Author: sproatmeyer

Polka Dot Pals Kezia

~ sproatmeyer ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to the neighborhood – it’s time for a jog! Catch up with this musical van to get your scrumptious treats today. If you miss it, however, head on over to Whimsy Stamps and order this adorable set, Polka Dot Pals Kezia, which was released today. I’ve also used the house from Polka Dot Pals Vera to create this fun summer scene.

After stamping the truck and houses, I used a black multi-liner pen and ruler to draw in the sidewalk. From there it was about coloring the scene. I start with what I knew – the greenery, sidewalk and roadway. Then I colored the truck and then the houses. Not sure if the colors work the best.
These stamps, the truck, ice cream, houses and sentiments, are accessory stamps in the Polka Dot Pals sets. They’re just as much fun to use as the characters.

Supplies Used:
Hammermill Premium Color Copy 100lb
Sakura Gelly Roll White Pen
Copic Multiliner SP Black 0.3

Whimsy Stamps:
Wonky Stitched Rectangles die set
Polka Dot Pals Kezia
Polka Dot Pals Vera

Copic Used:
YG21, 23, 17, 67
YG61, G82, 24
YR30, 31
C1, 3, 5, 6, 7
T1, 2, 3, 4, 6
E23, 25, 27, 21
BG11, 13, 34
B12, 14
R30, 32, 35
E13, 19, 71, 74, 41, 42, 43
BV25

The Mailbox

~ sproatmeyer ~ 1 Comment

I liked the full size background of this stamp so much that I needed to make a second card. This is The Mailbox rubber stamp by DoveArt Studios and available at Whimsy Stamps. The color scheme on this one was so that the flowers, Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja coccinea), would stand out the most.

I colored the bird as Northern Parulas which matched well with the letter in the mailbox and the house. Another thing I did was to extend the stamp size in height and width. So the extra set of windows on the house and the top part of the trees were added through creative color placement. It might have been easier to add to the other side but I wanted more of the house so I took the time on that side.
The sentiment is a chipboard embellishment from Make it Crafty and I happily have a stash that I can pull from. However, there are some chipboard embellishments available at Whimsy Stamps. This one comes in two layers which Make it Crafty was the trend setter of this style. I colored the top layer with my Copic markers in the same color as the flowers.

Supplies Used:
Hammermill Premium Color Copy 100lb
Nuvo Crystal Drops
Tsukineko Memento Ink Rich Cocoa
Tsukineko Memento Ink Bamboo Leaves

Whimsy Stamps:
The Mailbox
chipboard embellishments

Copic Markers:
Y11, 21, YR24, R05
B00, 12, 23, 06, 95
BG10, 11
E42, 43, 44
T2, 4, 6
YG21, 23, 67, 99
Y21, R05, 29

Snow Buddies

~ sproatmeyer ~ 1 Comment

I’ve been wanting to do a snow scene for a while and figured I really didn’t have to wait until winter to do so… so I colored one. This uses Snow Buddies and I masked the images to add them all and create this scene. This was colored on Neenah Desert Storm card stock.

Other than adding white at the end with a gel pen, I wanted to work on shadows. Drop shadows on an image seems to be intuitive by now but the ones on the ground are ones that I still struggle with. It seems like such a permanent contrast to work with so that is my hesitation to lay down the colors. I’m working on it.
Adding the aspen trees in the background was fun and easy to do. I started with a light gray to put the trunks in then just added some lines on the truck for details.

Supplies Used:
Neenah Desert Storm 80# Cardstock
Sakura Gelly Roll White Pen

My Favorite Things Stamp:
Snow Buddies

Copic Markers:
E41, 43, 44
YG21, 23, 17
W3, 5, 7
E000, 21, 23, 25, 35, 49
E70, 71, 74, 77
T1, 3, 5, 7
C2, 3, B12
BV23, 25
E30, 32, 35, 37
Y11, 21, 26
BG11, 13, 49
YR30, 04, 09, 27

Annie Special Delivery

~ sproatmeyer ~ 1 Comment

I’m back using Annie Special Delivery from Stamp Anniething and today my challenge was to color the face in a non-traditional manner. This was a difficult one for me and I’ve been mulling it over for a week or two. Then with inspiration from Annabel’s My Neighbor project, I took the leap and gave it a try. I recorded it and uploaded it to my YouTube channel – you can access the video below or HERE. This is what I came up with …

While coloring this one, I sketched out a few other ideas for faces and this one seemed to fit the best. I tilted the eyes a little which allowed enough room for a nose to fit in without feeling crowded. There are some things I would change for the next time but overall I think the challenge came out well. Below you can see the original stamp with the results.
The background is from Sandy Allnock named Stay Home Stay Safe. (Currently a freebie.) I combined the two images together, flipped one and scaled them down to fit on one card. The signs were strategically hidden behind the character to make this an all purpose background. I imagine this girl lives in the metropolis and walking home from school.
The character was cut out and popped on the background with foam tape which helps her stand out as the focal point. The rest of the card was kept simple and I used some Nuvo Crystal Drops for texture on the windows, flowers on her satchel and the sun on the envelope. Subtle in the photographs but you can’t help run your fingers across it in real life.

Supplies Used:
Hammermill Premium Color Copy 100lb
Tsukineko Memento Ink Desert Sand
Sakura Gelly Roll White Pen
Nuvo Crystal Drops
Shaker Maker Foam Tape – White

Stamps:
Annie Special Delivery by Stamp Anniething
Stay Home Stay Safe by Sandy Allnock

Copic Colors – Character:
N2, 4, 5, 6, 8
R30, 32, 35, 37, 39
R01, 12, 04, C0, 2, 3
E0000, 30, 31, 35, 47
YG21, 23, 17, 67
E70, 71, 74, 77, 79
B01, 14, 16, 18
Y11, 15, 32, YR04

Copic Colors – Background:
YG21, 23, 17, 67
G02, B0000, Y21
N3, 5, C1, 3
BG01, 02, 45, 93, 96, 99
E15, 41, 42, 43
YR02, 82

Polka Dot Pals Fern Grassland Ponder DCS

~ sproatmeyer ~ 3 Comments

I had the chance to color up another digital coloring scene from Whimsy Stamps. This is Polka Dot Pals Fern Grassland Ponder. I started with creative color placement and changed the style of the hair. Then I colored the face and moved to the background. I wasn’t sure what color to do her clothes yet so I waited to see what was needed. This is how she turned out.

I cut the scene out with the Wonky Stitches Rectangle die and then layered it on black then white cardstock. As finishing touches, I added some Liquid Pearls and white dots to represent flowers in the foreground.
I don’t work with purple very often so I was worried this wouldn’t work well. But I blended the sunset with peaches and warm yellows which worked out better than the last time I tried.

Supplies Used:
Hammermill Premium Color Copy 100lb
Liquid Pearls

Whimsy Stamp:
Polka Dot Pals Fern Grassland Ponder DCS
Wonky Stitched Rectangles die set

Copic Markers:
E30, 31, 34, 35, RV93, E04
E23, 25, 27, 29
T2, 4, 6, 8
Y32, YR02, R11, RV32, 34, V05, 06, 09
Y11, 32, YR12, 07, 24
YG91, 93, 95
YG03, 45, G43, Y11
Y21, 03, 45, G43, 46, 29, BG78
YG21, 13, 41, BG34, 45, 57
C0, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, BG37, 09, 79
Y11, 15, 38, YR24
BG23, 25
RV55, 66

Polka Dot Pals Lisa

~ sproatmeyer ~ 3 Comments

I rummaged around in my old stamped and pulled out Polka Dot Pals Lisa to color. This is a retired rubber stamp from Little Miss Muffet Stamps. She’s one of my favorites and is signing “Thank you” in American Sign Language (ASL).

The background is a die from Gina K, I think. Long ago when I organized, I erroneously didn’t label my dies so they’re hard to identify. So this is just my best guest. The sentiment is a Make it Crafty chipboard embellishment and was colored with Copic markers and Stickles Glittler Glue.
Instead of using an add-on face from a Polka Dot Pals set, I decided to color in one of my own and try a new shape. This is how I come up with faces to add into new Polka Dot Pals sets. So if you see one that you love, hint, hint, then give me a shout out.
Here’s a progress photo. The only paper I had at the time was heavy, maybe 120# weight, and I thought it was for alcohol markers. Boy was I wrong! I don’t what know what it was but even colored pencils didn’t apply well. So this was a difficult and patience testing project. I wasn’t able to go as dark as I wanted but at least I was still able to get some shading and depth included.

Supplies Used:
(most of it is unknown)
Tsukineko Memento Ink London Fog
chipboard embellishments
Nuvo Crystal Drops
Stickles Glitter Glue

Stamp:
Polka Dot Pals Lisa from Little Miss Muffet Stamps (retired)

Coloring:
no-brand colored pencils