Cross Canada Hop--Alcohol Markers

Hello there, crafty friends!

Spring has finally sprung here in Ontario, just in time for the lovely long Easter weekend.

Canadian Close to My Heart consultants are celebrating with a blog hop

featuring ShinHan Twin-Touch alcohol markers.

If you've come from Dominique's blog, you are on the right track. If you'd like to start at the beginning, go to Michelle's blog where you will find the entire list of participants.

I have loved playing with alcohol markers since taking a Copic colouring course a few years back.

Close to My Heart sells 24 colours of the ShinHan Twin-Touch markers, along with a colourless blender pen; they work just as well as Copics for many colouring effects.

On today's card, I'm showcasing a couple of different techniques:

1)    No need to worry about not having just the right marker for your project; you can blend two colours together without contaminating either marker.

Scribble the darker shade onto an acrylic stamping block. This functions as your palette.

Pick up the colour on the block with the lighter shade of marker; you will get an intermediate shade to add to your project. To clean the lighter marker, just use it on white card stock until the colour runs true again.

Example: for the bunny's shirt, I coloured with Y22 Golden Yellow, then scribbled some YR24 Marigold onto my block. I picked up the darker orange colour with the yellow marker and used it to add shading to the image.

 I did the same with the bunny's shorts, using B68 Turquoise Blue and BG61 Peacock Green.

2)  I also created a fun piece of patterned paper, using my markers to make matching plaid. I added adhesive to the back of a piece of white card stock and stuck it to my Versamat.

I used the diagonal marks on the mat and the 14" ruler to draw parallel lines in Turquoise and Tender Pink.

 Then I rotated the mat 90 degrees and drew lines in that orientation to complete the plaid.

The ShinHan markers have two ends: a fine bullet tip and a broad tip. You can create lines of different width depending on which side of the broad tip you drag over the paper.

The speed with which you drag the marker across the paper will also have an effect--the slower you go, the more ink can sink into the paper, making a slightly wider line.

Break out your markers and give these techniques a try!

The next stop on the hop is Sheena at Kanata Newf.

Please remember to leave comments and love as you hop, quick like a bunny!

Happy Easter,

Caroline

P.S:  Next month's hop on May 15th will feature new paper packs from Close to My Heart.

Supplies:  all supplies Close to My Heart, unless otherwise indicated.
Stamp set: Easter Bunny/February 2017 stamp of the month
Ink: Archival Black, Fern
Markers: ShinHan Twin-Touch markers GY234, Y222, YR24, P282, P83, B68, BG61, RP198
Copic Markers in E31 and E33, R20.
Shimmer trim in green
Embossing folder: Lifestyle crafts/houndstooth
Versamat 12x12 crafting mat
14" ruler
Contact your local Close to My Heart consultant to purchase any of the items featured here.

Mixed Media Mayhem!

Good morning, crafty friends.

I had to jump on board the Distress Oxide ink band-wagon after seeing several people's demonstration of their potential and:

• ordered a half dozen colours to try out;
• discovered a bottle of Frisket, the masking fluid, probably purchased sometime in 2016 and never opened, under a pile of patterned paper on the craft table;
• needed a new "miss you" card for my hubby's suitcase...

All the right ingredients for an experiment!

Here's my card:

I bought this stamp set from Close to My Heart last year---my DH was a chemistry student when we met, so the sentiment is perfect!

I started by stamping the beakers onto the card base with archival black ink. I used a paper mask to give the illusion of one beaker being behind the other.

Then I covered them both, and the sentiment with the Frisket liquid. It's pretty easy to use, and dries translucent so you can see what is underneath.

Then I went to town with three colours of Distress Oxide ink: spiced marmalade, broken china and cracked pistachio. I smooshed the ink onto a craft mat, spritzed with water and then dragged the card base through the ink. Dried it off and began again; added some splatters... Very satisfying and completely random. 

Once it looked like a small explosion, I rubbed off the Frisket and coloured the beakers with alcohol markers. Added some bubbles from the stamp set with Oxide inks. And coated the beakers with Liquid Glass so they'd look glassy.

I just love the result!

 Let me know what you think, or tell me about your experiments with Distress Oxides.

Have a creative day!

Caroline

P.S.: getting in, better late than never,  to Kathy Racoosin's 30 Day Colouring Challenge, on Day 30!

Also linking up to Simon Says Stamp's National Craft Month post HERE