums Digital Stamps. This is an original design by Christine Eberle, isn’t she adorable!?

I’m going to take you through coloring this picture step by step with lots of pictures and detailed descriptions to show you how to get the best results. We’ll go over blending to create soft shadows, adding small details and last but not least creating amazing looking hair! Every woman wants amazing looking hair! Right?

Okay, let’s get the show on the road! (Note: I used the fine tip on the markers for most things because the areas being colored were small and when I changed to the chisel tip I noted that in the instructions.)

If you need to see more detail on any of the pictures just click on them for a larger view.

Step 1: Using Baby Pink

Color in the lips and cheeks very carefully. Doing this first and letting the marker dry helps to prevent these small details from bleeding and getting lost.

Step 2: Using Satin

Using strokes that run the length of the arm, from shoulder to finger tips so it looks smooth, I color one arm at a time.

Mara’s Tips&Tricks!

I prefer working on one small area at a time because markers dry quickly and to create soft shading you need to work while the marker is still wet. If you color in all the skin at once you will not be able to achieve the soft shadow look as easily.

Step 3: Using Putty and Satin

Quickly color with Putty on the under side of the arm. Use the Satin again to colour along the line where the Putty and the first layer of Putty meet. This creates a soft shadow.

Step 4: Using Satin and Putty

After coloring the face with satin, go back to the arm and add in a little bit of Putty in the arm pit area to create an even darker area.

Mara’s Tips&Tricks!

Markers can be layerd three times to give you a darker shade than the previous one but you need to let them dry just a little so that the paper doesn’t get over saturated and bleed past the outline. You can usually do two coats (a lighter and then a darker color as the shadow) before the paper needs to dry a little. As a rule of thumb I use the time it takes to color another area (as long as they are not touching) before going back to add in the dark areas. In the example above I used the time it takes to color the face as my timer before going in to add the really dark area in the arm.

Step 5: Using Putty

Add shading with Putty around the sides of the face and under the bangs. Wait a few moments or use this time to color the next arm before going back with the Putty just along the very edge of the hair to create an even darker area.

Step 6: Using Powder Blue

Once the flesh tone has fully dried on the face add in a light touch of eye shadow along the top line of her eyes.

Mara’s Tips&Tricks!

If the colors are wet they will blend and bleed together. If they are dry they will create a crisp hard line. In areas that you don’t want the colour to bleed (like lips or eye shadow) you want to be sure to wait until the markers dry. The reason for doing the eye shadow after you do the skin tone is because the eye shadow will look more intense if you don’t have the layers of skin on top. Think of coloring with markers like having strips of sheer ribbon that you are layering. If you have an ivory ribbon over a blue one it looks different then having the blue over the ivory.

Step 7: Using Satin and Putty

Repeat the steps above to color the rest of the skin with Satin and Putty.

Step 8: Using Midnight Blue

Color in the small dots and bows on the dress and shoes. Doing this now will help prevent these details from bleeding later. This step is especially important if you decide to have a dark colored dress with light colored details.

Step 9: Using Powder Blue

Color in the sash.

Step 10: Using Pastel Green

Add shadows around the edge of the sash with Pastel Green. this gives the sash a lovey two tone effect.

Step 11: Using Powder Blue and Pastel Green

Color the shoes in the same manner as the sash using the Pastel Green along the inside edge and bottom of each shoe.

Step 12: Using Meadow Green

Color the top of the dress using downward strokes avoiding the dots.

Step 13: Using Pastel Green and Meadow Green

Add shading with the Pastel Green along the sash and at the shoulders. Because the Pastel Green isn’t very dark I went back over the same area that I put the Pastel Green with the Meadow Green color to make it darker.

Step 14: Using Meadow Green and Pastel Green

Repeat the same process as for the top of the dress. Work quickly with the Meadow Green (you may even want to use the broad tip but you have to be very careful with the dots) and while still wet add triangular shaped dark areas with the Pastel Green to create a soft drape like effect in the dress. I went over the Pastel Green area with the Meadow Green again making sure to go a little beyond the edge onto the rest of the Meadow Green to help it blend nicely and be darker.

Step 15: Using Grass

Color in the eyes leaving white spots to create shines in the eyes.

Mara’s Tips&Tricks!

Sometimes it’s very hard to leave that white space but you still want the shine. No worries there are ways around it! When the maker is dry you can go back in with a white Gel Pen or a very fine White Out Pen and add the shine in.

Step 16: Using Bluebell

OK this is a tricky one but if you pull if off you will bet the lovely soft balloon look with a natural color variation. So here we go, uncap both ends of your marker. Start at the bottom of the balloon going along the left side with the fine tip to about the top of the balloon. Now come back leaving a white space (grin shaped) for the shine. Once the line meets your first line jump to about the middle of the “grin” and color a line in the middle of it to split it and make it look more natural. Flip the marker around and using the chisel tip finish coloring the balloon. Try not to use a back and forth movement, try to just use broad strokes at a constant speed to cover the balloon going over each area only once. If you do this you will have a natural color variation in the marker.

Mara’s Tips&Tricks!

Sometimes you want to try something new or you’re not sure how to go about coloring something. I always do a rest run on a scrap of paper, you don’t even need to use an exact print out you can just quickly trace the lines with a pencil it doesn’t need to be perfect remember you are just testing. Using tests on the side will help you achieve the best image that you are most happy with.

Step 17: Using Bluebell

Wait for the balloon to dry a little and go over the right hand edge and the bottom of the balloon with the same color to create a shadow area.

Step 18: Drum Roll Please! The hair.

The hair! Now don’t be intimidated, and don’t get frustrated. I learned how to do this on my own too just from reading tutorials so all it takes is lots of practice and yours will look like mine in no time. I used 4 different colors in this order and always coloring less area then the last time. Cinnamon will be the very base color and will serve as the highlights on the hair. Cocoa is the color the hair will be. Burnt Sienna will be your shadows and Shale will be your darkest dark and will be used quite sparingly. To start with I uncap all the fine tip ends of the four markers. Markers dry quick and you need to be able to just grab the next color and go without having to fiddle with the cap. The amount of time it will take to color all the hair is not going to damage or dry your markers. I also like to set my colors on the desk in the order I will use them and create a little carrosel for myself. When I finish with one color I set it at the back and pick up the one at the front of the set. This usually insures me that I don’t pick up the wrong marker in the spur of the moment and that I don’t mess up. The next thing you will notice is that I work on one section of hair at a time and never on sections that are touching. If you do this the sections will not bleed into each other and you will have nice crisp highlights where you want them.

Step 19: Using Cinnamon

Using strokes in the natural direction of the hair growth color from the top of the bangs to the bottom.

Step 20: Using Cocoa

Add Cocoa except along the outer edge and beside the bang lines to great highlights.

Step 21: Using Burnt Sienna and Shale

Create a dark area at the top of the bangs with short strokes using Burnt Sienna and then even shorter strokes of Shale. The Shale gives a very subtle effect and you may need to wait a moment before coloring with it so the paper doesn’t become over saturated and you lose the point of the forth color.

Step 22: Using Cinnamon

Color a lock with Cinnamon. You don’t need to worry about which way your strokes go as it will be mostly covered.

Step 23: Using Cocoa

Add Cocoa leaving lighter areas as shown along the curve lines.

Step 24: Using Burnt Sienna

Add Burnt Sienna along the middle area of the Cocoa as shown above.

Step 25: Using Shale

Create extra depth using just small strokes of Shale in the middle of the Burnt Sienna.

Step 26: Using Cinnimon, Cocoa, Burnt Sienna, and Shale.

Repeat steps 21 to 24 for each lock of hair remembering to jump from side to side of the head to prevent the colors from one lock of hair to bleed into the next. And just like that, you are all done! You have created beautiful, gorgeous hair.

Thank you so much for sticking with me to the end of the tutorial. I hope you enjoyed it and find it useful! I know some of the coloring techniques are harder than others but all it takes is patience and practice. If you are having a hard time try a few attempts with a bigger picture, maybe even bigger than you can use on a card. Although you don’t get the fun of finishing a card if they are that big it will be much easier to learn the techniques if you are not restrained by the size.

And here’s another card that Kate made with Tori that Christine colored as a strawberry blonde hair. Just a few changes and you get a totally different look!

Be sure to drop by Wednesday to meet Fynn and Mara will have more awesome marker tips for you.

PS We’d love to hear what you think about the new digis & colorables so leave a comment for us and we’ll enter your name in a draw to win the digi or colorable of your choice. Let us know what your favorites are or just leave some love for the designers – either way you might be the lucky entry and win a freebie.

Tuesday Tutorial – Coloring with Letraset ProMarkers 101 Read More »

Tuesday Tutorial: A Terrific Gift Card Holder


Hello again everyone! I am posting this tutorial a little bit early this month because I thought you might find this a handy project to make with Christmas just around the corner.

If any of you give gift cards you are going to love how easy this holder is to make and you can completely change the look just by adding different embellishments, ribbon or die cuts. You can make them look really girlie or totally masculine – it’s all up to you!

And…you can make two gift card holders from 1 – 8 1/2″ x 11″ piece of cardstock and 1 – 12″ x 12″ sheet of double-sided patterned paper or 2 – 6″ x 6″ pieces like the ones I used from some of the paper pads that we carry. Yes…that’s all it takes!

So let’s get started and I’ll show you just how quick and easy they are to make…

(if you want to see more detail in any of the pictures just click on it and it will be enlarged)

Step 1: Cut the base of your gift card holder from the cardstock – 4 1/4″ x 10″ . Then score it at 3″, 4″, 5″ & 8″ as shown.

Step 2: Fold the base along the score lines so that it looks like this.

Step 3: This is completely optional but I wanted to have a decorative edge to the ends of the gift card holder so instead of a border punch I used the edger from Spellbinders Edgeabilities Classic Petal (e8-006) and my Big Shot to add this pretty detail. If you haven’t used these dies before you may want to give them a try. They are super easy to use and give you lots and lots of options. If you click on the link above you can see a video on how they work. Once you have a couple of sets you can mix and match all the pieces and then there are literally hundreds of designs that you can create.

Step 4: Cut all the pieces of patterned paper.

Inside pieces: Cut two pieces 4″ x 2 3/4″ & two pieces 4″ x 3/4″  & two pieces 4″ x 1 3/4″

Outside pieces: Cut two pieces 4″ x 2 3/4″ & two pieces 4″ x 1 3/4″

Now use the same Spellbinders Classic Petal edger to add decorative edges to the pieces that will go onto the two end sections of the gift card holder base.

Step 5: Apply the outside pieces to the base with double-sided adhesive and then put thin strips of double-sided adhesive onto the sides and one long edge of the base as shown. Remove the backing and attach those two sections together. This is how you make the little pocket that the gift card will sit in.

Step 6: Turn over the gift card holder and use a ruler and craft knife to cut off about 1/16″ of cardstock along the edge of the fold. Now you have created the slot where you will place your gift card.

Step 7: Use double-sided adhesive to apply all the inside pieces. I also added a plain oval so that I would have somewhere to write a little message. Now you are ready to add the closure and for this I picked the Tombow Hook & Loop Fastener Tabs. These things are amazing! They are ultra thin – about 1 mm for both pieces – and they hold like crazy. Perfect for all those projects where you need something to stay closed but you don’t want a lot of bulk. And they are self-adhesive. You get 24 tabs in a package and as you will see I only used half of one for this holder.

Step 8: Cut one of the Hook & Loop Fastener Tabs in half and apply it to the inside center of the top flap.

Then take the backing off the other side and close up your gift card holder and press down.

Presto! Just like magic you have your fastener tab in just the right place without any measuring or fussing around.

This is the inside of my gift card holder with a gift card in it.

And I couldn’t resist adding some ribbon and a little bling to finish it off but you could add all sort of things – die cuts, silk flowers, buttons…there’s really no limit to what you can do with these little holders.

I am going to use this gift card holder for an upcoming birthday and wanted something fresh and bright so I used paper from the Kaisercraft Chapter One paper pad. I just love the colors in this collection and I think my friend will too.

Take a look at how different you can make these look just by changing the papers and rounding the corners instead of doing a decorative edge. For this Christmas gift card holder I used papers from the Kaisercraft December 25th paper pad. I just love the vintage look of these papers and the die cuts that are included made adding the embellishment on the front really easy.

Well…that’s it for this tutorial. I hope you enjoyed it and give these gift card holders a try. Thanks for dropping by.

Tuesday Tutorial: A Terrific Gift Card Holder Read More »

Scrap ‘n Stamp Tutorial: Dreamweaver Stencils & Crackle Embossing Paste

 

Hi everyone! Thank you for stopping by today for our Tuesday Tutorial.

Today I am going to show you how to use Dreamweaver Crackle embossing paste. It has been a while since I did the first tutorial on using Crackle Embossing paste and this is the Dreamweaver technique that we get the most emails and questions about so I thought it was time to update it as I have learned a few more tricks and done some new samples that I wanted to share with you.

This is a really fantastic technique and once you master it you will be able to create stunning images for your cards, scrapbook pages and altered projects. There are a few steps in this technique and some drying time between coats of paste but your patience will be rewarded when you see the final piece.

I should warn you now, this is a really long tutorial. You may want to grab a cup of your favorite beverage and a snack before you start reading. LOL!

The first thing you need to do is gather your supplies and prepare your work surface.

You are going to need:

  • a plastic work surface to protect your table (I use a clear desk mat from Ikea)
  • a tub of warm, soapy water and a soft cleaning brush
  • blue painters tape (NOT masking tape – that’s too sticky and will rip your paper when you remove it) or Scotch Removable Tape
  • paper towels
  • Dreamweaver Offset Palette Knife
  • 1/4″ & 1/8″ Dreamweaver Stencil Brushes (if you care going to add color over the crackle paste)
  • heavy cardstock or watercolor paper
  • Dreamweaver Matte Black & Crackle Embossing Pastes (you can use any dark colored embossing paste as your base – Glossy Black, Glossy Red or regular paste that you have tinted yourself as long as it is very dark)
  • Dreamweaver stencils – any design that you think would look good with this type of effect – I used the Horses LL559 in the step-by-step pics
  • a variety of colors of pigments inks that would suit your image – I used VersaMagic Chalk Inks because I like the way they can be worked and blended together.

STEP 1 – The Base Layer:

Cut a piece of cardstock that is big enough for your design with at least a 1/2 inch border on all sides. I recommend watercolour paper or a heavy cardstock because there is a lot of moisture in the embossing paste so if you were to use a light weight paper it will warp when you put the paste on it and then the paste can seep under the stencil.

Lay your cardstock or watercolor paper onto your plastic mat and put a little piece of tape on the top and bottom edges to hold it in place. Now place your stencil on top and apply your first strip of tape so that you cover the top edge of your stencil and the top of the watercolour paper. Be careful not to cover any of the image that you are going to be embossing. This first piece of tape is called a ‘hinge’ and is very important later on when you are removing the stencil.

Put tape on both sides of the stencil and then the bottom. Your stencil will now be held firmly in place and the edges of your paper are protected.

Now the real fun begins!  Using your Offset Palette knife give the black embossing paste a little stir and then scoop up a generous amount on the bottom of the knife. (The new palette knife that we carry doesn’t have a pointy end so it is much easier to pick up a generous amount of paste and cover your stencil with fewer strokes)

Keeping the knife at a 45 degree angle gently run it over the stencil so that you get paste into all the open areas. If you need more paste just pick up more from the jar and keep spreading it until the stencil is completely covered. It’s just like icing a cake but there are a couple of things that you want to remember. First, don’t avoid overworking the paste or going back over the same area too many times as this will cause the paste to seep under the edges of the stencil and second, if you have to go back over an area with your knife go over it in the opposite direction.


So that you have a nice, smooth surface to put the crackle paste onto you now need to gently run the edge of your pallette knife over the whole surface to remove any excess paste (you can put it back into the jar). Be careful not to make any lines or remove any of the paste from the image – just smooth out the surface. When you have removed all the excess paste from your image be sure to clean your pallette knife right away with paper towels or by washing it in the tub of soapy water. If the paste dries on your knife if can sometimes be difficult to get off later. Your pasted image should look something like this…

Remove the tape from the bottom and sides of the stencil and then gently lift up on the bottom of the stencil towards the hinge (the piece of tape on the top of the stencil).

This hinge is SOOOO important. If you remove all the tape and then try and remove your stencil you may jiggle things a little or drop the stencil back down and then you just have a big miss. Trust me on this one, I learned the hard way. Make sure you lift up your stencil towards the hinge and then remove the stencil and the last piece of tape carefully. Wash off the black embossing paste in your tub of soapy water right away and then carefully pat it dry on a flat surface so that you don’t bend it.

The black paste will take anywhere from an hour to four hours to dry (sometimes longer depending on the humidity in your area) before you can do the next step. To check if it’s dry just touch it and it should feel firm and none of the paste should come off on your finger. If it feels at all damp just give it a little longer.

Step 2 – The Crackle Layer:

Once the black embossing paste is completely dry reposition your stencil over your image making sure to offset it a little so that the stencil now sits a little bit on top of your original image. This gives you enough depth to add your crackle paste. Note: In my previous tutorial I told you to line the stencil up exactly but some of you found that you couldn’t get on enough crackle paste that way so please use these new instructions. Tape the stencil down using the same method and order as you did above.

Apply a layer of the crackle paste over the black paste being careful not to overwork it. You may have to hold the stencil down as you move your pallette knife across the image so that the crackle paste doesn’t leak underneath.

Remove your stencil carefully using the hinge and clean it right away. Some of the paste will get into the spaces between the black paste but you can easily remove this with the tip of a stylus or craft knife.

As you can see from this picture I have some areas of paste thicker than others and it will create some interesting effects as it dries. The crackle effect takes a while to begin to show (1-2 hours). As the paste dries the thinner areas will show cracks first and they are usually finer. Thicker areas will have bigger cracks and can take several hours or overnight to dry. This is what mine turned out like.

When your crackle paste is dry it will be white, have a matte finish and fine lines going through it. The black paste underneath is what makes the cracks more visible so you always want to use a colour of paste under your crackle paste that will give you a lot of contrast.

Step 3 – Adding Color to your Crackled Image:

When the crackle paste is dry you have the perfect for applying and blending pigment inks with your stencil brushes. I love the VersaMagic chalk inks for this because of the fantastic range of soft colours and the matte finish. They blend so easily without leaving lines. Dye based inks can be used but you won’t get the same shading and blending and they sometimes look a little spotty.

For this part of the technique I like to reposition my stencil over my design with the Scotch Removable Tape. Your paper has had painters tape on it twice already and sometimes a third application can cause tearing so just to be on the safe side I use the Scotch Removable Tape that is really easy to remove without any tearing but will still hold your stencil in place.

Select three or four colours of inks that you want to use on your image. You should have a light, medium and dark colour. When applying colours to your designs always start with the lightest shade first. Pick up a little bit of ink by gently rubbing your brush on the pad and then work the ink into the bristles and remove any excess by rubbing it onto a folder paper towel. You want to have a little ink on your brush, but not too much as this will make your design look blotchy. You can always add more colour if you need it but it’s almost impossible to take it off when there is too much, especially if it’s a dark colour.

Starting on the metal part of the stencil move your brush is a circular motion bringing it onto your image where you would like to apply the ink. This technique is called ‘rouging’ and it allows you to add colour a little bit at a time to your design and blend and soften it. By starting on the metal part of the stencil and working onto the paste you are less likely to add too much colour to any one area. If you need more ink on your brush just pick some up from the paper towel or the ink pad.

Next add your medium colour and then your dark colour to add more shape to your image and highlight the crackle. Be careful with the medium and dark colours. A little goes a long way! When you are happy with your image remove the tape and stencil and you are done.

Let the inks on your image dry for a few minutes and then you are ready to put your masterpiece onto your project. Here’s the card that I made with the horses…

This next card shows the same technique used with the Cyrpress Tree LG650

I love irises so I couldn’t resist trying the crackle paste with this Long Stem Iris LL374

Since I was doing up the new samples for this post in November I just had to do a couple of Christmas samples. The first one I did was the Poinsettia LG700 and instead of using pigment inks to color in the flower I used Tim Holtz Distress inks (Victorian Velvet, Fired Brick & Spiced Marmalade). These are dye inks so they are a little bit harder to blend because they dry so quickly but I found that by adding a few layers of color I was able to get the shading that I was looking for.

The final sample I am going to share with you today is a simple holly image. This stencil LL3005 Holly Branch has larger open areas so the crackle paste went on a little thicker and I got larger cracks. You will find that this happens whenever you put on more crackle paste. If you enlarge the picture you will see that I offset the stencil quite a bit when I put it back on to apply the crackle paste and this created a black outline along some of the edges which looks like a shadow and gives the finished image even more dimension.  Tim Holtz Distress inks (Shabby Shutters, Forest Moss & Fired Brick) were added in layers to build up the color on the leaves.

As you can see, this is a very versatile technique that can be used to create many different looks.

I know this was a REALLY long tutorial and this technique may seem a little complicated at first but the end results are definitely worth the time it takes to complete all the steps. Hope you give it a try.

Thanks for dropping by. See you next month with another fun tutorial.

Scrap ‘n Stamp Tutorial: Dreamweaver Stencils & Crackle Embossing Paste Read More »

Free Shipping Anywhere In Canada