GOOD AFTERNOON FRIENDS! It’s been awhile since I posted anything new (outside of class announcements) so I made a point of sitting down this morning and coloring just for fun.

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Mo Manning’s digital images. Today’s image – Baby Fairy Arminata – is also available as a clear stamp from Penny Black (see links below). I’ve been eyeing this image for awhile and it gave me an opportunity to try out some new Copic combinations.

I also made a few mistakes along the way. In class, my students seem determined to color perfectly on the first try, so I remind them that you learn from mistakes, not from perfection. And that was certainly the case with the card.

For the skin, I started with a combination used by Sandy Allnock – YR30, YR000, YR26. It looked great on her sample sheet, but didn’t blend as well for me. So I substituted E93 for YR000 and had better results. Which just goes to show that all those Copic combinations you see on Pinterest are really just suggestions – you have to modify and substitute as necessary to make them work for you.

I knew that I wanted a rosy color for the dress and flower petals. I also didn’t want either to get too dark. I started by underpainting the deepest areas with B32 followed by a blend of R43, R81, and RV00 (a beautiful rosy blend used by Debbie Olson). I ended up adding a little R46 to add more definition to the folds and the deepest areas of the flower petals.

I underpainted the mushroom cap with C1, C3, and C5 and then added R46 and R24. Underpainting with the cool grays helped me get some depth without relying on really dark reds.

I had intended on stamping the sentiment on the image directly, but when I was putting the card together, the top right corner picked up some ink from a previous project. I couldn’t remove it remove with a sand eraser so I extended the background a little further to cover some of the damaged spot. I added a small sentiment from the Summer Berries clear stamp set by Power Poppy.

Disclosure: Below are the supplies I’ve used for today’s project. All items were personally purchased except those marked with an asterisk (*) which were provided by a store or design team. I never share a product I do not like. All opinions are my own. Read more.

Where available I use compensated affiliate links, meaning that at no cost to you I receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. I use this money to support my blog. If you like my projects, please consider supporting me by clicking through these links when you shop. Thanks so much! Read more.

Supplies

Paper: Neenah Solar White 110#; X-Press It by Copics; Simple Vintage Botanicals 6×8 paper pad by Simple Stories
Stamps: Baby Fairy Aminita by Mo’s Digital Pencil (image also available on Missing You clear stamp set by Penny Black; Summer Berries (*) by Power Poppy [sentiment]
Ink: Versafine Clair in Nocturne by Tsukineko
Dies: Large Stitched Rectangle Stackables by Lawn Fawn; Fancy Scalloped Rectangle Stackables by Lawn Fawn
Copics: YR30, E93, Y26, BV00 (skin); C1, C3, C5, C7 (hair); B32, RV00, R81, R43, R46 (dress); C1, C3, C5, R24, R46 (mushroom cap); BV00, YR20, YR30, YR31 (mushroom gills); YG01, YG03, YG17, YG67 (leaves & stem); B32, RV00, R81, R43, R46 (flower petals); B0000, BG0000, BG10, RV00, BV00 (background)