Altenew Academy - Creative Coloring With Erum - Lesson 1

 Hello, crafty friends!  This evening I am taking a break from my AECP courses to share a project from the newest Altenew Academy course - Creative Coloring With Erum.  This course covers advanced coloring techniques, and I have to admit, it is a bit intimidating, as I consider myself mostly a beginner with coloring; however, I jumped at the opportunity to learn from Erum.  If you have not seen her work, you need to!  You can find her on Instagram here.

Anyhow, today’s lesson was all about adding to layered stamps using alcohol markers.  Did I mention how intimidating this is for me?   I decided that I would just trust the process and give my best effort.  I am so glad that I did! 

Now, you all know that I love Altenew’s layering floral stamps and use them often.  I had no idea that by spending some time and adding detail with markers would produce results like this.  For my card, I used Altenew’s You Are Beautiful stamps and dies.  I stamped the solid image in Blush and the detailed image in Crimson.  The below photo shows what the image looked like when I started and what it looked like when I finished.  I added detail using the Altenew Alcohol Markers in the Red Sunset family.  For the stamen, I stamped the two images in Sunray and Snapdragon.  I then stippled the center using Stampin’ Blends in Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, and Bronze.  This was a very slow process for me, as I have never done it before, but it was well worth the time invested. 

Using the same process, I stamped the leaves in Bamboo and Moss, and added the detail using my Stampin’ Blends in (using both light and dark pens) Granny Apple Green and Mellow Moss.  The leaves were much more difficult for me to figure out the right way to add the detail.  Once I had all of my images colored, I die-cut them using the coordinating dies and set them aside.   

Using a Decorative Mask from Stampin’ Up, I created a subtle background using Rouge, Coral Bliss, and Crimson inks.  I added Crimson ink to the edges of my card panel by running the ink pad directly along the edges. I stamped my sentiment from the same set in Black ink on a scrap of white and trimmed it down.  I arranged my flowers on my panel and adhered them.  I trimmed any areas that hung over the edge using my scissors.  I used foam squares behind my sentiment to add a bit of dimension, and finished up by adding some clear sequins.

While I know that I have a lot to learn (and lots of practicing to do), I am unbelievably proud of myself.   This was definitely a labor of love, but one I am thrilled with. 

Key Learnings

• Don’t be afraid to try - even when the challenge seems daunting, the effort will be worth it. 
• I found that turning my image as I worked was really helpful, as it allowed me to “flick” away from my body and I seemed to have more control.
• I can do this!

Products Used:

• Recollections 110# White Card Stock
• Stampin’ Up Whisper White Card Stock
• Altenew You Are Beautiful Stamps and Dies
• Stampin’ Up Basic Decorative Masks
• Altenew Crisp Dye Ink:  Blush, Rouge, Coral Bliss, Crimson, Bamboo, Moss’ Sunray, Snapdragon
• Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
• Altenew Alcohol Markers (Red Sunset Color Family):  Blush, Rouge, Crimson, Velvet
• Stampin’ Blends (Light and Dark):  Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, Granny Apple Green, Mellow Moss, Bronze
• Blending Brush
• Foam Squares
• Simon Says Stamp Clear Sequins

Thanks so much for popping by!  Happy Stamping!