Yes it’s Sunday and I normally don’t post on Sundays….but since it’s Colorado Craft Company’s new release, I’ve made an exception!

I sat down with the release stamps and started coloring….I don’t think I’ve explained often how I approach new releases, but I try to see if there’s a commonality. Sometimes it’s something the products share (Anita Jeram in this case!) but the cards I started coloring were coming out with incredible contrast! What a mojo day – it was pretty spectacular to see what I made and ask myself, “Did I just do that?” Ha! So the card I color in the video will have that heavy contrast in common, and you’ll see it come to life.

Supplies for this project are linked at the end of this post. Compensated affiliate links may be used at no cost to you.

Video

At the end of the video you’ll see the cards pictured below – and I’ll write out a little more detail about them in the text here. Watch the video below or click HERE to view it on YouTube.

A Fox’s Life

The strong contrast between all the dark areas against the lights from the moon and highlights…..all that creates some serious drama!

I also created a slimlline card with the other stamp in this set; only the little part around the foxes is part of the stamp, so I created a rocky/pebbly beach with heavy heavy shadows to set off the light striking the foxes. The water is nice and dark so it makes the foxes pop in front of it – and I kept the sky lighter as well for the contrast. The sky is way fancier than what’s in the Blue Skies classes but if you’re interested in upping your game, it’s on sale right now.

Art Is

Anita Jeram has drawn a bunch of “art” related stamps, and I couldn’t be happier! This one has an easel with a couple images that can be stamped onto the canvas. Here I stamped the bunny in black on rocks that I drew, posing….and then stamped it in lighter ink as part of the in progrss painting. The background has strong side lighting, low on the horizon. It can seem “wrong” to put the highlights on the back of the bunny – but pay attention to the direction the light is shining from; it can do unexpected things.

The other version of Art Is is a slimline artists loft – I always wished I could have had one when I lived in NYC! But I guess I can draw my own so maybe I didn’t miss out on anything? The lighting here is full of drama; even if the walls are a tan color, when backed up by bright light from windows, they get dark.

Kindness First

I was working on these cards and proceeding just fine until….I hit the mojo wall. I stared at the bunny and cat and couldn’t figure out a scene to give them! I asked on social media, and someone on Instagram suggested a lumber mill by a creek, someone else wanted a waterfall – and this is what happened after that! Note all the dark colors that “frame” the figures – they don’t OUTLINE the characters, make sure you picture the background as if it’s continuous behind the figures.

Play Time

This set has smaller scene stamps, so each one got the dramatic light treatment. The mice putting on makeup have a dark wall behind and strong shadows across the teal surface of the table….and glossy accents on the shiny parts of the makeup products.Again, see the light on the BACK of the mouse on the right? Thats where the light’s coming from.

The light is coming from in front of the mice and their tea party – but just a slice of light cutting across it. Maybe a crack in a door or window. Dramatic shadows behind them and all the shadow outside the main scene simplifies it somewhat.

Spoonful of Sugar

I tried to picture what would make this mouse happy enough to juggle – and decided he was thrilled to have snuck the whole bowl out of the house! That gave me dark steps to silhouette, giving a nice dark area around the sugar bowl. I used a white pen to cover/remove the motion lines of the juggling, and then added magic dust that’s helping with the juggling.

Recharge

The cat in a hammock cried out for drama! I colored the clouds in the background first -lots of color, lots of drama, then added trees in green and grey, with extra trees on either side. Dark grasses just like i showed you in the video.

Happily Ever After

For this card I adapted one of the Copic Enchantment backgrounds into purples and pinks. SO pretty for a wedding card!

Bloghop and prizes

8 winners in this hop! Each will win one stamp set….to be included in the drawing leave a comment on each blog. Enter comments up until midnight eastern time on the 16th and winners will be announced by us on the 17th on the CCC blog. 

• Colorado Craft Company- Adrienne Kennedy
• Jenn Gross
• Bibi Cameron
• Jennifer Kotas
• Kelly Griglione
• Angelica Conrad
• Daniel West
• Caly Person
• Sandy Allnock <—you’re here!
• Mansi Bhatia
• Kassi Hulet
• Erin Thompson
• Melissa Andrew
• Donna Hitz
• Nichol Spohr
• Emily Midgett
• Amy Tsuruta

INSTAGRAMMERS

• Joe Syvath
• Traci Jenkins
• Marci Snee

Supplies

Some product may be provided by manufacturers for review and use. Compensated affiliate links are here at no cost to you. If you choose to shop using my EH (Ellen Hutson) links, please accept cookies on that site in order to retain the link to my blog, or that compensation does not happen for me. I appreciate your support of my work with your purchases! Full affiliate and product disclosure | My trusted partners in art

• Colorado Craft Company stamps:
  • A Fox’s Life stamps: CCC – EH
  • A Fox’s Life dies: CCC – EH
  • COMPLETE RELEASE BUNDLE
  • STAMPS ONLY BUNDLE
  • Other CCC stamps (there are dies but for simplicity’s sake I’m only listing stamps)
  • Art Is CCC
  • Kindness First CCC
  • Spoonful of Sugar CCC
  • Play Time CCC(no dies for this set)
  • Recharge CCC
  • Happily Ever After CCC
  • Anniversary Mini Stamps CCC
• Copic Markers: EH – Blick
• Jet Black Lawn Fawn Ink Pad
• Neenah Cardstock, Solar White: 25pk – 250pk