Got Boots?

I finally inked up the boots from Out West. I think this is my favorite stamp in the set. I made this card as my sample for the new color challenge I posted at stampTV today. The challenge is to use Chocolate Kiss (or any chocolate colored C/S you have) along with any other colors. The challenge is open until Sunday evening and one random winner will win a free stamp set of their choice from Gina K Designs. I would love to have you play.

Here are a few details from making this card...


I stamped the boots with Memento black ink on Pure Luxury White cardstock and used Copic markers to color it. You may have noticed that sometimes I work from light to dark (like with this image) and sometimes from dark to light. I don't think there is any right or wrong as far as what you should do. I like working from dark to light if it is an image I color frequently and colors that I have used with it before. I find it easier to blend if I lay down a dark color and then pull it out with a lighter color, creating a smooth transition.

But when I am coloring an image for the first time, or using colors that I haven't used with it before, then I tend to start with light colors first and ease into the darker areas. I don't get good blending this way but it enables me to get a sense how I want the overall shading, then I work backwards laying the color back in from dark to light and blending as I go. I essentially color the image twice when I do this, but it prevents me from messing up as many images and the next time I color that image, it goes really fast.

Sooo, I started this image by coloring in some Y21. I wanted a little yellow in the highlights, but I wasn't worried about saturating and going all the way to the edges, so I laid down a quick layer and moved to the next color.

Then I added E31, starting from the outside and working in small circles into the yellow, but not completely covering it.

Next I added E33, again working in small circles and not going quite to the yellow.

Then some E35, small circles again and not quite so far as the last color.

Next I added E37, just around the outer edges. You can see how the boots are not well blended at this point. It would probably be better if I hadn't stopped between each color to snap a photo, allowing the previous color to dry, but I definitely have a hard time blending dark into light even when the ink is still wet.

Here it is after I added all the same colors on top of the first, and working backwards from dark to light. I also came back with a blending pen to lift just a bit of color from the lightest areas.

I used my brown Memento marker to go over the decorative details and soles of the boots, then cut out the image.

For the background, I stamped the maple leaf branch from Autumn leaves and colored in the veins with YG05. This time I worked dark to light, since I have colored this image with these colors before and felt confident I could get the look I wanted.

I worked out from the dark areas, using YG93, YG91 and YG03, in that order. After coloring, I used my Versa Mark pen to go over the entire image and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Next I sponged the background with So Saffron, Sahara Sand and Chocolate Chip ink.

I used some black cording to instead of ribbon. I didn't want a know or bow on the front, so I taped down one end and wrapped it around the top two layers, three times, then taped down the other end.

To finish the card, I added some jumbo eyelets, black cording and a decorative brad. I used my SU mat pack to do the corner piercing. The layers are Pure Luxury Chocolate Kiss, SU Old Olive and Sahara Sand for the cardbase.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I'll link up some really fantastic projects using Out West later in the week. Have a great day!