Copic Markers that I like for Caucasian Skin Tones

Posted in Tutorials by lisababitz

The question was asked on StampTV: What Copic Markers would you use for Caucasian skin tones? (Sadly, this site is no longer active.)

Let me start out by saying that I am NOT a Copic Marker expert! I’m still trying to figure out skin tone combinations, too! And I still need a lot of practice coloring and shading skin, but…

Copic offers whole classes on coloring skin and hair. Click HERE for a link to their site. (I took the “2014 Copic Color Along: Whimsical Faces and Hair” class taught by Cindy Lawrence, and I really enjoyed it and learned a lot!) There are so many combinations (and variations based on how much ink you lay down) so answering the question is really tough!

Annie’s Paper Crafts has a book called Copic Coloring Guide Level 3: People with some suggestions on coloring all types of skin tones. (You can check out the book HERE on amazon.com.) These are some of their suggestions for Caucasion skin tones: The E0 family is peachy or pinkish and good for children, pale Caucasian or sunburned skin. The E2 family is more brown or gold and good for tanned Caucasian skin. And the E3 family is reddish and is also good for Caucasian skin (and several other types). Having said that, blending from different groups often gives the best results! You really just need to pick a few to blend and see what you like. Try comparing your ink colors to a photo with a skin tone you are trying to duplicate. Here is a link to the Copic Color Chart, but the colors on the computer may not be accurate! The best thing to do is to create your own color chart with the actual pens.

Take the age of your subject into account when choosing colors as skin changes as one ages. Young (Caucasian) skin often has peach or pinkish tones. Young Adult skin tends to become more golden brown with more distinct shadows. Older adult skin is different still. It often has yellow undertones, more shadows with deep wrinkles and creases, and may appear more blotchy.

In addition to choosing the markers, one also needs to have an idea of how to shade the image for a more realistic look. (This is the hardest part for me!!) The book I mentioned above deals with this as did the instructor in the class I took.

I’m not sure how these will show up on your computer (they are a little more peach and a little less blotchy in real life than what I am seeing on my screen!), but here are a few of MY favorite combinations on samples that I colored:

(E000, E01, E31, E25)

(E50, E21, E13)

(E000, E01, E35, E93)

As I said, I am not an expert and still need a lot of practice, but these are a few of the combinations I tried and liked.

(The above card called “Let’s Have Pie!” was originally posted in my StampTV Gallery. Sadly, this site is no longer active.)

Thanks for checking out my post.

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1Mar2015

Birthday FLowers

Posted in Birthday Cards, Cards by lisababitz

Birthday Flowers

This card is being entered in the StampTV MIUM Challenge “Combine & Color” where we are to:

Use a combination of two different Gina K Designs stamp sets. One for the focal image and one for the sentiment.
Have a focal image that can be colored. The image you choose can be colored with whatever you choose.

(Sadly, this site is no longer active.)

This card is also being entered in the Mod Squad Challenge “Spring Forward” where we are encouraged to use flowers, birds, butterflies, hummingbirds, etc. and bright, beautiful colors to make a Spring themed card. (Sadly, this site is no longer active.)

For this card, I used stamps from the Gina K Designs “A Little Something” (the vase of flowers) and “Sweet Tweets” (the greeting). The images were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I colored the image with Copic Markers (Y23, YG09, V15, and V17). I also did a little paper piecing to add color to the vase. In addition to black and white card stock, the patterned paper I used is from the Gina K Delicate Essentials 6×6 paper pack. I also used the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, a clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen (hard to see in photo), and a few self sticking rhinestones.

I ended up doing a second card as well by mixing up the colors a bit. Here it is:

I’m not sure which I like better!

Thanks for checking out my card projects!

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27Feb2015

Quilled Iris

Posted in Cards, Easter, Get Well/Sympathy, Other, Wedding/Anniversary by lisababitz

Quilled Iris

It had been a while since I had done any quilling, so I thought I’d make a quilled card to enter in this week’s Mod Squad Challenge called “Spring Forward” where we are encouraged to use flowers, birds, butterflies, hummingbirds, etc. and bright, beautiful colors to make a Spring themed card. (Sadly, this site is no longer active.)

I sponged Gina K Wild Lilac ink on white card stock and glued my quilled iris and decorative swirls on this panel. Then, I created a recessed frame with thick fun foam and Spellbinders oval dies.

The printed paper is from a digital set I bought from a store on Etsy called The Pixel Posy. The set is called “Vintage William Morris digital paper designs//Art Nouveau background paper pack//Blue and purple flower digital paper.” HERE is the link.

This card used a number of quilled shapes: teardrops, half circles, marquises and wheatears (leaves). I used instructions by “Quilled Creations” to create the iris.

I had made a few other quilled cards in the past that I had posted in my StampTV Gallery. (Sadly, this site is no longer active.) I’m including them here as well.

This sympathy card was the first one I did back in May 2013. I used a basic marquise shape for the flowers and leaves. The sentiment was from the Gina K Designs “All Occasion Tags” Stamp set. The tag was cut with a die from the Spellbinders Grommet Tag set, and the embossing folder is Darice Corner Scroll.

I used the same embossing folder and marquise shapes to create two more – a wedding card and a confirmation card.

The sentiment on the wedding card is from the Gina K Designs “Always and Forever” duo stamp set. I purchased the stamp for the confirmation card on Ebay, and it is unmarked so I have no idea what company made it.

The next card I made was for a bridal shower. I used teardrops to make the umbrella.

The bride and groom stamp is called “Happy Couple” by Stampendous! The greeting was done on the computer. I used the Darice Stripe embossing folder on this card.

Quilled Creations makes a great tool called “Circle Template Board” that makes it easy to create consistent and perfectly proportioned quilled shapes. I also use their slotted quilling tool to roll the circles; the slot makes it easy to get the paper rolls started.

I forgot how much I LOVE quilled designs; I will definitely need to do this more often!!

Thanks for checking out my card projects!

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14Feb2015

Pop-Up Hearts

Posted in Birthday Cards, Cards, Interactive, Other by lisababitz

Pop-Up Hearts

This card is being entered in the Mod Squad Challenge “Pop-Up Card” where we are to make a pop-up card of any kind. (Sadly, this site is no longer active.)

I made this as a Valentine’s Day Card, although with no greeting on the front, it could also be used for an anniversary, a wedding, or a “just because” card for someone special.

The inside pop-up element was made with the Sizzix “Hearts-a-Plenty 3D (Pop-Up)” die. Card stock used on the inside was Gina K heavy base weight white and cherry red along with Recollections silver glitter paper. The stamp is from the Gina K Designs “Bundle of Love” stamp set and was stamped with Memento tuxedo black ink. In addition to the sizzix die, a Creative Memories double heart punch was used as well. I used score tape to make sure the pop-up element was adhered well to the base. I didn’t have any “Happy Valentine’s Day” stamps that fit in the white space or on the white heart; I need to fix that!!! The card pictured is my sample; on the cards I actually sent, I hand-wrote that along with a short message in the upper left and lower right corners (before adhering my pop-up element – learned that the hard way!!!).

Here are a few close-up shots of the inside of the card:

Here is the front of the card:

For the front, I used patterned paper from the Gina K Fight Like A Girl paper pack. Gina K cherry red, black, and white card stock was used along with Recollections silver glitter paper. The embossing folders I used were Darice Heart, Darice Stripe, and Cuttlebug Swiss Dots. The giant crystal heart-shaped gem sticker is by Mark Richards. Spellbinders classic circle dies (large and small) were used for the focal panel, and a piece of ribbon was tucked behind.

This card, with the pop-up center and the big gem sticker on the front was so thick, it needed to be sent as a package! Ugh!!!

This card is a variation of a card I made for the StampTV MIUM “Put Your Heart Into It!” Challenge where we are to use a heart somewhere on our project, but it cannot be a Valentine’s Day card. (Sadly, this site is no longer active.) While my card pictured above could be used for a variety of occasions, I decided to change up the front so it was clearly NOT a Valentine’s Day Card! Here is the variation I entered instead:

Again, the patterned paper is from the Gina K Fight Like A Girl paper pack. Gina K cherry red and white was also used. The Stamp is from the GKD Sweet Tweets stamp set and was stamped in Memento tuxedo black and colored with Copic Marker R46 and a clear Wink of Stella glitter pen. A few silver heart spangles were added to the frosting. The greeting is a Momenta metal sticker. The embossing folder is Darice Heart. Spellbinders classic circle dies (large and small) were used for the focal panel. You can see the shine a little better in this close-up.

I used two tools to place and adhere those tiny heart spangles to my project. The first is the glue. Since I needed such a small amount for each heart, I used my Zig 2 Way Glue pen. It looks like a pen and has a fine ball point. You can squeeze or roll just the right amount of glue that you need with perfect placement. This glue can be used two ways. Use it when it’s blue and wet for a permanent bond or let it dry clear for a few moments to get a temporary bond.

The second tool I used is the Silhouette Pick-Me-Up tool. One end has a tacky substance on it that allows you to pick things up. The other end has a removable tool that has two ends that allows you to push the item off the tacky end and onto the adhesive on your project or to push the item in place. I found a “review” with instructions on how to use this tool online HERE that you may find helpful.

Thanks for checking out my card projects!

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12Feb2015

Baseball Note Cards

Posted in Cards, Other by lisababitz

Baseball Note Cards

My son needed to send a note to someone who works in baseball, and I asked him if he wanted me to make him a card. He said, “Yes, if you can but something simple/basic that can be sent in the next day or two.” (He’s away at college so this included time for me to get it to him!) My initial reaction was OH NO!!! Simple/basic and quick aren’t words that usually describe my crafting process, especially since I don’t really have any baseball related supplies!! Then I calmed down and got to thinking. I ordered a few baseball stamps for which I am anxiously awaiting, although I knew when I ordered them that I wouldn’t have them in time for this project and look forward to using them in the future. Then, I decided to go to a scrapbook supply store that is kind of near me (I wish it were closer!) to see what paper she had. I have to say, her store is amazing! She has a lot of gorgeous stuff that you don’t see in the big box stores near me. I found this amazing sheet of vintage baseball paper by Karen Foster Design called Batter Up Collage, and the cards basically made themselves! Here is the whole sheet of paper, from which I was able to make 6 note cards.

I cut the sheet into panels, inked the edges with Tim Holtz walnut stain distress ink, and adhered them to Gina K kraft card bases (which I also inked). Honestly, the cards could have been done at that point! But I felt guilty making something that required so little effort (I need to get over that!!!) and made a banner tag with a greeting from the Gina K Designs “Just A Note” stamp set (retired?) on kraft card stock and stamped with the Gina K charcoal brown ink. I matted the tag on a piece of green cardstock that I distressed with a bit of the charcoal brown ink, inked the edges and added a bit of twine behind it to help it stand out against the busy background. Done!

Here is the whole set of cards:

I’m not sure if I like the twine behind the greeting, but the greeting was lost without it. Now that there is no time pressure, I may go back and try something different with the greeting. We’ll see…

Thanks for checking out my card project!

And if you happen to be in my neck of the woods and are looking for a paper crafting supply store, it is called “Scrap and Beads” and is located in the Burlington Center Mall in Burlington, NJ (right off of Route 295 – exit 47A) . Half her store is set up with tables to work, and half is set up to shop. Check out her great inventory or her crop schedule! (I am not affiliated with this company in any way; I’m just a happy customer! Check it out for yourself, and decide if it would be good for you.) Unfortunately, this store is no longer there.

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