Lacy Sunshine’s Lil’ Autumn Sprite, Pumpkins, and Leaves

I’ve got a Copic colored image (hopefully a project soon) using one of the cutest fantasy figures, Lil’ Autumn Sprite, from Lacy Sunshine. Heather Valentin, artist and creator of Lacy Sunshine, is behind all the amazing illustrations in her shop. I am in awe of what comes out of her brain and down her pencil.

The following pics are a tour of my coloring process. I am working on a coloring video and hopefully have it up within the next week. I will shut up now and let you look and read.

Copics used for:

Skin: E04, 11, 13, 50, 51,53

Blush: R11, 20

Lips: V06, 12

Hair: G20, 46, 82, 99; Memento Markers in Cottage Ivy & Bamboo Leaves

Skin seems to be the place I go to first for coloring. I lay down on one side of the face the lightest (E50), and start blending with the darkest (E04) and end with E50. The hair is all about flicking. I started with the lightest (G20) and end with the darkest (G99), meaning I go from light to dark.

Copics used for:

Orange pumpkin: YR00, 02, 12, 16, 18; E07, W3

I used the flicking technique on the orange pumpkin, and went from light to dark.

The lightest part of the pumpkin was left showing the white cardstock and then blended

again with the lightest.

Copics used for:

Side Pumpkins: Y11, 15, 17, YR12, E07, YG11, 13, 17, G29

The same coloring method was used as on the orange pumpkin.

Copics used for:

Wings: YR12, 18; V09, 12

Clothes: V09, 12; G20, 82, 99

The wings used the flicking method and colored from light to dark.

Clothes were completed with just blending, starting with the lightest, darkest, and

ending with the lightest.

Copics used for:

Leaves: G40, 82, 85, 99; YR12, 14, 18, 20; V000, 09, 12, 15, 17

Background: W000, 0, 1, 2, 3

Splotches on background: alcohol and micro-tipped applicators

There really was no rhyme or reason with coloring the leaves, but I did want them to look fall-ish.

The background was colored from dark to light,

with splotches added with rubbing alcohol and micro-tipped applicators.

The complete coloring!

I hope that you join us over at Lacy Sunshine’s Facebook group. We have a monthly challenge and the random drawn winner will get to choose three images of their choice. The top two winners will be artist choice and win one image of their choice. You MUST use a Lacy Sunshine image for this challenge. We also have a “Coloring Without Boundaries” group where you can share all and any coloring or project from any artist and company.

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you have any questions, contact me please.

Aletha Jane

AJ’s Design Artz

Some affiliated links are listed below at no cost to you. The supplies for making this project were purchased by me. If you click on the pics below and make a purchase, I get a commission. I want to thank everyone for their continued support of my art.

‘Tis the Season to be Grateful

Welcome to my blog for one more October post! Today I have created an autumn colored card and I am going to say it’s a CAS style. This is a new color combo for me, and I love it.

My project is definitely on the heavy side of die cutting, but it does make a pretty card. The “grateful” die sentiment, from Simon Says Stamp, was cut three times and glued together to make one sentiment. While that was drying, I formed my card base with patterned paper and cardstock from Simon Says Stamp November Monthly Kit. This one kit is sold out. You will see in the supply list below I linked the kit’s merchandise I used. You can purchase the supplies separately or subscribe to the monthly kit.

Next step was cutting Spellbinder’s Twisted Palm die twice, and adhere both to the top and bottom of my card front. You will see that I added strips of the red cardstock to add more dimension to my final card.

With my sentiment dry, I added three layers of embossing ink plus the gold embossing powder between each layer of ink. Each layer was first melted before adding the next layer. I popped up the sentiment with foam tape, placed in the center. The final touch for the card front was the gold sequins and Tidings Stickles.

For the inside of the card I added more strips of the red cardstock. The sentiment, Simon Says Stamp’s Thankful Heart clear set, was stamped with Delicata Golden Glitz pigment ink.

Grateful would like to enter in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Blog – Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Monday Blog – Autumn

Outlawz Twisted Thursday (you must sign in) – Anything Goes
Aurora Wings Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by. If you have any questions, please contact me. Supplies are listed below. Affiliated links are used. I did purchase all supplies myself.

Aletha Jane

AJ’s Design Artz

SUPPLIES:

InLinkz.com

Happy Fall with the Colors of Autumn

My fourth one for September!!! I’ve got one more to post for this month. After that one, I need to start coloring and creating for future projects

My A2 card was fun to add all the color. I love the colors of autumn. I wish it would last a little longer, perfect temperatures and perfect colors.

My image and sentiment were a “no-brainer” for me to use Copics. I really like to color pumpkins because the colors get me in the fall mood. First step was to die cut the main panel with a rectangle die. I stamped the pumpkins and the sentiment with Copic friendly ink, and the coloring began. After the Copic coloring was complete I used distress inks and added splatters from a brown glitter marker. After everything was dry I mounted the panel, after adding some fun foam to the back for dimension, to an A2 base. Another clean and simple card is complete.

Copic markers used:

Sunflower: Y13, 15, 18, 23, 28, +YR16;

Pumpkins: YR00, 02, 12, 15, 16, 18, +

E08, 09, 59;

Stems: YG93, 97, + E13, 31;

Leaves: E08, 13, 19, 31, 37, 57, +

YR20, 24 +YG95, 97;

Grounding: W1, 2, 4.

Other supplies:

Stamps: Gina K Designs Always Autumn set and

sentiment from the Painted Autumn kit;

Distress Inks: Vintage Photo, Orange Marmalade, Gathered Twigs;

Die: Fun Stampers Journey Rectangle Dies;

Glitter Brush: Wink of Stella Brown;

Cardstock and Envelope: Gina K Design’s Dark Sage base weight

cardstock and Dark Sage A2 envelope;

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black.

Happy Fall will be entered in the following challenges:

Stamp TV - Favorite techniques (login is required)

4 Crafty Chicks - Fall Colors

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Autumn, Thanksgiving, Halloween

Outlawz Challenges: Thursday with a twist – Anything goes with

a punch or die (login is required)

Inspiration Destination – Anything goes

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate contacting me. Until next time…

Aletha Jane

AJ’s Design Artz

Some Autumn and Winter Copic Coloring

Happy Friday to everyone! I wanted to share some Lacy Sunshine coloring that I just finished. I hope to have these two made into a couple of art cards.

One of my favorite Lacy Sunshine characters (and I have a lot of favorites) are the beauties in Heather Valentin’s Melancholy Moppet line. This first one is Jocelyn Autumn Stroll. I know it’s not fall, or winter for that matter, in the United States, but this one told me that I needed to relax and color, so that’s what I did.

Melancholy Moppet

Jocelyn Autumn Stroll

 The Copics and other media used for Jocelyn are as follows:

This next one is also part of Heather’s Melancholy Moppets, Winter Octavia.

The Copics and other media used for Octavia are:

Did you know that there are coloring classes, taught by Heather? Heather has such a unique and amazing style with colors. I am very anxious to start on these classes. I have taken other coloring classes, and if more come up, I will enroll in those too. My goal is to combine what I have learned and finally find my own style of coloring. With Heather’s classes I know that I will be reaching that goal. Heather teaches with videos, online exercises, and provides free digital images for each “themed” class. You will be able to learn at your own pace and share what you are learning with Heather’s students within the closed Lacy Sunshine Facebook Art Forum. Please click here for Heather Valentin’s Online Art Classes. Looking forward to seeing you there.

Other venues to find Lacy Sunshine:

Lacy Sunshine Color and Craft Facebook public group;

Lacy Sunshine online store;

Heather Valentin’s Coloring Without Boundaries;

Lacy Sunshine Blog;

Lacy Sunshine Challenge Blog.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see your art very soon. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Aletha Jane

AJ’s Design Artz

Coloring without Boundaries Colorist

Autumn Days Are On Their Way

Well, it’s been a while for me not being in blog land. I hope that I can remedy that over the next several months. I have had pneumonia off and on since mid-July and the final third round of antibiotics did the trick. All the rehab that I went through has gone down the drain. I am probably going to have to start all over. Oh, my computer decided to get sick too. I think that we are both going to survive.

While this was all going on I decided to become a Fun Stampers Journey (FSJ) Coach. I was a Stampin’ Up demonstrator for over five years and thoroughly enjoyed it, but the quarterly sales quota was a little steep for me to keep up. Fun Stampers Journey has quarterly sales that are very reasonable and workable. This is a new company and that means that whoever becomes a FSJ coach now is really going to get to watch this company grow and be a part of the excitement and earn income too. I am looking for people who love the arts and crafts industry, who love stamping and coloring, and who love paper and lots of it. If you are interested, please contact me. In the subject line please type Fun Stampers Journey.  You can find out more information on becoming a FSJ Coach on my FSJ site. I would love to have you on my team.

More FSJ news: we have new catalogs coming out this month, a full catalog with over 550 items (most new merchandise), and our Holiday Mini. I can’t wait to see the Holiday Mini! I am also excited about all the new products too. At least I have my Coach’s discount! ;o)

This is my first project with one of the FSJ stamp sets. I fell in love with the set “Autumn Days.” When I saw the Sugar Maple leaf, I had to have the set. We have an abundance of Sugar Maples in our historic neighborhood. I tried to emulate the colors for my project.

In the photo above you will see that I stamped the maple leaf four times with Black Licorice ink. (By the way, our inks are amazing. They are hybrid, meaning dye and pigment ink all in one.) Every time that I stamped with the Black Licorice I got a perfect image. After the images were dry, I used Derwent Watercolor Pencils in Beech Green, Hot Red, Tangerine, and Golden Yellow. I fussy cut each one and ran a Sharpie Black brush pen on the edges to hide the white edges. I hope that I got some of the Maple’s leaves fall color.

For my next element I attempted to make an Aster using Spellbinder’s Die D-Lite Create an Aster. I really wanted a mum, but after I made this I was satisfied. I used FSJ’s Orange Creamsicle cardstock and added Hazelnut Blend ink to the embossed areas. After that was dry, I added Tangerine Fusion ink to get a richer fall orange. Before assembling all the pieces I touched the tips of each petal with more Hazelnut Blend ink. The last highlight was some Journey Glaze and Journey Sparkle Dust on each petal end. Assembling was completed with Journey Glaze as my adhesive between the layers.

My card base is Hazelnut Blend and Orange Creamsicle (don’t you just love these names) cardstocks. My designer paper is Bazill Basics Autumn Harvest collection. All of my elements, leaves and flower were layered on a die cut from Spellbinder’s Celebrations Pierced Oval in the Hazelnut Blend cardstock. To complete my card I added half pearls from my stash.

                                Autumn Days would like to enter the following challenges:

ArtbyMarin – Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge – Anything Goes/Glitter and Shimmer

Delicious Doodles – Color of Autumn

Thanks so much for stopping by.  If you need more information about my project or about Fun Stamps Journey, please contact me.

Aletha Jane

Fun Stampers Journey

AJ’s Design Artz

Meet Priscilla Pilgrim from RSD

Welcome to the weekend. The perfect way to start your Saturday morning is finding a new creative challenge for you. We, at Rick St. Dennis MFA (RSD), have the perfect one. This challenge is to create something with Rick’s monthly newsletter freebie. What, you do not have a subscription? That’s easy to remedy. Click here to join. If you would still like to join in the challenge, the digi, Priscilla Pilgrim, is offered in Rick’s new expanded site on Zibbet.

For you that are on the RSD newsletter list, the challenge is now live on the Sparkle & Glitter blog. You have until November 23 to post your little piece of art.

I adore all the mice characters that Rick has let pop out of his brain. These were a special request from Monique and I, and he has created some of the most lovable mice that you will ever see. I have challenged myself to get at least 10 Christmas cards done this year, all using Rick’s mice and his other amazing images.

On to my project… I made a 5¾” art card with PriscillaPilgrim. This little piece of art was a lot of fun to make. I got to get my fingers all messed up. First Priscilla was colored with Copics. I then trimmed her with Spellbinder’s large square die. I added Gathered Twigs Distress ink to the edges and layered with Stampin’ Up!’s (SU) Early Espresso and Really Rust.

Copics used:

Priscilla: E21, 23, 25, 27, 29, R02

Pumpkin: YR01, 12, 15, 18, E19

Leaf: G40, 85, 94, 99, and YR12, 18

Acorns: E31, 33, 34, 37, and G40, 85

Cap, Apron, & Shoes: C00, 1, 3, 5

Dress & Bow: V09, 12, 15, 17

Background: W00, 0, 1, 2, 3, and YR01

Now it’s time to get messy. I die cut the mums from Cheery Lynn’s Chrysanthemum Strip in SU’s Elegant Eggplant cardstock. After the shaping, I added some Dusty Concord Distress Ink to the very tips and then I glued all layers together. When they were dry, I added Viva Décor Violet 3-D stamp paint with my fingers to the very tips. I felt like I had better control of the paint.

My leaves were created from Spellbinder’s Classic Leaf die. I cut them from SU’s Early Espresso cardstock. I then added Viva Décor 3-D stamp paint in Moss Green with a sponge. These paints dry almost instantly, so I dipped my finger in the Violet stamp paint and dabbed this on the leaves. I felt like that was still not enough, so I took some Viva Décor Inka Gold in copper on my finger tip and wiped that just on the very tips. I love the look of these leaves, very fall-ish.

I hope that you do join in our November Newsletter Freebie Challenge using Priscilla Pilgrim. After you have entered, please come share your masterpiece with us on our Rick St. Dennis Facebook group.

I am so happy that you dropped by. If you have any questions, please contact me. My Priscilla Pilgrim card is now available for purchase in my Zibbet shop. Have a great weekend!

Aletha Jane

AJ’s Design Artz

RSD Elite Design Team