Twilight Blog Hop Inspiration

Have you signed up for the Twilight Customer and DT Blog hop yet? If not, what are you waiting for?? Help us celebrate the upcoming release of NEW MOON! See details on this post....

Here's some inspiration to get you going from DT member Joy Stagg using an image from AI's set Into the Moonlight.....



Save the date, 11-20-09!!!

~ Blog Hop Winner! ~

The winner of our Winter Blog Hop is...........Velta!

Here are your random numbers:

10

Timestamp: 2009-11-05 06:15:13 UTC

Congrats, Velta!

Hugs,
Holly

~~~~~ Remember, the Sale continues through November 15th! Make sure you check the website for fabulous deals! ~~

Tutorial- Using Prismacolor Pencils....

DT member, Sherry Campbell, is giving us a tutorial today on: How to color your Artful Inkables Images with Prismacolor Pencils and blend using Odorless Mineral Spirits

Supplies Needed:

High Quality Cardstock (white is used here)

Line Art Image (dog from South of the Border used here)

Dye Ink- My preference and recommendation is Memento

Odorless Mineral Spirits (artistic grade found at art and hobby stores)

Pencils

Paper blending Stumps

File

Stamp image with dye ink onto Cardstock. Depending on ink used you may have to let dry- Memento is ready immediately

Color outer edges of image with pencil laying down lots of color.

Wet blending stump with OMS and using a circular motion blend and pull color towards center of image.

Your coloring should have a blended and shaded look

Color the rest of the image using the same technique

Blend other colors with the OMS- BE SURE to file the color off the tip of the blending stump BEFORE using on another color.

Optional shading can be done once the main image is colored to give more depth and dimension. Imagine a light source and use a light grey (used Cool Grey 20% on this image) and shade where shadows would normally fall. For this image I imagined the light source in the upper left corner and shaded accordingly.

Once Shading is colored you can blend gently with the blending stump being careful not to extend the color out too far.

Here is my finished image- it is ready to be added to my project.

Can't wait to see what you come up with using your AI stamps with this tutorial!! Thanks for stopping by!

Think INK inspiration...

Our DT Member, Crystal Irwin, created this pizza box for the current Think INK challenge- make something or use a technique that you're never tried before. She used a new set, Down on the Farm, and did a fabulous job (and guess what's inside- COW TAILS)!

We are Having a SALE!

From November 1st until November 15th Artful Inkables has 35 sets on sale for 25-35% off. No code is needed to take advantage of this sale and our free shipping on orders over $45 still applies to all of our products including the sale items. So stock up now on those sets you've had on your wish list or better yet, send a loved one to over to buy some for you for Holiday gifts. See all the sales sets HERE.

Winter Retro Hop

Artful INKables has some great winter-themed stamps that may not be new releases...but they may be new to YOU. To help make you aware of these fun stamp sets, some of the INK girls and I have gotten together a retro Blog Hop. Just hop along from one blog to the next to see some wonderful creations made with some AI oldies-but-goodies. Leave your comment on each blog and you will be eligible to win a retro-winter set of your choice. Names will be drawn on Monday, November 2nd.

My card was made using the set Frosty Mug Mates which features some cute little snowmen with mugs for hats along with a pine tree and some winter sentiments and accessories. A full picture of this set can been seen in our store HERE. The background was made using another retro AI set called Paper Snowflakes which can be seen HERE.

I made the background for this card using the Retiform Technique (directions can be found over on SCS in the resources section) on shimmery white card stock. (My version of the technique basically involves, triangle shaped post-it notes, 3 colors of blue ink and a brayer.) After the background was brayered I stamped on some navy and white snowflakes from the paper snowflakes set. The back card piece was stamped with some smaller snowflakes from the snowman set mentioned above. For the focal point I stamped the snowman head in black on more shimmery card stock and colored it with Copic Markers. The embellishment is a clear snowflake over a circle of navy card stock with a decorative button in the center.

Now Hop on over to Jen's blog to see her fun project...and don't forget to comment to win!

~ Design Team Featured Stamper! ~

Today's Design Team Featured Stamper is Jackie Rakoski! Jackie is one fabulous stamper
and it is such a pleasure to team up with her. I especially love Jackie's compassion.
Her stamping style can be summed up as clean and crisp.

Here are some things you should know about Jackie:

Q ~ Married? Kids? Pets?

Single, no children, but I do have a dog named Lacey. She is a yellow lab and a complete sweetie.

Q ~ Do you have a job outside of stamping? If so, what do you do?

I do, I work full time as an architectural designer. I am trying to complete my IDP which is the intern development plan, its three years of full time work in specific areas before I can be eligible for my Architect's licensing exam to make me a register Architect.

Q ~ What got you into stamping?

I have always been interested in crafts of all sorts and growing up I was constantly at the closest crafts store around. I started with jewelry then moved on to some latch hooking and then came across working with lace to create potpourri. I found stamping when I was volunteering to help at my local libraries scrapbooking demonstration. I was completely hooked once I started and started going to classes and workshops all through high school and college.

Q ~ What is your favorite embellishment and why?

I think it's between ribbon and rhinestones. I mean a card seems uncompleted now without ribbon and a bit of bling!

Q ~ What drew you towards Artful Inkables?

I had been loving the cards I was seeing from the last terms design team, and a friend of mine, and now fellow design team member Joy, was always sharing her creations with me. After a while of eyeing the adorable images I saw the Twilight stamp sets and that was just a done deal for me! Artful INKables has such a fun style I was pulled right in!

Q ~ What is your favorite non-card type project?

I love altering tins and jars, not sure why, but they are just so much fun to alter. I and horrible when it comes to spotting things that may be altered one day, I have, let's just say, a few boxes filled with things to hopefully alter one day.

Q ~ Have you been published?

Not yet, I really want to be one day, but I keep forgetting to answer the calls. If I were to sit down and send something in I may have a chance.

Q ~ What is your favorite coloring medium? Why?

I would have to say my Copic markers, I love the look and they overall feel to my creations with these markers. Before I found them I loved colored pencils and gemasol though, it's nice to try out new mediums when you can, and I certainly try what I can find.

Q ~ Tell us about your blog.. (ie..is it all stamping, or a mix of other things?)

My blog is all about stamping, only once in a while do I post about personal things. I use my blog space to share my creations with whoever stops by and to share with people who are interested in ordering cards from me, its sort of like my little shop in a way.

Q ~ What is your favorite part of being on a design team?

I would have to say getting to know the other ladies on the team as well as working with these stamps all the time! I really think that getting the chance to work with a specific design team is a great way to test your style and try to learn from the other designers around you. Plus, the stamps that have been released are just getting better and better and I am thrilled to be along for the ride!

Here is one of my favorite Jackie creations:

Great to have you with us, Jackie!

Thanks for stopping by!