Hi friends! I was going through some of my stamp binders the other day and I was feeling a longing to stamp some of my old favorites. I really enjoy having my stamp collection however I’d been feeling a bit guilty not using these lovely stamps but then when I think about using them I feel bad because they are older and if you guys want them they are long gone from all stores.
But then I had an idea! I searched flower fairy coloring pages and I found this sweet pea flower fairy image that is like the stamp I used. You can find free coloring sheets online for all of the lovely vintage illustrated by Cicely Mary Barker just by doing a quick google search. I have to confess, when these stamps came out back in 2009 I bought every set (and I got a steal too paying $4-$6 a set for them!) and I have enjoyed them so much over the years. I am glad that there are free coloring sheets for anyone who missed out on the stamps. As a plus you can print them out any size you like for your cards and your alcohol markers won’t smear the ink jet printer ink either! Just as I was thinking “they should make a coloring book of these” I googled it and sure enough there are several, this one is only $3.44 and has the alphabet of flower fairies and there is another hardcover coloring book available of other designs and both books feature the artwork of Cicely Mary Barker. Since there are options for folks wanting these images I won’t feel bad using my stamps and sharing the projects I guess:)
I decided I would try coloring this image using the set of Studio 71 alcohol ink dual brush markers I got last year. They happen to be on sale this week on Consumer Crafts and this pack of 48 is $39.97 which is a steal for brush tip alcohol markers. All of the markers I use today came from the 48 set with the addition of a clear blender but you can use any alcohol clear blending marker.
Here are the recipes I used for this project and how I applied the markers. I figured that this would be clearer than a video as I always find my own marker tutorials a bit painful to watch LOL!
For the pink (wings, skirt, bonnett) I used R4, R2 and N1 (clear)
- Prime the area with N1 (clear), apply R4 to the shadows then apply R2 over the R4 and pull the color out to blend. Overlap the edges of R2 with the clear to soften and blend it out to white.
For the green leaves and top I used BG3 and BG13
- Apply BG3 to the shadow areas and then color over the entire area with BG13 to unify and blend.
For the purple flower and baby romper I used V5, V14 and the clear N1 blender
- Prime the area with clear. Scribble the darker V14 on a tile and pick it up with the brush tip of the V5 maker and apply to shadow areas and then continue to blend out with the V5. You will naturally have darker color where you start and it will get lighter as you use up the darker ink you picked up. Use the clear marker to brighten the highlights if desired.
For the hair I used E6 and YR3
- Color all of the hair with YR3 then add shadows with E6 while the ink is still wet. It should blend naturally but if not you can go back in with the lighter color (YR3) to soften.
For the skin I used Y3, E15, YR3 and R2 (for the blush)
- Color all the skin with E15, add shadows with YR3 then color over all the sin with Y3 to blend and reduce the pinkness. Dab R2 on the cheeks while the ink is still wet for the blush.
This whole painting was done with 11 markers. Even though some of the colors I chose were not that close the fact that we layered them made them unified. I think the fact that these markers have brush tips helps them blend too although I use the chisel end of the clear marker when I am priming and lightning. I also like that you can replace any of the single markers if they go dry for $1.97 each…none of mine have dried out yet tho. I like to mention whenever the Studio 71 marker packs go on sale because I have never seen a better value on brush tip markers. The brush nibs are not quite as good as Copic but they are 1/4 of the price and the chisel nibs are the same quality. You just can’t beat it. Oh, I also wanted to mention that there are some duplicate colors between packs so my recommendation is to get the 48 set if you can swing it and fill in with singles as needed so you don’t accidentally end up with doubles, or start with a smaller set and add to it a marker at a time as you see what your needs are. The cheapest per marker price is in the 48 pack though.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post! If you already have markers you can try the blends with the pens you already have, look at the caps in the photo above to match up your colors as close as you can but if you need markers the Studio 71 ones are a great buy. The link to the markers are affiliate links so if you do purchase though my links I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you:) Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!
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Filed under: Stamping, Uncategorized | Tagged: alcohol markers, copic tutorial, flower fairy stamps, marker blending tutorial, marker coloring tutorial, mothers day, studio 71 markers | 16 Comments »
