What inks are good for no-line coloring? Well there are of course many. But I have a favorite, and if you haven’t figured it out yet – it’s a hybrid ink that’ll work for a bunch of mediums. But to be sure I did a watercolor test too – and confirmed what was a gut feeling I had already.
Supplies for this project are linked at the end of this post. Compensated affiliate links may be used at no cost to you.
It’s the middle of March…are the birds singing at your house yet!?? I heard one this weekend and my heart was SO happy! Whether or not our feathered friends have returned where you live – these new Dear Friend Robin stamps from Colorado Craft Company are going to bring some sunshine inside!
Video:
This Copic card uses the no-line ink; I think Copic is probably the best medium for fully hiding the lines – but on nice BIG images like this. When it comes to tiny images, the Copic nib is too fat. Pair that with colored pencil or a regular #2 to tidy up tiny spots. ALSO – don’t forget to decorate inside the card like this!
On the left is the watercolor painted over the Pumice Stone distress ink. It muddied up some of the colors a bit – and as you saw in the video, it didn’t stamp evenly, which led to some of the leaves having harsher dark spots too. The one on the right uses the no line ink…much cleaner. I knew this intuitively, but it’s always good to test and confirm what I think will happen.
More new goodies from CCC
Not included in the video – the colored pencil (Polychromos) version…all inks will work great with pencil. If using pigment inks just be sure they’re good and dry. And that robin’s nest stamp? Oh wow. It took a while to color, but it’s stunning! If you don’t want to color it, just stamp it in a soft ink and just color the eggs.
Here’s me coloring the nest – I used a yellowish brown first to flood the whole nest area using Gamsol and a blending stump, then layered different browns to get the depth with negative coloring around each of the little twigs. Ok not each one. I gave up on following the outlines. LOL! You can see a Reel of it on Instagram later on today!
More from this release
You knew I’d be coloring up daffodils right? ha! I love going up to the flower fields in spring to photograph and paint – so I made my own scene! I added a little bit of rocks to the right of the stamped image using a fountain pen with waterproof ink, then the fields and farm buildings too.
Rose Cross is a pretty stamp designed by Australia’s own Sandra Herrgott of Tiny Sparrow Designs! (Her Etsy store and Facebook page are wonderful to go see!) This stamp is just a weeee bit large for an A2 card – it does fit, but without “air” around it like I felt it needed, so I went for a 5″ x 7″ card. I stamped it a second time and cut out the flowers, and a third to cut out and pop the butterflies. And….GLITTER! Yes yes I know. It’s everywhere. HA!
Clean Heart is one of the bookmark stamps…I did a simple watercolor wash over embossed stamps, then painted another layer inside the images. The text is embossed on heavyweight vellum – I tucked it between layers to secure it.
Be Still, another bookmark set, again with embossing and a watercolor wash. Easy peasy!
Hello Bunny will be a tutorial coming up in a week or two once I can get it edited and ready 🙂
Giveaway!
I’m excited to be able to GIVE AWAY two stamp sets each from this new release to three lucky people! Leave a comment here about HOW YOUR STUDIO/WORKSPACE LOOKS TODAY by midnight on the 18th! I actually was brave enough to post GAH video of mine HERE yesterday if you wanna feel better about yours! ha!
I’ll announce winners on Friday the 19th on my blog so be sure to pop back here to see if you won! Also – if you want to be sure you get notified, scroll down just a little farther on this post and subscribe so you’ll get Friday’s post delivered by email!
Supplies
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- Colorado Craft Company Stamps:
- Dear Friend Robin: EH Stamps – EH Dies – CCC Stamps – CCC Dies
- Robins Nest: EH Stamps – EH Dies – CCC Stamps – CCC Dies
- Hello Bunny: EH Stamps – EH Dies – CCC Stamps – CCC Dies
- Spring Season Daffodils: EH Stamps – CCC Stamps
- Rose Cross: • EH Stamps – EH Dies – CCC Stamps – CCC Dies
- Be Still bookmarks: EH Stamps – CCC Stamps
- Clean Heart bookmarks: EH Stamps – CCC Stamps
- Copic Marker card:
- Colored Pencil card:
- Watercolor card:
Love these new stamps and dies! The bunny is my favorite!
Wow, your birds are just wonderful. I love the watercolor look. And the bunny is just wonderful. You really know how to color fur. Great job.
Simply gorgeous! Those birds and bunny are perfect!
I would like to say I am one of those people who can’t create unless everything is tidy, but, alas, I am not. My studio is in a constant state of disarray until a concerted effort before my grandchildren come to visit. Then I must tidy up so together we can all sit in there and create. Sheer bliss.
Thank you for all your beautiful artwork that you share. You are extremely talented and I love to see your work.
My art area is also my work area as I work from home and I’m usually so exhausted by the evening that it can be hard to find creative energy. At this moment my work table is covered with my watercolor supplies as well as my work computer and work so it’s crowded and messy but looking at the lovely colors still makes me happy.
My crafting space looks better today, for weeks I have been trying to organize the space. It seems things need to be stored, in order for me to be able to organize even my ideas
Scattered – like my brain. That’s how my workstation looks, as I have no designated work/play area yet. Tonight my work space is a lap pillow desk while I sit on the couch.
My studio looks more like an office lately! I was preparing for my ordination interview (which I have passed). Now the books are gone and the stamps and supplies are back out, waiting for some creative time. Love this company, and your work with their products.
Sadly, my craft room is tidied into piles of unused supplies right now! I’ve been too busy to craft due to volunteering for my daughter’s school play. But it will all be over after this weekend!
My actual card workspace is fairly tidy today. My seed planting area, is a mess, along with the laundry folding workspace! Thanks for all you share, beautiful work!
Your cards are beautiful. My workspace is our kitchen table and a bit cluttered. But, it’s fun to craft and watch the birds on the feeders outside.
Thanks for sharing.
My workspace looks like an un-natural disaster right now. Let’s be honest….it looks like that all the time especially since I also pay the bills there too.
Beautiful Easter/Spring collection. Love the Bunny❤️
Fantastic new designs! I love the Robin and the eggs.
My craft room is rather messy at the moment. I try to keep it fairly tidy, but that isn’t always possible.
When you said hello Bunny. I thought you were talking to me. Hah!
My little craft space is what I’ll call organized chaos at the moment. It’ll be clean soon. My mind starts to go a little wonky when it gets to be too chaotic.
Your cards and these stamps are beautiful!
My crafting space is a disaster at the moment. My father-in-law passed away at the end of January and since then, my desk has been a catch-all for all the things I haven’t had the time to organize. With the promise of spring peeking out all around me, I feel the creative juices flowing again, so I hope to get it straightened up soon and get back to creating.
Thank you for this giveaway opportunity!
Love the new stamps & your artistic abilities!
My workspace is a bit cluttered with photo’s, paper, bits and pieces of embellishments and my paper trimmer.
Oh my, I am so in love with that Robin. Beautiful image and as usual, you colored it perfectly. Just hope I can make it look like a Robin. Love your daffodil scene, too.
I sleep, work and create in the same spot. Love the beauty in the chaos.
My craft area is the dining room table so it has to stay neat. haha It’s also called OCD. ☺☺☺
My workspace is pretty neat right now. It is also underutilized. I have done a few sketches but don’t have as much time for my painting and journaling.
Those stamps are wonderful. The nest is amazing. Sandy, I love your work. Thank you for share so generously.
Love the bird video Sandy! Awesome job!
Haha not so good…stuff (a little of this and that) all over my desk. Today after playing, I decided it was time to make an organizing to do list. I’m a messy maker (my husbands comment is “how do you find stuff?” and I remind him of his office desk with a smile).
I love the book marks! Thanks sandy.
Oh my goodness, these are fabulous stamps and dies to go with the robins nest & Robin, how awesome is that. Thank you 3C’s for such beautiful images and for the talented Sandy for showcasing her colourful work..it’s a win / win.
I think the nest is my favourite it screams spring, thanks for a chance to win.
I got so excited I forgot to tell you my workspace is cluttered, but I know where everything is.
I will have to watch the video when I have a moment. My workspace is pretty neat right now, but I have a big stack of Art Impression watercolors that I need to get mounted on cards. I just finished 4 watercolor pics for Easter cards and have another idea I want to try. I have been AI scene stamping like mad and really having fun. My family has lots of birthdays in May-June so I gotta get busy! Love no line watercolor too and your cards are beautiful.
My workspace always looks messy/disorganized but I can find things so it works. (When I do try and clean, it takes me forever to find things and it ends up looking like it before in just a few days. )
My craft space is currently a 4ft table in the corner of my bedroom. My cats think it’s for them to lounge on. I am in love with that bunny. It is so adorable.
Mine is the dining room table right now, so it’s crowded!
My workspace is messy right now. I’m working on Easter cards for my family. My space is actually my kitchen dining table till I get my actual craft room in the basement organized with mor shelving. Plus with winter it was too cold to craft in my basement.
I stamp on the dinning room table, so everything MUST be picked up and put away when I finish. It’s kinda a pain, but MAKES me tidy up.
Sandy – WOW beautiful cards. Your water coloring is so amazing. Robins are my favorite bird. When you see Robins you know that Spring isn’t far behind. Our Robins have started to reappear in the last two weeks, the males are scouting out areas for nesting. of course I have to give some love to that adorable bunny. My craft area is a hot mess. I just got my new Anita Jeram stamps today from the new release so I had to get them inky. Thank you for sharing your never ending talent with us all.
My scraproom is in great shape; I cleaned it up yesterday! I find I can work better if I put things back when I have finished with a product so I am trying to do better. More successful some days than others. Lol!
I’m working on samples for Virtual Stamp Night on SCS, so my desk is a mess right now! LOL
I just added a new rug to my space over the weekend. My desk is mostly clear with some bits and bibs needing tidied and there is a box beside my desk in need of some serious organizational consideration. Lol!
My workspace unfortunately (but not surprisingly) looks like a bomb hit it. We just discarded a table to open up some space in there, but I used the table to sit items on all the time. I have some rearranging to do and need to rethink some storage solutions
I have a very nice craft space and its always a crazy mess. I straighten up after each card making holiday or creative playtime but it never stays that way for long. . Thanks, Sandy for all your videos! So inspiring.
Thanks so much for the inspiration Sandy. My stamp room rates about a 7 out of 10 today I guess. I usually straighten up pretty well after a session (which was the weekend) but I will admit to quite a bit of paper scraps on the floor and my adult son’s birthday presents awaiting wrapping on the table that houses my paper cutter.
My crafting space is looking quite good at the moment as I’ve just had some new shelving installed. It doesn’t take long to fill up those shelves though. I’ve also made my table moveable by adding castors on to the bottom. I was worried that it would be too high, but as it turns out it is easier to craft standing up now due to the extra height – no more aching back. Who’d have thought that! Having a moveable table means I can create more floorspace instantly if I need it. With my collection of 1960’s Hammer Horror movies to watch too, what more could a girl want?
Your cards are always inspiring – thank you for sharing. My craft space is a mess right now – I am in the middle of stamping and die cutting for an upcoming class.
I cannot see the bottom of my desktop!! When it is like this, I am in my most creative moments. When it’s clear–nothing’s coming thru! Love your cards!
Gorgeous stamps and coloring! My crafting space is a small corner of my daughter’s kitchen table. It’s organized, but that’s because I haven’t made anything in a few days.
My space is unmanageable right now. I tried promising myself to spend one hour a day to organize, but I just get side-tracked and end up making another card and adding to the disarray in the process!!!
My craft room is surprisingly tidy…( I had a big clean up 2 weeks ago) just don’t look at the floor.
Little pieces of paper everywhere.
These are beautiful stamps!
Love your cards. Praise God for talented artists.
Beautiful new designs from CCC! Hello Bunny is a favorite, and I look forward to your tutorial! Love the way you colored her!
My craft area is not something I would be showing off at this point! It is piled high with things that need to be put away! I wish I was a better organizer!
My craft room is to small, aand is a total mess,…I need more room!
Gorgeous coloring. The robins are back here in west Michigan. My craft studio look near and tidy today. I’m a bit OCD about keeping it tidy – I know strange person!
Wonderful coloring of the robins. I didn’t know how a bird stamp could be used, but you’ve given me some inspiration.
My craft space is a mess right now. I’m in the middle of reorganizing.
As always…beautifully done Sandy. I love the Birds and that beautiful Bunny!!!
My craft space is a total mess…I need more room.
I’ve been cardmaking for many years now, but am practicing watercoloring as I’ve seen how beautiful it can be!! Your cards knocked it out of the park!! Thankyou fir your videos. I’ll be checking them out often!